Grief
WARNING : THIS STORY INVOLVES SLASH (I.E, MALE/MALE RELATIONSHIPS). IF YOU DISLIKE SLASH, CLICK THE BACK BUTTON NOW.
Here goes my first multi-chapter story! I'm not sure how often I'll be updating it, but I'll see how I do. This story has a main pairing of BrackenRain, with a hint of AshSoot and potentially other pairings. And yes, I'm fully aware that BrackenRain is possibly the weirdest pairing ever dreamed up. By the way, this story is AU with a possibility of spoilers for Sunset on.
"Sorreltail, no!"
Rainwhisker looked up from the gash on his flank when he heard the anguished yowl, wincing as he rushed over to the broad-shouldered tom. As soon as he saw what had distressed the golden-furred tom, he wished he had never looked.
"S-sorrel…" the dark-furred warrior whispered, staring in horror at the sight in front of him. There lay a lithe tortoiseshell body, eyes hollow and clouded, mouth gaping in a silent scream. Blood pooled between her legs, and her once-bloated stomach looked oddly deflated. A large gash was torn in the back of her neck, blood crusting around the wound.
His gaze flickered to his sister's mate, whose side was also dripping with blood. He wondered if the other tom had been here, had had to watch as Sorreltail died.
"A-are the badgers gone?" a small voice mewed hoarsely from near the back of the den. The smoky gray tom turned to see Cinderpelt hunched in a dark corner of the medicine den. The older she-cat crawled out of her hiding place, injured leg dragging behind her. She stopped short when she saw Sorreltail's body.
Brackenfur rounded on his sister, staggering slightly as he favored his wounded side. "You!" he snarled in rage. "You let Sorreltail die! You didn't even try to save her! You should have died instead of her!"
The blue-eyed she-cat opened her mouth to reply, but the golden-furred tom turned and stormed out of the den.
Rainwhisker shot an apologetic look at Cinderpelt, then gave his sister's body one last glance before following the senior warrior out of the den. He noted by the trail of blood on the ground that Brackenfur should have stayed in the medicine den to have his own wound treated, but figured the other tom first wanted to tell Firestar the news. He didn't get far, however, before a pale gray speckled tom blocked his path.
"Rainwhisker," Ashfur panted, struggling to get his breath, "You don't know where Sootfur is, do you?"
The smoky gray tom cocked his head. "No," he meowed, "I haven't seen him since before… before the badgers came."
His half-brother looked concerned, before darting off to where Brambleclaw was sitting. The gray warrior worriedly noticed a deep gash in the senior warrior's side, but instead walked away to spread the news of Sorreltail's death.
Suddenly, he heard another anguished yowl. His heart plummeted when he heard the pale gray tom's grief-stricken wail.
"Sootfur!"
For clarification on Ashfur's relationship with Sootfur, read Kari Kurofai's Glass Fire Curse. It also explains what happened between Ashfur talking to Rainwhisker and him discovering that Sootfur is dead. In chapter 10 of Glass Fire Curse, imagine that Ashfur talks to Rainwhisker in between talking to Squirrelflight and Brambleclaw.