Yawning, Tempestpaw softly stepped around his sleeping brother in the apprentice cave and entered the main cavern. Low thunder rumbled in the distance, echoing and bouncing off the stony walls. The tom tilted his head to the high ceiling and gazed through the cracks, but only a dark black sky was visible. A storm is coming, he thought.
"Are you ready?" Starlingpelt whispered, near the entrance of camp. Beside her stood Leafstar and Smolderflight, both of which were quietly discussing something.
This was Tempestpaw's first moonhigh patrol since Ospreystep had implemented the idea. So far, the past several days had been uneventful with no threats from Moonclan. The mood had lightened immensely since the Gathering, just this evening Fallowleap and Runningsky had received their warrior names.
The four cats made their way out of camp, nodding to the two new warriors sitting vigil at the entrance. A light rain had started to fall and the clouds appeared dark and cumbersome. The territory was lit in an eerie gray haze, static from electricity deep within the clouds clung to their coats. Tempestpaw stayed close to his mentor, scenting the air for anything besides dampness from the drizzling.
"It could be worse!" Tempestpaw joked cheerily, but received no response from his clanmates.
"This border looks good," Leafstar said, flattening her ears as a loud crack of thunder shook the trees. With that, the drizzle became a torrential downpour. "Let's get back to camp! There's no point in all of us getting soaked, we can finish the patrol once the storm clears!"
Shivering, they began the trek back to camp with haste. Puddles gathered in the grass, the ground was saturated to the point where each pawstep they took resulted in the splattering of mud and water.
Lightning blazed through the dimly lit territory as they neared camp, revealing the outline of a single cat laying near the mouth of the cave entrance. The metal tang of blood in the air washed over the patrol just as fear began to set in. A familiar screech from within the camp made their blood run cold.
Adrenaline fueled Tempestpaw and he sprinted ahead, his heart sinking as he passed Fallowleap's limp figure sprawled on the floor. He burst into the camp and froze as he took in everything, battered warriors and the stench of blood and Moonclan overwhelming his senses. He searched desperately for his kin, his only brother. There!
The black and white apprentice was in the gaping mouth of the nursery, slashing his forepaws across the muzzle of a massive blue gray warrior. Beside him lay Ashenfoot, crumpled and motionless.
Tempestpaw lunged forward with his heart in his throat, claws unsheathed and hackles raised. He dodged the sparring cats around him and tackled the huge she-cat, knocking her off balance and away from his brother. Snarling, he dug his claws into her shoulders and sank his teeth into her scruff, waiting for Burdockpaw to join him in fighting the Moonclan cat. Cold dread filled his belly as the moments passed, but the black and white tom did not come to his aid.
"Moonclan, retreat!" A booming voice vibrated through the cavern, originating from the largest gray tabby Tempestpaw had ever seen. It was Riddlestar. "Flee Fireclan! If you are not gone by tonight you will be finished in the morning." With that, Tempestpaw watched as they departed into the storming night. The sticky feeling of blood on his paws brought him back to attention.
He looked down and a sea of red was pooling around him, pouring from a gash by Burdockpaw's throat. His brother's eyes were glazed over and he was still. The black tom felt broken, numbness washing over him. He hadn't even said goodbye to his best friend.