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CHAPTER 2: THE BURIAL
Leopardpaw's POV
… "They will be honored forever."
We were all sitting in a circle, around the dead bodies of Sandfur and Darkshadow. I looked at Silverpaw, my sister, nervously. She smiled back, but I could tell that it was a fake smile. If Silverpaw wasn't in her goofy, joking mood, then obviously something was very wrong.
We had found out the causes of death for Darkshadow and Sandfur's deaths. Sandfur has been crushed in a rockslide, and Darkshadow had drowned in the lake. I winced, just thinking about it.
Darkshadow's mate, Purpleflower, was, of course, a wreck. Moons ago, she had lost her only daughter, Waterkit. Her parents had both died in a war with ShadowClan just recently, and now, her mate was gone. The only thing she had left was her sister, Willowbranch, and her two sons, Goldenpaw and Bluepaw.
Goldenpaw looked around, his sightless amber eyes gazing at the body of his uncle and father. Silverpaw, his best friend, gave Goldenpaw a comforting lick, but he shied away and glared at her. I could tell that he was putting on a bold face, but in reality it was all he could do to blink back the tears. Darkshadow meant the world to him. He was not only his father, but also his mentor. Darkshadow had been the only cat who had believed that Goldenpaw's lack of sight didn't matter, and thanks to him, Goldenpaw's almost a warrior now. And now, Darkshadow didn't even get to live to see his son become a warrior.
Silverpaw gave me an anguished look, and I gazed steadily at her, a look that meant, Don't waste your time. Goldenpaw has always been like this. He has always been proud and defiant, the haughtiest apprentice ever. He has always felt the urge to prove himself, and that includes not showing weaknesses, such as crying and failure. He was a lot like Darkshadow, in fact.
Bluepaw, however, is the polar opposite of his brother. Instead of putting on a bold face, he was crying his eyes out into his mother's shoulder. Bluepaw is never one to keep feelings bottled up inside of him. Goldenpaw is so grim and determined, but Bluepaw makes everyone smile even through the darkest times. He's one of the most popular apprentices, and I can understand why.
Our medicine cat, Willowbranch, who was Bluepaw's mentor, called Bluepaw to her side. I thought I heard her murmur, "You can grieve later. But not when there's work to be done." Bluepaw nodded and shakily padded over to her, gulping heavy breaths from the air as he walked. Willowbranch gave him a soothing lick on the head and proceeded with the ceremony.
"We are here to honor two fallen warriors."
The air was still, thick with hesitation. I closed my eyes, feeling the pain erupt in my chest. Why did Sandfur and Darkshadow have to go?
"Darkshadow was an amazing warrior. He had many losses, such as the loss of his mother and his only daughter." I might have just imagined it, but as she said the word daughter, every single cat looked up and gave her a sharp, accusing glance. But the next moment, everything returned back to normal. I blinked. What was up with that?
"But he always pushed through. He never stopped serving his Clan. And neither did Sandfur. When they found out that they were half-Clan, there was a time when the Clan stopped trusting them. But they proved themselves to be loyal and determined warriors, and we couldn't have asked for more."
Now I knew that I definitely wasn't imagining that something was clearly wrong. Willowbranch's words were edged with a bitter tang, as if she were speaking unforgivable lies. For a second, I could see fury redden her face.
But those weren't lies. Sandfur and Darkshadow have always been loyal warriors – or have they? Or did Willowbranch know something about them that we didn't?
I shuddered. Something was wrong, and I was determined to get to the bottom of this.
Sassafraspaw's POV
As part of the custom, the medicine cats, Willowbranch and Bluepaw, laid rose petals on Sandfur and Darkshadow's heads. The crowd broke into quiet yowls of applause.
Then, Willowbranch, Purpleflower, Goldenpaw, Bluepaw, and the elders scraped dirt over the two bodies. That was the end of the ceremony. I heard a few cats murmur and try to get a last glimpse of the two dead cats before the burial was complete.
Midnightstar climbed the Lakeledge. "Who all will stand vigil?"
"I will," said Purpleflower.
"So will I," added Goldenpaw.
"If you are, so am I," Bluepaw said to his brother.
"We're sitting vigil too," added Leopardpaw and Silverpaw, who had admired Darkshadow just like every single apprentice.
Now Midnightstar was looking at me, being that I was the only apprentice not sitting vigil. Without hesitation I nodded.
"And Flamingfur, you will now be Goldenpaw's mentor," said Midnightstar. "Pass on your fierceness and enthusiasm."
The meeting was over. Now I saw Purpleflower standing with her sons, Bluepaw and Goldenpaw. Flamingfur and Raincloud were comforting Leopardpaw and Silverpaw, their daughters.
I felt a twinge of envy. They all had families and loved ones. I didn't. In fact, I wasn't even Clanborn. I had been a young, five-moon old loner, abandoned by my mother at the shores of the lake. Midnightstar had found me and taken me in. Sure I got cared for and everything. But one thing that I had missed out on was having a loving mother.
I sighed, looking up at the sky in sorrow and pain.
StarClan, how could you let this happen?
For those of you thinking about Sassafraspaw's unusual name, she is named after a tree, a sassafras tree.
QOTD: How significant do you think Willowbranch will be?