Chapter 12

It was a disaster.

When the wounded limped into camp, supported by their Clanmates, Spottedpaw saw what her father had meant. The members of the battle party who had come before had simply not seen what the rest had – they were lucky, to Spottedpaw.

Her limbs were frozen to the ground – if the thought had crossed her mind to help, she couldn't. She felt Lionpaw stiffen beside her as Crowfeather strode past.

Others were beginning to stir – warriors crept out of ever crevice, eyes wide with shock.

"What happened?" asked one.

"Are you all right?" another wondered.

Spottedpaw's ears were ringing – she could hardly hear the replies from the wounded. A sharp cry of horror rose from the crowd, but Spottedpaw was too stunned to see whom it had come from.

A… disaster? How…

How can we win… but have it still be…

A 'disaster'?

There was another cry of horror – but this one was the one that brought Spottedpaw out of her stunned stupor.

"Brackenfur!"

"Brackenfur?" Spottedpaw murmured.

She looked into the crowd – for there was one now. The wounded cats were huddled in a group at the center, with those who remained whispering, muttering, worrying all around them. Leafpool, Barkface, Robinpaw, and Kestrelpaw were inside the circle, tending to the wounded.

Spottedpaw and Lionpaw worked their way inside, pushing past the warriors clustered around.

"No way…" Lionpaw breathed.

Spottedpaw was rooted to the ground once more – and she was thankful for it. The blow dealt by what she saw would have knocked her completely off of her own trusted paws.

Three bodies lay in the clearing, stretched out and ignored by the medicine cats. Daisy huddled near one, her muzzle pressed deep into the gray-and-white fur of her son, Mousepaw. When she lifted her head to let out another keening wail, her muzzle was bloodied by her son's deadly wounds. Hazelpaw was sitting with her, tail twined with her mother. Berrypaw's face was stark, filled with grief.

The second body had golden-brown fur and, though he was not facing Spottedpaw she knew that it was Brackenfur. Sorreltail was curled around him, nose pushed into his bloodied pelt. Patches of fur were missing from his flanks, and his body looked… broken in places.

A third body was lying off to the side, in the shade of the Highledge. Leafpool was fussing over Cinderpaw there, Robinpaw darting to and fro at his mentor's whim.

Spottedpaw swallowed as Daisy let out another cry of grief.

"What madness is this?" roared Bramblestar. He was standing atop the Highledge, amber eyes round. Ashfoot was beside him, her tail bristling.

Onestar stepped forward, out of the wounded. There were lacerations up and down his body – but they were mere scratches compared to others' wounds. It looked as if he had hardly fought at all.

"It was a trap," Onestar told him bitterly.

"A trap!" Bramblestar repeated, eyes still wide with disbelief.

Onestar nodded. The lean tabby inclined his head and meowed, "We arrived at the old Twoleg nest and began re-marking the boundary… but once the sun set behind the trees they came, striking from every angle possible but the trees."

"We managed to retake the nest," Cloudtail meowed, "but not without… losses." The white warrior nodded to the bodies, his blue eyes filled with anger and regret. One of his ears was almost completely missing, nearly torn from its roots like a sapling. Barkface was daubing a poultice onto it, and Cloudtail hissed as it stung his ear.

Bramblestar leaped down from the Highledge, skipping every other step. Ashfoot followed, and the two stepped into the crowd. Most all were silent except for those who were mourning. Bramblestar padded between Mousepaw's and Brackenfur's bodies and looked at them both, eyes filled with grief. He looked at Onestar.

"How… how did they die?" Bramblestar demanded.

"It was my fault!" Berrypaw burst. "I should have… I shouldn't have…"

Ferncloud padded up to him and licked between his ears, comforting him as if he were one of her own kits.

Bramblestar looked still to Onestar.

"Mousepaw was ganged up on by two TigerClan warriors," Onestar explained. "He was dragged into the undergrowth – Berrypaw and Hazelpaw both tried to stop them, but they were attacked themselves. When we found him, he was already gone."

Bramblestar lowered his eyes and sighed.

"Brackenfur died the death of the bravest warrior," Cloudtail offered, pulling away from Barkface. "He was everywhere in the battle, Bramblestar. He helped everyone he could."

"It's true," Onestar agreed, nodding.

"And… And Cinderpaw?" Ashfoot wondered. Her grief-filled eyes flickered to the young apprentice lying in a crumpled heap before her.

"Cinderpaw isn't dead," Onestar meowed. "In the fighting, I was near enough to see what happened to her – she was ganged up on, like Mousepaw. Brackenfur stepped in and died saving her life – but the wounds they gave her are great."

Bramblestar was silent for a moment.

Then, he sputtered, "This… This is madness."

Spottedpaw staggered forward, padding towards Brackenfur's body. Sorreltail looked up at her, but Spottedpaw couldn't see what the she-cat was doing. Brackenfur laid there, his body almost unidentifiable from this angle, his fur spiked with dried blood. His eyes were shut, but Spottedpaw's paws trembled at the sight of the stillness he held.

My mentor is dead, she thought.

One of this Clan's best warriors – one of our wisest and most thoughtful – is dead.

The cat I aspired to be like is dead.

Because of TigerClan.

"StarClan help us all," a cat murmured nearby.

The mourning seemed to go on all day – it was sunset before Bramblestar and Onestar called a meeting.

Lionpaw had been sitting with Spottedpaw, Breezepaw, and Heatherpaw the whole time. Heatherpaw and Lionpaw had been trying to coax Spottedpaw to eat – but the tortoiseshell she-cat's eyes seemed to stare in some far-away direction, looking at something no other cat could see. Barkface came by and assured them that Spottedpaw just needed time.

When the meeting was called, they gathered at the edge of the crowd. Lionpaw kept close to Spottedpaw, who still seemed to be off in the distance. Concern for his sister grew – but it turned into frustration when he saw Robinpaw slip through the crowd.

Lionpaw glared at his brother. Spottedpaw's mentor had just died – and did he seem to care? No! How could he be so selfish? So angry?

Onestar's voice interrupted Lionpaw's train of thought:

"Today, LionClan," he began, his voice dragging with tiredness, "we have seen just how ruthless TigerClan can choose to be. All our conflicts up to this point seem like skirmishes in comparison. TigerClan has unsheathed their claws… and dealt us a terrible, terrible wound."

"But we are LionClan!" Bramblestar called, his amber eyes burning. "We will recover. We will be stronger, faster, wiser! We have learned from this bitter victory, and we will go on."

Bramblestar adjusted himself on the Highledge, standing close to the edge. "Tonight we commend the spirits of Brackenfur and Mousepaw to StarClan. Brackenfur was a wonderful warrior, father, and friend – loyal and true to the Clan. He would have made a great leader.

"Mousepaw was a good apprentice – willing to learn. He got along well with his denmates and littermates, and he was a good hunter. He… He would have been proud to see his littermates become warriors tonight."

Lionpaw's ears pricked in shock. He'd heard Berrypaw boasting every which way about becoming a warrior for days – was Bramblestar really going to do it tonight? He knew the Clan was in need of new warriors… but were they really ready?

I suppose surviving a battle like that would be certainly something, Lionpaw thought. And they are the eldest apprentices.

"Hazelpaw, Berrypaw – step forward," Bramblestar meowed.

The two did – their pelts were sleek, their tails low. They stood before the body of their brother, looking solemnly up at their leader. Lionpaw frowned – this was the least arrogant moment in Berrypaw's life… and it was the moment that Lionpaw and the other apprentices had rolled their eyes about in the apprentice's den behind his back.

"I say these words before the spirit of Mousepaw – that he may hear and approve of your new names," Bramblestar meowed. "You have both proven yourselves in the eyes of StarClan that you are worthy of warriorhood. By the power StarClan has given me, Hazelpaw – you will be known as Hazeltail. StarClan honors your warmth and honesty, and we welcome you as a full warrior of LionClan."

Hazeltail dipped her head to Bramblestar in respect.

"Berrypaw, by the power StarClan has given me – you will be known as Berryfrost. StarClan honors your enthusiasm and courage, and we welcome you as a full warrior of LionClan."

Berryfrost lowered his head to Bramblestar, ears pricked.

"We -"

"Wait!"

The Clan shifted in shock as Berryfrost lifted his head.

"Please," he meowed. "Wait."

"Yes?" Onestar asked.

"Can… can you please give Mousepaw a warrior name?" Berryfrost asked. His words rushed from his mouth, as if he expected to be interrupted. "I think he deserves it. He did just as much training as we did, and it's unfair that Hazeltail and I get names while he doesn't. He died, but he fought like a warrior until the end!"

Bramblestar glanced at Onestar. The Clan was silent.

Onestar, finally, dipped his head.

"Very well," Onestar meowed. "Mousepaw shall have a warrior name in the stars."

Onestar cleared his throat, and then announced: "I ask that StarClan look down upon this apprentice. He fought in accordance to the warrior code, and we shall honor him with his warrior name. From this moment forth, he will be known as Mouseflight."

"Thank you," Daisy murmured. The she-cat was still curled around her son, her eyes shimmering with gratitude.

"Berryfrost and Hazeltail may carry out their vigil beside Mouseflight," Bramblestar decided. "Now, though, there are other matters. Brackenfur is gone – and though he will be sorely missed, LionClan is without a second deputy."

Lionpaw flicked his ears. So… he was going to appoint a new deputy? Who could possible take Brackenfur's place?

"LionClan is not TigerClan – Onestar and I have both decided who the second deputy will be," Bramblestar meowed. "We hope Brackenfur's spirit is watching, so he may hear and approve of our choice."

Silence hung in the air. Lionpaw craned his neck – who would it be? Dustpelt? Tornear?

"Cloudtail will serve beside Ashfoot as a deputy of LionClan."

Cloudtail lifted his head from the crowd. He had great wads of cobwebs and herbs slapped around his injured ears, and his long fur hid his wounds. His blue eyes were round with shock.

"I… I don't know what to say, Bramblestar," he murmured.

"I will not forget how you fought by my side with bravery," Onestar meowed. "I think Brackenfur would have wanted it this way."

Cloudtail stood. Brightheart was beside him, her good eye brimming with pride. The white warrior nodded and meowed, "Then I will do my best."

The crowd parted as Cloudtail made his way to the Highledge. He positioned himself beside Ashfoot – but not without stopping to dip his head to Brackenfur in respect.

"With that out of the way," Bramblestar sighed, "with heavy hearts we must go on. We will mourn Mouseflight and Brackenfur – and we will remember the brutal way they were treated. Apprentices must be trained at triple speed – Cloudtail and Ashfoot will even be assessing warriors themselves, making sure they're fit to fight. TigerClan took us by surprise once… and we paid for it. We cannot let it happen again."

"Apprentices can be trained as fast as a hawk can fly," Thornclaw grumbled nearby. "But we'll have no kit ready to be trained by the end of it… and who can say that what we teach them will really sink in?"

Lionpaw flicked his ear at the older warrior. A few others nodded in agreement.

Onestar took over, commanding the attention. "Brackenfur's death has left Spottedpaw without a mentor. We have decided that Brightheart will resume Spottedpaw's training."

Brightheart? Lionpaw thought. The one-eyed she-cat had never had an apprentice before, but her gentle name and loving nature hid a skilled warrior – and she was Brackenfur's sister.

"You hear that?" Lionpaw asked, turning to Spottedpaw.

His sister said nothing, and Lionpaw curled his tail around his paws with anxiety.

The cheering for the new warriors and Brightheart settled down, and the Clan meeting seemed to be over. The Clan was splitting up into groups, huddling around Mouseflight and Brackenfur or simply saying a quick farewell before leaving to hunt or sleep. The wounded were being ferried back towards the medicine cat's den, huddling in makeshift nests just outside the small cave.

It was when the crowd was mostly gone that Spottedpaw finally spoke – when she did, Lionpaw could only hear a murmur.

"What was that?" he asked.

"TigerClan," she repeated.

"Yeah, what about them?"

"They did this."

"Yes…"

Spottedpaw turned her head, her eyes like glowing chips of stone. A cold starlight glittered in them, and Lionpaw's pelt trembled from a strange feeling radiating from his sister.

"I'm going to destroy TigerClan," Spottedpaw declared.