Looming Darkness

Chapter 14

"Why?" Eaglefeather demanded.

"They told us, well..." Aspenleaf sighed. "Songtail's dead."

Whispersong froze, and Bumblefrost stiffened next to her.

Songtail? Dead? She had known some cat was going to die... but she couldn't believe it'd be this soon. Whispersong felt a rush of anger. She couldn't take this death. She couldn't. Especially since it was so soon after she saw those eyes.

Then a rush of sadness gripped Whispersong. She never thought she'd feel sorry for the DayClan she-cat, especially after she'd nearly clawed Whispersong to pieces in battles, and verbally and physically attacked her for being close with Bumblefrost. She and Songtail had always hated each other, but now Whispersong couldn't help but feel sorry for her. No one deserved to be attacked, mauled, murdered like the bear did to her and all those other cats. No one did.

Whispersong turned to Bumblefrost, gulping, wanting to say something to him, to comfort him. But he was gone. Whispersong whipped her head around and saw him sprinting from the camp. Her heart skipped a beat. She looked around. No one was paying any attention to her, or to Bumblefrost; all eyes were on the dawn patrol. Whispersong bolted after Bumblefrost, the freezing wind clawing her face.

"Bumblefrost!" she hollered as she spotted him ahead of her, the thick fog obscuring his quickly disappearing body. Whispersong panted. She hadn't run like this in a while; she was out of shape. But she ignored the throbbing in her lungs and pushed on after her mate. "BUMBLEFROST!" she shrieked. "STOP! THE BEAR COULD STILL BE OUT THERE! DO YOU HEAR ME? BUMBLEFROST!" she yowled desperately, panting harder than ever.

Whispersong's exhaustion was almost too much for her. She wanted to collapse on the ground, but she pushed herself harder, finding an inner strength as she sprinted relentlessly after Bumblefrost. She was catching up to him. Bumblefrost was slowing down. His legs were wobbling, his shoulders were shaking, his head was hanging. Then he collapsed to the cold, frozen ground, shivering and shaking.

Whispersong ran up to him, panting uncontrollably. She collapsed beside him. "Don't... don't run away... like that! You scared... you scared me!"

Bumblefrost didn't answer. His shoulders shook harder.

"Bumblefrost?" Whispersong took a deep breath. "Oh, Bumblefrost, I'm so sorry... I know she was your sister, and-"

"I never even got to see her when we got back from the mountains," Bumblefrost breathed, voice ragged with grief. "And now... she's gone."

"I... I thought you never wanted to see her again."

"She's my sister, Whispersong! The cat I grew up with, the cat I trained beside, my sister!" Bumblefrost exclaimed.

"But she agreed with Rainstar, helped Rainstar!"

"We all helped Rainstar, Whispersong. We didn't know what else to do; we were all manipulated by her and her plans! We weren't trying to do harm. All we knew was to follow our leader's orders, like the warrior code says! It wasn't Songtail's fault! Rainstar has a way of making us do what she wants, like now-" he cut off, looking away and sighing unevenly.

"But you said-"

"No matter what happened, she was still my sister," Bumblefrost meowed firmly, voice faltering.

"I know, but... but at a Gathering while we were gone Songtail said that you were no longer her brother; and if you ever set foot in DayClan territory again she'd chase you out without mercy!" Whispersong argued.

Bumblefrost didn't seem to have heard her. "I never got to apologize for this! I could have seen her again, could have told her at a Gathering-"

Whispersong was completely taken aback. "Apologize? For what? Loving me?" she exclaimed angrily.