Warriors: Water's Edge

Chapter Two

     Nightpaw gasps, "Oh Great StarClan!"

    Cloudfeather bristled beside him. Splashtail was noticeably shook, too. The truce had been broken. Nightpaw looked towards the sky for a sign, but the moon was still clear, like StarClan had wanted this to happen. 

     Mothstar leaped from the Star stone, and ran to her medicine cat's side. "Tell me what happened Sandface." The ginger she-cat was in hysterics. She whispered to Mothstar words he could not hear, then turned to the clans and yowled in an eerily calm voice:

     "The price for peace is bloodshed..."

 Robintail and Sedgestorm sprung to their paws to investigate. The other clans were whispering among themselves, too shocked to move.

    They returned moments later, dragging behind the limp body of a ginger cat. Sandface wailed in agony again, and a moment later she falls unconscious.

   Cloudfeather stands awkwardly next to the FireClan apprentice, " What do you think happened to her?" she asked. The black tom shook himself to clear his thoughts. "I can't imagine any cat wanting to hurt Poppyfreckle. She was the most kind in the clan." Around him, most of the cats were eerily still, not daring to lift a paw now that the truce had been broken. Nightpaw looked expectantly at the Star Stone, where the remaining leaders stood watching. DuckStar, the young leader of TreeClan was staring suspiciously at his medicine cat, Nutwhisker. In fact, all the leaders had their eyes trained on the unwavering medicine cats.

     The medicine cats, in turn had their gazes fixed to the sky, where the full moon still rest high above, motionless and the stars seemed to shine even brighter up in Silverpelt.

     In the next heartbeat, Maplestar, the tortoiseshell leader of SandClan, leaped from the Star Stone and signaled that the Gathering was over. Duckstar followed after her, leading his clan out of the hollow. Cloudfeather didn't say goodbye before bounding over to join her brother with SandClan. Berrystar glided through the mass of cats and let her tail tip rest on Mothstar's shoulder for just an instant before corralling her cats out of the crime scene. Pebblestar was the last to leave, but soon it was only FireClan cats in the clearing, and the moon was beginning to set.

     A tabby pelt shouldered her way towards where the apprentices were sitting, and Sedgestorm sighed. "Another young warrior, taken too soon." She glanced anxiously at her leader, who still lay next to her fallen clanmate, then continued. "I hope you'll take this as a learning experience, no matter what happens, there is no fighting here. This is sacred ground."

     It was Goldenpaw who spoke up next, "Sacred ground?! Then who would kill Poppyfreckle here?"

     Sedgestorm rested her tail tip on her flank to soothe the young apprentice. "Why don't the three of you go hunt while we sort this through. It's a long way home."

     Nightpaw grunted, relieved to be out of the hollow. Goldenpaw and Ashpaw by his side, they barreled through the undergrowth, mouth open for the scent of prey. The land here was much like their own territory, but Nightpaw led the way to the shore, determined to try his luck and impress the others. When the cove of beech trees thinned down to shrubs and sand, Nightpaw stopped to smell the air. The beach water lapped gently against the sand, a steady motion. The salty air was almost enough the mask the scent of nighthawk. The black tom signaled to his littermates with his tail and they flanked the bird on either side while Nightpaw crept up to it. At the last moment, he leaped, but the bird had already seen him. It leaped awkwardly into the air, and Ashpaw swatted it down again, killing it quickly.

     "Nice catch Ashpaw" Nightpaw's whiskers twitched eagerly, ready to rip into the prey. His belly growled with hunger, and he longed to be in his cozy nest. The three of them ate the bird quickly before returning to the hollow. The small group that had came to the gathering was all huddled around Poppyfreckle. Mothstar looked up wildly at their return, but relaxed upon seeing just the apprentices. It would be dawn before they could get back to camp.

     As if she could read his mind, Mothstar got to her paws. "We must return to camp, we can't stay here." She turned mournfully back to Poppyfreckle and her medicine cat who whimpered at her side. "Pebblestripe, Ryebrook, help carry Poppyfreckle back to camp, will you?

     The two warriors nodded curtly before taking the she-cat up on their backs. They walked awkwardly like that all the way home, Sandface just behind them, trailing her tail in the sand. Nightpaw was so exhausted the entire way back to camp, that he barely said a word.

     Back at camp, Blazetalon was waiting in the clearing with Thrushspots and Frostfang. They lifted their heads curiously at the returning cats. Pebblestripe and Ryebrook gingerly set their fallen warrior down next to the entrance to the leader's den and gave her a final lick on the chest in farewell. Nightpaw knew he should pay his respects, but he wasn't close to her, so one solid lick on the forehead was enough for today. His paws ached from the journey home and the Gathering had been cut short, and all he wanted to do was sleep. He left his littermates in the clearing and rushed off to his nest. He passed Ivyflight padding her way out of the elders den and noticed her staring expressionless at the group crowding Poppyfreckle.

     When he had finally managed to get comfortable in his den, sleep overcame him like a rock. He did not dream, for if he did he was afraid of seeing Poppyfreckle's bloody body looking back at him. It was so quiet that he didn't notice when Ashpaw and Goldenpaw curled up next to him.

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