Warriors: The Stranded Island | ✔

Chapter 21

Lionblaze's POV

The bridge of his nose was stinging very badly as Lionblaze's tears ran down his face and into the wound.

This couldn't be happening! Cinderheart lost her second life in StarClan! Lionblaze was never going to see her again! And now Fernsong was up there too!

He stumbled to Sagewhisker's den and he collapsed at the entrance. The ShadowClan medicine cat's head snapped up from her herb sorting and their gazes met.

"Lionblaze," Sagewhisker hurried over to him. "What's wrong? What happened?"

The ThunderClan warrior tried to swallow the lump in his throat, but it refused to go away. "Cinderheart is dead..."

Sagewhisker looked at him, confused, as she pressed cobwebs to Lionblaze's wound. "I thought-" But then she paused in her sentence, her eyes dimming. "Oh. Lionblaze, I'm so sorry."

Lionblaze stood up. He wasn't going to let his clan see that he was upset. Lionblaze was their leader now and he wanted to be strong. But with so few cats left on the island, what even was the point of being a leader?

"Heathertail died early this morning."

Lionblaze whipped his gaze upward and his eyes met Sagewhisker's. "What?"

"I don't understand how the sickness took over her body so fast. It was just the blink of an eye and poof, she was gone!"

Lionblaze couldn't help and wonder if Heathertail had gone to StarClan or the Dark Forest. She did kill Barkface and treat her new Clanmates, and her last surviving kit, like crow food.

Breezekit! Did the WindClan kit know his mother was dead? Lionblaze looked past Sagewhisker to Breezekit, who was still sound asleep in his nest.

"I don't know how I'm going to break the news to him," Sagewhisker meowed, noticing Lionblaze watching the kit.

It made Lionblaze feel strange, that Heathertail had died so sudden. He actually felt bad for thinking it was a good thing for her to be dead. Heathertail was a murderer! A small voice in Lionblaze's mind whispered, You are too, Lionblaze!

But Lionblaze killing Breezepelt had been an accident. Heathertail has actually meant to kill Barkface. This made it a true fact that both Lionblaze and Heathertail were probably going to the Dark Forest.

Ashfur almost killed four cats and he still went to StarClan! Perhaps this was the path Lionblaze was going to follow. He was sure the cats of StarClan understood that Lionblaze wasn't a true murderer... but he was.

"We should get a patrol to bury Heathertail," Sagewhisker suggested, breaking Lionblaze out of trance.

"Wait," Lionblaze meowed. "We have to tell Breezekit first."

Sagewhisker looked at Lionblaze sadly for a moment before nodding her head solemnly. Then she poked Breezekit gently with her paw and the tiny cat instantly woke up.

"Hi, Sagewhisker!" Breezekit piped.

"Good morning, Breezekit." Sagewhisker began. Lionblaze could tell she was making an effort to keep her voice calm.

"Why is mommy still sleeping?" Breezekit asked. "I'll wake her up!"

Sagewhisker snapped her head around and stared at Lionblaze with worried wide eyes.

Breezekit was jumping lightly on Heathertail's cold body. "Heathertail! Wake up, sleepy head!"

The last medicine cat on the island reached over and snatched Breezekit by the scruff, bringing him back into his nest, that was way too big for him.