Warriors: Bumblestripe's Insanity

Chapter Twenty-Eight: Complaints From The Elders

Mousewhisker had Hazelkit pinned in a few heartbeats. I nodded with satisfaction, leaping down from the Highledge and padding up to the she-cat. I firmly placed a paw on her chest and told Mousewhisker to let go.

My gaze swept around the Clan. "This is what we do to traitors. Let this serve as a reminder. Mousewhisker. Kill her slowly."

The deputy nodded without hesitation, immediately obeying. Her screams echoed across the hollow as Mousewhisker began gradually shredding her, claws tearing her sides and her stomach apart. I winced at every yowl of pain. What was wrong with me? I was supposed to enjoy seeing cats in agony.

Suddenly, my own stomach burned and I clenched in my teeth to hold in a screech of pain. My vision blurred and I found a paw on my chest. Mousewhisker loomed over me, tearing apart my soft stomach. A searing pain shot from my flanks to my head, pushing hard behind my eyes. I tried to throw him off, but it was useless. Hazelkit was weaker than I was, and now she had lost too much blood to move at all. 

Suddenly, I was thrown back into my own body. I gratefully drew a breath of cool air into my lungs. I felt my heart still pounding furiously, my legs still trembling with fear. Another scream sent shivers up my spine as Mousewhisker continued to torture his sister. I backed away from her, tripping over my own paws, knowing she couldn't move.

I surprised even myself. I didn't yell, "Stop!" and push Mousewhisker away from her. Instead, I watched her with amusement written in my gaze and then doubled over, laughing. Cold, sinister laughter pierced the air as Hazelkit fell unconscious and Mousewhisker dealt the death blow. I managed to choke out a few words to dismiss the meeting in between bursts of maniacal laughter.

My lungs gasped for air yet I couldn't stop laughing. When it finally stopped, I coughed and took a few deep breaths, feeling light-headed from lack of oxygen. I looked up to see the elders, Sandstorm, Dustpelt, and Purdy, and one senior warrior, Brackenfur, marching towards me.

Sandstorm looked furious. "How could you?"

"I did nothing." I casually licked my ruffled chest fur, to show my indifference.

"You're just like Brokenstar!" Dustpelt snarled.

That got my attention. "No. I think Brokenstar would kill you just for questioning his decisions."

Rolling his eyes, Dustpelt stormed off and the other elders followed him. Brackenfur lingered. 

"Watch your back," the senior warrior hissed. "One day this will come back to haunt you."

Was that a threat? Was Brackenfur one of Blossomfall's cats? Was he going to try to kill me for her?

I hurried over to Mousewhisker, who was standing over Hazelkit's body. "Don't ever let Brackenfur guard my den. Ever. And if you become leader, whatever you do don't appoint Blossomfall as your deputy. Not even if she's the only cat in the Clan."

My deputy said nothing, but I could tell he was curious as to the reasons behind my orders. 

"Brackenfur is too old. He couldn't defend me against any attack of any kind."

I wasn't going to even try to explain my misgivings about Blossomfall.

"Oh that's fine, you didn't need to explain why, Bumblestar. I know that all the decisions you make have good reasons behind them." Mousewhisker padded away, vanishing into the warriors den.
I couldn't have a better deputy.

But I wondered, how many cats had Blossomfall recruited? Could I trust anyone? Could I even trust Mousewhisker?

I tried to fall asleep that night and couldn't, with all the thoughts racing around my mind. I slowed my breathing and pretended to be asleep, then waited for soft pawsteps to reach my ears and a cat to quietly sneak into my den. I wondered if perhaps they were in there and were just stealthy enough that I couldn't hear them. I could almost see them through my eyelids, claws hovering a whisker away from my throat. I heard pounding sounds above me and flinched. Voices hissed to each other outside and then I heard two sets of pawsteps in my den. I snapped open my eyes and jumped to my feet, unsheathing my claws and slicing them at one of the figures. It took a moment to recognize the shape of Spiderleg, with Ivypool right beside him.

"Great StarClan, I try to get out of the rain so I don't catch a cold and Bumblestar tries to kill me!" Spiderleg muttered, sounding annoyed.

I looked out the entrance to the den and saw a downpour of rain coming from the clouds. I realized that was the pounding sound I'd heard. "Sorry. I thought you were an intruder."

I saw puddles forming at their paws as water dripped off of their drenched coats. Spiderleg shook himself dry and I wrinkled my nose as some of the droplets struck me. I backed away as Ivypool followed his example. The two stationed themselves by the den entrance and stared out into the camp. I settled down in my nest and acted as if I was sleeping until dawn. I didn't want to sleep, frightened that I would have a painful nightmare in which Brackenfur and Blossomfall and perhaps the whole Clan were trying to kill me.

I felt exhausted and didn't remember much that happened the next day, as I was unable to think properly. I forced my eyes to stay wide open while my eyelids wanted to close and carry me off to the land of horrors, sleep.

I "woke" early the next day as well and padded out into the clearing. My head felt foggy, as if my brain had been stuffed with feathers. My paws felt as heavy as boulders as I dragged them over to the fresh-kill pile. I nearly screamed as I felt something hard and cold, instead of warm and tender, in my mouth. I dropped it and through blurred, tired vision saw that the fresh-kill pile was made of dead cats' bones. Somehow I was certain that I had been holding a bone from Dovewing's leg.

A/N: Just when you thought he couldn't get any crazier...prepare for a shocking ending and then I have officially decided that there WILL be a sequel! Tell me in the comments if you're excited for the sequel! :D