Warriors: Shadows Triumph ~Book 1, Series 3~

Bonus Chapter

Shadepaw's POV:

Sobbing could be heard from the Prison beside the apprentices den. Shadepaw sighed into his nest, trying to stuff bits of moss into his ears to block out the terrible noise. Somebody was definitely troubled about something. Why couldn't the guard shut the cat up?

It had been only a day after the patrol found Flamestar's body. NoName was confined to her den; her wound had grown infected and she could barely stay conscious even with all the herbs she had been given. Dime stayed near his mate, tending only to the most important of his duties and left the rest for the Enforcers to carry out.

The prisoners were all on edge after discovering Flamefur's attempted murder of NoName. So far, no punishments had been carried out but that was only because NoName wasn't strong enough to be announcing anything.

Another wail slipped through the walls of the dens and Shadepaw growled. He shook the moss from his ears and rose to his paws, giving his pelt a brief shake. He was going to find the cat himself and tell them to shut up. They had no right to be keeping up the entire clan with their pitiful crying.

Stepping slowly out of the apprentices den, Shadepaw looked around the camp. It was completely empty- except for a few guards sitting near the dens and camp entrance. The dark furred tom stretched his jaws in a yawn, sighing as he approached the prison. The crying had stopped; maybe the cat was finally asleep. He wanted to check anyway, incase they started up again. He couldn't sleep with all the wailing and crying, and he doubted anyone else could either.

Shadepaw peered into the den, giving the guard a slight, innocent smile as he passed. The Dark Forest warrior narrowed his eyes but said nothing. Shadepaw felt his amber eyes burning into his back as he padded deeper into the den.

Everything was quiet, but he could see the shining eyes of many cats glaring at him. "Uh.. Hey there.. Which one of you is the one keeping us all up?"

A she cat snorted. "Why do you want to know?"

"So I can see what's wrong and get them to be quiet."

"Aw, do you need your precious beauty sleep?" The same she cat grinned, showing crooked yellow fangs.

"Just tell me who it was." Shadepaw sighed at the she cat, and quickly added, "I'll sneak in more food for you if you do."

The she cat's ears perked in interest. "Really?"

"I promise." He nodded solemnly.

She seemed satisfied with his vow and shuffled away to reveal a blue she cat curled up in a tight ball. Her face was buried in her forepaws, her body trembling with quiet sobs.

Shadepaw blinked. "What's wrong with her?"

"She's grieving for her sister's death." The she cat murmured.

"Is she Flamestar's sister?" He asked.

"Yes."

This must be Bluesnow. Shadepaw inched closer to the crying she cat, his golden eyes narrowed. "Uh, hey, Bluesnow.. Are you okay?" He heard the other she cat slap a paw into her face with disappointment.

The blue she cat did not reply, but her ears flicked in acknowledgement of his words. He tried again. "I'm sorry about your sister."

She still didn't answer. In fact she had gone completely silent and still.

"How can I help you so that you don't keep half the camp awake?" He murmured.

"You could go away." A grey tom muttered from nearby. Shadepaw glared at him. I'm not your enemy!

Bluesnow finally tilted her head so that one of her warm blue eyes looked up at him. "What do you want?"

"I want to sleep." Shadepaw replied simply, giving her a joking smile.

"Was I keeping you up?" She muttered.

"Yeah."

"Good. That's what you get for killing my sister." She once again hid her face from view.

"But I didn't."

She growled. "Your mother did, therefore I get to blame you."

Shadepaw sighed. "Look, I know you're grieving but.. You can't just go around blaming whoever you want."

"Actually I can." She replied, twisting her body so that her back faced him. "Now leave me alone."

"No." Shadepaw responded.

"What?"

"I said no." He repeated.

"Why?"

"You're grieving, I want to help you."

"You're a mouse-brain." She wrapped her tail around her.

"Thank you." Shadepaw lay down next to her. He felt her tense up as his fur brushed against her.

"What are you doing?" She growled.

"Giving you the company you sorely need."

Bluesnow turned around to glare at him, but stayed silent. He smiled faintly back, unsure what she was planning. Surprisingly, she simply closed her eyes and once again covered her face in her paws. After a few minutes, he heard her snoring softly.

Shadepaw watched her for a bit, making sure she was sleeping comfortably before leaving the den to retreat to his own nest.

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