AN: Sorry if I make any discreet Catcher in the Rye references. We just finished reading it in English, and now I can't stop thinking in stream of conscience.
Also, thanks to the amazing artists known as Rise Against, for coming up so often in my iTunes while I'm typing that I had to name a chapter after one of their songs. You guys rock.
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Chapter Seven: The Good Left Undone
Winterpaw stood rooted to the spot where his brother had left him for what seemed like an eternity. His uncle's glazed eyes stared right through him, as if the white apprentice wasn't even there. Sunstreak's soul had long since departed for StarClan, and there was no way Winterpaw could follow him.
After many long minutes, Copperstar shouldered her way into the clearing, her golden eyes blazing like all the anger of StarClan themselves. "What have you done now, Winterpaw?" She snapped coldly. There was no sarcasm in her voice, only the need to know exactly what had happened to her deputy.
Before Winterpaw could answer, however, Swampleg squirmed his way past Copperstar. His eyes widened in fake anguish when he laid eyes on the body of Sunstreak. Winterpaw would have been enraged to see what a phony (AN: JD Salinger whyyyy) Swampleg was, but he was too shocked to react to anything right then. "Sunstreak is dead! Winterpaw has murdered Sunstreak!" The mottled tom wailed, loud enough for the whole camp to hear. Cries of distress and anger could be heard from the camp, where Winterpaw guessed most of the Clan was waiting.
Copperstar turned slowly on Swampleg, and the fear in his eyes turned to real terror. "Swampleg, I believe I am the leader of this Clan." She hissed softly. "I also believe that I told everyone to wait in the main clearing until I sort things out. That includes you!" She thrust her battle-scarred muzzle into the face of the other cat, and with a squeal of terror he scurried out of the den like the rat he was.
Something snapped in Winterpaw's head and he blurted out, "It was Flickertail! Whistlepaw went after him! You have to go after him; he won't stop until he's deputy!"
The leader didn't respond right away, only moved closer to her fallen deputy. She lowered her nose to Sunstreak's blood-soaked paws and sniffed gently. "There is dark tabby fur snagged on his claws…Not white fur." Copperstar murmured, mostly to herself. Winterpaw cocked his head to one side curiously. Without warning, the golden leader sprang up and yowled, "Wildpath!"
Within the minute, Wildpath bounded into the clearing. She very carefully averted her eyes from Sunstreak's body, and addressed her leader, "What's going on, Copperstar?"
"I need you to out into the forest and find Flickertail." Copperstar ordered. "He's the one that murdered Sunstreak, and he's run off somewhere. I need to stay here and calm the Clan." Wildpath nodded briskly and jumped through the hole in the hollow wall that Flickertail had escaped through earlier. Copperstar whisked around without another word and disappeared into the main camp.
Winterpaw heard her summons from where he still stood rooted in the medicine den, but he made no move to answer them. The voices from the clearing were muffled and far away; a different world from where the scared young cat stood with his fallen uncle. There was anger and bloodlust in that world, while here their was only pain.
"Winterpaw?" The white tom jumped at the sound of Foxmask, quiet as her mew had been. She was slipping carefully into the medicine den, and distraught as he was Winterpaw couldn't help but notice how beautiful her pelt looked in the dim first lights of dawn. Her amber eyes shone with concern, but her voice was steady when she meowed, "Copperstar told me to fetch you. Are you alright?"
"…I don't want them to see me." Even his own voice sounded detached, Winterpaw thought. "They won't believe me. They never have."
"They will if Copperstar backs you up." Foxmask insisted. She moved closer and gently guided him towards where the rest of the Clan was gathered. "And I'll stand by you even if she doesn't."
Piercing glares met them as they entered the clearing. They cut through Winterpaw's thin pelt like claws, making him feel week and venerable. No cat in this clearing wanted to trust anything Winterpaw would say; they were much more inclined to listen to a respectable warrior like Flickertail.
Copperstar cleared her throat when she saw Winterpaw had entered. "There is a traitor roaming our forest. Flickertail is the one who murdered Sunstreak, and say what you will about Winterpaw, but Flickertail is the one we need to take down." Her cold yellow gaze swept across the clearing like a hawk, and the whispers that had started immediately stopped. "Make no mistake: Flickertail is an enemy of this Clan, and should be captured or killed without hesitation."
Winterpaw saw Swampleg lean over and whisper something urgently to Birdcall. The thin black she-cat nodded subtly and kneaded the ground with her front paws, waiting for Copperstar to call the meeting to a close. Winterpaw forced the fur along his spine not to rise as an ominous shiver went through him. Foxmask pressed close, comforting him with her warm presence.
Before Copperstar could end the meeting, however, Wildpath hurried into the camp and skidded to a halt before High Branch. "Copperstar, I've lost his scent!" She wailed. "It looks like he's crossed into RiverClan territory, but I can't be sure."
"What about Whistlepaw?" Winterpaw asked without thinking. "Did you see him out there?"
Wildpath looked confused. "No, I didn't see Whistlepaw. Why, is he out in the forest too?"
Like a rocket, Winterpaw shot out of the clearing into the forest. If Whistlepaw still wasn't back, he had to be in trouble, and Flickertail didn't exactly seem above killing apprentices. It was a long time before Winterpaw realized he had no idea where he was going, and only when he heard pawsteps behind him did he slow down. Foxmask had followed him from camp, and slowed down to meet him.
"Winterpaw, you can't go flying off like that!" She scolded. "We have to pick up their scent. Come on." She led the way through the brush and Winterpaw followed silently. Soon enough, they caught a whiff of Flickertail and Whistlepaw. They made slow progress following the trail, as Foxmask planted herself in front of Winterpaw and led the way so that he couldn't bolt off again. The trail did indeed lead towards RiverClan territory, but like Wildpath had Foxmask soon lost track of the scent.
"Now what?" Winterpaw growled as frustration gnawed at his belly like an angry badger. "They could be anywhere. Whistlepaw would follow him all the way to the mountains if he had to-" But Foxmask flicked her tail across his muzzle, signaling him to be silent. She started to slink silently through the sparse undergrowth, and Winterpaw followed obediently. Pricking his ears forward, he too picked up the sounds of something shuffling around not far ahead. As they crept closer, Winterpaw picked up a familiar scent and abandoned all caution to jump out at where Whistlepaw was snuffling around at the fallen pine needles.
Whistlepaw leapt back with a startled hiss, his ears drawn back and claws unsheathed. Quickly though he recognized his brother, and his fierce look turned to one of exasperation. "Well what was that for, Winterpaw? Dear StarClan, you nearly scared me out of my fur." Winterpaw didn't answer, only pressed against his brother as if they hadn't seen each other for moons.
"Have you found any sign of Flickertail?" Foxmask mewed worriedly, poking her nose at the forest floor as well. "We lost his scent back there."
The dark ginger apprentice shook his head. "No, he outran me easily. It looked like he was heading for RiverClan, but I can't be sure." He pawed at a clump of moss thoughtfully. "I suppose it couldn't hurt to check. What do you think, Winterpaw?"
"What?" Winterpaw hadn't been listening at all. His thoughts were too preoccupied with the knowledge that though his brother was still safe, his uncle was dead and the murderer still stalked the forest.
Foxmask rolled her eyes and draped her tail over Winterpaw's shoulders, leading him towards the boarder with RiverClan. "We're going to check out the RiverClan boarder. With any luck, we'll pick up Flickertail's scent again."
However, as they neared the boarder, the overwhelming stench of the thunderpath blocked out any other scents they may have found. They stepped lightly as they approached the shiny black expanse, wary of the sounds of Twolegs yowling at each other. They were gathered around a monster, leaning against it and waving something that looked like burning reeds at each other.
Foxmask wrinkled her nose at the smell of the smoke, hissing, "What in StarClan's name are they doing?"
"Looks like they're sucking on burning twigs, or something…" Whistlepaw murmured. The three young cats crouched in silence at the edge of the thunderpath, fascinated by the otherworldly antics of the Twolegs. The smell of the smoke wreathed around them, but after a few moments they didn't mind so much.
They had only been watching the Twolegs for a few minutes when Winterpaw noticed his vision was a little blurry. "Hey…Is anyone else starting to feel kind of lightheaded?" Neither of his companions replied right away, but after a few heartbeats they both mewed in agreement. "No one's here but these Twolegs, and it looks like they're getting back into their monster now anyway. We should go back-"
"There!" Whistlepaw screeched. Winterpaw followed his gaze and saw a dark tabby cat on the other side, illuminated by the glow of the monster's eyes as it rumbled to life. Before he could stop him, Whistlepaw streaked out onto the hard black surface with a yowl of fury. The shadow disappeared into the bushes on the RiverClan side, but Whistlepaw didn't slow down.
"Whistlepaw, be careful!" Foxmask screamed as the ginger apprentice bolted right in front of the monster's paws. The monster paid him no mind though, and it was moving too slowly to be any threat anyway. The Twolegs inside it seemed to be arguing over something, and the monster seemed at a loss for what to do while its masters fought.
Winterpaw was preparing to leap out after his brother when suddenly the monster seemed to make up its mind. He watched in horror as the monster swerved suddenly one way, and then the other, and Whistlepaw disappeared with a strangled cry beneath its heavy paws.
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I'm so sorry. For not updating, and for hurting my own favorite character just as I finally do.
This is about four pages of angst on my computer. Ohhh boy. As the title suggests, this chapter goes great with Rise Against songs.
Please review~
