Leafshade's Revenge

Chapter Five

Chapter Five

"Thornfrost! Ambersight! Thornfrost! Ambersight!" The Clan yowled together. Leafpaw joined in, the excitement making her paws tingle. She stood next to Tigerpaw and Splotchpaw, almost bouncing. Why are you excited? She thought to herself. It's not your warrior ceremony! She paused. Leafpaw shrugged, letting happiness take over.

When was the last time you were this happy? She thought. Might as well enjoy it.

+++

Thornfrost padded up to her, his friend, Waspsting, beside him. "I can't believe it," he meowed to both of them, swishing his tail. "I'm a warrior, finally...and now I have to go sit vigil." He rolled his eyes, turning around to stalk over to a spot near Ambersight.

Waspsting sat next to Leafpaw, her eyes glimmering with amusement. "He'll never truly leave his apprentice life behind, will he?" she mewed thoughtfully. She watched him squirm where he sat, obviously not great at being the one not talking.

The pale moon shone as the sky turned to black, the sun setting from behind the rocky, snow-capped mountains. The breeze blew through the clearing, rustling her fur. She shivered. "I'm going to go to bed," she decided, her jaws parting in a yawn.

Waspsting nodded, getting up and stretching. "Alright," she meowed. "Me too." They parted, leaving Thornfrost and Ambersight focusing on dirt and rocks. Good luck, she thought, trotting towards her den.

As she settled down, she realized how tired she was. She tucked her nose under her tail, shutting her eyes, and she let sleep overtake her.

+++

Tigerpaw prodded at Leafpaw's side, and she opened her eyes, blinking sleepiness away. She moaned as she got up, shaking out her short dark fur. "What is it?" she mumbled, yawning. Her legs ached, and she leaned her head back, sleepily padding out of the apprentice den.

"S-Splotchpaw is..." he gulped, following quietly behind her. He leaned into her, gritting his teeth. What about Splotchpaw? He healed! He got better! "Splotchpaw is dead."

"No!" she yowled, her steps quickening. "No! He can't be! He's not!" Leafpaw spun around, her eyes blazing wildly. Her tail lashed side to side, and she didn't stop it as her claws slid out. "Tigerpaw, you're a mouse-brain! Splotchpaw!" She sunk down. That's what she hated about Tigerpaw, right at this moment. Tigerpaw would never lie to me.

"No," she whimpered.

She felt cats gather around them, and right now she didn't care how bad she looked, curled up in the middle of camp next to Tigerpaw, who stood shaking behind her. She heard Swallowfur's voice through the murmurs and mutters passing through the crowd of cats. "He was so young," he commented quietly. That doesn't help now, does it? She spat at him in her mind, her heart beating loud in her chest.

"I'm sorry, Leafpaw...Tigerpaw..." Thornfrost's voice added, soft and careful.

A sudden spark lit in her heart. She got up, seething with fury. "You!" she screeched, blinking fiercely. "You and Ambersight were on vigil! You should have seen them! You should have saved—" Her voice cut off with a sound of grief, and she swallowed down the bile in her throat.

Tigerpaw pressed against her. "It wasn't their fault...Splotchpaw wasn't in camp when we found him." Leafpaw pulled back from him, widening her eyes. He rested his tail tip on her shoulder, stroking it in a soothing motion. She breathed in, and then out, her body tensing.

"Where is he?" she whimpered, shaking.

"Over here," Skystar meowed quietly, turning and pushing his way through the crowd of cats over towards the medicine cat den. Splotchpaw was on the ground by the entrance to the medicine cat cave, motionless and cold. She nosed him, sniffing.

Why him? She thought miserably. Of all my clanmates...why did Splotchpaw have to die? Leafpaw paused, breathing in another ragged breath. Like mom. She swallowed, giving a thankful nod to Skystar who dipped his head and left her alone.

She touched the wound on his neck with her muzzle, feeling the bite-marks bubble with red blood and little ants that now had found his body. Wait. She sniffed again. There was another cat's scent on him. The scent was familiar...but almost coated with something else. Someone was hiding something.

She swung her head over to the departing crowd of cats, finding Thistleberry and narrowing her eyes at him. Then she turned her gaze to Ambersight, and then to Crowflight. I'll never know, will I? she thought wretchedly. She picked up the piece of fur, carrying away from Splotchpaw's body and setting it in a bush by the end of the camp. No cat can know this. Not till I find out.

She lashed her tail as Thornfrost, Mintfern, Waspsting, and Darkfang padded over. "His burial will be soon," Waspsting told her, glancing at Splotchpaw and flinching. "We just thought we'd let you know." She nodded.

Thornfrost past a sorrowful look at Leafpaw, and then turned to leave. Darkfang stayed with her, going to sit beside her. "I'm sorry," he whispered.

Leafpaw sighed, pressing against her father. Her throat tightened, and she swallowed, breathing shakily. "Me too. He was your son." She tensed, heart-break and grief overwhelming her. "Why? Why Splotchpaw? Why not you? Why not me?" She knew that she didn't mean everything she was saying. No, she didn't want her dad dead. No, she didn't want to be dead. She just...said them.

Darkfang blinked at her. "StarClan knows," he mewed softly. He didn't seem hurt at all by what she had said, just understanding, his eyes still sparkling with grief. "But I need you to promise me this: even though he's gone, you are going to train hard to become a warrior BirchClan can be proud of. That's what Splotchpaw—and your mother—would have wanted. Promise?"

Leafpaw was barely able to choke out an answer. "I promise."