Warriors: Finding Home

Chapter Six

The black she-cat walked the perimeter of the camp, and casting a final glance at the cave, slipped into the leader's hollow. Sootpaw deposited his prey on the dwindling freshkill pile and dismissed the vision of his mother. It was only when he heard the earsplitting cry of Ratstar that he regretted his decision.

Buzzardwhisker and Nectarpaw hurried inside the leader's den and the rest of the clan waited in tense silence outside. Nectarpaw finally emerged, but avoided the questions of her clan. She walked straight to the medicine den and walked out with an herb clamped in her jaws. Sootpaw recognized it as coltsfoot. The ginger apprentice bounded quickly over to her leader whose coughs and unsteady breaths could be heard from outside the den.

The noise of heavy breathing died down, then stopped completely. Buzzardwhisker's tabby pelt popped out of the dark hole, and sadness welled in his eyes.

"Ratstar has lost a life, bit he will be up and at 'em by next sunrise."

Murmurs broke out among the clan, mostly talk about how he had died. Sootpaw tried not to think about death, because it only made memories of Rainclaw surface. He left the SunClan cats to mourn over their leader, who, to his knowledge was on his last life now. He couldn't help but think that Nightleaf played a part in Ratstar's death, and decided that he would consult the black she-cat when he slept.

A light ginger cat followed him back to the apprentices den.

"Hey Sootpaw! What do you think happened to Ratstar?"

Sootpaw was startled by the sudden appearance of the she-cat.

"Sunpaw! You nearly scared my pelt of!" He paused to take a deep breath. "I don't think it matters how he lost a life, only that he still lives."

Sunpaw's face was contorted to a look of disbelief, but her words counteracted her looks.

"Well, we should probably go see what Buzzardwhisker has to say about it. Come on!"

Sootpaw gave a final glance at his nest before following Sunpaw. She didn't seem too surprised at ratstar's death, but maybe she was too young to understand. She hasn't been to a gathering before, which meant she just recently became an apprentice. Bumblescar was pacing back and forth in front of ratstar's den. His one working eye was flashing to and fro, looking at each member of his clan. He had been blinded in one eye when he got into a fight with a rabbit. Now he had only one working eye and an ugly pink scar over the place where his left eye formally was. Despite his looks, his mate, Chestnutheart still loved him with all her heart.

Sunpaw bounded over to her mentor, Cherryfur and sat down beside her. Sootpaw sat on Cherryfur's other side and waited for Buzzardwhisker and Nectarpaw to give the clan news about Ratstar. A brown tabby pelt popped out of the hole leading to the leaders den. Nectarpaw followed more slowly. Buzzardwhisker addressed the whole clan.

"Ratstar lost his life because of loss of breath. There seems to be no sign of how this happened, but he is still alive. Now please, go about your daily lives as if nothing has happened."