Chapter 12
Eaglepaw sat in the medicine den, a small nick in his ear. Viperhiss had bit it a bit too hard during training, making a small rip form in the side. Recalling the pain, Eaglepaw winced.
"A-A'm I hurting you?" Gorsepaw mewed, stepping back. He was dabbing a thick yellow poultice into the small wound, immediately stopping when he saw the other apprentice flinch.
"No, it's fine." Eaglepaw sighed, resting his head on his paws. He was worn out from training, and was extremely grateful when his mentor called it off early. I've been so distracted lately, but who could blame me?
Closing his eyes, Eaglepaw recollected the previous night. The bright gaze of the tom his mother introduced him to bored in his mind, making him shudder. I've always thought my father died or something before I was born, but nope. He's alive and well! He opened his eyes, narrowing them slightly. I've wondered why my mother never talks about him, now I see. Does Cinderpaws know? He looked across the dark den to see the gray tom sitting next to Silkyspark. She was laying on her side, her breaths coming out in a loud ragged wheezing. Eaglepaw frowned in pity for the she-cat. I hope she gets better soon.
"All done!" Gorsepaw said, stepping backwards. Eaglepaw tapped his bandaged ear with a paw. It no longer hurt making him smile at the other apprentice.
"Thanks. Want to get something to eat?"
"S-Sure!"
The two toms padded out of the den, a pleasant breeze ruffling their pelts as they headed to the freshkill pile. Grabbing a small frog, Eaglepaw settled down next to Gorsepaw, who had grabbed himself a vole. They ate in silence, until a small bundle of fluff came dashing towards them. Eaglepaw groaned inwardly. Here we go.
"Hi guys!" Quailkit squeaked, bouncing on her toe tips.
"H-Hi." Gorsepaw said, his tail twitching.
Eaglepaw didn't say anything, instead taking another bite of the frog. He chewed slowly, not wanting to talk to the kit. Quailkit noticed this, blinking at him mischievously.
"You eat so slowly!" She mewed, mocking his chewing movements. She then placed her paws on the side of his face, moving his cheeks up and down to make him chew faster. Eaglepaw narrowed his eyes at her, earning a small purr from the she-kit. "There! All gone!" Jeez she's annoying!
He glanced over to Gorsepaw, who was obviously struggling to hold back his laughter. Oblivious to Eaglepaw's annoyance, the she-kit bounced around him, her gray pelt shining in the moonlight. "You guys are boring! Do something cool!"
"Shouldn't you be asleep?" Eaglepaw grunted, finishing the rest of his meal.
"I would be, but Ashkit snores too loudly! I can never sleep with him in the den. He could scare off a badger!"
Eaglepaw rolled his eyes. "Yeah, and your voice could make a badger cry, because it's so shrill and annoying."
Quailkit swatted at his nose, her mouth stretched into a big grin. "Hey! That's mean!"
"It's the truth."
"Is not!" She squeaked, tip toeing behind him. Eaglepaw turned around, and was shocked to see her lunging for his face. His yowl was cut off as her fluffy body collided with his. "Gotcha! Jeez, what is dad teaching you? I could beat you up right now!"
Eaglepaw pushed her off, shaking the dust from his pelt. "Oh please. Only in your dreams could you ever hope to beat me."
Before Quailkit could answer, a loud, ear splitting screech rang through the clearing. Cinderpaws poked his head out of the medicine den, his eyes wide. He looked around the clearing frantically, his eyes finally falling on the three. "Gorsepaw, get over here! Silkyspark is kitting!"
"W-What? But she's due for another m-moon!"
"Hurry!"
The brown tom raced to the medicine den, his eyes as large as moons. Eaglepaw watched, tilting his head slightly. Oh, I hope she'll be alright. As he thought this, Viperhiss raced from the warriors den, thrusting himself into the tiny medicine den. Eaglepaw looked at Quailkit, who had a large smile on her face.
"New siblings! New siblings!" She squeaked, racing around in a circle. Eaglepaw watched, rolling his eyes. I've never experienced having a sibling before, well, not until last night. He thought back to his encounter with his father, and how similar he looked. Oh, how could I have not noticed until now? It's so obvious!
Quailkit was still rambling on, excited about the prospect of having new siblings. "I'm a big sister now! I can't wait to show them around the camp and boss them around. Oh, I hope I get a little sister! Brothers are so stinky and annoying, I couldn't handle another Ash- '' She was cut off by another blood curdling screech, making Eaglepaw's pelt stand on end. Something's wrong. Quailkit seemed to notice the desperation in the yowl as well, her bright smile slowly fading to a frown. I need to distract her!
"Uh… Quailkit." The she-kit was facing the Medicine den, her ears flattened to her head. She turned at the sound of her name, her eyes filled with worry. Quick Eaglepaw, think! "Um, do you want me to show you some battle moves?" The she-kit nodded, perking slightly.
Eaglepaw slid into a hunter's crouch, his paws tucked beneath him neatly. Quailkit tried to imitate, her tail sticking out like a stick. Eaglepaw tapped it with his paw, making her tuck it in more. "Make sure your tail stays above the ground, but don't let it stick out like that. Otherwise-"
Another howl of agony sounded from the medicine den, though this time much weaker than before. "Do something!" Eaglepaw heard Viperhiss's panicked voice, followed by a muffled response from Cinderpaws. Quailkit flattened her ears again, standing up.
"Is mama going to be okay?"
"I-I…" Eaglepaw was at a loss for words. He looked around, a few cats sleepily emerging from their dens from the commotion. "I don't know. But look! I can show you how to do a front paw strike. You balance on your paws like this, then-"
"I don't want to learn moves anymore." Quailkit's mew was quiet and shaky, much unlike her normal bubbly personality. Eaglepaw looked at her, frowning. Without a second thought, he pulled her in closer with his tail, pressing his pelt into hers.
"I'm sure Silkyspark will be fine." He mewed, his voice unconvinced. He cleared his throat, trying to sound more confident. "She's a strong she-cat, just like you. She'll be okay."
"You promise?"
Eaglepaw remained silent, gulping. Before he could speak, another agonized scream came from the den, this time from Viperhiss. Quailkit immediately ran for the medicine den, Eaglepaw dashing after her. "Quailkit, wait!" Using his longer legs, he reached the den before she could and blocked her view of the cats inside, fearing for the worst. He slowly turned his head to look in himself, he felt his breath catch in his throat.
Silkyspark lay in her next, her teeth gritted in a frozen grimace. A thin trail of yellow foam slid from her mouth, staining her white paws. A thick stream of blood poured from her rear, the thick red liquid slowly pooling around the messy nest. Four small scraps lay beside her, their tiny bodys coated in a thick scarlet fluid. Silkyspark's eyes stared at the ceiling lifelessly, a thin glaze covering them. I can't let Quailkit see this!
The kit was clawing at his tail, trying to thrust her way into the den. Eaglepaw stayed rigid, his face darkening. "Let me in!" Quailkit rasped, tears streaming from her eyes. "I need to check on mama!"
"Quailkit… I can't let you in. It's…" Eaglepaw turned his head to look back into the den, his eyes falling onto his mentor. The massive gray tom looked weak and frail, his shoulders hunched as he bowed over his mate's body. Tears splattered Silkyspark's pelt as he cried, his shoulders jerking violently with each sob. Eaglepaw felt his heart wrench as he looked onto the scene, his ears flattening against his head. He hated seeing his mentor in such a bad state, and wished he could do something to help. The best I can do is keep Quailkit from seeing this… I wouldn't want to scar her for life.
Cinderpaws was shaking his head, trying his best to stop the bleeding. The endless torrent of blood soaked through the cobwebs each time, no matter how thick the wad was. Grunting in defeat, Cinderpaws stared accusingly at Viperhiss. "She's gone Viperhiss." The tom mewed, his voice low. "There's nothing I can do now."
Viperhiss remained quiet, still crying silently. He slowly lifted his head, his bottom lip quivering. "Surely there's something else you could do?"
Cinderpaws growled, turning back to his herb storage. "What part of 'nothing I can do now' do you not understand, mouse brain? She's dead." Eaglepaw flinched as he said the word. He could be a bit more sympathetic!
Eaglepaw realized Quailkit's assault on his tail had ceased. Looking down, he felt his heart tear in half as he watched her tremble. He pressed his head to hers, closing his eyes. "I'm so sorry, Quailkit." The she-kit's mouth gaped as she struggled to say something, but she could only muster a few anguished squeaks. Eaglepaw pulled her in closer with his tail, allowing her head to press into his chest. He gave her ears a few soothing licks, trying his best to calm her down.
Eaglepaw's ear twitched as he heard Gorsepaw's voice. "N-Now, Cinderpaws, you s-should be a bit more s-sympathetic."
"Sympathetic?" The tom responded. "Pah! That dumb idiot is the reason why all this happened." Eaglepaw felt his chest swell with anger. Why is he being so rude! That's totally uncalled for! He turned his head back to the den to see Viperhiss glaring coldly at the tom. Cinderpaws seemed unbothered by this, returning the gaze equally. "I expected more from my own brother. Especially how our mother died."
Viperhiss seemed hurt by this. "You know that's not fair, Cinderpaws."
"Not fair?" The tom hissed, stalking closer to the warrior. "Not fair! What truly is 'not fair', is how you treated this she-cat! She's dead now, Viperhiss, dead because of you!" Cinderpaws' voice cracked with emotion. "I knew you weren't the right cat for her, but she wouldn't listen!"
"She wouldn't listen because we were in love, Cinderpaws. Why don't you understand that?"
Cinderpaw's chest heaved as he glared into his brother's eyes. "We both know that if things didn't happen in the way they did, that wouldn't be the case." He paused, his eyes welling with tears. "No, she would have been in love with me."
With a yowl of anger, Viperhiss launched at the medicine cat, pinning him to the dusty floor. He lifted his scarred paw into the air, his long black claws flashing out dangerously. "I should just claw your stupid face off right now!" The warrior snarled, drool dripping from his jaws.
"You wouldn't dare." Cinderpaws hissed, unsheathing his own claws. Eaglepaw tensed, pushing Quailkit deeper into his pelt. Are they going to fight? Cinderpaws immediately kicked his hindlegs into the warrior's belly with surprising strength, sending him crashing into the den's ceiling and falling to the ground, a few tail lengths in front of Gorsepaw. The small brown tom was crouching to the ground, a frightened look in his eyes. He yelped and scrambled into a dark corner as the warrior fell in front of him, Gorsepaw's body trembling violently.
Viperhiss rose to his paws, glaring into his brother's eyes with poisonous hate. He opened his mouth as if he was going to say something, then shut it quickly. The gray tom stalked to the den entrance, roughly thrusting past Eaglepaw and out of the camp entrance. Quailkit tried to run after him, but was stopped by the group of cats that had gathered around the den. "I can't lose him too!" She squeaked, her eyes wet with tears.
"Don't worry, little one." Velvetowl mewed, wiping the kit's tears away with her tail. "He'll be back." Ashkit emerged from behind the warriors, looking scared and confused. Quailkit immediately rushed to her brother's side, burying her head into his pelt. Eaglepaw sighed as a Velvetowl ushered them to the nursery.
Eaglepaw blinked as he saw Mousestar weave through the group of cats, her green eyes narrowed in confusion. He felt awkward around her after she revealed who his father is, but he shook the feeling away. Now's not the time. He moved aside to let her enter the medicine den. Cinderpaws looked at her blankly, his pelt dirty and dull. Eaglepaw walked away from the den, allowing them to speak in private. He headed straight to the apprentice's den, immediately plopping into his nest.
"What in StarClan's name is happening out there?" Swiftpaw mewed, raising his head sleepily.
Eaglepaw ignored the tom and closed his eyes. StarClan… what is happening?
