Warriors: Escaping Fate

Chapter 12 - Buried

That night, as the stars glittered in the darkened sky, Redmoon padded up to the center of camp to join Dewshine and Mintshade, who were sitting vigil following their warrior ceremonies. Although no cat had explicitly told her to do so, Redmoon still felt obligated to sit with them as well. After all, she had also received her name that day. Sitting with her clanmates was simply a small way of reclaiming the moment she had lost when she became a medicine cat.

When she approached them, Dewshine looked surprised, but said nothing as she wordlessly beckoned her forward with her tail. Thankful for the warmth, Redmoon laid down and pressed her pelt against Dewshine's fur.

The she-cat shivered. "It's really cold tonight," she mewed in a hushed whisper, keeping her voice low so that none of the senior warriors could hear her. The frost that covered her bluish-gray fur shimmered in the moonlight, and to Redmoon, those small rays of light almost looked like little suns that kept them both warm at night.

"It is," Redmoon replied softly. She glanced at Willowbranch's body and shuddered. Her former mentor looked so peaceful lying there, her body uncovered in the snow thanks to these young warriors' efforts. It was such a stark contrast to how she had died earlier that day, choking on deathberries.

Mintshade was curled up next to Dewshine on her other side, sitting only a squirrel leap away from her mentor, Finchwing's body. She blinked back tears but said nothing, and only stared at the reddish-brown warrior's lifeless pelt, almost as if she was waiting for his star-encrusted pelt to rise from his body. For a long while, the group remained silent, lost in their thoughts and memories.

Finally, there was a small whisper. "I wanted him to be proud of me."

Redmoon flicked her ear; she thought she had imagined it until Dewshine gave her sister a comforting lick. "Of course, he is," she replied, and together the two cats pressed their foreheads together, taking in each other's scents. Although the circumstances were different, they had both lost something precious that day, and their bond as sisters was stronger than ever.

Redmoon raised her gaze towards Silverpelt. The dark, dreary sky had filled with grayish clouds, blocking out the moon. Their warrior ancestors were no longer visible. Could it be because they were angry? She bit her lip, wondering what they could be thinking of right now.

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The next morning, the sun rose high through the trees, casting its long rays across the snow and bathing the fresh, icy white drifts in a shimmery light. Redmoon opened her jaws wide, letting out a huge yawn, then stood up and stretched. When she heard crunching in the snow, she glanced over to see a small group padding up to them. It was led by Rabbitclaw; the white, long-furred elder had a hard look on her face as she hobbled quickly through the snow. Close on her heels came the senior warriors Flintfoot and Blossomheart. Ravenstorm was also padding up to them as well, with Flamestar close behind him, and with a heavy heart Redmoon realized that they had all come to bury her fallen clanmates from the day before.

With a sense of closure washing over her, Redmoon leaned her head forward and touched her nose to her mentor's cold gray fur. "Goodbye," she mewed under her breath. Although Willowbranch did so many cruel things to her, she didn't want to believe the medicine cat did it out of pure hatred and spite.

As Redmoon lifted her gaze, she noticed her other clanmates had also arrived to say goodbye to their fallen comrades. She watched as Leopardstrike placed her paw on Finchwing's body and closed her eyes, giving a silent prayer to StarClan. Nearby, Littleleaf observed her uneasily with a twitching tail, clearly filled with mixed emotions. In unison, Cloverpaw and Hazelpaw padded up together, and upon seeing Redmoon, they gave her a nod of acknowledgment.

To her dismay even Icebreath had journeyed out of the medicine cat's den, limping clumsily across the snow until she had joined the crowd. Redmoon was about to say something to her, when suddenly she spotted Silversky and Goldenear, sitting outside the nursery. Their empty gazes, void of emotion, made her feel uneasy, but she shook the thought out of her mind and looked away.

Finally, the time for grievance was over. As the patrol picked up their bodies, Redmoon's clanmates called out solemn farewells until they disappeared through the ice-covered spines of the gorse tunnel.

Hazelpaw padded up to her, and eagerly Redmoon rubbed her forehead against his, thankful for the reassuring gesture. "Don't worry, Cloverpaw and I will take care of Icebreath." He mewed. Redmoon caught a hint of worry in his voice, but he didn't express it openly.

"Thank you," she replied and watched as her brother quickly caught up to the brown apprentice. Ever since Willowbranch had died, Cloverpaw had been sticking around a lot more and started helping around the camp, assisting her with medicine cat duties. She wondered how long that would last.

As she watched them leave, Mintshade stepped into her field of vision, her tail dragging along the ground as she stared at the pawprints left in the snow. Around them the rest of the clanmates had already dispersed, tearfully returning to their warrior duties.