Warriors: A New Beginning #1: The Beginning

Chapter 41

No! Wavepelt rushed to the leader and deputy.

"Is Mintleaf coming?" she demanded.

As she spoke the medicine cat dashed out of his den, herbs in his jaws. He checked Cloverwing first, who had a wound in her neck and had both of her ears torn.

When Mintleaf looked up, sadness was in his eyes. "She's dead."

"What?" Wavepelt's fur stood on end. "No!"

"She can't die at that age!" Scarletpelt moaned. "She was too young."

"Cloverwing? Dead?" Dawnpool managed to stagger over to the lifeless deputy. "I... I remember playing with her when I was an apprentice. She was only a kit back then. And what about Reedstar?" Her gaze immediately drifted to her mate. "Is he dead too?"

Mintleaf was already treating the ThunderClan leader. "He's lost a life— more than one, I think, but he will survive." The last phrase he spoke was fiercer than ever.

"Cloverwing's dead?" Blossompaw whispered, her voice quivering. "Our mother? ...Dead?" She was shaking.

Frostpaw and Hawkpaw pressed against her for comfort. Mousepaw, however, was staring at his mother's body. He closed his eyes and shuddered.

"Wait..." Whiteclaw murmured. "If Cloverwing's dead, Reedstar will appoint a new deputy. Who do you think will be the next deputy?"

"Maybe it'll be Spottedstripe," Ashheart suggested. "Reedstar did appoint him as replacement deputy when Cloverwing was in the nursery."

"His wounds are pretty bad," Mintleaf commented. "He wouldn't be able to assume the deputy's roles."

"Then who else, then?" Ashheart mused. "Maybe Waterfall. Who knows..." She padded off with Whiteclaw.

Suddenly, Reedstar took a gasping breath. He raised his head.

"Welcome back, Reedstar," Mintleaf greeted.

"How... what happened?" Reedstar asked.

"You lost a couple of lives," Mintleaf explained, "and ThunderClan won the battle... at a great cost."

"No!" Reedstar had just noticed his dead deputy. "Why so soon?" He closed his eyes. "I will appoint a new deputy by moon-high." Then he set off, limping, into his den.

Cloverwing's body was soon laid in the clearing. Wavepelt gazed at it.

This scene is happening too often... she thought miserably. Curiosity pricked at her, brightening her spirits a little, about who Reedstar would appoint as the new deputy. I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

"Dawnpool!" Mintleaf exclaimed. "I need to check your wounds."

A pool of blood was already forming around the orange and white she-cat."

"Okay." Dawnpool leaned on Mintleaf as they entered the medicine den.

Wavepelt slowly walked up to Tussledstorm. They had hardly spoken since Tussledstorm's confrontation so many moons earlier. Wavepelt wasn't sure if the she-cat would even look at her.

"...Tussledstorm?" she murmured. "Are you okay?"

"...I'm fine." Tussledstorm seemed hesitant, but her voice wasn't cold. She wouldn't meed Wavepelt's gaze.

"Okay, then..." Wavepelt glanced at Bushtail, who she had just noticed had a bite mark on his tail. "Does that hurt?"

"Uh... no. Well, not really," the brown warrior replied. He sounded strange.