The Bright Sky (The Blazing Fires Book 2)

Chapter 14

Ashpaw rushed to camp, her heart racing. "Rouges! Rouges are coming!" She yowled. Only to see the clan already fighting rouges in camp. They each struggled severely.
Ashpaw jumped beside her brother, clinging onto a black rouge. Ashpaw raked his back, while Berrypaw nipped at his legs. The rouge yowled and threw them off. Berrypaw was slammed into the walls of camp while the rouge loomed over Ashpaw. Then, Sparrow ran into camp. He flung onto the rouge, using his stone-enhanced claws to dig into the rouge's shoulder. The rouge stumbled back, his shoulder gushing with blood until he fell to the ground, slowly losing the energy to struggle. 

"You're welcome." Sparrow mewed. In the clearing, Nightchaser and Brindlepelt were dead, as the rouges retreated. Feathercloud wailed, sobbing over his mate's body, Whitetip sobbing by her father's side. Mistwing, Snakepetal, and Lilystomp, all curled around their fallen kin. Morningstar then leaped up onto the Cliff Rock and yowled for the clan.
"Brindlepelt and Nightchaser died honorary deaths. We shall sit vigil for them." Morningstar huffed. "I know I must pick a new deputy, but I have until moonhigh. But until then, Sparrow, ValleyClan thanks you for your bravery."

"I know how dangerous those rogues can be, I didn't want anyone else getting hurt," The tom responded. "Besides, I was chased out of my den, and I have nowhere to go."

"Well, then you are welcome to stay with us until you get your den back." Morningstar stepped down. "I need to go clear my head," She quickly dashed for the fern tunnel. Hundreds of different emotions were surging through Morningstar. She just lost two loyal warriors, including her deputy, her clan was just attacked by rouges, and her own secret weighed on her. What if she were to die in that fight?

"Okay, Brindlepelt's dead." Morningstar hissed. "Who should my next deputy be?" She paced in circles, anxiety flying through her. "Should I pick a senior warrior again? Or should a younger cat get a turn? Mistwing and Snakepetal are grieving, so not them. So are Feathercloud and Whitetip, but Whitetip's too young, anyways. Yellowflame would be perfect, but is she too young? She's training an apprentice, but she's only been a warrior for eleven moons. Is that too soon?"

The roar of a monster startled Morningstar back into reality. The she-cat hadn't realized how close to the Smogpath she wandered. Her eyes landed on a grey figure laying on the other side of the Smogpath. It was a cat, a tom, who seemed much older than herself. "Oh, StarClan!" Morningstar bolted towards the tom. 

"It's alright, I'm okay. It missed me," The grey tom croaked, wobbling onto his feet. As he stood, Morningstar realized the pale and ginger markings he had. His rosy eyes shone in the sun, just like hers.

"Here, I'll take you back to camp. Windflower and Smallwhisker can take a look at you." Morningstar ushered the tom off the Smogpath.

"Wait, Windflower?" His ears perked up. "You're a ValleyClan cat?" Morningstar was taken aback by the tom's knowledge of the clans. "Oh, I can't come with you. Flashstar will rip my pelt off and use it to line her nest."

"Who?" Morningstar tilted her head. "What is your name?"

"I'm Flamestorm." He mewed. Morningstar froze as soon as she heard that name.

"Flamestorm?" Her eyes widened. "But Violetstar told us you were killed by an osprey." She breathed. The osprey must've dropped him somewhere, Morningstar mewed in her head.

"Violetstar?" Flamestorm's eyes lit up. "She told you about me?"

"Yes, because she's my mother. Which makes you my father." Morningstar breathed, still in shock.

"I have kits?" Flamestorm breathed.

"Yes, you have two!" Morningstar purred. "Paleheart is your son, too. But he died many moons ago." Her heart sank after mentioning her brother, guilt still weighing on her shoulders.

"Oh, wow!" A huge smile spread across Flamestorm's face. "If Violeteyes, er, Violetstar is leader, she'll surely let me return!"

"Oh, about that," Morningstar hesitated. "Violetstar passed too. My name is Morningstar. I'm leading ValleyClan." Pure disappointment took over Flamestorm's expression. "But, as my father, I'll let you into ValleyClan."

The two cats trotted back to camp. When Flamestorm entered, the senior warriors and elders gasped. They then leaned their heads together, speaking in hushed tones. Morningstar leaped onto the Cliff Rock and howled to address her clan. "I found Flamestorm injured on the Smogpath." She mewed. "And discovering that he is my father, we shall welcome him back as a full ValleyClan warrior, and he shall be treated as such." The clan looked very reluctant.

"But, I have also decided who shall be my next deputy," Morningstar added, and the clan's interest sparked. "Yellowflame, you're young but very hard-working and talented. I feel a younger influence will benefit the clan, so I want you as my deputy,"

"I accept," Yellowflame dipped her head.

"I say these words before StarClan, so that the spirit of Brindlepelt may hear and approve of my choice. The new deputy of ValleyClan is Yellowflame," The ginger leader announced.

"Yellowflame! Yellowflame!" The clan half-heartedly cheered. After some preparation, the vigil for Nightchaser and Brindlepelt began. The clan mourned together, sharing the memories they had with them to each other.

"You hold vigils for your dead like this?" Sparrow mewed beside Ashpaw.

"Yeah, we honor them before we send them off to StarClan," The black molly mewed.

"The Clowder usually buries them, plants a flower, and does the rest of the mourning in the den," The tabby tom explained.

"The Clowder?" Ashpaw's head tilted.

"Yeah, it's," He paused, drawing in a deep breath. "That's the name of the rogue group that keeps attacking. I was born there," He huffed, his ears folding. "My father was the chief for a while. I was training to be a defender, which is why I got these stone-claws. Each role has different stone-claws," Sparrow explained. "My brother, Trout, was gonna be a hunter. And my sister, Dusty, was heir. She would've made a great chief," He sighed, his eyes misting.

"What happened to them?" Ashpaw tilted her head. "And why does the Clowder keep attacking?"

"Well, in the Clowder, we were taught about how the clans are dangerous and selfish. From the day we open our eyes, we're told about how the clan is filled with monsters who only care about themselves. There are stories about the clans drowning their disabled, murdering anyone who gets too close, and feeding their kits to dogs if they don't act right. There are countless gruesome stories. But, after being here, I can see you all care for each other like family,"

"But why'd you leave?" Ashpaw mewed.

"Well, in the Clowder, a cat can choose to challenge the chief. They fight to the death outside the den while the rest of the Clowder watch. Whoever is still standing becomes chief. One cat, Slasher, challenged my father. She thought he was weak and soft for not launching attacks when the clans looked vulnerable. Slasher won and she became chief," Sparrow held back his sobs. "She led many ruthless, bloody battles. When my mother tried to reason with her, Slasher, she..." A shiver trailed down the tom's spine. "He killed her. That's when Dusty challenged Slasher. But Slasher was bigger and older, so Dusty was easily killed. That's when Trout and I chose to flee."

"I'm sorry," Ashpaw put a comforting tail on his shoulder. "If you don't mind me asking, what happened to Trout?"

"Shortly after we left, he got sick. I thought it was just a simple cough, but it killed him the next night," Sparrow's ears folded back, a whimper escaping his muzzle. "Slasher tore my family apart. Not only that, she's tearing other families apart," His muzzle pointed to the grieving cats in the clearing. 

"Well, you're here now, and you're safe," Ashpaw softly mewed, casting a sympathetic glance toward him.