How could StarClan let this happen. . .?
It had seemed so simple at first. The warmth of new-leaf had brought a band of rouges into the heart of ThunderClan territory. So? No biggie. All we had to do was chase them out. There couldn't have been a whole lot of them, . . . right?
We were dead wrong.
We had spotted one of them hunting by herself, so our little unsuspecting battle patrol attacked. At that moment, a Clan's worth of cats spilled out of the bushes and bracken. For one terrifying moment, we were heavily outnumbered. Thank StarClan that the rest of the Clan joined the fight. We had evened out the playing field. We eventually chased them away, but the victory was hollow.
I stared down at the pale gray-brown pelt of my father and inwardly doubled over in pain.
"Birchfall,"I whispered,"Why you?"
Whitewing and my sister were sharing tongues with the late warrior. I tore my gaze away and looked beyond them.
A neat line of fallen warriors lie on the earth, surrounded by their loved ones.
"Thanks for being such a great mentor to me,"Ambersong mewed sadly into Spiderleg's ear.
"Bumblestripe . . . watch over our all kits from StarClan. I promise to tell the new ones about you."
The dark cream she-cat Rosepetal was crouched beside her mate, her belly heavy with kits. Flowerpaw and Briarpaw were sitting on the other side of the gray tabby, faces twisted with grief.
Thornclaw eyes were fixed on two different deceased cats," Brightheart . . . Cloudtail! You didn't deserve this."
Birchfall, Spiderleg, Bumblestripe, Brightheart , Cloudtail, Hollytuft, Lillyheart . . . and Bramblestar . . . and Squirrelflight were all slain.
All of those cats . . . it was a heavy blow to the Clan. My dark blue eyes widened when something dawned on me. It was obvious, but my mind had been slowed with grief. I opened my mouth, but someone else screeched out the words.
"STARCLAN HAS FORSAKEN US!" the yellow tabby tom was pointing his tail wildly at the former leader and deputy,"THE'RE BOTH DEAD!"
Sorrelleaf ran over from her mother's body to her stricken brother to comfort him.Everyone started to voice their fears, but they rose to a clamor.
"Everyone, please calm down!" Sandstorm yowled, but no one heard.
My head began to ache, I couldn't take the shouting anymore. Without a second thought, I leaped onto Highledge and hissed,"Everyone shut-up!"
The clan's panic skidded to a halt, they stared up at me with astonished faces.
"Ivypool," Whitewing yelped,"what in StarClan's name are you doing?"
What the in the Dark Forest am I doing?
I was embarrassed, but I wouldn't let anyone else know that.
I stared boldly at the Clan cats before me and blurted,"Becoming leader!"
"What? You, our leader? No way!" Berrynose sneered.
"What about Thornclaw? Or maybe Brackenfur?" Dewfoot suggested.
The clan's attention swiveled toward the two tabby toms.
Brackenfur's sad amber eyes widened,"I—I can't. I have lost Lillyheart. I am nothing now." He curled up into a small pathetic ball of grief.
"Thornclaw?"I mewed.
