Blizzardstar's Choice

Chapter Four {Edited}

The walk home was long and depressing. Hawkslash could not stop yelping in pain. His eyes constantly dripped with blood. Stormpaw had run ahead to warn the medicine cat, Tinypool. All of his earlier eagerness had vanished to be replaced with fear. His eyes were dark with worry for Hawkslash. Meadowshine flicked her tail over the brown tabby's back, "you shouldn't have provoked a fight!" she mewed angrily. "Now Oakstar's going to be even more angry with us." she hissed.  Blizzardstar realized that the she-cat was right, they hadn't faced a retaliation for Lilybloom's death but now an attack was surely coming.

"We must warn the others." Blizzardstar mewed, his tone tinged with urgency. They could only travel so fast with the blinded Hawkslash, so it felt like ages before they reached the camp entrance.

Blizzardstar pushed past Meadowshine and Hawkslash, bounding into the camp clearing. "Wildflight!" he called to his deputy, who was sitting next to the fresh kill pile. She looked like she had been getting ready to grab something to eat, but this was far more urgent than Wildflight filling her belly. The brown she-cat bounded over, not before taking one last glance at the fresh kill.

"Has something happened?" she mewed worriedly, noticing the blood sprayed across Blizzardstar's white pelt.

"We were attacked at the border," he began slowly, "Hawkslash was blinded and the senior warrior, Rockclaw, was killed."  Wildflight's eyes widened in horror, her claws digging into the ground.

"Surely Rockclaw can't be dead?" she mewed, her voice shaking with fear. The deputy knew that Oakstar would not take this lightly. There was sure to be war.

"He was laying in a pool of blood, he was definitely dead." Blizzardstar mewed grimly, bowing his head. He knew that the blind Hawkslash had not even lay a paw on Rockclaw, so what had killed him? Then he remembered, Spottedrose had ripped her clanmate off of Hawkslash! Maybe she had been the one to accidentally kill the senior warrior?

"Blizzardstar?" Wildflight meowed, her questioning stare boring into his own. He shook his head, looking down at his paws. "We must prepare the clan for battle." he whispered. He really wished there was a way to avoid it, but Oakstar was blood thirsty.  Blizzardstar could remember when he had felt this way as well, but he couldn't imagine being so naïve again.  He would not let his clanmates fall to unnecessary deaths.

Wildflight nodded and quickly turned away, calling for the other warriors to join her. Blizzardstar watched in silence, his pelt prickling like pine needles. As the news spread, shocked mews and outraged yowling sounded around the camp.

He waited a few more moments before turning to Tinypool's den. He knew he must check on Hawkslash.  As he entered, he could hear the medicine cat tending to the blinded warrior. She must have returned from gathering herbs while Blizzardstar was out near the border. He found it odd that he hadn't scented her while they were there. Her voice was calming and smooth as she tended to Hawkslash, like the wind through the trees.

"How is he?" Blizzardstar asked softly as he came to stand at Tinypool's side.  She turned to look at him, her gaze wild with fury and terror but in a flash it was gone. "Oh, its only you," she sighed, "the bleeding has stopped but he will surely be blind for the rest of his life."

Hawkslash shifted in his makeshift nest, turning his sightless eyes to his leader. "I'm sorry I got us into this," he wailed, "now Oakstar will definitely kill us all!"

Tinypool quickly rested her gray spotted paw on his side, trying to calm him down once more. "Surely Oakstar will not think it's necessary to kill us all." she reasoned. But Blizzardstar saw her eyes darken with terror once more, making him feel like a dark cloud was hovering menacingly above them.

Slowly, he took a few paw steps backwards and out of the cavernous boulder. The faces of his warriors turned to him as he exited the medicine den. They seemed to have gathered to speak with him. It was the white and black spotted tom, Sootsplash, who spoke first. "Is it true?" his harsh voice echoed across camp. "Is Oakstar really going to try to attack us over Rockclaw's attack?"

Blizzardstar felt his heart beating fast, not truly knowing the answer to his question. Thankfully, Meadowshine stepped forward and turned to look at Sootsplash. "Foxstreak seems to think that we are responsible for his death. It is reasonable to think that Oakstar will as well." she meowed, loud enough for everyone to hear her.

Then, Blizzardstar got a crazy idea. One that would either fix everything, or doom him to Oakstar's vengeance. "I will take a small patrol to Breezeclan's camp, so we can talk with Oakstar," he mewed, thinking it all over in his head once more, "I will try to reason with him that it was not Iceclan who had killed Rockclaw."

Many of his warriors looked uncertain, their tails flicking and their ears flat. "How can you be sure Oakstar won't just try and kill you?" an off-white she-cat meowed at the front of the group.
Blizzardstar shrugged, "I'm not sure, Pearlfang. Hopefully Oakstar is willing to settle this with words and not claws." He hoped he sounded more reassuring than he felt. His pelt felt like it was crawling with fleas.

"Shall we leave now?" Wildflight whispered in his ear, making him jump. Blizzardstar shook his head, looking through the mass of cats as they all departed to resume their duties. He waved his tail at a dark gray tabby, beckoning her over to himself and Wildflight.

"Quickwater, will you come with me and Wildflight to the Breezeclan camp?" he asked hopefully. Other than Pearlfang, Quickwater was one of Blizzardstar's most senior warriors. She was still quick and strong but carried the thoughts and wisdom of an elder.

She nodded quickly and Blizzardstar swept his tail over her pelt as he stood and made his way to the camp entrance.

The border skirmish felt like a life time away. He felt like he wasn't even entirely sure it had happened. His thoughts swam like a dark tide as he led the small patrol back to the border.
~~

Spottedrose and Foxstreak returned to camp after their long trek carrying Rockclaw from the border. His body had already started to grow stiff and cold, his scent fading to be replaced with a sickly sweet aroma.

Snakefang was first to see them arrive and he rushed over, his eyes raking over Rockclaw's body.

"What happened? Is he injured?" Snakefang stuttered, his eyes round with worry for his denmate.

"I'm sorry Snakefang, your brother was killed," Foxstreak mewed softly, her shoulders slumping under Rockclaw's weight. Snakefang yowled, his fur spiking in anger and sorrow, "Oakstar!"

As Spottedrose and Foxstreak lay the body in the center of camp, Oakstar appeared at the entrance to his den under the tiny bush. His pelt was ruffled and messy with sleep, his eyes only half open. He quickly strode over to Spottedrose's side, looking down at Rockclaw's lifeless body.

"I can scent Iceclan on his pelt." he mewed after he sniffed the gouges in Rockclaw's neck.

Spottedrose shuffled her paws, "he had attacked an Iceclan patrol at the border. I tried to get him to come back but he just wouldn't stop." she rested her tail gently on the slain warrior's shoulders.

"So Iceclan thinks they can just kill whomever they like now?" Oakstar questioned her, his voice harsh with fury. Spottedrose opened her mouth to object but he didn't wait for a response. In a flash, he bounded over to his perch on top of a large boulder and yowled a summons to his warriors.

"Warriors of Breezeclan, gather here so I may share news with you!" his yowl pierces through the trees. In a matter of seconds, everyone had appeared at the foot of the boulder to hear their leader speak.

"It seems that Rockclaw has fallen victim to our ruthless neighbors," he yowled, "I believe it is time for us to attack and take our revenge on those scrawny tree dwellers!"

Spottedrose looked on in horror, her pelt rising along her spine. Surely her father couldn't insist on attacking Iceclan! As her clanmates yowled in agreement, she quickly slid around the edge of the camp and ran out onto the hillside. She had to find Blizzardstar, and warn him that Iceclan was in danger!