Caɾղaցe Ɱօօղ ~𝙰 𝚆𝚊𝚛𝚛𝚒𝚘𝚛𝚜 𝙵𝚊𝚗𝚏𝚒𝚌

40 🌙

Each cat avoided Pepperpelt's gaze, not prepared to have seen her so soon.

The Skyclan queen spat out her prey when she came within a fox-length of their paws. Her eyes were full of frightful alarm.

"It stinks of wolf. Did you chase it off? I saw it while we were hunting." Pepperpelt's gaze was incredulous, but once again no one answered.

"Did something happen to my kits?" She leaned over to one side, trying to peer around Trufflefur's shoulder.

"What's that behind you?"

The brown tom scooted closer, blocking her view of the freshly dug graves.

"WHERE ARE MY KITS?" Pepperpelt repeated with a roar when no one stepped forward to respond. Her claws slid out, glinting in the cloudy-blue night.

"IF THOSE ARE MY KITS GRAVES I'M GOING TO-"

"Calm down!" Sootface snapped at her, but Pepperpelt's speckled gray fur was bristling wildly. She turned around with her back arched.

"You're the one that was watching them, Crescentpaw." The queen spat the name with venom in her voice.

"So where are they?"

Crescentpaw dropped her head, ears flattening. Even she herself was unwilling to face this mother's wrath.

"We just buried Hillflower and Cloverkit. Oatkit is back at the Windclan camp." Jadestar swallowed.

"The wolf crossed paths with Crescentpaw and the kits while she was watching them. She tried to send the kits back to Windclan while she went to retrieve Hill-"

"Cloverkit is... dead? In that grave right there?" Pepperpelt flicked her head back towards the black tabby apprentice. Her gaze burnt a hole through the space between them.

"Yes... I-I don't judge you for blaming me," Crescentpaw said quickly, with wide reprehensible eyes. She was prepared for the queen to strike her.

"I'm sorry. I was distracted when the wolf came upon us. I tried to... I know it was my fault-"

Pepperpelt sank to the ground. Her shoulders shook as she crouched there and began sobbing her grief. The warrior's eyes were creased in distress, and when she opened them they were streaming.

This is worse than her clawing me. Crescentpaw's forepaws drew into her belly. She felt her throat tighten, having to choke back her own sob of guilt.

It's all my fault.

Pepperpelt suddenly turned her head and stared over at Crescentpaw.

"You should've been the one to die." She said, her eyes bloodshot. "You're the reckless apprentice who acts on every impulsive idea, not Cloverkit!" Her sides were heaving as she trembled and glared.

"You left my kits for a full-grown medicine cat!"

The she-cat's eyes were so full of emotion, Crescentpaw couldn't break her stare. She could only sit there and take it as Pepperpelt tore into her.

"You'd better hope Oatkit is still alive. All of this is your fault. If we hadn't of left Skyclan territory, Cloverkit would be in her nest in the trees right now!" She snarled and screamed.

Crescentpaw couldn't deny a word of it. Guilt caused her to lower herself to the ground.

I didn't mean for this to happen!