A New Horizon Book 4: A Fallen Star {COMPLETE}

Chapter 21

Yowls filled the air, the scent of blood filled the air and splatters covered the forest floor. Falconheart's body stung with the deep wounds that traced his body. He saw his mother, lying the forest floor, lifeless. The cat that towered over her was Ashblaze, the AshClan deputy. Blood covered his paws and his amber eyes were void of any emotion, just empty amber pools.

"Murderer!" Falconheart cried out and charged towards the deputy, ready to defend his mother. His body slammed into Ashblaze's and instantly the tabby's body crumbled. Falconheart stepped back, blood poured from Ashblaze's neck, pooling on the forest floor. Falconheart's heart twisted in horror. I barely touched him!

Falconheart's body froze, Ashblaze's eyes went from amber to black. Empty and soulless. A glow formed at Ashblaze's body and Falconheart watched as the tom's spirit rose. "Why would you do this, Falconheart?" The deputy questioned, his voice echoing through the trees. The fighting around them stopped. "You're a monster!"

"No!" Falconheart cried, closing his eyes. "I'm not a monster!"

"You're a killer! A filthy murderer!" Falconheart shook his head, it was no longer Ashblaze's voice speaking. He heard Dawnstar, Sedgefern, Honeyfrost, Lionclaw and all the cats he loved and cared about.

"I'm not a monster!"

Falconheart shot up in his nest, panting heavily. His chest felt tight and his pelt burned. It was still dark in the warrior's den, probably long before dawn had arrived. Falconheart couldn't get the image of Ashblaze's body out of his mind. It had been several days since the battle, and the guilt continued to eat at him.

I need fresh-air. Falconheart thought, the clustered den suffocating him. Falconheart stood up and climbed out of the warrior's den. He stepped into camp and breathed in the fresh, nighttime air. He felt that he could breathe better, but the fog in his head was still thick, giving him constant headaches and clouding his judgement.

Falconheart had caught the attention of Yarrowtail who was sitting guard at the head of camp. The small gray tom looked over at Falconheart with concern in his soft green eyes. "You doing alright?"

Falconheart nodded. "Just a bad dream." He told the warrior. "I needed some fresh-air."

"Want to talk about it?" Yarrowtail questioned. "I know we're not necessarily close, but your mother is one of my best friends."

"I don't know." Falconheart flattened his ears. "It's hard to explain what's going on." He gently twitched his tail.

"Is it about Ashblaze?" Yarrowtail questioned, giving Falconheart a skeptical yet worried glance.

Falconheart opened his mouth, trying to come up with a different excuse, but he knew it was no use. He was certain that his problems were obvious to every single cat in the Clan. "Yeah, it is."

"Look, Falconheart," Yarrowtail brushed his tail across Falconheart's pelt. "You can't let this tear your apart forever. Ashblaze was a warrior, he took the same oath that you did. We vowed to protect the Clans at the cost of our lives, Ashblaze died fighting for his Clan. Just as Bramblepelt did, it's how we warriors live our lives."

Falconheart stared at his paws, not at all comforted by Yarrowtail's words. Ashblaze wasn't just a nameless warrior. He had a family, a mate, and kits who loved him. When Bramblepelt died all of his kits were so torn apart.

"Thanks, Yarrowtail." Falconheart stood up, wanting the warrior to feel like he helped despite the fact that Falconheart didn't feel even slightly better. "I'm going to go try and sleep."
"Glad I could help." Yarrowtail purred. Falconheart knew that Yarrowtail meant well, but he just couldn't shake the guilt that was raging inside his stomach. Falconheart wasn't sure if he would ever be able to shake this feeling.