SandClan's Shame

Epilogue

Fireflower padded back from patrol, her tail high and curled, to find there was a commotion in Camp. A large group was centered around a single thing, apprentices and elders trying to get a view. 

Grousepelt was finally dead; he'd died during her pregnancy. Chanterelleface was gone as well, and Lichenfoot was on her last legs... but the other elders were still alive. Perhaps one of them had died? They were old, and it had been so hot these last couple days. Heat exhaustion might've gotten them over the edge.

She dropped her catches on the freshkill pile and padded forward. "What is it? What's going on?"

Redfoot, the new Clan deputy, padded over and touched noses before replying. "It's Hollyfoot. She died."

The shock that hit her chest was overwhelming. "Oh," she coughed. "H... How did she die?"

"We don't know. We found her out in the territory looking... pretty bad. She was dying when we got there, but she couldn't speak. Cuckooleaf says it was shock that muted her in her final moments. At first we thought it was a coyote or even a hawk, but... Well, come see."

He lead her through the crowd, and they came to Hollyfoot's body. She was lying there, utterly mangled. Her underbelly was turned scarlet from the blood that streamed from her throat and belly, and both her eyes had clawmarks over them. There were bites in her ears and legs and her claws were all unsheathed.

"This looks like a cat attack," Fireflower said thoughtfully. "Rogue? Loner? DustClan?"

"Take a look at her claws," Redfoot advised. He turned as her three moon old kits came to the front of the crowd to see their mam investigate their granddam's body.

She found something stuck between the claws. It was reddish fur, with distinct banding on each hair - a tabby - and a few were white - a bicolor. She took a deep breath. Under her mam's death scent she found something warm, and familiar... nostalgic.

She sat up and looked to Redfoot. "You want to know something awful?"

"What's that?"

"I don't feel a thing," she said. "Does that make me a bad cat?"

Redfoot shook his head. "Everyone knows what she was. Nobody feels for her anymore, not even Foxtail."

"What was she?"

"SandClan's shame."