A Misty Path (A Warrior Cats Fanfiction)

Chapter 19

"He's been dead for at least a day." Speckledpaw's voice cracked. Mistpaw had never seen her so devastated. She'd never seemed to really like her brothers, but they were her littermates, after all.

Mistpaw's head spun. No! She thought back to that Sandpaw in her dream. Twisted. Evil. Dangerous. Was Mudpaw really with him now? Would he torture her in her dreams with his deceased brother? Mudpaw... precious, compassionate, determined Mudpaw. Lying, cold and lifeless before her. She looked at Speckledpaw. The medicine cat apprentice, always so composed and cold, was lying beside her brother, tears streaming down her face, her fur unkempt and streaked with her brother's dried blood. She sat beside her, and curled her tail comfortingly around her. How do I tell her? she wondered desperately to herself. How do I tell her Sandpaw's also... gone?

Seeing Mistpaw's face, Speckledpaw croaked, "I know about S-Sandpaw." She blinked back a tear and finally stood, her green eyes dull. "Mistlefrost's probably worried about you. Let's get back, you're not in good condition."

Mistpaw's ears pricked and she looked down, remembering her ragged pelt. She gripped at Mudpaw's scruff, attempting to take him along. Silently, she wondered how she and Speckledpaw would get back to the Twoleg den with Mudpaw in tow; the tom was only a moon younger than her and was around her size. Speckledpaw looked back and bent down, gripping Mudpaw's tail with her teeth and hauling him onto her shoulders. She staggered under the weight but stood tall. Mistpaw managed to drape his upper body on her back, and the two apprentices started their slow progression back to the temporary RiverClan camp.

It felt like forever had passed by the time they reached RiverClan's land; the moon was hanging above them, frozen on a black starry landscape. Mistpaw gazed up at the stars. Two in particular seemed to burn brighter than the rest. She stared at them, hope flaring in her chest. Sandpaw? Mudpaw? But her thoughts were interrupted by a snarl.

"RiverClan scum... get out of here!"

Mistpaw's head whipped around. A ThunderClan patrol had surrounded her, joined by a few ShadowClan warriors. She bristled, tensing up. She'd protect Sandpaw's siblings until death. But one cat, the lithe brown she-cat called Squirrelclaw, lifted her tail. "Halt." The advancing warriors stopped, crouched around the apprentices, their blazing eyes hungry for blood. Squirrelclaw looked over and stepped aside: "Go," she told them. Mistpaw's heart lifted, and she quickly began to move.

"Squirrelclaw!" A ThunderClan warrior protested. "You're letting these trespassers go -?"

"Open your eyes for once, Freckleface," Squirrelclaw spat. Her voice calmed to a gentle meow. "Let them bury their dead. These cats have lost a lot." She flicked her tail. "We've gained what we wanted. Let's go."

Mistpaw heard a cat nearby whisper, "Great StarClan, Goldenstar did a number on her! Why is she so... forgiving towards these scum?"

But another cat, further away, meowed: "Wait! What about the hostage?"

Mistpaw frowned. Hostage? Who could this be? Squirrelclaw's eyes flashed. "Get her," she meowed coldly. A warrior blocked Speckledpaw and Mistpaw from advancing. She sighed inwardly. What now?

Finally, a ThunderClan warrior returned, and skulking behind him, pelt scarred and leg torn, was Dewspeck. Mistpaw's eyes widened. The warrior was in bad shape: already she had lost a lot of weight. The warrior shoved Dewspeck forwards and the she-cat fell down before the apprentices. "This cat killed Daisyfur!" hissed a warrior. "Why should we let her go? Why shouldn't we do to her what she did to our own warrior?"

Squirrelclaw let out a growl. "Like Goldenstar would let us." She flicked her tail. "Get out of here." Her amber eyes narrowed. "Never come back. This land is ThunderClan's."