Rage

Chapter 1

It was early day when she heard the screams.

A little red she-cat got up groggily, her claws scratching the floor. She turned to another cat, who had also woken up.

"What's happening?" The she-cat yawned.

"I was about to ask you the same thing," the cat blinked, who was a yellow tabby tom. "Maybe someone had dirt in the wrong place?"

The she-cat snorted with disgust. "Bramblepaw!"

The tom named Bramblepaw smirked. "What? It could be possible!"

The screams were louder now. And they were clearly not screams of I-made-dirt-in-the-wrong-place.

They were screams of agony.

Her ears pricked with alarm. "Those screams are... weird." She said.

Bramblepaw walked off without another word.

The she-cat snorted. She followed Bramblepaw, accompanied by a few other cats. All of them were curious... and nervous.

They found the source of the screaming. A queen that they all recognized instantly was wailing in the camp clearing.

She tried to rush to the queen, but was pushed away by warriors, looking at her suspiciously.

Of course they thought it was her fault.

"Larklight? What's wrong?" An apprentice asked.

The queen sobbed slowly. "She's go-gone. She was too young!"

They all turned their attention to the kit in her paws, and gasped.

She had a dead kit in her paws.

Dustkit. 2 moons old. As brown as dust.

Too young for death.

Bramblepaw stared at the she-cat in shock. "Scarletpaw? Are you seeing... what I am seeing?"

Scarletpaw ignored him. She looked over at her brother, Skypaw, a light gray tabby tom with green eyes. Skypaw looked at her, his eyes cold, but compassionate.

The red she-cat edged away from the crying and sobbing mess that was Larklight. She noticed Jaycry, who was standing beside her.

"She's dead. She's gone. And you need to accept that." The silver tom started.

"No! She was too young to die!"

"Look, I'm grieving too, I'm her father, and as your mate, I won't let you be a mess like this! Crying won't make her alive again!"

"Bu-"

"You need to accept that she's gone."

Larklight sighed, clearly giving up arguing. "Alright. We'll... do her funeral."

"I think it's my job to decide that." Scarletpaw turned to a gray figure, strutting into the commotion.

"Bouncestar?" Jaycry stuttered.

The large gray she-cat flicked her tail. "No need." She carefully took Dustkit's body way from Larklight, an into her jaws. "We will have her funeral at sunset." She then retreated into her den with the small kit's body.

Scarletpaw breathed slowly and deeply. Her sister, Mosspaw, edged closer to her. "I'm really sad... that Dustkit died. She was the most mischievous of her litter, and was really fun, and outgoing... everyone loved her."

Scarletpaw went quiet. Mosspaw realized her mistake. "Sorry," she said quickly. She shuffled away nervously.

She thinks that I'll hurt her, Scarletpaw thought sadly. And she's my sister.

Only Bramblepaw like me.

***

She entered the nursery, and was bombarded with fluffy bodies. The two remaining kits.

"Scarletpaw!" One of them squeaked. "You need to tell us what happened!"

Scarletpaw chuckled. "What do you mean?"

"Well, no one's talking to us! And we haven't seen Dustkit all day! We know she's hiding, but no one is saying where she is!" The other one piped in.

The red tabby she-cat sighed. "Dustkit... went away. She's gone now. She's... in a better place." She replied quietly.

The kits frowned. "What do you mean in a better place?" The silver tomkit wondered.

"Well, Ripplekit, I mean she's in a place where all of you go when you live a long life."

The other light she-kit's eyes widened. "Will we see her again?"

"When you all live a long and good life, then yes, you will all see her again."

The kits purred with delight.

Then, Larklight padded into the den. She saw Scarletpaw, and chuckled nervously. "May you please go?"

Scarletpaw cocked her head. "Why?"

"Please just go. The kits need their sleep!" She looked really nervous now.

"But we just woke up!" Ripplekit complained.

"Yeah!" The lilac she-kit agreed.

"Lilackit, Ripplekit, I am your mother, and you both need to go to bed."

Scarletpaw knew she was lying just to get her out of the den.

She scoffed. If she wanted her to leave, she'll leave.

But before she could step out of the den, Larklight hissed quietly into her ear: "Don't you ever lay a claw on my kits, you hear me?!"

Scarletpaw ran out of the den, not looking back.

She sighed sadly.

Why can't they see... I just made a mistake? That it was an accident?

***

Willowstorm groggily stood up. "What's happening? Bouncestar?" She suddenly realized she was not in the camp.

"Where am I?" She wondered.

Just then, a silvery white figure stepped out from the faded scenery. The cat had stars speckled upon his paws, and his eyes shone with wisdom and immense knowledge.

Willowstorm gasped. "Is this... StarClan? And are you... Dewheart?"

Dewheart nodded. "You are correct."

Willowstorm rushed over to her littermate, and brushed her fur against his. "I missed you." She stood back. "But you are not here to just see me, are you?"

The tom chuckled. "You are always correct, sis."

Then, he started to chant: "Terror will reign. Thorns and leaves will spill scarlet blood upon the very ground, and ravens will shoot through the sky. And amidst it all, a dove will fly."

And the vision faded away.