Warrior Cats: The Addition - Firestar's Sister

Chapter 7

Shocked yowls rose from the Clan cats and echoed through the forest.

Ravenpaw staggered slightly. His right foreleg glistened, wet with blood that flowed from the deep gash on his shoulder. “We m-met five RiverClan warriors beside the stream, not far from the Sunningrocks,” he went on shakily. “Oakheart was among them.”

“Oakheart!” Graypaw gasped. “He is the deputy of RiverClan. He’s one of the greatest warriors in the forest. Lucky Ravenpaw! Wish it could have been me. I’d have really—” Graypaw was silenced by a fierce glance from the old gray tom who had first sensed Ravenpaw’s return.

Goldenpaw saw Firepaw turned his attention back to Ravenpaw. She couldn't help feeling sympathetic for the small black cat, Ravenpaw.

“Redtail warned Oakheart to keep his hunting parties out of ThunderClan territory. He said the next RiverClan warrior to be caught in ThunderClan territory would be killed, but Oak…Oakheart would not back down. He said his Cl-Clan had to be fed, whatever we threatened.” Ravenpaw paused to wheeze for breath. His wound was still bleeding heavily, and he stood awkwardly to keep the weight off his shoulder.

"What happened to him?" Goldenpaw hissed urgently, but everyone was too busy listening to the young apprentice's speech to notice her.

“That’s when the RiverClan cats attacked. It was hard to see what was happening. The fighting was vicious. I saw Oakheart had Redtail pinned to the ground, but then Redtail…” Suddenly Ravenpaw’s eyes rolled in his head and he lurched sideways. Half scrambling, half falling, he slithered off the Highrock and collapsed on the ground below.

Firepaw and Goldenpaw gasped. As they watched, a ginger she-cat bounded towards the collapsed apprentice and crouched at his side.

Licking his cheek briefly, the ginger queen called out, “Spottedleaf!”

Out of the fern-shaded corner trotted a pretty tortoiseshell who had sat beside Graypaw earlier. She hurried over to Ravenpaw and mewed for the queen to stand back. Then she used her small pink nose to roll the apprentice over so that she could take a good look at the wound. She glanced up and meowed, “It’s all right, Goldenflower, his wounds aren’t fatal. But I’ll need to fetch some cobwebs to stop the bleeding.”

Goldenpaw watCed as Spottedleaf sprinted back to her den, and the clear in became hushed.

The silence in the clearing was broken by a mournful howl. The cats' gaze turned to the direction it had come from.

A massive dark brown tabby staggered through the gorse tunnel. Between his sharp teeth the warrior
held not prey, but the lifeless body of another cat. He dragged the tattered creature into the center of the
clearing.

Firepaw craned his neck, and Goldenpaw followed his gaze to stare in horror at the flash of bright ginger tail hanging limply in the dust.

Shock rippled through the Clan like a chill breeze. Beside Firepaw, Graypaw dropped into a crouch as grief swept over him. “Redtail!”

“How did this happen, Tigerclaw?” demanded Bluestar from her position on the Highrock. Her eyes were wide with grief.

Tigerclaw let the scruff of Redtail’s neck fall from his mouth. He looked steadily back at Bluestar. “He died with honor, struck down by Oakheart. I couldn’t save him, but I managed to take Oakheart’s life while he was still gloating over his victory.” Tigerclaw’s voice was strong and deep. “Redtail’s death was not in vain, for I doubt we’ll see RiverClan hunters in our territory again.”

Graypaw's eyes were dark and clouded with grief. As they watched, several of the cats in the clearing moved fowards and began to groom the cat's drenched pelt and murmuring hushed phrases to their dead deputy.