Warriors: Cobwebs

26. The Gravest of News

     "Did you find out what happened?" Webpaw hesitantly inquired, and his mentor sighed and paws absently at a clump of moss. Clearwhisker was quiet for many painful moments before speaking, and even then his voice was low.

     "He told me that he was attacked by a very large black and brown dog. He got away with many bad wounds but stepped into a fox trap that lacerated his paw. He pulled out and fell down into a ditch," Clearwhisker explained, adding on after shaking his head. "He's in a lot of pain. He asked for holly berries."

     Webpaw blinked and cocked his head to the side with his whiskers twitching. It had been a long time since he had heard the word, and it brought a bad feeling over him. "Aren't holly berries poisonous?" he asked, and watched as his mentor nodded and huddled down, curling his paws under his chest. Webpaw felt his chest tighten and his throat close, and he looked over his shoulder at the elder who lay asleep in a nest. Blackear was curled up nearby, practically guarding the injured tom in his sleep.

     He knew that it was the best decision; that Shadesight would die from his infection, slowly, sooner than later. The holly berries would be a quick way out, but it was still a frightening thing to think about.

     Loud shouting could be heard outside the den, and suddenly, two kittens tumbled into the cave. They hissed and kicked at each other, Ashkit biting down on Redkit's ear, and Redkit would retaliate by smacking her in the face. Webpaw leapt to his paws and scrambled to the two, grabbing Ashkit (who was on the top) by her scruff and prying her up. He drug her back and let go, dropping her to the floor of the den. Redkit got to her paws and dashed for the exit, but Webpaw leaped forward and ran in front of her to block her way.

     "What's going on with you two?" the apprentice demanded to know. Never had he seen such a spontaneous display of anger and violence, and Redkit backed away away and held her head low.

     "Ashkit said that Shadesight was gonna die," she whined. "I said he isn't, and he won't. Will he?"

     "He's gonna," Ashkit huffed, looking away. "He's gonna die.."

     Redkit whimpered: "I don't want him to die-"

     Webpaw stared with a slight hint of horror at the young cat, and he turned to Ashkit. Clearwhisker was speechless and looked to Webpaw in distress as if asking him about what to do.

     "Ashkit. Redkit, just.. Go back to Miststep. Talk to Sandfoot or someone," Webpaw requested with a bland voice. The two she-cats nodded, and one followed the other as they climbed back into the snow. Webpaw looked around at the mess of snow and water that was sloshed around the den during the fight. He looked to Shadesight, who was surprisingly still asleep. His breathing was slow and raspy, and he seemed to shiver in his nest. Webpaw fought with all of his strength to keep from shedding a tear, knowing that this cat would not live long. The holly berries would be a mercy.

     Clearwhisker sighed and slipped into the storage cavern, and within seconds he stepped out. A leaf bundle was set in his jaws, and he set it down onto the ground. It was dark and withered, with prickly edges and a split stem. "Webpaw, I'd like for you to go out and find something to do," he said.

     Webpaw felt his throw close and he slowly bowed his head, submitting to the command and standing, and he lugged himself out of the den and stepped into the freezing snow. It sunk in through his thick coat of fur and chilled him to the bone.

     Lost and confused, with utmost uncertainty of what to do, the apprentice steered his paw steps towards Fallenstar's den. He clambered up the boulders that made the den accessible, and he drug himself onto the stony balcony. With a deep breath, he stuck his head in. "Fallenstar?" he whispered.

     "Come in," came an answer. Webpaw blinked and slipped into the den, and he glanced around. It had not changed since the first day, and the last day, that he had been in there.

     Fallenstar sat quietly in the corner, staring at the claw marks left by past leaders that decorated the wall. Her scratches looked older, but still young compared to those that accompanied hers. Webpaw carefully stepped up to the wall and examined the oldest seeming marks. "You know," he began, trying not to make eye contact with the leader. "That Shadesight's wounds are.. Bad," he said, and he turned his head to see the she-cat. Fallenstar did not stop staring at the scrapes in the den's wall. "It brings bad memories to you," she mewed absently. "Doesn't it?" Her voice wavered and she looked away from the wall.

     "Shadesight could have stayed a warrior," she said, staring down at her white paws. Webpaw watched as she flexed her claws and prodded the rock beneath her. The leader continued talking, her tone sad and guilty. "He could have remained a warrior, I know. And if he was still a warrior, he wouldn't have gone out to prove his worth. He wouldn't have felt worthless like he did; he would have felt like a part of the Clan. It was me who put him with the elders." She then turned her head upwards and peered at Webpaw. The tom felt the fur on the back of his neck prickle. "You're being hard on yourself," he told her, persistent but careful in his words. "Don't take the blame."

     Fallenstar sighed and looked back at the wall of rock. Webpaw could see her focusing on a particular set of engravings. "I just can't help but feel like it's my fault, and like he blames me. I can just imagine Shadesight lying in his nest in the elders den, cursing me for pushing him aside." "You did what you thought was best," Webpaw insisted, and Fallenstar shook her head. "But it wasn't what was best. Ruststar would have known better. He would have done the right thing."

     The leader then looked at Webpaw with wide eyes, as if to snap out of her sadness. "What is Clearwhisker going to do about Shadesight? He won't live, will he?" she questioned, almost frantically. Webpaw sat, unable to answer. How was he supposed to tell her that her friend and father would not live? That it would be holly berries to end his life, and not a wound or his own shutdown.

     His silence seemed to answer the question quite effectively.