A Warrior's Heart | Omen Of Darkness | Bk. 1

Chapter 16

CrowDawn watched as RobinWind brought BreezeKit, CrowDawn's kit, in the nursery. Pain pulsed through her. Medicine was all over her body."Eat these," StormPaw nosed poppy seeds toward her."No..."Whispered IceSplash."Impossible! All his nine lives are gone!" CrowDawn glanced at BurrStar. He was dead."Two leaders dead in less than four sunrises!" StormPaw exclaimed."I'm fine!" BurrStar suddenly growled."I was asleep!" Relief washed over CrowDawn."CrowDawn you're fine,"StormPaw adressed with a flick of his tail. She padded out the medicine den. RobinWind forgave her, and, she was deputy! Blood stained the ground. Some looked fresh where the soot of Bone laid. Bone had turned to soot as soon as he died. Still, the fresh blood of his deadly wound splatter on the ground. RobinWind padded over to CrowDawn. Her usual robin-coloured fur, was bright red with blood."You're okay?" RobinWind asked anxiously."Yes 'o miss deputy,"CrowDawn teased gently. She scanned the clearing."Tell the elders to bury FawnFoot, EbonyPaw and the two kits."RobinWind ordered. CrowDawn nodded and slipped into the elders den."RoseFlower, FrogTail and MouseWhiskers? you need to bury the dead."CrowDawn meowed softly."Coming,"Grumbled MouseWhiskers. The elder she-cat tumbled out of the den, RoseFlower close behind."C'mon FrogTail!"CrowDawn stifled a hiss. FrogTail came tumbling out of his den."Comin', geez,"He muttered bitterly. RoseFlower cried,"Death! Death! Oh, why!?" MouseWhiskers flicked her tail gently across the younger elder's flank."It'll be alright." RoseFlower's eyes weren't reassured. CrowDawn gently led the elders to the dead cats. They carried FawnFoot out of camp. CrowDawn sat next to the two dead kits. Her dead kits. She remembered the painful birth. She was laying under an oak tree, legs splayed out. She let out a yowl. Three kits were there after the painful blink she had took. CrowDawn loved BreezeKit with all her heart. But, she couldn't. She'd eaten parsley that she brought when she was in labor. The next glance she had took at her two other kits, they were dead. They were small. Before they'd die they let out a frightened mewl. She forced the memory away. She could never have kits again. Never. She padded to RobinWind. Who was loving up ThrushFeather. Jealousy panged CrowDawn's heart. No! She couldn't hate her friend because she loved a tom and CrowDawn could never! She inturrupted her friend awkwardly."I'll lead a hunting patrol,"She offered. RobinWind gave a quick nod before glancing embarrassly at ThrushFeather. ThrushFeather blushed."I'll go on the hunting patrol,"He mewed to CrowDawn. CrowDawn nodded,"Okay." CrowDawn recruited IvyFern and SilverStrike. Her friends former mentor wouldn't stop boasting that FlowerBlossom was having his kits."Then, she's taking care of BreezeKit,"IvyFern guessed. SilverStrike nodded. The cats stroked out into the forest, their pelts sticky with the honeysuckle that grew underneath the entrance."We need to break that!"ThrushFeather complained, licking his pelt."Yes,"IvyFern agreed."Alright,"CrowDawn halted her patrol."We'll split up." She decided."Meet back here." The patrol split in different directions. CrowDawn led herself down toward the marsh. She sniffed. She'd forgot that she'd kitted at an oak tree two fox-lengths away from the marsh. But when she smelled, the smell of the blood when she kitted drifted in the air. She let out a screech of terror. She darted toward the oak tree where her kits were born. She grabbed moss and pushed it on the blood. She smelled it again. Her clanmates wouldn't smell it over the dog scent that lured near the mallow. Every cat knew why dogs were there. Their twolegs hunted with them. The mallow was near RiverClan and WindClan. WindClan had rabbits to hunt and deer traveled between the marsh and RiverClan. CrowDawn smelled rabbit. he knew it'd probably strayed across WindClan territory to ThunderClan. She stalked the rare piece of prey for ThunderClan. When it was in sight, she leaped. It squealed with surprise when CrowDawn ripped out its throat. She decided that she could go back now. She dashed toward the ancient oak, where they had said to meet. She made it. IvyFern and ThrushFeather were back."SilverStrike's on his way,"IvyFern reassured."I can scent him. That's when the prophecy popped into CrowDawn's mind. A Crow's cry at Dawn will break the Robin's Wind. She realized she was out of the world. She snapped back."Sorry,"She mewed."Lost in thoughts." IvyFern flicked her tail."Here!" Panted SilverStrike, a squirrel in his mouth. The patrol slipped back to camp when ThrushFeather stopped them."Let's break the honeysuckle," He begged. CrowDawn nodded."Fine." IvyFern was the smallest and swiftest she-cat so she slipped into the entrance and bit some of the honeysuckle down. Then, the rest tumbled off."We can take this to StormPaw,"IvyFern mumbled, the honeysuckle in her mouth.IvyFern raced to StormPaw while CrowDawn dropped her prey in the prey-pile. RobinWind started toward her."Well done on the rabbit!" She complimented. CrowDawn was uncomfortable near her friend. There was rage deep down inside her now that RobinWind was, deputy. As RobinWind talked like a real deputy, the rage bubbled in CrowDawn's throat. She flicked her tail silently thanking her for the compliment. But, CrowDawn hadn't taken it to heart. RobinWind fell back. The black she-cat could see and feel the hurt, in RobinWind's eyes."Sorry,"CrowDawn mewed appoligetically."I'm not used to you being deputy." RobinWind licked CrowDawn's cheek forgivingly."It's alright,"She murmured. A warm breeze ruffled the camp. RobinWind's shoulders rippled underneath her pelt. CrowDawn was surprised that her friend looked like a senior warrior."Newleaf's rolling in,"Commented MouseWhiskers, who lay on sunning-boulders with FrogTail and RoseFlower. RoseFlower's fur was ungroomed. Mats were stuffing out of her pelt like rats."You need to groom,"FrogTail Meowed gently to RoseFlower."You look like a dead mouse." RoseFlower glanced in his eyes. CrowDawn turned away.The battle was nothing but trouble. RoseFlower was scarred for life and she couldn't take care of herself! But CrowDawn knew why she really avoided the thought of that battle. Her kits. She cautiously peered into the nursery. BreezeKit snuggled close with FlowerBlossom. Pain and sadness pulsed through CrowDawn. IvyFern's white and gray pelt scampered across the clearing. CrowDawn's clanmates green eyes glowed. CrowDawn was interested what she was doing but pushed the thought away. She needed to sleep. Her wary paws led her to the warriors den. Her hindlegs moved slower than a snail. She collapsed her nest and quickly slipped off to sleep.