Warriors: The Gates of StarClan

Chapter 16

Ivysplash's emotions suddenly became unbearable and she let out a yowl.  "Fernpaw!" Lionstorm looked on with bitter grief while Ravenfrost comforted Tigerpelt.  Ivysplash wailed and ran out of the cave.  Her heart pounded within her and her legs felt like feathers, horribly light and giddy.

This is all a dream, she thought.  When I wake up, I'll be the nursery with Willowstorm and her kits and Fernpaw will be begging me for a training session and I'll go hunting with Dawnpetal and defending our territory with my friends and everything will be as it has always been.  But Ivysplash knew deep down that nothing would ever be the same again.

 ~~~~~

The journey back was quick and uneventful, although Ivysplash's thoughts kept straying back to Fernpaw.  The four warriors had taken her body up the cliffs to the forest above and had given her the burial ceremony of a warrior.  Ivysplash promised herself that she would do something to honor the brave young she-cat when she returned to the lake.

Midnight floated in and out of her thoughts as well.  After the battle, Midnight had thanked Ivysplash and her friends.  She had told them that she could no longer stay at the sun-drown-place and needed to find another place in the forest.  The other badgers would not be back for a long time, she had assured them, and when they did she would be waiting.

When at last they returned to the lake, something wasn't quite right.  They met no patrols as they entered the Clan's territories.  When they were within earshot of the RiverClan camp, an alarming array of screeches and yowls hit the traveling cats.  Ivysplash felt her fur rise along her spine.  Next to her, Tigerpelt's ears were flattened and her tail was bushy like a squirrel's.  As they crept closer, the scents of WindClan and ShadowClan struck Ivysplash like an angry storm.

Suddenly, a tiny mewl sounded from the bushes.  Lionstorm gasped.  "That's a kit!"

Ravenfrost cautiously padded forward into the brush and backed out with a tiny reddish-brown tom clasped firmly in his jaws.  Tigerpelt leaped forward as though she had grown wings.  "It is a kit!  What's it doing out here?"  Her eyes widened.  "That's Foxkit, Echodawn's son!"

"But Echodawn is a WindClan cat-" Ivysplash began, but Ravenfrost finished her thought.  "Then the kit crawled here itself, or RiverClan stole it."

Ivysplash turned to face the sleek black tom.  "RiverClan would never steal kits!"

Ravenfrost held her sharp green gaze with his blue one.  "No one?"

Ivysplash stopped for a heartbeat.  Redclaw.  What if Ravenfrost was right?  Redclaw had always been ambitious, but he was loyal to the warrior code.  Wasn't he?

Before Ivysplash had any more time to think, a dark orange tabby tom burst from the bushes, fur standing on end and amber eyes alight with alarm.  "Firetail?" Ivysplash dug her claws into the soft ground to avoid fleeing in terror.

"They're coming...too many of them...angry...stolen kits..." Firetail flopped down on the leaves, his flanks heaving.  Ivysplash saw a deep gash running down the length of his body to the base of his tail.  The orange tom fought to keep consciousness while Ivysplash hurried forward to inspect the deadly wound.  Firetail cried out again.  "Redclaw...did this...kill...Briarstar."

Lionstorm gasped.  "We've got to get to the ShadowClan camp to warn him."

"Too late...too late," rasped Firetail, his eyes glazing over.

Ivysplash turned and addressed her friends.  "Lionstorm, you and Tigerpelt take Firetail back to the RiverClan camp.  Ravenfrost, take Foxkit back to WindClan, but don't get into trouble.  I'll wait for you all at the ShadowClan camp.  I've got to make sure Redclaw doesn't kill Briarstar.  Let's go!"