So, I really hope you guys like it so far! R&R! (as always!)
Lightpaw looked over his shoulder. The forest was cold; leaf-bare had come. There hadn't been any snow yet even though it started almost a moon ago, but the wind was slicing through his pelt like the sharpest claw. But, the clan still needed to be fed. Lightpaw had gone out hunting for the clan, so he wouldn't end up freezing by hanging around the camp.
Lightpaw had already caught a skinny mouse and a vole, and had buried them in softer soil so that way the ground wouldn't freeze over them. He wanted to catch as much prey as possible to store in the camp. He had done well on his assessment that had been rescheduled after…the…badger, along with his other siblings too. But still, clan life was never the same without Streakpaw.
Tawnypaw seemed to have the most effect. The apprentice had always been quiet ever since his death, and more reserved than the independent, outgoing she-cat she used to be. Lightpaw had overheard Jayfeather talking to Icecloud, her mentor, who was wondering if Jayfeather had any herbs that would make her better. Jayfeather had responded, "there are no herbs that can heal a broken heart."
Suddenly, he froze. The scent of prey stung his jaws, making it water. Lightpaw looked around, and spotted a speckled rabbit. It was fairly large, and would feed probably all the elders. Crouching, Lightpaw stalked it, landing his paws lightly on the frosted leaves underneath him. Then, he pounced on the rabbit, landing right on it. It tried to squirm away, but he bit its neck, giving it the killing blow.
Lightpaw buried the rabbit underneath a beech tree, and noticed fallen nuts on the ground. Then, he remembered something that Howlpaw's mentor, Hollyleaf, along with Brackenfur, had taught him.
Lightpaw scooped up a couple beech nuts in his jaws, and scattered them by nearby trees. Then, he waited in the undergrowth for some prey to come pecking at it. Food was scarce even for birds and mice.
Suddenly, a squirrel peeped it's little head from two roots. Lightpaw waited for it to be further from the safety of it's nest, closer to him. Slowly, the squirrel moved towards the nut, one run at a time. Suddenly it stopped, lifting it's nose in the air. Oh no, Lightpaw thought. Could it have scented me through this holly bush? But then he let out a sigh of relief as the squirrel picked up the nut. Before it could move again, Lightpaw pounced, killing it immediately.
Lightpaw decided to head back to camp. Unburying his rabbit, mouse, vole, and squirrel, he gathered them in his jaws, but had to carry the vole under his chin. Then he padded back to camp from where he was by the WindClan border.
Lightpaw strode into camp, and headed straight for the fresh kill pile. There he deposited his kills, and Bramblestar came up behind him. "That rabbit looks great." He praised. "Why don't you go take it to the elders? I'm sure they haven't been fed yet; no patrols have returned. They'll most definitely thank you."
Lightpaw nodded, embarrassed by the compliment, and took the rabbit and dragged it to the elders den.
In the elders' den, Fireheart and Sandstorm were sharing tongues. Dustpelt was cleaning himself, and Graystripe and Millie were asleep, pressed up against each other. When Lightpaw dragged the rabbit it, Dustpelt was the first to notice. He lifted his head, and licked his lips when he saw the rabbit. "About time," he growled. "I was just getting ready to eat Snorey over here." The elderly tom flicked his tail to where Graystripe slept, snoring.
Lightpaw paused, sniffing the air. Something smelled…off. Different. Shrugging it off, he just decided it was probably the air, indicating a snowstorm to come.
Sandstorm and Fireheart looked up too, and a light in their eyes blossomed when they saw the rabbit. "Thanks, Lightpaw. I'm sure you went through a lot of trouble to get this for us." Sandstorm praised him, then prodded and Graystripe and Millie to wake them up. "Wake up, you lazy furball!" She scolded the gray striped tom. "There's a rabbit waiting for you, and I'll eat your share if you don't!" Her words were harsh, but there was some amusement in her mew.
Graystripe rose his head, looking dazed. "Wha-? Food?" He asked, then saw the rabbit. "Thanks, Lightpaw." said the gray elder, then woke up his mate. "Millie, there's a rabbit here for us." But his mate slept on. "Millie, c'mon, wake up, you dormouse!"
But she didn't stir.
Lightpaw gasped, horror clenching his heart. Graystripe pressed his muzzle to Millie's flank, then withdrew it in horror. "She's not breathing, and she's ice-cold." Graystripe's voice was filled with horror. "Millie?" He said quieter, nosing his mate. Then he looked up at Lightpaw. "Fetch Jayfeather."
Lightpaw nodded, and practically flew to the medicine cat's den. "Jayfeather!" He called. "Come quick!"
The blind medicine cat grumbled, coming out of the back of his den. "What?" He asked irritably.
"I think Millie's dead!" Lightpaw's little voice was horrorstruck.
Immediately, Jayfeather sprung into action. He grabbed the herbs he needed, and raced after Lightpaw to the elders' den. There, Graystripe was in the exact same position he was when Lightpaw left, curled up next to her.
Before Jayfeather did herb work on the elder, he put a paw to her neck, feeling it. Then he looked up, sorrow in his eyes. "I'm so sorry." He said. "She must've died in her sleep from the cold. She has no pulse."
Graystripe let out a yowl of sorrow. His second mate had died. Lightpaw had heard that his first, Silverstream, had died giving birth to their kits, Feathertail and Stormfur, and Feathertail had died on the Great Journey helping the Tribe of Rushing Water.
As the other elders feasted silently on the rabbit, Graystripe sobbed, too wrapped up in his own sorrow to dine. Jayfeather, with the help of Lightpaw, dragged Millie's body out into the clearing, where all the cats could see it. Then they started licking her fur, making her clean. When Jayfeather started rubbing herbs onto her pelt to make her smell nice, Lightpaw suddenly started feeling nostalgic, and remembered his own brother's vigil. His heart tightened with sadness.
One by one, their clanmates started coming out, shocked looks on their faces of seeing Millie, the cat who followed Graystripe to the lake and proved herself worthy of a warrior, had died. Graystripe had come right out of the elders' den, and was now pressing his muzzle to hers, eyes distant and sad. Bumbleflight came out of the nursery, his kits and mate right behind him. Briarlight had been sunning on some rocks, and had now dragged herself over to her mother's body, weeping on her brother's shoulder, who was supported by his mate. Stormkit, Russetkit, and Webkit were sitting all around Millie, with confused looks on their faces. The kits were only about two moons old, and they didn't understand that their grandmother just died. Lightpaw felt a flash of pity for the kits.
Stormkit, the ginger and gray she-kit, was balancing on top of a rock when she was suddenly scolded by her mother, Cherrynose. "Stop that! A noble elder has died*."
Stormkit was caught off guard by the scolding, and fell off the rock, letting out a little squeak. Then she got up, and ran over to her siblings and mother, asking who has died.
Right as Cherrynose was about to inform her daughter that her grandmother had died, Cloudtail suddenly burst into the clearing, with Squirrelflight and Birchfall at his paws. They all looked paranoid and scared, their eyes wild, like they had seen an army of badgers.
"Tawnypaw is floating in the lake!"
OH NO! Poor Tawnypaw…why is she in the lake? I bet you guys can guess…
*This is what Daisy said to one of her kits when Ashfur had been killed, in Sunrise. Or was it Millie? I can't remember…
