flamestar's rise

Chapter 8: friends, allies and a loss

Two moons had passed since russetfangs death, flameburst naturally fell into his duties as deputy and did well. He worried slightly for his mother who had stopped eating for a time and seemed to have been in a daze recently, he stretched as the patrols he had assigned left and he took a moment before padding through the camp entrance, he was heading for the place he used to meet vex. As he walked across the moor he felt calm and gazed out over the moor coldly, finally he reached the spot and sat down. He waited for a while until the bushes rustled and out came.... Rentail? "Rentail? What are you doing here?" Rentail shook his pelt "i wanted to speak to you" his gaze flickered curiously "why are you just sitting here?" Flameburst stiffened "that's none of your business" rentail looked concerned "are you okay? Ever since russetfang died you've been distant i just wanted to make sure you-" flameburst lurched forward and halted nose to nose with rentail "I'm. Fine. I don't need someone constantly nagging me about it either. Ancestors above know i need ANOTHER mother" rentail reeled back "what's that supposed to mean?!" Flameburst sneered "it means you're acting just like my mother and everyone else in fireclan, It's annoying." Rentail bristled "I'm your friend, i wouldn't be a very good one if i weren't worried" flamebursts tail lashed "well don't be, we may be friends but you're pushing it, be careful with how you speak to me" rentail shook his head "whatever, I'll be back at camp if you want to talk" flameburst glared after him as he disappeared into the heather.

After a long while of waiting He jolted as the bushes behind him rustled and vex stepped out and rose a brow "lover's quarrel?" He bristled "no! We're just friends" vex chuckled "I'm only messing with you" vex paused and looked flameburst over slowly "so i see you're deputy now" flameburst puffed out his chest slightly " i am" vex stared at him for a second longer "vea and i have been talking and... We think it's about time you became leader" he froze "me? But I've only just been made deputy a few moons ago.." "and you're perfectly capable of being leader, i can help you set things up and if need be I'll help... Take care of rookstar" he stared at him "take...care of? Like kill her?" Vex circled him "well of course, like how you killed russetfang" he couldn't tear his gaze from vex, his mouth running dry "i.. i didn't.... To kill rookstar... I don't even know how many lives she has left or..." Vex rested his tail on flamebursts shoulder "you'll figure it out, maybe find an ally in your clan to help, rookstar is weak, before long someone will die because of a poor decision SHE makes and everyone will suffer, do you really want that?" He shook his head "no but.." flameburst shook himself out "yea just give me some time" vex nodded approvingly "i shall await your answer" with that he was gone and flameburst was left alone in the small clearing, he sat in silence and stared at the ground 'russetfangs death... That's not my fault, he was an idiot who couldn't even watch where he set his paws, besides why should i have done something he wouldn't do for me? Rookstar.... That'll be tough... Who could possibly help me.. or be willing to help me take the life of their own leader......' he straitened his back "snakepelt, he's ambitious and doesn't seem too fond of rookstar... Or murkcloud for that matter.... Maybe i can find a moment to inquire about it" flameburst stood up and made his way back towards camp, on his way he decided to detour to the leafclan border, he stiffened as yowls and growls rang out and he raced forward to find a leafclan tom lashing out with his paw, his  paw tore through fur... Ginger fur, scarlet liquid started soaking into it and flameburst let out a strangled cry "LILYFLAME!" frantic he rushed forward, viciously knocking the tom away. He barely noticed hailpaw cowering behind her, he dropped into a crouch beside his mother and desperately pressed his paws onto her throat "hang on just... Just hang on" he whipped his head up and snarled at hailpaw "what are doing just standing there, you're a healer HELP HER!" hailpaw looked to be panicking, flameburst glanced back down as lilyflame pressed her paw to his chest weakly "flameburst.... My son.... Oh my darling son..." He trembled "mom...." He felt so useless, so helpless, lilyflame smiled up at him "i know you'll do great things... We loved you.... So much.... I wouldn't change... a thing...." Her paw slid down as she fell still. he stiffened "... lilyflame?...mom?.... Mom! MOM!" He felt like his pelt was suffocating him, he eyes flicked to hailpaw who was staring at lilyflame "WHY IN OUR ANCESTORS NAME ARE YOU EVEN A HEALER!? YOU'RE SO USELESS!" lash out... He had to make the cats responsible pay, his attention was brought to the tom and his voice came out in a quiet deadly sounding growl "you" the tom backed up as flameburst bristled and was about to launch himself at him when rookstar and dawnwhisp appeared from the bushes, they stared in shock for a moment before rookstar darted in between him and the tom "flameburst enough, what's done is done, we can't turn back time what would killing him accomplish? You can't bring her back" flameburst glared at her "you can't possibly understand!" Rookstar shook her head "help dawnwhisp take lilyflame back to camp, we will talk when things are more calm, I'll go talk to leafclans leader about this toms fate" rookstar followed a trembling tom into the trees as he picked up lilyflame gently, it was quiet all the way back but his mind was buzzing with thoughts 'talk... TALK, THAT'S ALL SHE EVER SEEMS TO DO... She IS weak, SHE CAUSED THIS, she doesn't even CARE that lilyflame is dead.... She ordered the patrol to go there... She left lilyflame with that useless healer apprentice... She assigned lilyflame the task of mediator... It's all HER FAULT and she'll pay for it... Soon.... Very soon.'