The First to Fight the Storm

Chapter 5

Eveningsea burst out of the deputies' den. "He's dead!" She screeched before flopping on the ground. Mosspoppy ran up and put a paw on her back.

Rubypaw looked shocked.

Wolfpaw looked scared.

Deerpaw looked terrified.

Willowpaw felt fear shake her body. She glanced at Silverpaw.

Silverpaw was horrified. Her mouth hung open as she got up and walked over to her fathers den. Redstar had come out of the leader's den.
"Silverpaw..." Willowpaw started, getting up and walking after her.

She walked into the den. Eagleheart had been scratched all over his pelt and even his left eye, which had been blinded. His right ear was hanging off and his scratches were covered in dried blood. Willowpaw backed out of the den with a gasp. Silverpaw rushed forward and shoved her muzzle next to his furry pelt.

The clan meeting that happened the night of the deputies death, confused Willowpaw. She sat next to Scorchpaw, but Silverpaw was sitting a ways behind Willowpaw.

Redstar climbed onto the highrock. "A shocking thing happened this morning." She started, while watching Eaglehearts unmoving body. "We have sat vigil, and now it is time to announce that we know who killed our deputy." The clan gasped in shock as Redstar paused. Willowpaw looked around and heard murmurs like "Already?" and "that makes no sense!"

Redstar continued. "Tufts of fur were found around the den, and I have concluded with Bloodnight, your new deputy, that the murderer was Swallowtail." Redstar glared down at Swallowtail who looked confused, shocked, and betrayed at the same time. "Anything you would like to say to your kin before I exile you?"

"It wasn't me!" Swallowtail spat. The clan looked back and forth from Redstar to Swallowtail. Swallowtail had always been loyal to her Clan. The Clans attention was soon called back up to Redstar as her voice rang out across the camp. "Swallowtail will be exiled now. Willowpaw and Scorchpaw need new mentors. Blueblaze, you will be Scorchpaws mentor. I trust that you will pass on your confidence and skills. Petalfire, you will be Willowpaws mentor. You will pass on your smart mind and teach Willowpaw to pay attention and observe." Redstar turned and trudged into her den. "This clan meeting is over. Swallowtail will be escorted to the border by Bloodnight, Petalfire, and..." Redstar's voice wavered, "Silverpaw."

Over the next moon, the clan grieved their deputy. Willowpaws father, Bloodnight, had been appointed deputy. But the most worrying thing to Willowpaw was Silverpaw. She had changed.

Willowpaw looked up at the apprentice den as she trotted back into the camp, tired from the dawn patrol.

Wolftail and Deerhawk had been given their warrior names and had already moved to the warrior den. Sunnypaw slept in the medicine den. It was just Rubypaw, Scorchpaw, her, and Silverpaw. She walked into the apprentice den. Silverpaw was there, breathing heavily. Her mother and her acted differently though. Eveningsea tried to forget Eagleheart altogether, and would ignore someone if they mentioned him in front of her.
Silverpaw had started to scare Willowpaw. She had been ignoring all her duties as an apprentice. Spiritcloud had stopped trying to get Silverpaw to get up when she got a nasty bite on her front leg.

"What do you want, Willowpaw." Silverpaw said with a snarl.

"Silverpaw, you were supposed to come with me on the dawn patrol." Willowpaw said, determined to get her friend to listen.
"Willowpaw." Silvepaw turned her head in her nest. Her piercing blue gaze hit Willowpaws golden eyes like a storm. "Haven't I made it clear that I hate it here? I hate this clan, I hate the cats, and I hate you." She turned her head back into her nest, and then muttered, "go away."

Willowpaw walked out of the den, ears and tail down.

"Is something wrong?" A tiny voice sounded near her paws and she shifted her gaze down to two of Midnightstorms kits.

"Kits! Come here!" Willowpaw heard Midnightstorm trot over to her kits.
"Willowpaw, I'm sorry, it's their first day out of the nursery."

Willowpaw forgot about Silverpaw and reached down to brush her muzzle against the cream she-kit with black spots. "What are their names?" She asked.

Midnightstorm touched the full black kit on the head. He was looking straight and hadn't moved his eyes. His eyes were a glassy blue. "This one is Mudkit. The cream tom is Carrotkit. The one that you're touching is Sandkit, and the last she-kit is Dreamkit, since she won't ever pay attention! It's like she has her own dream land." Midnightstorm replied, watching her kits skitter across the camp.

"Those are beautiful names" Willowpaw looked at the kits.

"Mudkit is actually blind." Midnightstorm continued. "Greenleaf just explained it to me this morning."

Willowpaw had no idea what to answer. "I have to go." Willowpaw walked towards the medicine den. Ever since Silverpaw had started ignoring Willowpaw had started hanging out with Sunnyfeather, the transgender medicine cat. After Sunnyfeather had gotten his warrior name, he decided that he wanted to be a tom.

"Sunnyfeather, is there anything I can help you with?" Willowpaw asked, trotting into the medicine den.

"You could try to get Greenleaf off my pelt. She keeps getting grumpy about everything I'm doing." Sunnyfeather looked at Greenleaf, who was asleep in a nest, and also grumbling about some herb.

"That old badger." Sunnyfeather said with a laugh.
"I will get her to check in on Silverpaw." Willowpaw said, remembering the conversation they had had this morning.

Sunnyfeathers face fell. The medicine cats had been checking on Silverpaw every day to make sure she was eating well and not sick. Sunnyfeather had tried to check up on her this morning, but she had hissed at him and almost attacked him. A voice came from the entrance of the medicine den.

"Willowpaw," It was Petalfire. "Me and Duskshadow are taking you and Rubypaw to do a border patrol. We are waiting outside camp. Get going." Petalfire seemed extra bored, and didn't seem to like Willowpaw very much.

When she left the camp, she immediately spotted the patrol. Rubypaw waved her over.

Petalfire was talking to Slashfur, her mate.

"Oh and Slashfur is coming with us." Rubypaw ended.

Willowpaw swung her head towards Rubypaw. "What?"

Rubypaw rolled her eyes in a playful way and replied, "come on."

Slashfur and Petalfire were slowing down behind Rubypaw, Duskshadow, Willowpaw. Duskshadow kept calling to them to keep up, and that they were slowing down the whole patrol. They kept talking and laughing about what seemed like random stuff. Whenever Slashfur spoke, Petalfire would act as if it was the most amazing thing. Willowpaw missed the days where Swallowtail was her mentor. Petalfire seemed more interested in Slashfur doing things like eating, then Willowpaws education. Willowpaw thought about complaining to Redstar, but then shook it out of her head, she wasn't going to be that kind of cat.