This chapter is specially dedicated to you, Rapidfeather, for all the support you gave me and for motivating me to finish this story! :D
Ladycullen001~
Slowly, Ravenwing slid her eyes open. At first, everything seemed blurry, and the bright light burned her eyes painfully. As her eyes gradually adjusted, she realised she was in the medicine cat den. 'What on earth am I doing in here?' For one moment she was genuinely bewildered. Then everything came flooding back in one terrible moment. She let out a broken moan.
"Ravenwing? Are you awake?" Stormpelt's worried voice came from the front of the cave. Ravenwing ignored it. Stormpelt came running over, seeing her eyes open. "Oh, thank Starclan! You've been out of it for over two days! You must be thirsty, I'll get you some water," he hurried off again. Ravenwing wasn't really listening. Her entire being was overwhelmed with the loss of Viperslide. Nothing seemed worth living for. No other cat could ever be the same to her. It was unfair. When Viperslide had died, he had taken her heart with him. 'Why did you leave me, Viperslide?'
Gradually, she became aware of heavy breathing on the other side of the den. Curiously, she shifted in her nest and tilted her head to get a good look at the sleeping cat. She had golden yellow-orange fur, and her tail was lying across her nose…
"Sunwhisper!" An ugly weeping wound stretched down her neck, shrouded in bloody cobweb. Stormpelt came and dropped water-soaked moss by her paws, then turned to apply a clean dressing to Sunwhisper's wound. "Will she be ok?" She hated the shake in her voice, but if she lost
Sunwhisper too she would just die.
"Hopefully. She's survived through the worst of it, but she not quite out of the woods yet," For a moment, Stormpelt looked like he was going to say something, but he turned round instead. After a while, Stormpelt busied himself at the back of the cave with herbs. Soon Ravenwing drifted into a light sleep.
She was roused by a small shuffling sound coming from the nest next to her. Quickly, she snapped her eyes open. Her sister was lying down, eyes unfocused but open.
"Ravenwing?" her voice was scratchy and broken.
"Oh thank Starclan you're ok! I've been so worried," Ravenwing breathed a sigh of genuine relief.
"Where is Viperslide? I need to thank him. Was he hurt by the fox?" The words drove spikes of ice through her heart. How could she ever tell her sister that Viperslide had died saving her?
"Viperslide's gone. The fox ripped his throat out," Sunwhisper let out a gasp of shock.
"No! No, that can't happen! He died because of me! It's all my fault!"
"Hey, shut up!," Ravenwing was surprised by the ferocity in her voice, and clearly so was Sunwhisper. "It was not your fault-you'd just lost your mate! I would have done the same I know how it feels-" The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them. She had never intended for Sunwhisper to know about her and Viperslide after he had died-to know she had taken her sisters mate away would be a terrible blow.
"What? Who was your mate?" She sounded puzzled.
"Viperslide," Even his name was painful on her lips.
"No! No, no! What have I done? I took away your mate through my own thoughtless stupidity! All my fault!"
"Shut up! You are my sister! I would never blame you for this! If anything this is my fault. I should have been the one to follow after you, not Viperslide! I'm your sister for Starclan's sake! How could I stand there and let him chase after you, and not do anything myself!"
The words ripped out of her throat. It was true. She was weak. After making sure Sunwhisper understood she wasn't blamed, and pretending to listen to her reassurance that she was not be blamed either, they both went back to sleep. At first it was evasive; thoughts of Viperslide dying without her kept playing across her mind. Eventually Stormpelt brought her a poppy seed to lap up. Sleep began to drag her into its clutches.
'Oh Viperslide, where are you?'