Warriors: The Broken Path (Warriors FanFiction)

Chapter 10

He LOVES me!?

Brokenpaw stared at the dark tom before her, her jaws hanging open. She shook her head as if to clear it, then she stammered in bewilderment.

"B-but you barely know me!" She mewed nervously, her one blue eye stretched wide in shock, but her crimson eye seemed to be glued in place. Frigidpaw's eye were soft as he rubbed his muzzle against Brokenpaw's, his purr strongly escaping his throat.

"I loved you the day I met you, Brokenpaw." The handsome tom was about to say something else, but the two apprentices froze when a loud screech erupted from the forest, alarming the nearby birds and sending them flailing into the afternoon sky.

The black she-cat bristled and watched Bramblestar burst out of his den on top of highledge and jump down to the camp floor. "Brokenpaw, Lionblaze, Graystripe, Millie, Berrynose and Molepaw! Let's go investigate!" The clan leader ordered briskly, lunging for the thorn tunnel. Brokenpaw gave Frigidpaw one last worried glance and she pelted off after her mentor into the depths of the looming forest.

~~~~~~

"The cry sounded like it was near the WindClan border!" Graystripe observed as the patrol swiftly wove its' way through the clustered undergrowth that threatened to trip them. The cats approached the border and slowed to a cautious walk, lifting their muzzles to scent the air. Brokenpaw couldn't pick up anything unusual besides the reeking stench of WindClan scent markers.

Then the cats jumped and unsheathed their claws as a huge clump of lush ferns shifted violently before them, then they gazed in bewilderment as Wolfpaw stumbled into the open, his icy blue eyes wide in terror.

"B-Bramblestar!" The black and white apprentice wailed in dispair, and the ThunderClan leader bounded over to the young tom, his amber irises clouded with concern. Brokenpaw ran up to her brother right after Bramblestar, brushig her pelt against her littermates' in attempt to comfort him. But it didn't help.

"Wolfpaw, what's wrong!?" Bramblestar growled uncertainly, anxiety gnawing at his pelt with every heart-beat. Brokenpaw felt a strange sensation creep up her spine; something wasn't right at all. Wolfpaw was by himself all the way out here?

Wolfpaw gazed up at the tabby tom and stammered as the fear and grief engulfed him more and more.

"I-It's Squirrelflight! S-she's dead!" He wailed into the atmosphere, his eyes full of agony. Bramblestar stood still for a moment, his face slowly turning from blank to utter fear and rage. He barged past the small black and white tom and into the ferns. Graystripe, Millie, Lionblaze, Berrynose and Molepaw crept up beside Brokenpaw, their eyes filling with sorrow.

"She's really gone?" Lionblaze murmured to Wolfpaw quietly, his ears drooping. Wolfpaw nodded slowly, staring at the ground in front of him. Even thought Lionblaze was still angry at Squirrelflight for lying to him about her being his mother, he had still found the will to forgive her. But now she was gone.

The cats started when they heard Bramblestar's loud, grieving caterwaul not too far off. They plunged back into the undergrowth and found their leader crouching over the mangled body of Firestar's daughter. His amber oculars were stricken with excruciating pain and depression. Brokenpaw scampered over to jer mentor and buried her muzzle into his neck, her heart breaking for her great friend. She didn't know Squirrelflight all that well, but she knew this was a tremendous loss for ThunderClan.

Lionblaze padded silently up to the deceased deputy and nudged her limp, cooling body. Her green eyes were dull and lifeless. "Let's get her back to camp, Bramblestar. The others need to know." The golden tom soothed his leader, and the dark tabby tom shakily lifted himself to his paws and whipped away and swayed on his paws as he stomped toward camp. Brokenpaw glanced at her brother and as Lionblaze and Berrynose began to lift Squirrelflight's body off the ground, the two young apprentices loped off after the ThunderClan leader. His tail dragged in the dirt and grass as he slowly dragged himself to camp defeatedly.

Brokenpaw and Wolfpaw each took a flank of Bramblestar's, helping guide him to the thorn tunnel entrance. They entered camp to worrisome cats that crowded them in a heart-beat. "Bramblestar? What happened?" Cried out Daisy from the nursery.

"What's wrong!?" Pressed Thornclaw as he pushed his way to the front of the crowd. But Bramblestar ignored all of their questions, shoving his way through the cats and heaving himself up onto highledge. Brokenpaw and Wolfpaw then noticed Lionblaze and Berrynose pushing their way into camp with Squirrelflight's body, and the remaining patrol followed close behind.

Screeches of dispair filled the hollow as Sandstorm and Leafpool bolted up to their dead kin. "My daughter! My precious daughter!" Sandstorm yowled to the sky. "Oh, StarClan! Why!?" She collapsed onto the ground, weeping hysterically. Leafpool whimpered and nuzzled her grieving mother.

Brokenpaw watched as they placed Squirrelflight's frail body in the middle of camp. The death of a clanmate is painful... I know how they feel...

She thought sullenly, her mind traveling to her older brother Bloodpaw. He might have been rude and grumpy most of the time, but Brokenpaw still admired his courage and bravery. He basically took care of her and Wolfpaw. But now he's gone...

Brokenpaw sighed in dejection, then glanced up at highledge as she realized Bramblestar was about to call a meeting. He looked like a complete wreck.

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey join hear beneath highledge for a clan meeting!" He called out hoarsely, his voice so dull and weak unlike how he usually is so proud and confident.

He loved Squirrelflight... Brokenpaw concluded to herself, padding up to the gathering crowd of clan cats and settling beside Wolfpaw and Frigidpaw, who watched me intently with a fretful gaze. Everyone stared up at their crestfallen leader as he began to speak.

"Squirrelflight is dead. We found her near WindClan border." He started but was immediately cut off by yowls of outrage and protest.

"It's WindClan! They did it!" Dustpelt hissed from the back of the crowd.

"Let's get back at them!" Hissed Thornclaw, his claws digging into the soil beneath him.

Bramblestar lashed his tail sharply for silence, his amber eyes suddenly blazing to life. "No! We need to hear the story from Wolfpaw! He was the one there when it happened." All eyes turned on the black and white tom, and he lifted his head to the clan.

"Squirrelflight and I were out hunting together when a patrol of WindClan cats attacked her. They shoved me out of the way and this big black tom pinned me to the ground as they slowly took her life..." He choked up but cleared his throat and finished. "They covered up their scent with wild flowers and herbs." He looked at his paws sorrowfully.

The cats burst out in anger again but Bramblestar quickly shut them up. "Why didn't they kill you too, Wolfpaw?" He questioned almost like he was suspicious of Brokenpaw's brother.

Why in the name of StarClan would he be suspicious of my brother? He's so shy and harmless! Brokenpaw scowled then pricked her ears at Wolfpaw's response.

"One tom said something about ridding her for her lies." The small black and white tom blinked his icy blue eyes, gazing up at his leader sadly. Bramblestar cringed, then sighed heavily.

His eyes were like two raging fires as he snarled out his last words.

"I shall chose my new deputy just before moonhigh. Tomorrow, we will seek our revenge on WindClan."

--- Sorry I haven't posted in a while! I had to retype Chapter 9 and then I had a little writers' block for Chapter 10. Please read for me! Voting is encouraged too! Positive feedback is appreciated!!(:

Negative feedback will be ignored!

Stick around to see how the revenge on WindClan is all played out!! And see where Frigidpaw's crush on Brokenpaw gets the two of them!! :D Thankss!! <3