Warriors: the forgotten hearts: trail of pain (book 1)

Chapter eleven

Leap solemnly carried his dead friend. Her eyes were dull  and lifeless. Her pelt was cold, and although some of her scent still clung to her, it was chilly and no longer had warmth to it. No one spoke. The only noise was the shuffle of their paws as they went home. It seemed to be longer than any trip Hawkhad taken. 

Hawk thought that seeing what happened to Moth was awful, but the reaction of Tilly was worse than Hawk had ever imagined. "No!" She screached. Her eyes filled with tears. She bounded forward, Rose following behind her. Neon lifted his head from his paws and flattened his ears at th sight. "What happened?" Tilly choked out.

"The Thunder-fire got her.." Leap squeezed his eyes shut to stop the tears from spilling. "She hunts with our fallen now." Tilly nodded.

"May Starclan light her path, and give her ever peace."

Hawk's ears twitched.
Starclan
He had hardly heard it said here. In his short time in Shadowclan, the elders and some warriors spoke of it. It was the clan of their ancestors, the clan of the dead, as Peak had once called it.
"The clan of the dead is a place no living cat can reach. Our fallen live there in peace forever." He had said.

The day moved on quietly, no one said much of anything. Only silent, solemn filled glances were exchanged between the cats. It's as if they were afraid to speak, to say the wrong thing, or afraid their voice would fail in an attempt at trying. Even Tawny remained silent. Her normally bright, lively amber eyes were dull.
Hawk sat vigal with his rouge-mates. It was his first vigal, one first he wished he had never experienced. Moth smelled of lavender and other herbs Feather had put out to keep away the stench of death. The vigal seemed to drag out a lifetime until Neon came to help Leap and Tilly burry Moth.
Hawk watched them take her away. Though he had not known Moth like Tilly or Leap, she had been kind to him, and he would thank her for that forever.

Hawk's dreams were filled with blood, terror, and deafening noises for the next two moons, His rouge-mates were bloody and battered, and the Thunder-fire murdered each one that limped. The only thing that woke him one morning was something, or someone rather, batting at his ears.
Hawk pried open his eyes. Swallow's kit-blue eyes, that were beginning to turn green, stared him down. He jumped slightly.

"Good! You're finally awake!" She mewed. "Come on! I wanna show you my battle moves!" Hawk's ears flicked as he smiled. Swallow was growing fast. She was only three moons, and 'learning' battle moves. Hawk groggily rose to his Paws before following Swallow.  Her brother, Blizzard sat waiting. 

"Watch this!" Swallow sprang into the air, land sloppily on Blizzard's back. He flopped to the ground with a 'off' sound. "Stand up you big slug!" Swallow huffed. Hawk stifled a chuckle. Blizzard regained his balance, only to have Swallow latch onto his scruff, and pull back with as much strength as she could muster. She rolled just barely in time as Blizzard fell backwards, almost crushing her.

"To-da!" Swallow cheered as she got up.

"Where did you learn that?" Hawk mewed, eyeing her curiously.

Swallow shuffled nervously. "I watched you and sky do it. I practiced.." she trailed off. Hawk licked her between the ears.
"You did great, Swallow."

"Hey! What about me? Do you think it was easy getting squashed?" Blizzard huffed.