Warriors: Bumblestripe's Insanity

Chapter Twenty-Six: Hazelkit

I grew a bit paranoid, I suppose you could say. After how easily Bramblestar was disposed of, I feared that I would have the same fate. I insisted on having two guards stationed outside my den while I slept. Mousewhisker selected them, but never chose Blossomfall. I would've never gotten any sleep if she was my guard because I didn't trust one hair on her pelt. At least I had a valid reason to tell the Clan to explain the guards and my odd behavior; every cat knew how Bramblestar had died. But while they assumed I was worried about ShadowClan, I knew that it was Blossomfall that I didn't trust. Even after a quarter-moon had passed, I still remained convinced that she was simply not killing me now so that I wouldn't expect it. 

I was having another restless night in which sleep evaded me. The few times I managed to drift off, my sleep was plagued by vivid nightmares; memories of the naming ceremony. I was sure the pain would always be there and that I would feel it forever. That particular evening, I had imagined that I was experiencing Berrynose's death. I was losing my grip on reality slowly but surely. When I was violently jolted awake, I wondered if my life was the dream. Perhaps this was another dream, and I wasn't really awake yet. I waited for the three ShadowClan warriors to burst into the den and tear my body apart, a nightmare which I had, had before. I peered into the darkness. There was nothing. Rosepetal and Cherrystripe sat calmly outside the den, protecting me from any dangers that could materialize out of the shadows.

I tried to hide my mental state from the Clan. But sometimes, when I saw things I couldn't explain, I panicked. I walked into my den two nights after I kicked out Daisy, for instance, and I saw Tigerheart, just sitting in there, waiting for me. I screamed and ran out of there, receiving weird looks from my guards. I walked back in, claws unsheathed, only to find an empty space, unoccupied.

The day after that, I selected a plump mouse from the fresh-kill pile and settled down to eat it. I nibbled at it half-heartedly and glanced at the pile again only to find that the prey had morphed into the bodies of dead cats, the ones that I had killed. I looked down at my mouse and found that it wasn't a mouse, it was Dovewing's corpse. I hadn't eaten in the five days since.

I could feel the hunger gnawing at my stomach but ignored it. If I tried to eat, I'd find myself nibbling at a dead cat's skin. I felt dizzy as I padded out into the clearing, dismissing my guards. After exchanging looks, they both vanished into the warriors den, with Cherrystripe trailing slightly behind Rosepetal.

I wandered out into the forest in the dark alone and instantly realized it was a bad idea. It was too late to turn back now; I padded onwards. I pretended that I was on a mission, as if Bramblestar hadn't died in ShadowClan's attack, except this time I would bring WindClan to kill him instead of ShadowClan. With a new sense of purpose and independence, my mind cleared and my paws led me towards the WindClan border.

I stopped as I heard voices. They weren't the fake, loud, hissing voices that spoke in my head sometimes, when I was imagining that someone was following me or watching me. They were instead quiet and urgent, speaking in soft whispers. The sound was coming from my right.

I found Daisy and Hazeltail, sitting close to each other. Hazeltail flinched as I stepped out of the bushes and Daisy's eyes widened with alarm. "What's going on here? Chase the intruder off our territory and give her some scars to remember. NOW!"

Hazeltail gulped nervously, but raised her head defiantly. "No."

"No?" I roared.

I unsheathed my claws and leapt at Daisy. The she-cat scampered off and I landed on the ground neatly. "You get back to camp, Hazelkit."

Hazeltail glared at me. "My name is Hazeltail."

I chased after Daisy, all the way to the border stream. Hoping she would stay away, I returned to camp near dawn.

I scaled the Highledge and summoned the Clan. "I have called you all to announce that there is a traitor in our midst! I found this she-cat chatting amiably with an intruder!"

"It was my own mother!" Hazeltail protested, shifting uncomfortably under my glare.

I gritted my teeth. "I warned everybody not to speak to her! Now you will be punished for it! For the next moon, you will sleep in the nursery. Every cat must call you Hazelkit. You can't go anywhere without Sorreltail's permission and supervision. You will play moss-ball every morning with the kits, you may not enter any dens other than the nursery, and you must eat only once a day."

"What?" she shrieked. "A whole moon? As a kit? This is ridiculous!"

I laughed. "For the next moon, you will be treated as and are a kit. Meeting dismissed."

Hazeltail stomped off towards the warriors den to find her brother Mousewhisker blocking her path. "What are you doing?"

"I'm sorry, kits aren't allowed to disturb the warriors. Go back to the nursery and find your 'mother.' Does she know where you are? I'm going to have to tell Bumblestar that you tried to bother the sleeping warriors so enjoy your punishment, Hazelkit! It's okay, you'll be an apprentice in a moon or so!" Mousewhisker chirped, speaking rapidly.

Hazeltail was then shoved over to the nursery by her brother. "Stop this! Whose side are you on?"

Mousewhisker forced her through the tiny entrance meant for small kits. "Isn't that clear? I've always been and will always be on Bumblestar's side!"

A/N: Has leadership driven Bumblestar 100% mad? Comment with your thoughts please, thanks for reading!