A Clan's Tragedy #1

Chapter 1 (COMPLETED)

 Chapter 1

"Here..." Hazelfur says to Pheasantpaw."I'll get some marigold for that." Pheasantpaw had just wounded his paw in a border fight, and she thinks it was about Pineclan not refreshing their markers. Anyway, I don't have time to think about how warriors handle things. I have about five cats in here with injuries because of those fights. They happen almost every day. and Hazelfur, the medicine cat has to treat them with the little supplies the clan has.Hazelfur felt a stab of anger.

They should be more careful!

   "Now rest that torn claw until tomorrow." Hazelfur says to the apprintice." Don't get injured in more fights. I will be forced to stop treating you and the other cats becuase I don't have... unlimited supplies." she warned him. He nodded and ran off the the apprintice's den.

   "Hazelfur..." Fireclaw, the clan deputy came into the medicine cat den.

   "What now?" A fatal wound? A cat with a clawed out eye? And recently, Hazelfur had cats with those.

   "Um... Dawnstar wants you in his den. Alone."

   Now what does he want me for? I need to pile herbs into bundles for the nest injury. She let out a sigh and follow him to the leader's den, under roots of a big oak tree.

   "Ha- Hazelfur." Dawnstar croaked." I- I need you to come here."

   "Dawnstar!" Hazelfur exclaims."What is wrong? Are you sick?" she rushes over. Strong waves of heat come from his orange-brown pelt. She puts a paw on his pelt. Cold. This can only mean one thing--green-cough.

   "Why didn't comeone tell me?" Hazelfur is outraged. I am not to be responsible for my leader's death!

   "I- it was my time to die. I can't change Starclans destiny for me." 

   "I..." Hazelfur's lost for words. Dawnstar wanted to die? "At least I couldv'e given you poppy seeds!"

   Dawnstar begins to speak, but ends up coughing for a long time. He recovered his voice after a moment. "Rabbitear- Rabbitear is to..." He coughs again.

   "What?" She asks, gently.

   "Is to suceed after me."  

   What?! Has he gone mouse-minded? Fireclaw is deputy! He has to be leader.

   "But-" Hazelfur began, her mind whirling.

   "No, Hazelfur." He interupts and then begins coughing."Leader's word is law."

   How can Starclan approve of this?

   Dawnstar suddenly had urgency in his mew.

   "Tree and tree will sway in the wind, but one will fall on the clan." 

   Is that a prochecy? Or is the trees around us going to fall, killing tons of cats?

   "What-" Hazelfur gets cut off as Dawnstar's loud breathing begind to fade. "Dawnstar! Don't leave me! I'll go get you catmint!" 

   His breathing stops.

   She feel his chest, hoping for a heatbeat. Nothing. It is silent as the lake beside us.

   "No..."

   Hazelfur pads out to the clearing, and hops on the Long Oak- the place to address the clan- and hops on one of the lower brances.

   "All cats old enough to swim in the lake, join me here beneath the Tall Oak!" She calls out the ancient gathering call. Cats begin to come out of their dens, just begining to fall asleep, considering it's dusk.

   "Why are you up there, Hazelfur?" calls out a kit- Lurchkit.

   "Fireclaw and Rabbitear. Come up here, please."

   The two toms jump up beside Hazelfur, one on either side. She can feel their curiosity burning her pelt.

   "Cats of Rippleclan, I am sad to announce, Dawnstar is dead."

   Shocked wispers and wails of sadness wash over the clan. Hazelfur feels her throat tighten up. That's what she does before Hazelfur starts bawling like a kit.

   " Dawnstar has requested a change in deputies when he was dying." Shock lit Fireclaw's gaze. And then anger made his eyes narrow.

   "Dawnstar requested this?" he repeated."Are you sure?" He shot a hostile look at Rabbitear."Did you have anything to do with this?"

  "What? No, this is a greater surprise to me than it was to you!" Rabbitear protested.

   "No." Hazelfur interrupts their arguing, and it is surely going to end up hurting some cat. "Only I wittnessed this change. I am sure I heard him right."

   "Well I am going to stay deputy and then leader." announced Fireclaw." I am the rightful choice in the warrior codes veiw."

   "In Starclans veiw," says Hazelfur. "Rabbitear is rightful the the place of deputy."

   Quick as a flash, Fireclaw jumps over me and lands on Rabbitear's head. He clawed his face and Rabbitear pushes himself up quickly, throwing his attacker off and onto the ground below. Fireclaw tries to jump back up, only to fail as Rabbitear kicks him in the eye, and slumps back down.

   Shocked mews spred around and the two queens herded their kits into the nusery. The warriors jumped forward and pinned the mad orange tom to the ground. Fireclaw struggled and spat at the warriors.

   "Fireclaw!"  Hazelfur exclaims, more shocked than any cat in the camp. "You have broken the warrior code! Attacking a cat from your own clan!"

   "Exile him!" an apprintice shouts.

   She jumps down and pads over to the spitting Fireclaw, still pinned.

   "You have earned an exile, and possibly death. But I am going to let you off easy, only because you were the deputy."

   Hazelfur raises her voice over the dying whispers." I, the medicine cat of Rippleclan, hereby banish Fireclaw, for the wrong doings he has done to his clan. May you live the life of a rouge, eating rot-food, out of clan territory forever. Release him."

   Fireclaw gets up. A path opens in the crowd of cats. The orange tom casts a flaming amber gaze on Hazelfur, and then the clan. He holds his head up high, padding down the path. He looks at no cat and before he leaves through the fern opening, he says to her and Rabbitear, -who sits there casting a glare back at Fireclaw.

   "I will be back." he mews."Don't sleep until I do." And then he fanishes through the entrance.