RisenClan Book Two: Evermore

Chapter Eleven

It had been nearly a day since Hallowstorm had killed Ruinstar and the whole clan was shaken up and silent. Risenspirit had yet to come out of his den and had yet to claim his position as leader over the shock that came with his mates death. Her kits are staying in the nursery where Hallowstorm's mate, Worthypelt has agreed to take care of them until Risenspirit can. She had not stopped producing milk yet so the kits are being fed and cared for though they are sad and awfully quiet. They had buried Ruinstar's body hours ago. Since the little scum bag Soaringpaw had yet to return just about everyone assumed the apprentice was guilty. They had yet to find him and he had yet to return. Hallowstorm did not know where he had gone or why he had not come home, but to him it would not matter if the tom never came home. He was already named guilty.

Hallowstorm was already feeling better and his scratches were already healing. His eye was still raw and painful but besides that he was feeling great. He sat outside of the warriors den eating a meek mouse as snow fell down. Now that Soaringpaw was missing patrols led by Robbinripple and Tidepool were out looking for the apprentice to bring him back alive.Robbinripple had taken Roaringlight, Sunnyside, and Grizzlypaw while Tidepool had taken Running-gaze and Mossypath. Hallowstorm saw Orionoak come out of the leaders den in the next minute. He seemed to have spoken to Risenspirit and the tom clawed his way slowly on top of the leaders den and began to speak up.

"All cats please gather for a quick clan meeting." He said.

Hallowstorm was shocked to see the elder up there. Cats began to come out of dens and around to see what the new voice had to say.

"I know it's a bit strange for me to be up here, but Risenspirit has asked I take this time to make an announcement even though not everyone is here. So I will just make this quick." Orionoak's copper eyes looked down at the clan and he blinked once. "Dawnpaw's death followed by Ruinstar's has put RisenClan in a rough and vulnerable position. It has and will be a really rough time for all of us, but as her mate it has put Risenspirit in a very bad position. He is unable to claim his promotion and unable to pick back up his duties so he has asked that I name a specific cat as leader while he can have time and privacy to heal after such an unexpected loss. So, Hallowstorm, he has asked me to tell you that from now until he is ready to pick back up his job you are in charge of RisenClan. He has also asked you not name a deputy."

Hallowstorm was completely surprised by this change in plans. He thought that it would be much harder to claim his power in the clan and take revenge on everyone, but it had been handed to him so easily. It was a change in plans, but for the better. He had not even completely trained an apprentice! He was so young too. He smiled and hoped up next to Orionoak as cats nodded their approval. "Thank you Orionoak." He said.

"Sorry there is no special celebration lined up for you in these circumstances but I hope you can keep RisenClan on track until Risenspirit is ready."

"I will do whatever it takes." He meowed. He stepped down and his mate greeted him with a loving lick on his ear.

"Congratulations." She said.

"Yes, whatever." Hallowstorm whispered. He noticed as he was being promoted Tidepool and his patrol had entered. Hallowstorm padded over to Tidepool. The two were pretty good friends.

"Congrats Hallowstorm." Tidepool meowed to him.

"Thanks, any sign of the scum apprentice?" He asked.

"Not a thing. The whole CoastClan border was clear. We even asked a few Coastclan parolees if they had seen him and they said there had been no sightings of him." Tidepool said.

Just then Robbinripple came through the bracken followed by Roaringlight, and then Sunnyside with a limp body slung over her back. She had a very worried expression on her face. Grizzlypaw was right behind her staring up at the body on her back. Grizzlypaw was shaking. Hallowstorm walked over to Robbinripple who met him halfway. "You found him?!" Hallowstorm meowed excitedly. 

"Yes. He is barley even alive." Robbinripple responded. "We found him on one of the rocks on Reflection Lake. He was almost completely purple. Sunnyside and Grizzlypaw managed to warm him up. It looked like he had fallen through the ice there. I am surprised someone his size is still alive after that."

Roaringlight interrupted. "He needs to see a medicine cat soon or he won't be alive."

"Very well, Sunnyside can take him there now. I will come too."

Sunnyside began to pad towards the medicine cat den with Soaringpaw on her back and Grizzlypaw at her side. Hallowstorm told her about his promotion, but Sunnyside was finding it hard to be happy when her friend was in trouble. As they went inside Tulip-paw was shocked to see the tom in this condition. He had frost bite and Tulip-paw had never treated that. She woke Spiritsong up from her nap quickly and Spiritsong went towards the herb storage area and brought out a herb Hallowstorm had never seen before. The mixture was clear and sticky. It was sort of thick but thin enough that you could see through it.

Spiritsong began to explain how she knew about it. "My mentor showed it to me in my first moons of training. Normally cats don't get frostbite because we have such thick coats and our bodies produce enough heat to keep us warm. My mentor always kept it around just in case. We used it when I was about nine moons old to treat a kitten who had slept outside in the snow for too long and could not get warm. We always called the mixture Jopo even though I am pretty sure it had other names in the past. I have always kept it around in the winter just in case a cat like Soaringpaw got frostbite."

"Jopo?" Tulip-paw asked her. "I will remember that."

"It gets warm when applied and helps the feeling go back."

After Spiritsong finished her spiel Hallowstorm began to think up what to do with Soaringpaw. There was not really a place to put him that would keep him sort of away from everyone. Hallowstorm had to make sure there was no way for him to prove his innocence. Killing him would raise too much suspicion and he did not want that. The little tom would have to stay alive for now. 

After leaving the medicine cat den the tom went over to Tidepool and Running-gaze. "I need you two to do me a favor. Behind camp I want you to dig a hole deep enough and slanted so a cat cannot climb up it. Make it big enough for more than one cat."