Signs Of The Moon Book 1: Moon Rise

Chapter 18

Guilt. Guilt was all that filled Swiftpaw, despite her discovery. Even as she sat inside the den beneath Tall Stone telling Whitestar the evidence she had collected, all she could think about now was what happened with Skunkpaw. In the moment when she had found the bush, she was able to push her feelings aside for the good of the clan and for the justice of Waspwing. But now with the excitement over, all she could feel was shame. She should have been able to save him, she should have been able to do more. But she hadn't, and now Skunkpaw was gone. His littermates must hate her now for sure, and soon their whole clan would be on Grassclan's tail over another trespasser. As far as I know, the only trespasser is me.
Whitestar dismissed Swiftpaw and Ladybugbite, wanting to be alone with Dewstone to discuss what they would do now. Swiftpaw trudged out of the den with her head hung low, paws numb. She glanced up as she made her way to the fresh-kill pile. The clan gathered in the clearing around Waspwing's body now, sharing tongues with him one last time. Goldensong sat by his head, nuzzling his cheek, while Snowfrost and Mistypaw rubbed his body with mint and rosemary to hide his death scent. Heatherpaw laid with legs tucked beneath her by her deceased mentor's front, her forehead dipped and pressed to his. Swiftpaw wondered if she was praying. Rabbitpaw was flush against her, his white and lynx point pelt blanketing her comfortingly. Meadowcall groomed the fur on Waspwing's flank which had looked unkept when Swiftpaw had last seen it. Now he looked freshly washed, as if he had just settled himself down for a nap. His body was curled in a way to further that illusion. Beetlepatch sat beside Goldensong, crying even harder than she was. Did he have feelings for Waspwing? Swiftpaw didn't know either tom too well, but she'd seen them together a lot, mostly because they were partners. She'd often see them sitting beside each other during guard duty, returning from hunts together, and sharing tongues by the warrior's den. Beetlepatch must have been feeling the impact of the tom's death just as strongly as Waspwing's kin were. Swiftpaw's heart ached for him. The clan had faced great loss in the past moon and a half, and something told her that this was only the beginning. She wondered if Moonpaw had told Blazestar about what happened yet. How would he react? She hoped he'd see it as a freak incident and recognize that Swiftpaw was only trying to help by trespassing, rather than taking advantage of the situation.
Swiftpaw rummaged through the fresh-kill pile as she thought, picking out the smallest piece of prey that she could find. She wasn't very hungry, but she hadn't eaten since the night before. She had to choke something down, even if her body would reject it soon after. A young sparrow lay at the bottom of the pile, tempting Swiftpaw to take it. She picked it up and carried it over to the apprentice's den where she could be alone with her thoughts. The whole clan would be with Waspwing for a little while longer anyways.

"Hey Swiftpaw!"

Or so she thought. Swiftpaw lifted her head to see Frostpaw bounding up to her, a smile on her fluffy face. Swiftpaw grunted a reply, bowing her head to munch on her sparrow as she plucked away its feathers with her claws. Frostpaw tilted her head, settling beside her.

"What's the matter?"
Swiftpaw shook her head slowly. She didn't feel like talking about what happened, at least not at the moment. Frostpaw rested her paws against Swiftpaw's flank. She kneaded her soft white and black patched fur soothingly, looking at her with soft sympathetic eyes. Though she was unaware of what was wrong, she knew that her friend needed some support right now. Swiftpaw felt grateful for her presence, purring quietly as she ate her prey.

"I watched a Treeclan apprentice named Skunkpaw get abducted by Twolegs, and I tried to save him by crossing the border. Well actually...I tried to get him to run away, but he wouldn't. So he was kitnapped..and instead of going after him I let them have him," she finally confessed once she had finished eating.

"Have you told Whitestar?" Frostpaw asked. Swiftpaw looked her with wide, fearful eyes.

"No, of course not! She'll be furious with me for even trying to help a Treeclan cat. You know there's tension between our clans right now."