1Riversong skidded to a halt behind Foxpelt, panting. She still couldn't get over how old Foxpelt had managed to stay hot on the trail of a black cat in midnight. That was one of the reasons she liked the senior warrior so much. He was full of surprises. Wingfoot maintained a sullen silence. Tempest flicked his head towards a clearing below them. Riversong could hear the snarling of some beast mingled with the wails of distressed cats.
She padded to the edge of the overhanging rock the group stood on. Below her, a large, bulky monster with striped silver and black fur was growling at his captives: a patrol of LakeClan apprentices and warriors. She could see why the badger was called Scars. Lines of white traced their paths across his muzzle and back. At the sound of Foxpelt's battle cry, the patrol flung themselves at Scars, all with the exception of Wingfoot.
"AH!" the huge badger roared, "I SEE YOU ARE BACK NOW, MY FRIENDS, BLACKY AND REDDY!"
Scars' clawed paw shot out. Foxpelt ducked under the clumsy blow with practiced ease. He got up, hissing. "Leave now, Scars," he meowed, "I don't know what you think you're doing, but-." He was cut off by Scars giving a wild howl of pain.
No one but Riversong saw what truly happened next. From where she had been hiding, the bluish queen saw Wingfoot sneak up behind Scars. She watched the DuskClan deputy sink his fangs deep into the badger's haunch, causing Scars to race forwards, away from the pain. Scars blundered straight into Foxpelt, driving the old tom into the rock wall. Hard. Riversong shrieked in terror. She ran to his side.
Foxpelt gazed blankly up at her. He sighed. "Foxpelt, don't join StarClan yet!" she begged softly, "I need you!" She pressed close to him.
He whispered in her ear, "Don't worry, Riversong...It's okay. I'm ready for StarClan..." Foxpelt gave another peaceful sigh. "And don't find fault with Scars...You saw what really happened." Riversong tried to grasp what he was telling her. Foxpelt's eyes began clouding over. "Ah, Shiningstone," he whispered, naming his mentor from his days as Foxpaw, "You've come to lead me to StarClan, have you? Yes, I'm ready." With a soft whispering sigh, Foxpelt's eyes closed. He was dead.
"WELL!" Sleetfur demanded to the shocked LakeClan cats, "Don't just sit there like a bunch of stiff rabbits! You mouse-brained kittypets! Go and get Dawnbreak!" Dawnbreak was the LakeClan medicine cat. "She'll know what to do! Do you all want Foxpelt to die?"
Riversong sat up. She blinked slowly, the full weight of what she had seen descending heavily onto her shoulders. "Sleetfur," she mewed, "It's not going to do any good...Foxpelt is-"
"You're wrong!" Sleetfur screamed, lashing out with her claws. Riversong did not flinch away from the attack. Her old friend's claws caught her full on the face. "Foxpelt is still alive!" Sleetfur nuzzled the old tom feverishly.
Blood dripped from the slash marks on Riversong's cheek. She stood dumbstruck. Her life had hit a boulder with the same force as old Foxpelt had. Sleetfur had wounded her, Wingfoot had spurned her in place of Racepaw, Foxpelt was dead...Nothing would ever be the same. Inside her chest, Riversong's heart beat a sad refrain. Foxpelt...Foxpelt...Fox...Pelt...Fox... Pelt...Fox...Pelt... A soft mew broke into her thoughts. It was Sleetfur.
Sleetfur began to gently lick at Riversong's cheek. Riversong saw her own pain reflected in those blue eyes, as well as sickness. "Riversong, I...I didn't mean...It's just F-Fox...Foxp..." Riversong nodded. She couldn't say a more coherent sentence than that. The two warriors threw back their heads and yowled their sorrow to StarClan. Wingfoot watched them with apathetic green eyes.
Tempest was just as stunned as the two friends. He nudged Foxpelt's body, his breathing coming out in ragged gasps. The old black cat sat down hard. "He's...he can't be...Foxpelt, you lunatic! You got in the way of an angry badger!" Tempest snarled and arched his back. "You don't deserve my grief!" He turned and raced into the shadows.
Wingfoot slammed a harsh paw into the heads of Riversong and Sleetfur. The mourning warriors fell into startled silence. "That's quite enough!" Wingfoot snapped, "We must get this body back to camp. The two of you can sit vigil with him."
It took a while, but finally, Foxpelt's body came to rest in the center of DuskClan camp. A young apprentice, Moonpaw, poked her head out of the den. She gave a wail of sorrow to see her finally beaten mentor stretched out where he was. Wingfoot gave the story of a badger attack to Brightstar, who nodded seriously. The rest of the Clan had begun to wake up, their eyes widening at the sight of the dead warrior. Brightstar leapt onto Highbranch, the bough of a pine tree that hung over the camp.
"Cats of DuskClan," he meowed seriously, "One of our bravest warriors, Foxpelt, has joined the ranks of StarClan. He fell victim to the assault of a badger. Wingfoot has suggested we train more apprentices so that we make eliminate this menace. One of our queens, Firebelly, tells me her kits are only a few week away from six moons. Therefore, we will just have to say that they are the appropriate age for apprenticeship."
Firebelly, a well-liked reddish-gold queen nodded. She had two surviving kits from her litter of five: Sunkit and Radiantkit. Shorekit, Coalkit, and Lionkit had all died in the cruel month of leaf-bare. Riversong heard her name as well as that of Sleetfur whispered, but she didn't care. She sighed and lay on her belly beside Foxpelt. Sleetfur whimpered and leaned closer to her. The two lay in silence as the rest of the Clan approached silently to pay their last respects to the brave, old warrior. Riversong closed her eyes for a moment. She just needed some rest...
Riversong gave a startled yowl. Foxpelt was standing right in front of her! She raced towards him, but with a single glare, her paws froze to the ground. She didn't care. Foxpelt! He was still alive! Then she looked closer and saw the wings of a StarClan cat at his heels. No, Foxpelt was still dead. The knowledge hit her like a furious back-swipe. Foxpelt purred. The ice around Riversong's paws melted. She padded over to him.
"Welcome, young Riversong," Foxpelt meowed, his youth returned through the glory of StarClan, "Be at peace, and know that StarClan is around you. You have been chosen."
"What do you mean?" Riversong asked. Foxpelt closed his eyes, almost as if he was slipping into a trance.
"When the river rises to meet the sun, those called foes will be avenged from their falling at the paws of the celestial," he murmured. Riversong cocked her head to the side.
"Uh...Foxpelt?"
"Awake!" Foxpelt cried suddenly.
"Riversong!" the voice of Sleetfur muttered, "Hey, wake up, Riversong! Brightstar's called a meeting! Get up!"
Riversong sat up and shook her head dazedly. "When the river rises to meet the sun, those called foes will be avenged from their falling at the paws of the celestial?" she thought, Foxpelt, you old fool! How the PlagueClan am I supposed to understand what that means!
Firebelly's two kits sat on either side of her. Their pelts shone in the sunlight of greenleaf. Radiantkit was a small, lightly-built she-cat. Her pelt was pure white, and her paws were all a yellowish-ginger color. Sunkit was a fiery, red-gold tomcat with light brown eyes and a stocky build to him. They're apprenticing Firebelly's kits!
Brightstar was seated on Highbranch, gazing down at the gathered Clan. "Come forward, the both of you," he mewed to Firebelly's kits. Radiantkit's eyes blazed excitedly. She dashed to the ground below Highbranch. Sunkit followed calmly. He strode purposefully to sit by his sister.
"Until she earns her warrior name," Brightstar began, "This apprentice will be known as Radiantpaw." Radiantpaw gave a squeak of glee. "Sleetfur, you will be mentor to young Radiantpaw. Foxpelt taught you well, and it would honor him greatly to see this apprentice trained in his ways."
Sleetfur bit her lip in excitement and padded over to greet her new apprentice with a nose-touch. Riversong purred happily for her friend. Brightstar nodded, then continued.
"And until this young cat earns his warrior name, he will be known as Sunpaw. Riversong, you will be Sunpaw's mentor. You had an excellent teacher in Wingfoot, and I hope to see Sunpaw become as good and a loyal warrior as you are."
Riversong was stunned. Brightstar was trusting her with an apprentice! How incredibly out of character. But, even in her surprise, she couldn't forget the ritual. She tapped Sunpaw's tiny nose gently with her own. She could see sheer enthrallment in the young cat's eyes. She licked her new apprentice's ear. The rest of DuskClan pressed around the siblings, addressing them by their new names. One look into those captivating, tawny eyes of her new apprentice made the aching hole left by Foxpelt close up, if only for a little while.