Warriors AU: Rising Storm

Chapter 28

With a tender lick, Sandstorm closed the medicine cat's eyes for the last time. Then he lowered his head onto her shoulder and felt the warmth fade from her body.

He didn't know how long he lay there, listening to his heart beating alone in the shadowy cavern. He thought for a moment he caught the familiar scent of Spottedleaf, drifting into the den on the rain-chilled breeze. Had he come to guide Raggedpelt to Starclan? Sandstorm let the soothing thought flow through him and felt sleep swell like clouds at the edges of his mind.

"She will be safe with us." Spottedleaf's gentle mew ruffled his ear fur, and Sandstorm lifted his head and looked around.

"Sandstorm?" Silverstream called from the entrance. Sandstorm struggled to sit up.

"I've buried One-eye," the silver tabby warrior meowed.

"Raggedpelt's dead," Sandstorm whispered. His hollow mew echoed off the stone walls. "She was alive when I found her, but she died."

"Did she say anything?"

Sandstorm closed his eyes. He would never share Raggedpelt's tragic secret with any cat, not even his oldest friend. "Just that... she was thankful Oakstar let her live in Thunderclan."

Silverstream padded into the cave and bent his head to lick the old medicine cat's cheek. "When I left, I never thought I wouldn't speak to her again," he murmured, his voice thick with sorrow. "Shall we bury her?"

"No," Sandstorm meowed firmly, his mind suddenly clear. Spottedleaf's words echoed in his mind: She'll be safe with us. "She was a warrior as well as a medicine cat. She will have her vigil and we can bury her at dawn."

"But we must get back to the Riverclan camp and tell the others what has happened," Silverstream reminded him.

"Then I'll come back tonight and sit vigil with her," Sandstorm replied.

The two friends trekked back through the devastated forest in silence. The gray afternoon light was fading by the time they padded into the Riverclan camp. Groups of cats lay at the edge of the clearing, sharing tongues after their evening meal. The Thunderclan cats crouched in an isolated huddle at one side. As soon as Sandstorm and Silverstream appeared, Cinderpelt struggled to his paws and limped toward them.

Oakstar rose too from where she lay beside Brindleface. She brushed past Cinderpelt and reached the returning warriors first, her eyes filled with desperate hope. "Did you find Raggedpelt and One-eye?"

Sandstorm saw Cinderpelt hanging back, his ears pricked, as desperate for news as his Clan leader. "They're both dead," he told them. Fresh pain filled his heart when he saw Cinderpelt sway on his paws. The little cat backed away unsteadily, his eyes clouded. Sandstorm wanted to go to her but Oakstar stood in his way. The Thunderclan leader's amber eyes showed no pain. Instead they grew hard and cold, and a shiver ran down Sandstorm's spine.

"Spottedleaf told me that a sand storm would save the Clan!" she hissed. "But instead we received a fire that destroyed us.""

"No," Sandstorm began, but he could not find the words to comfort his leader. His gaze followed Cinderpelt as he stumbled back to the others. To Sandstorm's relief, Fireheart hurried forward to meet him, pressing her flank against Cinderpelt to support the medicine cat's thin gray body. He looked back at Oakstar, his heart sinking at her stony expression.

"Thunderclan will return home tonight," she decided in a voice like ice.

"But the woods are empty. The camp is ruined!" protested Silverstream.

"It doesn't matter. We are strangers here. We should be back in our own territory," spat Oakstar.

"Then I'll escort you," Silverstream offered.