Chapter 25: BushClan

The morning after the battle, the sky was covered in clouds as rain drizzled in a fine mist over the camp. Icepaw had come to in the medicine den, the scent of moist earth penetrated the air. Her body ached and her shoulder and neck throbbed with pain. She felt hot as she moved. Peering out of her nest, she saw Poppyclaw tending to Applemist who was unconscious and breathing heavily.

The young warrior was stretched out, cobwebs stretched over her body, some turning red with blood. Blinking her ice-blue eyes, she realized what was happening. Poppyclaw was fighting his own battle against Applemist's wounds. She dared to move, feeling a fresh pang of pain in her right foreleg. The very same one that had been gnawed on by the tom.

Feeling tired, she closed her eyes again, falling into darkness all over again. She was alive and that was all she wanted to know. Suddenly alarm flashed through her. She jolted awake again, the light outside stronger as a fresh cool breeze blew into the den. Where was Gingerstrike and Turtlepaw?

She got to her paws and stumbled out of the den, tripping over sleep-heavy paws. "Gingerstrike?" she called out, blinking her eyes open. "Turtlepaw?"

A familiar dark orange she-cat padded from the entrance. Her unusual, but distinct feature was her broad shoulders. The same that carried the weight of Nightstar's choice for them. Her eyes sparkled like daffodil's in strong sunlight. Her white paws seemed to sparkle with each gentle paw-step.

"Ginger... Mother..." Icepaw breathed, her mew cracking as she ran to her. "Where is everyone, is Applemist okay? Is Turtlepaw hurt bad?"

Gingerstrike blinked with sorrow in her eyes. Gently, she rasped her tongue over Icepaw's ears. Her mew thick with emotion and longing. "Applemist is fighting for her life and Turtlepaw will be alright."

"Then, where are they?" Icepaw looked up to her mother, her eyes searching the familiar yellow ones.

Her mother stared back at her, eyes glistening. "My sweet kit, I'm so sorry."

"Sorry? What for?" she felt confused, looking around them. The clearing was still empty, yet her chest was starting to hurt. Dread was filling her. "Am... Am I dead?" she asked softly, looking to her mother.

"No." Gingerstrike's mew sounded so tiny and full of unimaginable pain. "I am."

As though it broke some kind of vision, the clearing she had known in life melted and changed. Colors blurred, the rain washed blue sky whirled as leaf-fall vanished. It was greenleaf again and in place of the blazing sun was the silver face of the moon. Stars faintly dotted the greenleaf-blue sky. Swaths of heather rolled in the gentle breeze.

"N-no," she breathed, her chest feeling even tighter in horror. "Mom, no; please, it can't be true!" She could feel her heart breaking like ice in newleaf puddles.

All Gingerstrike did was nod, her eyes closed as wave after wave of emotion flooded Icepaw. She opened her jaws to wail like a kit, but it came out as a strangled cry. She couldn't breathe, hot pain was searing her chest. She struggled to move, but her legs seemed to have turned into stone. She squeezed her eyes tightly shut, willing it to be a nightmare. Willing that her mother was still alive.

.

It was evening when Icepaw woke up again. Poppyclaw was dozing as she began to try and get up. Her right foreleg flared in pain. Sticky cobweb was holding the mixture into her wound as she struggled to get out of her nest. It had to be dream. That was why she felt no pain. New energy flared to life inside her. Gingerstrike had to still be alive.

"Now, where do you think you are going?" Poppyclaw chided gently, rising to his paws in a stretch. "You should be resting and healing."

"I need to see Gingerstrike." Icepaw mewed softly, desperation making it tumble from her.

The medicine cat's amber eyes darkened. "Before I take you to her, I have grave news to give you, young one."

"Grave news?" Icepaw echoed, feeling her chest tighten again. "What do you mean?"

"Gingerstrike had been killed in the fight." His tone seemed as cold as stone. The very same stone that crashed into an icy river and splashed her.

"She can't be!" Icepaw started to wail.

The medicine cat simply padded out of his den wordlessly. His tail flicking for her to follow. She obeyed, her shoulder protested, but she ignored it. It couldn't be true. She didn't want it to be true. However, as she padded out, all of her denial was whisked away like leaves in the wind.

In the clearing was three bodies. Leaftail had been torn apart, possibly ganged up on. Brindlepond had her throat and eyes claws out, the brown tabby fur caught in her claws made Icepaw sure it was Cedar who had done it. Then there was her mother, Gingerstrike. Her body was covered in scratches and bite marks.

Icepaw started to walk faster, ignoring the pain her body was in as fresh grief slammed into her. Turtlepaw and Flamepaw were curled up nearby, their eyes hollow and dull. She slowed to a stop, the familiar scents came to her. Rosemary and mint was hiding the scent of death. The sour scent was still there, catching in her throat.

Close by Tangletooth was beside Brindlepond looking so heartbroken to see his mate having been virtually shredded alive. Then there was Tumblepaw who looked so alone. She had her tail wrapped around herself as she stared at her mother's lifeless body. The more she looked, the more she understood.

The elders were sitting a little ways away with dirty paws as they exchanged sorrowful glances. They were waiting to take them away! Alarm spread through her as she finally found her voice. "You can't."

Poppyclaw mewed softly to her. "They have to, Icepaw."

"But-"

"They already buried Gorsethorn. They have to take away one of them." He told her gently.

Icepaw stared at the dark ginger tom in dismay. "Not Gingerstrike. Not yet."

"Very well." Poppyclaw mewed, nosing her to her litter-mates. "Stay together while I see if Tangletooth is ready to let go."

The apprentice could only watch, looking to her siblings who were burying their faces into each other's fur. Slowly, she joined them. Their bodies shivering in the cold breeze. She didn't want Gingerstrike to leave them so soon, yet she also knew there was nothing they could do.

Helplessly, she peered to Tumblepaw, a practically full-grown cat now. Her green eyes staring blankly. No one new who Tumblepaw's father was and thus she was the loneliest of them all. While Icepaw and her litter-mates had Pidgeonstream to still go to, there was their fellow apprentice who only ever had her mother.

"I feel so sorry for all of our losses." Icepaw mewed softly, earning a lick of comfort from Turtlepaw.

"I do, too." her sister confessed. "I can only imagine how worse off FearClan was."

Burning anger bubbled to the surface as Icepaw meowed bitterly. "I hope they had it worse than we ever did."

She wanted to avenge her mother's death. To kill the cat responsible. Yet, she could only slump against her siblings. They were nearly full-grown themselves. They had grown into this harsh reality and now it had given them another obstacle. She was going to heal and become a proper warrior so no cat had to die like this again.

She had to, or their suffering was all for nothing.