Chapter 26

"Swiftbreeze!" Rainsong cried. The black- and- white tom was staring down at his dead sister, amber eyes wide with shock.

Silence filled the camp. All eyes had turned toward Rainsong's anguished cry. Bramblestar padded over to Swiftbreeze, resting his tail on the tom's back.

"Bramblestar, I killed my sister," Swiftbreeze choked, staring down at her bleeding body.

"Brindleflower caused her own death," the leader mewed quietly. "She was an ambitious, evil cat. There was no other option. You saved Rainsong's life."

Rainsong stared at Bramblestar with empty eyes. Had Swiftbreeze really saved her life? She slowly dragged herself toward him. "Thank you," she whispered.

Swiftbreeze glanced at Rainsong. "Too many cats died tonight. Wolftail, Brackenfur, Leafpool, Mousewhisker…all deserved to live. My sister caused the deaths of innocent cats."

"Stoneclaw brought the battle here. Brindleflower made the decision to fight alongside him. They both caused these deaths," Rainsong mewed.

"Where is Stoneclaw?" Swiftbreeze asked.

The she-cat turned her head, staring at a dark gray heap laying ominously still in the grass. She stood up, forcing herself to walk over to her brother's body. "You were a good cat once," she murmured.

She felt a cat nuzzle her shoulder. Rainsong was surprised to see Jayfeather standing beside her. The medicine cat looked worn out from the night's events.

"This is my son," Jayfeather whispered.

"Yes, Jayfeather," Rainsong replied.

Jayfeather sighed. "I knew I should have been in your lives from the moment you were born. I could have prevented this. I could have prevented the deaths of two of my kits and all the others who died tonight."

"This wasn't your fault," Rainsong argued. "Stoneclaw didn't have to invade our camp. He started this on his own."

Jayfeather shook his head. "Now I know how Crowfeather felt. He blames himself for Hollyleaf's death, and now I blame myself for Tansyleaf and Stoneclaw's deaths."

Rainsong was at a loss for words. She didn't know what to say that could comfort her father.

An angry yowl interrupted their mourning. "Cedarpaw!"

Rainsong turned to see Bramblestar standing in the center of the camp, lashing his tail angrily.

The tabby apprentice stalked up to the leader, his amber eyes flashing. "What?" he hissed.

"You conspired with Stoneclaw against us and fought your own Clanmates," Bramblestar meowed.

"Of course I did! You let that piece of crowfood join us!" Cedarpaw cried.

The dark tabby leader's eyes widened with horror. "Rainsong is not the piece of crowfood- you are!"

"So what are you going to do?" the apprentice asked, not sounding a bit scared.

"Cedarpaw, you are banished from ThunderClan! I never want to see you in our territory again!" Bramblestar spat.

A pale gray she-cat pushed herself through the crowd. "Bramblestar, please don't banish him!"

"He fought against us, Dovewing. Cedarpaw is a traitor," the ThunderClan leader meowed.

Dovewing turned to her son, her eyes filled with pain. "Cedarpaw, why? Why did you have to do this?"

"I wanted to," Cedarpaw said easily.

"Get out of our camp. You are no longer welcome here," Bramblestar ordered.

Cedarpaw glared at his leader. "I'll go. I don't want to be a part of this Clan, anyway. You're all a bunch of kittypets!"

Rainsong watched as the apprentice stalked out of camp. Dovewing stood frozen, staring after her son. Bumblestripe and Spottedpaw both tried to comfort the queen, but she did not react. Rainsong felt sorry for the she-cat. It was not her fault her son had chosen this path. It isn't the parents' fault when a kit goes astray. Cedarpaw had the best parents a kit could have and still turned out like Stoneclaw, Rainsong thought.

As the ThunderClan cats moved glumly through the camp, worn out from the fight, a cry came from the nursery. Sighing inwardly, Rainsong turned to face the nursery. Surely there had been enough drama for one night?

Seedberry emerged from the den, her eyes sparkling. "Squirrelflight's kits are coming!"

Instantly the battle was forgotten. The cats suddenly brightened at the thought of new kits. New lives were always a cause for celebration.

Lives end and live begin, Rainsong thought. Lives were lost tonight. Lives that didn't deserve to end. But life still goes on. No matter what happens, life will always go on.

"There are three kits," Seedberry was meowing as she sat down by the entrance to the nursery.

Rainsong was listening to the medicine cat's announcement, glad to hear that the kits and their mother were fine. Squirrelflight had kitted easily, and Bramblestar was already in the nursery, proudly watching over his little ones.

Swiftbreeze padded over to Rainsong and sat down next to her. "I'm glad Squirrelflight's kits waited until after the battle to be born."

"Same here," Rainsong mewed.

Bramblestar poked his head through the entrance to the nursery. "There is a tom and two she-cats," he meowed, his amber eyes shining. "We've named them Ravenkit, Dapplekit, and Frostkit."

Those are good names, Rainsong thought, suddenly feeling weary after the long night. She leaned against Swiftbreeze, burying her face in his warm fur. After a moment, she lifted her face to the sky, where the first ray of sun was just passing through the disappearing clouds. A new day had arrived; life would go on.

(Revision Complete- March 17, 2014)