Waterstar's Heart

Chapter 11

A yowl of horror had Waterpaw racing from the elder's den. He had gone to spend time with Houndtail and share stories with her. The elderly she-cat had grown lonely without her mate. Waterpaw felt particularly guilty, as his training had pulled him away from spending time with the elder.

The sun that looked over the camp had melted almost all of the snow away, but the air was still chilly. It left damp grass below.

Bounding out into the clearing, Waterpaw  alarmingly looked for where the yowl had come from. Warriors rushed out of the dens to hear the commotion as well.

"No!" Grasspaw screeched.

The brown tabby was snarling at Heathertail. She had her backed up in the ferns, claws unsheathed. Every hair on her pelt was bristling and her teeth were bared in a snarl.

Heathertail's fur prickled on the edge of her spine, eyes wide with fright. She stammered, "I couldn't have done anything more for them, they were too—"

"—You're our medicine cat! Healing is your purpose, and you can't even do that!" Grasspaw cut her off with a bitter snap, pushing past her. She slid into the shadow of the medicine den.

Waterpaw quickly made his way over to Heathertail, pushing past his clan-mates. The molly's blue eyes clouded with grief as she met his gaze. He suspected what had happened, but he wanted to know for sure.

Tail drooping as she gestured towards the den, he followed his friend. Grasspaw crouched over Tanglewind and Tawnyleap, her body shaking as she heaved a sob. He could barely make out the shapes of them. There was barely any light in the den, only the sliver of sun that came from camp.

The tabby let out a wail, brushing her face into the cream fur of her mother's. Her tail was laid over her father's. Waterpaw felt his heart breaking in two as he stared at his friend.

There was a rustle from the ferns outside of the den. Waterpaw glanced over his shoulder to see Shadestar just outside the entrance. He could hear him saying something, but he couldn't hear over Grasspaw's wailing. Waterpaw padded closer to his friend.

"Grasspaw..." he breathed, his ears flattening. The tom laid a dark grey paw onto her shoulder. "It's..." He didn't know what to say or do. He'd had been in the same situation with Cowpatch. His heart ached, and his belly churned. He let his paw slip away.

What did his clan-mates do to help? What could he do?

Chattering rose from outside the den. Waterpaw could hear Oakpaw's concerned mewling, and the loud whimpering of Sedgefur's kits.

More rustling came from outside the den until Shadestar had made his way inside. His father nosed him away gently, and crouched next to the warrior-apprentice, his voice heavy with both grief and a hint of relief.

"They were ThunderClan's finest warriors..." he murmured. The dark grey leader gave her a reassuring lick between the ears. "Your parents were ill, Grasspaw. It was StarClan's mercy for them to pass on. They'll watch over you in Silver Pelt."

Grasspaw choked back a sob, and buried her face more into her mother's fur. Waterpaw watched in defeat. His friend was never this emotional. She was always stoic and snarky.

Backing out of the den, he was met with Oakpaw's ginger face as he turned. His yellow eyes were wide. "Are they...?" He asked sadly. Waterpaw nodded slowly. The two toms made their way to the prey pile, picking out a piece of prey to share.

The tree's branches swayed above the camp as a gentle breeze swept the forest. A few stray leaves glided down into the ravine.

As Waterpaw plucked a squirrel from the pile, he angled his ears to listen to his clan-mates were sitting not too far from the medicine den.