Warriors: Skytail's Reckoning (COMPLETED)

Chapter 29

"This can't be happening!" Wailed Myrtlestorm as she paced in the clearing. The bodies of their fallen Clanmates were brought into the camp during the night. Waiting that long made the flies and bugs already check the dead cats' corpses for anything worth eating. Gravelpelt, Fernpelt, Sparkheart, Gorseflower, Greenscar, and Briarfern were laying in the center of the camp, positioned as though they were sleeping soundly. "The warrior code has been broken and six of our warriors are dead!"

Cinderlight was trying to calm the Clan from the Fallen Tree while Skystar sat beneath her, her eyes blank as she stared at the body of her beloved mate. So many moons of us...gone. And for what? Some petty grudge against me. She felt numb and exposed, as though someone had put mouse bile on an open wound and pressed it in deeper. Her heart was ripped to pieces and the blood roared in her ears, louder than anything she'd ever heard. Sparkheart...dead.

"What'll we do now?" Twigflower called from the nursery, her tail curled protectively around her four kits, who were mewling. "If Bluestar attacks the camp, more cats will be killed!"

"I can't have anymore blood be shed unless we do something!" Rabbitspring stopped pacing and stood tall, his eyes ablaze with. "I say we go to ThunderClan and kill them all! See how they like it!"

"Yeah!" Quailfeather and Ravenstem padded to Rabbitspring's side, their hackles raised with anger. "We'll take them by surprise and teach them a lesson!"

"No!" Cinderlight sounded panicked and she looked to Skystar for help, but the leader remained silent, blinking slowly at her deputy. "We can't throw ourselves into battle when we've barely gotten away from one we lost!"

Ravenstem shouldered his way toward Skystar, and she looked wearily up at him. "C'mon, Skystar." He urged. "You want revenge for them killing your Clanmates, right?" Slowly, the leader nodded, a flame sparking to life in her belly. "Then let's go get revenge."

"Skystar, no!" Mistyfrond and Brindlestalk ran up to their leader, their eyes pleading. "We just lost six warriors, we don't need to lose more!" When the leader didn't respond, Mistyfrond tried again. "Sparkheart wouldn't want this. Please- think this through!"

"Ravenstem's right." Rowanhaze growled to Carrotheart, who nodded in agreement, his tail lashing from side to side. "If Bluestar's warriors kill us, why don't we show them we'll do more than scar them?"

They're angry, and they have a good reason. Skystar's thoughts were slow as she considered her kits' words and her warriors' words. If we attack, more cats might die. But if we don't, more cats will surely die if Bluestar attacks us first. She turned her head to Cinderlight, who was working her paws against the hard wood of the Fallen Tree, her eyes on her leader. These are my warriors, and they'll fight if I tell them to. Getting to her paws, she stared around at her Clanmates, the ache in her chest fading to nothing. "We will attack them in a quarter moon," she meowed, her voice void of emotion or conviction.

Ravenstem, Rowanhaze, Carrotheart, and Rabbitspring looked eager, along with several other cats. But Mistyfrond, Brindlestalk, Cinderlight, Twigflower, and Thrushleaf just looked worried as Skystar turned away and headed for her den.

***

Skystar watched from the side of the Fallen Tree as Petalpaw, Dapplepaw, and Thriftpaw bounded out of the camp with their mentors, leaving the Clan to chatter amongst themselves while waiting to be assigned to patrols. My kits are apprentices, she thought as Thriftpaw's tail vanished out of sight. I should be proud, but I don't feel anything. She looked over at Cinderlight, who was talking with Quailfeather with their kits. From what she understood, the pair weren't mates anymore, but they remained on good terms for Voleskip and Blizzardtail's sakes. With a pang of grief, she looked up at the dull blue sky. Since Sparkheart's vigil three nights ago, Skystar noticed nothing seemed bright anymore. The sky was dull, as were the trees on ThunderClan and SkyClan territories, the grass on the moor was more brown, and prey didn't taste good. She hardly spent time with her kits since Feathersong's death, and now she avoided them like greencough. They have mentors now, they don't need me.