Warriors: Fallen Stars- Book 1: Frozen Sound

Chapter 14

RiverClan

Mosspaw's breath escaped his mouth as he gasped. Everything was in slow motion. Once Bristleface hit the ground of the elder's den did he react.

"B-Bristleface!" he gasped.

He leapt to his paws and bounded over to his mother. Mosspaw extended a paw to feel if she was breathing. She was dead.

Mosspaw knew this, but shook her body anyway.

"Bristleface! Bristleface get up!" he begged.

It was only a few moments until a silhouette arrived at the entrance to the elders den. Willowsong stood there with a sparrow in his mouth. The grey tom's jaw dropped as the bird fell to the ground.

"Bristleface!" the tom bounded across the den and leapt over his son to be by his mate's side. "Mosspaw! Go now!" 

Mosspaw put his ears back as he gazed in shock into his father's teal eyes. Willowsong was shaking, but Mosspaw didn't know if it was in shock, grief, anger, or all of the above. "It's not my fault I swear! I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry," Mosspaw thought as he started to hyperventilate. His paws twitching, he bolted out of the healer's den. 

The fresh air whipped him like pelting rain as he ran to the clearing. Mosspaw pried his eyes open as he looked around for a silver tabby pelt.

"Shellwhisker! Shellwhisker where are you!" he thought.

His eyes gazed towards the healers den, "Please StarClan let you be inside!" he begged as he ran into the den.

Shellwhisker was inside looking at the herb stock, perhaps judging how he and Petalpaw organized it earlier. The silver tabby looked at Mosspaw about ready to say something, but her face darkened as she saw Mosspaw.

"Mosspaw. What happened?" Shellwhisker gravely demanded. She knew.

Mosspaw's paws shook as he sputtered, "B-Bristleface is d-dead."

Shellwhisker's eyes slightly opened in surprise, probably because she wouldn't have suspected him to tell her the news. 

"Is there anyone else in the den?" Shellwhisker asked as she started grabbing moss from her stock.

"Just Willowsong," Mosspaw whimpered, "Beebreeze and Softfur went for a walk.." 

"I'll need to clean her body in preparation for vigil," she said coldly, "You may be my apprentice now, but I won't ask you to help me this time."

Mosspaw was thankful and helped Shellwhisker get the last of her supplies needed. Once he was alone in the healers den he fell into his nest trying to catch his breath. 

As his shaking worsened all he could hear was the voices of StarClan. The loudest of these voices were that of his sisters. 

"Mama?" Jasperkit said in shock while Minnowkit chirped, "Mom! You're here!"

Over and over Mosspaw would hear his sisters excited to see their mother again, he couldn't hear Bristleface, or if he did he didn't know her voice to determine whether or not it was hers. He felt like he was going to be sick and wished he couldn't hear them.

He lay there trembling until a cat came into the den. It was Petalpaw.

"Mosspaw," she gasped and ran to him.

The brown tabby was terrified, but relieved. At least there would be a distraction from hearing his sisters in StarClan.

"I-I went to check on Willowsong after I dropped my prey off at the nursery, and... Mosspaw I'm so sorry to tell you this, but..." she stuttered.