Warriors: A New Beginning #1: The Beginning

Chapter 6

When Wavepaw and Speckledfur entered the camp, Wheatpaw immediately came out to greet them. She opened her mouth to say something, then stopped when she saw Wolfpaw's lifeless body.

"Wolfpaw!" The yellow tabby apprentice thrust her muzzle into Wolfpaw's soft gray fur. Wavepaw slowly did the same, her eyes closing. She wanted to stay like this forever...

Her eyes flew open by the sound of pawsteps. Cloverwing and Barkstripe were already gazing at Wolfpaw, and a grey tom and a yellow tabby were rushing toward Wavepaw's brother. Bearfur and Curlyfur. Wavepaw looked up sadly. Tussledpaw padded up to Wavepaw. "I'm so sorry..." Wavepaw closed her eyes to try to prevent her sadness from showing. So many cats...too many! And then Flamepaw came out of the apprentices den, and it was too much for Wavepaw. Leaping to her paws, she ran as fast as she could toward the apprentices den, brushing past Flamepaw, who looked at her in surprise. She found her nest, sank into it, and closed her eyes.

Wavepaw woke up, but not in her nest.

"Am I in StarClan?" she wondered. She was standing in the ThunderClan camp, but there weren't any cats in the clearing.

"Wolfpaw?" she called hopefully.

A cat slid out, but it wasn't Wolfpaw. It was a jet black tom with a blue gaze.

"I am Nightshade," the newcomer said. "I was watching from the stars when your brother died." He sighed. "I have suffered losses as well, but countless times, many more than you have suffered."

"Is Wolfpaw here?" Wavepaw asked eagerly. "Can I see him?"

"He is not here right now."

Wavepaw narrowed her eyes. How could Wolfpaw not be here? This was StarClan!

"Why are you here?" she asked.

"I am here to help you," Nightshade meowed. "To help you through your loss."

"No!" Wavepaw made her mew as firm as she could. "I don't need help from a cat I know nothing about!" She turned and ran away from Nightshade. She stopped at a tree with huge roots to take a break. It seemed like voices were all around her...

"Wavepaw...Wavepaw...Wavepaw..."

"Get away from me!" Wavepaw screeched.

"What?! Why?"

Wavepaw awoke to see Flamepaw, Tussledpaw, and Wheatpaw standing around her.

"It was just a dream," Wavepaw mumbled.

Waterfall entered the den, his gaze filled with sadness. "To think that all of this happened on the day of my warrior ceremony...Everyone will be sitting vigil with me tonight."

Wavepaw reluctantly stood up and stretched. "Is it time yet? I'm pretty sure night is falling."

Waterfall nodded. "I'm sure that—

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey join me at the Highrock for a Clan meeting!"

The grey warrior's gaze flicked to the entrance. "I guess we start now."

The five cats padded to the Highrock and sat down. Soon other cats joined them.

"Cats of ThunderClan." Goldstar's voice had a sorrow note to it. "Speckledfur brought me the sad news that one of our apprentices, Wolfpaw, is dead."

Wails came from the cats that had not already seen Wolfpaw's body for long. Wavepaw glanced at Curlyfur and saw that her mother's eyes were not filled with sorrow, but with anger. She was staring straight at Speckledfur.