Tragedy {A Warrior Cats Fanfiction}

» Chapter Thirty-Eight «

Kestrelfur felt a lump in her throat as she padded over to Waspstar. She felt her fur fluffing up, but she forced it to lie flat.

      When she had almost reached him Nightblaze stepped in her way. "What are you doing?" Her hackles were raised and her eyes glittered with hostility.

      "It's okay," said Waspstar, coming forward. He looked casual, as though he hadn't just killed a clan leader.

      Nightblaze dipped her head and stepped back.

      Waspstar looked excited at first, but then his face fell and he shuffled his paws awkwardly. "Are you... okay?"

      Kestrelfur wasn't sure whether he was referring to Rainfoot and Morningleaf's deaths or the fox attack. "Yeah, I'm doing fine."

      There was a moment of awkward silence between them. Kestrelfur felt her heart thumping, not sure what to do. She couldn't kill him now, with everyone watching. What should I do? What should I do? What should I do?

      "I need to speak privately with you," she said, making up her mind.

      "Great," said Waspstar, sounding bright. "Let's go to those tunnels from before!"

      They were about to leave, when Cherrynose came up to them. "Oh no you don't!"

      "What?" asked Waspstar, turning to face her.

      "I need to treat your wounds," said Cherrynose sternly and stubbornly.

      "I'll be fine," Waspstar snapped. "I'll get them treated when I get back."

      If you get back, thought Kestrelfur. She felt like she had a wad of cotton in her throat; it was hard to swallow.

--

They arrived at the entrance to the tunnel. Kestrelfur remembered how she discovered it: she was running and then fell into the hole. She had been so excited, not realizing that one day it would be the location where she'd become a murderer.

      Waspstar went in first, and Kestrelfur squeezed in after him. Since they had both grown since their last visit, it was harder to get through the entrance.

      When they were fully in the tunnel, it opened up around them so that they had more room. The earth beneath their paws seemed rough and hard, not squishy mud like their last visits. Perhaps things really could change over time.

      "Now, what is it?" asked Waspstar with a flick of his ear. His amber eyes seemed to be glowing, and he had a grin on his face that caused sparks to flicker under Kestrelfur's fur. No, no, no, no.

      She took a deep breath. She had to talk to him first, one last time. She started with, "I'm pregnant."

      Waspstar's eyes glowed brighter and his smile widened. "Oh, how wonderful!" he purred. "Let's start thinking of names! You said that in your visions there was a tom named Tigerkit, right? And the others were she-cats. Lets name the she-cats Alderkit and... how 'bout Sagekit?"

      Kestrelfur felt something drop in her stomach. "Those are beautiful names."

      Waspstar was looking at her intently, and Kestrelfur had to turn away so that he wouldn't notice the tears brewing in her eyes. Unfortunately, Waspstar noticed and asked, "What's wrong?"