The Ebony Jury (Warriors, Book 2)

Chapter 8

Jaguar looked up. Hauntedmind bounded towards her, the kittypet's face lightning up when she saw him. "Hey!" She called as Hauntedmind landed in the grass next to her and sat down only half a mouse-length away from her. "So, you'll tell me about Clans?" Jaguar asked excitedly. Hauntedmind nodded.

"Great!" Jaguar purred. "Three, two, one, go!"

Hauntedmind let out a purr, his whiskers twitching and turning silver in the moonlight. "Well, we all live together. Sharing tongues- thats what we do at the end of the day. We groom each other and talk about our days. Nobody likes to talk to me, though. Its because of my weird look, and..." He sighed. "My mother was a murdered.

"Huh?" Jaguar said, her gaze confused. "Their judging you just by who your mother is? Thats not right." She nuzzled Hauntedmind, making his face go red.

"If you're wondering, my mother is a normal kittypet, and my father is the biggest bully in Twolegplace." Murmered Jaguar, edging closer to Hauntedmind til their pelts were brushing. "I had a littermate named Cougar, but one day she disappeared into the forest and never came out. My friend Lola thought that he was eaten by wildcats, but I always thought that was just a bunch of fake news." Jaguar looked at Hauntedmind, her eyes suddenly concerned and fearful. "Y- you don't eat cats, do you?"

"No!" Hauntedmind exclaimed.

Jaguar let out a purr, her whiskers twitching. "Knew it." She said. "Anyways, I need to get back to my housefolk."

Hauntedmind nodded. "I understand." He glanced up at the dawn sun filtering past the thin, gray clouds, slowly rising up into the dark sky. The stars were still out; though most of them had gone, as if the StarClan warriors awoke and were now out to hunt. The sky shone deep blue and purple; though the normal, bright blue was seeping into the sky, joined by an army of white clouds, whisping and soaring in the dawn.

Jaguar nodded, nuzzling Hauntedmind once more before jumping high in the air, landing on a stump. She looked over her shoulder once more, grinned, then turned around and bounded back towards her weird wooden fence thing.

Hauntedmind as well turned, eyeing the sandy trail, now bathed in moonlight. He padded along it, his face as moony as Desertstorm and Flamestar's whenever they saw each other. Jaguar is so pretty. He thought, imagining the kittypet's fur brushing against his own, nuzzling his cheek... it made him want to melt like a rain puddle living in the sun. I wish I could stay with her forever... but I'd never be a kittypet. I wish... I wish the Clan wasn't so strict about taking in outsiders. He sighed. Like me.

As Hauntedmind neared the entrance of camp, he blinked, realizing the guards weren't there. Oh, their vigil is over. Hauntedmind thought.

He trotted into camp, glancing around. Most of his clanmates were just waking up; Desertstorm and Flamestar trotted out of their den, brushing pelts as usual. Mouseflight and Treepool chatted by the warriors' den. Something was missing, though. Were was Grassfern? The deputy usually woke bright and early, called patrols, then joined the border patrol. So were was he now?

As Hauntedmind padded his way past the medicine den, he stopped and peered in the warriors' den. Most of the cats were still asleep; Grassfern's brown flank was suprisingly still, Hauntedmind realized.

He crept his way over to the nest careful not to disturb any of the other warriors. When he reached Grassfern's, he knelt down to study the deputy:

His pelt was cold, and his eyes were open now. His flank was still rising and falling, though slowly, and it seemed that each breath was slow and shuddering, as if he was trembling from the inside. The deputy suddenly gasped, making Hauntedmind flinch and his fur bristle. Grassfern gazed up at Hauntedmind, horror in his eyes, before he took another deep, shuddering breath, then went still. Hauntedmind crouched and sniffed the spine of Grassfern's body. It was still cold and quiet, but now something was missing. Grassfern's eyes were closed.

He was dead.

Hauntedmind let out a gasp. He immediatly charged out of the warriors' den, some warriors waking and snarling in anger. He ignored it, his fur bristling.

Finally, after a horror filled moment, Hauntedmind let out a cry.

"Grassfern is dead!"

***

Grassfern's vigil was cold and horror filled. Even Treepool couldn't figure out why he had died. Some thought it was just a simple heart attack. He hadn't scented of sickness. Some thought he starved himself to take care of his clanmates, though it was hard to tell through his muscular build and long fur. Some of the more (*Searches for right word*) suspicious clanmates thought that WindClan had snuck in and poisoned his prey or even his own bedding. Hauntedmind doubted it, though even Flamestar was buying it.

"Grassfern was a fine deputy," Flamestar was speaking, his voice filled with grief. "He should've been deputy for much longer, and he'd have made a fine leader. His loyalty never wavered. He followed the warrior code even as a kit." The leader sighed. "We'll miss him."

Treepool let out a mew from the bush she was sitting by, a little farther away from Grassfern's body. "May StarClan light his path."

"May StarClan light his path," Whispered Hauntedmind. He felt something wet slip down his cheek. Oh, He thought. I- I'm crying... o- of course I am. He didn't like Grassfern much. Grassfern disgusted him, and it made Hauntedmind feel sick to his stomach. But death was death, and the deputy didn't deserve it, no matter what he did to one cat.

Flamestar dipped his head. "Ziggy, Strongtail, and Ratclaw. Please move his body out of camp for burial." The leader sprang up onto Highrock as the elders emerged from their log den. Ziggy gripped the tail of Grassfern, while Strongtail and Ratclaw bit down on the torso carefully.

Hauntedmind watched in sadness as they trailed out of the camp exit, Grassfern's cold paw pads brushing the ground. Then, Hauntedmind switched his gaze back to Flamestar, who was now sitting on the Highrock. His tail was wrapped nicely over his paws, and his face was strangely determined now, his ears timid instead of droopy and sad.

Flamestar let out a mew. "Flowerpelt is a young warrior, but her hunting and fighting skills are better than any warrior I've seen. She will be the new deputy of ThunderClan."

Hauntedmind pirked up; Flowerpelt was his friend! As he gazed at her, he realized he didn't feel that moony feeling anymore like he wanted to twine tails with her. He just felt... normal. Like she was just a friend. She wasn't anywhere as beatiful and amazing as Jaguar. Regardless, he joined the chant. "Flowerpelt! Flowerpelt!"

"Cats of ThunderClan," He called. "Though it is uncomfirmed that WindClan was responsible for Grassfern's death, I think we still need to get them back for that other raid they gave us." The cats started chatting excitedly before Flamestar raised his tail and shushed them. Ziggy and the rest of the elders were coming back now, too, their paws caked in mud. "Also," Continued Flamestar. "I think we all need a battle to get our courage back up. What do you say?" The Clan erupted into yowls and mews of agreement, though Hauntedmind just looked at his paws. A battle is the last thing we need! What we need is fresh-kill, marked borders, a cat guarding camp! "Everyone who wants to come will come, besides elders, kits, mediators, and of course, medicine cats." He finished.

Flamestar leapt down from the Highrock, landing gracefully on the ground. He immediatly headed towards the exit, and countless warriors followed til their were only two warriors in camp; Hauntedmind and Mouseflight.

"You coming?" Asked Mouseflight.

Hauntedmind sighed. "I don't know yet."

"I'm coming."

"You are?"

"Of course!"

Hauntedmind shook out his pelt. I need to protect my friends! I can't lose them too! "Alright, lets go." He purred.

Mouseflight let out a delighted mew. Hauntedmind glanced at the tails drifting excitedly out of the camp entrance. His heart racing, despite not even being in the battle yet, he tucked his tail between his legs and, checking back over his shoulder once last time at the unguarded camp, he turned his head and darted after his clanmates.