"WillowClan, attack!"
The patrol of enemy warriors lurched forward and into the smooth river. Within a few heartbeats, they burst out of the water and charged.
Slatefang readied himself to meet the first warrior with extended claws and bared teeth. "Protect her!" he yowled just before he was bowled over by the first of the attacking cats.
Mind racing, Dawnheart took a defensive stance at Spottedfur's side. There was no time for confusion. It was three against five. He had to keep the warriors away from Spottedfur. She hadn't seen battle for seasons.
Dawnheart readied himself as two warriors and an apprentice came at them.
Spottedfur crouched and hissed fiercely. She extended one unsheathed paw.
His first opponent was approaching. Dawnheart felt a pang of recognition as the black tom drew near. Wingshadow! He pushed away his momentary hesitation and readied himself to defend. They may have been friendly at the Gathering, but now it was time to fight.
Dawnheart reared, grasping the tom's shoulders with his claws. Remembering his training, Dawnheart let his back legs fall out from under him. Suddenly the WillowClan warrior was crashing to the ground with Dawnheart's weight as well as his own. Wingshadow landed hard on one paw with a screech.
Dawnheart aimed a blow at the black tom's unbalanced side. His claws tore through fur and flesh.
Wingshadow shrieked; his dodge hadn't been enough to avoid damage. The new warrior recovered quickly and stood to face Dawnheart with fierce determination in his eyes.
Dawnheart saw his own fire reflected in Wingshadow. They were both new warriors, eager to prove themselves in battle for their Clan. Dawnheart slid out his claws and scraped them along the rocky shore. I won't let you hurt Spottedfur!
Wingshadow lunged. Dawnheart reacted with grace and spun to avoid the attack. His foe was slow and awkward now that his paw was injured. He would have been better off retreating.
Dawnheart turned and shoved Wingshadow before the black tom could regain his balance. He stumbled and his paw crumpled beneath him. His eyes grew round with pain and he gasped aloud. Dawnheart backed up, willing to let Wingshadow concede.
Before Dawnheart could take a breath, a new foe appeared. The new-comer was a pale tabby she-cat. She took Dawnheart by surprise, knocking him over. Dawnheart gasped as his head cracked against a rock.
The two warriors rolled over on the stones with claws out. They grappled and fought for dominance. The WillowClan warrior ended up on top. She pinned Dawnheart's shoulders to the ground.
Dawnheart wriggled, trying to unbalance his foe, but his head was spinning. His feeble attempts did nothing to move the weight off his chest.
With a hiss of triumph, the WillowClan warrior leaned down and bared her fangs.
A flash of black fur slammed into the pale warrior. She was thrown off of Dawnheart with a strangled yowl.
Dawnheart scrambled to his paws in time to see a familiar cat chasing the yowling she-cat to the river's edge. Blackmoth was here?
His Clanmate delivered a vicious bite to her enemy's heels which sent the tabby fleeing in earnest across the water.
Blackmoth turned and licked the blood from her lips. She nodded at Dawnheart and dashed to Slatefang's side. He had been backed up against the bank by the other two WillowClan warriors. Together, Slatefang and Blackmoth began to drive them back.
Dawnheart whirled to see Spottedfur and another unexpected face battering the WillowClan apprentice with blows from every side. Foxtail was here too!
After a heartbeat the small she-cat wailed in frustration and turned to follow her fleeing Clanmate.
"Are you okay?" Dawnheart called to Spottedfur and Foxtail.
The older she-cats nodded. Foxtail began to lead her friend back up the bank. Dawnheart noticed that Spottedfur was limping slightly but otherwise she seemed unhurt.
Dawnheart turned his attention to the continuing battle.
Slatefang and Blackmoth were still holding their own against the WillowClan warriors. As Dawnheart watched, Slatefang smashed his paws down on the smaller warrior's shoulders. Blackmoth darted forward and slashed at the unbalanced cat. Her blow sent him fleeing.
His Clanmate yowled in anger. The large tabby backed up; one foreleg raised in caution.
"Twistedroot!" Blackmoth spat. "What gives you the right to attack an elder queen?"
"Prey stealers must be punished." Twistedroot snarled. He shot a hateful glance at the CedarClan warriors before rearing. He wasn't going to give up.
Dawnheart made a move to run to his Clanmates side.
"Dawnheart!" Spottedfur's warning shriek made Dawnheart whirl around in time to see Wingshadow leaping at him.
He slammed into Dawnheart with surprising force and ferocity. Dawnheart tried to react but his head was still spinning from the impact with the rocks earlier. He fell back and tried in vain to get a hold on his attacker.
The weight was suddenly lifted. Dawnheart rolled to his side. He looked up expecting to see Slatefang grappling with Wingshadow. What he saw instead made his heart sink.
Spottedfur was crashing heavily to the ground, tangled in Wingshadow's limbs. The pair rolled across the stony bank and came to a stop a tail-length from the river.
Wingshadow jumped backwards from Spottedfur. His gray eyes were wide with terror. "I didn't mean to!" he gasped. He backed away on shaking paws.
Dawnheart was confused. Didn't mean to do what?
He looked down and realized Spottedfur wasn't moving.
"Spottedfur!" Foxtail's terrified yowl ripped through the air. The old she-cat dashed to Spottedfur's side. Her white-tipped tail was bushed out in fear.
Dawnheart stumbled across the bank. Panic was rising in his chest.
"What did you do to her?" he croaked at Wingshadow. The warrior's eyes were wide with horror. He didn't move his gaze from Spottedfur. He just shook his head, bewildered.
"I think I crushed her!" he stammered.
Dawnheart looked down at his unmoving Clanmate. Dark red was seeping out from underneath her head. The horrid color was staining the pebbles.
Dawnheart's stomach lurched.
No.
He looked wildly around, scanning the length of the bank. There, among a particularly stony patch a tail-length away, was a sharp stone.
Blood tinged black in the moonlight stained its tip.
Blackmoth and Slatefang had rushed over to see what had happened. Blackmoth sniffed Spottedfur all over. She backed up and shook her head slowly. Hopelessness glowed dully in her green eyes.
Slatefang stared. His eyes were wide with disbelief.
Dawnheart looked to his denmate.
"We-we need to get Plumleaf." Dawnheart said. Yes. Plumleaf would know what to do. Dawnheart took a few steps towards the forest but his spinning head caused him to lose his balance. He flopped to the ground awkwardly. Desperate, he called out.
"Slatefang, we need to get Plumleaf!"
Slatefang didn't move.
Twistedroot limped to his Clanmate's side.
"It was an accident." The large tom growled. "She shouldn't have trespassed."
No! She's hurt, that's all. Dawnheart thought. He wanted to yowl but his voice was lost.
"Get away." Slatefang's voice was low and dangerous.
Twistedroot and Wingshadow didn't move.
"This isn't ov-", Twistedroot began.
"Get away!" Slatefang's head snapped up. His eyes flashed like cold fire. "Get away from her before I kill you!" Rage filled the gray warrior's entire body. His fur was fluffed up, ears laid back, teeth and claws bared.
Blackmoth shoved her way between the bristling warriors. "Back off, Slatefang!" she hissed. She turned burning eyes on Twistedroot. "I suggest you do as he says." she growled.
Twistedroot backed away, uncertain. After a heartbeat his flat grimace returned. "It is you who are trespassing. Leave our territory."
For a terrifying moment Dawnheart thought that Slatefang was going to launch himself at the WillowClan warrior. Then the wild light of hatred was gone and Slatefang was gripping Spottedfur's scruff in his teeth.
Foxtail spat. "You had no right!" she cried out. "She was an elder queen!"
The WillowClan patrol stood their ground. Wingshadow had flinched at Foxtail's words. His eyes were wide with horror.
The image burned into Dawnheart's mind.
"Come on." Blackmoth's voice broke through the loud buzzing in Dawnheart's ears.
The she-cat coaxed Foxtail up the bank and back to CedarClan territory.
Dawnheart tore his eyes away from the bloody stain that Spottedfur had left. He scurried to Slatefang's side and together they dragged her across the border.
Once they had passed the scent markers Blackmoth spoke. "She hit her head." Her voice was solemn and tinged with raw grief. "She probably didn't feel a thing." The she-cat laid her tail across Foxtail's shoulders.
The ginger elder let out a low moan and buried her face into Blackmoth's side.
Realization washed over Dawnheart. Spottedfur was dead. She had launched herself into battle with a strong young warrior when she herself hadn't fought more than a mouse for seasons. One wrong move, one perfectly placed sharp stone had ended her life so suddenly. Reality sank its cold talons into Dawnheart's body. His heart twisted with pain.
"This was so unnecessary." Blackmoth muttered. Her ears were flattened in anger but her voice cracked. For a moment the CedarClan cats stood together in silence around their fallen Clanmate, then Blackmoth rose and nudged Foxtail to her paws.
"We have to take her home now." Blackmoth said softly into Foxtail's ear. Foxtail hung her head, her tail limp. Blackmoth started to lead the elder away. The black she-cat looked up at Dawnheart as she passed him. There was so much left unsaid in her eyes.
Dawnheart looked up at Slatefang. Their eyes met. Together they moved forward to grasp Spottedfur's body again. Dawnheart's mouth flooded with her familiar scent as he gripped her by the back as gently as he could muster.
Slatefang took the old cat's scruff in his jaws and together they lifted her dead weight.
As the group made their way back to camp Dawnheart tried not to think about Spottedfur's paws and tail dragging in the dust or the taste of her blood on his tongue. He focused instead on putting one paw in front of the other.
Left. Right. Left. Right.
After what felt like a moon, Dawnheart padded through the fern tunnel. He could hardly feel the weight of Spottedfur's body anymore. That somehow made it worse.
Gasps of shock and horror met the procession as they moved into the clearing. Dawnheart and Slatefang bent down and laid Spottedfur's limp body onto the ground.
Dawnheart felt a twinge of shame as her tail flopped loudly to the ground.
"What happened?" Blizzardstar demanded. The white tom shouldered his way through the growing crowd of cats.
"They were attacked by a WillowClan patrol." Blackmoth said gruffly. She shook her head in frustration.
Foxtail threw herself at the old queen's side and moaned into her cold fur.
Outraged, confused, and horrified yowls rose up among the gathered cats.
"WillowClan! Those foxhearts!"
"Cougarstar is out of line!"
"We have to do something!"
"Out of the way!" Plumleaf's irritated voice rose above the crowd. The warriors parted and Plumleaf appeared at Spottedfur's side.
Petalpaw crept out from behind her mentor, her green eyes wide with horror.
Plumleaf examined Spottedfur's blood-soaked fur. She sniffed and licked at the wound. Silence fell over the cats as she worked. After a few heartbeats Plumleaf sat back and shook her head solemnly.
"She walks with StarClan now." she said.
Mournful wails broke the silence. After a moment Blizzardstar raised his tail for quiet.
"I need to hear the whole story." he said. "Come with me." he nodded at Dawnheart, Slatefang, and Blackmoth.
Dawnheart heaved himself to his paws and nudged Slatefang. The gray warrior was staring at Spottedfur's body. He twitched a whisker and rose.
The three warriors followed Blizzardstar to the mouth of his den. Blizzardstar turned and sat at the entrance. His warriors followed suit. Behind them Whiteshade was directing the Clan to prepare Spottedfur for burial.
"What happened?" Blizzardstar asked again. His voice was much lower and grief tinged his mew. Dawnheart dropped his gaze to his paws and reluctantly began.
"Spottedfur saw a mouse. She chased it across the border without realizing." he said slowly.
"A mistake any cat could make." Blizzardstar said.
Dawnheart looked up and saw sympathy in his leader's blue eyes. Dawnheart gave himself a shake and continued. He told Blizzardstar what had happened. He paused as he remembered Spottedfur leaping to his defense and rolling across the bank in Wingshadow's grip. It became hard to speak after that.
Blackmoth jumped in.
"Foxtail and I heard shrieks and fighting so we ran back." she said. "We got there in time to drive the last of WillowClan off, but…" she trailed off with a growl.
"Wingshadow attacked me from behind while I was dazed and Spottedfur defended me." Dawnheart said. He purposefully avoided Blizzardstar's gaze.
"And that's when she hit her head?" Blizzardstar finished.
Dawnheart and Blackmoth nodded. Slatefang hadn't moved.
"They knew it was a mistake? That she didn't kill the prey?" Blizzardstar verified.
"They didn't give a damn." Slatefang growled.
Blizzardstar shook his head.
"What a waste." he muttered. "Such senseless violence."
Dawnheart dared to look up at his leader. Blizzardstar's eyes were blazing with anger. He stood and padded to the High Branch without another word
The large white warrior leapt up onto the low hanging branch and yowled. "Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather here beneath the High Branch for a Clan meeting!"
The group of cats that surrounded Spottedfur's body looked up in confusion.
"Shall we wake others?" Falconstorm called.
"Wake every cat." Blizzardstar ordered.
The CedarClan cats spread out, poking their heads in dens and passing along the message.
Blackmoth led Dawnheart and Slatefang across the clearing where they settled near the nursery. She darted inside and reappeared a few heartbeats later with Honeyleaf and Quailstep behind her.
Before long the whole Clan was sitting bleary eyed before their leader.
"Cats of CedarClan." Blizzardstar boomed. "Tragedy has befallen us tonight. A few stragglers from the gathering were unjustly attacked by a WillowClan patrol. This resulted in Spottedfur's accidental death."
Yowls of shock and horror filled the night.
"No!"
"Not Spottedfur!"
Dawnheart's heart twisted as he saw Hollowtree and Beepelt shuffling over to their denmate. Their voices wavered with despair.
Honeyleaf and Quailstep pushed through the crowd in desperation. Plumleaf met them halfway. She led the grieving queens away, muttering into their ears and brushing their flanks with her tail.
"Wait until she is cleaned up. Think of the kits."
"What are we going to do?" Kestrelfeather demanded.
"We have to attack!" Swiftwing spat, leaping to his paws. Several other warriors yowled in agreement.
"Enough!" Blizzardstar silenced the tumult. "I need to speak to my senior warriors in order to decide what course of action we should take."
More yowls of indignation exploded among the Clan.
"There's no time for talk! We need to retaliate!"
"Blizzardstar has spoken." Elkheart's level voice rose above the rest. "His word is law."
More yowls met his words.
Slatefang got up and began pacing. Dawnheart trembled without his support.
Blizzardstar didn't bother quieting the noise once more. Instead, he jumped down from his perch and waved his tail at his senior warriors.
Blackmoth rose to her paws and glanced at Dawnheart. "Are you okay?" she asked.
Dawnheart forced himself to look at her. "No."
The black she-cat looked over to the group of senior warriors and back to Dawnheart. She sat back at his side and let her pelt brush him. He leaned into her shoulder.
The rest of the Clan broke off into groups, muttering amongst themselves. The elders and medicine cats gathered around Spottedfur's body and began to lick her fur clean of blood. The queens hovered nearby with distress in their eyes.
Slatefang lashed his tail and growled.
Dawnheart didn't try to calm his denmate. There was nothing to be said. Instead, he and Blackmoth padded over to where the elders were grooming Spottedfur's body.
"Can I help?" he asked Plumleaf. She nodded and moved aside to make room.
Dawnheart and Blackmoth sat at Spottedfur's side and bent down to groom her dusty flank. He let himself become lost in the task. The rhythmic licking of his Clanmates soothed him. He imagined he was back in the nursery cuddled up to a warm flank.
Eventually. Slatefang appeared at Spottedfur's side free of agitation. Dawnheart expected him to take the empty spot beside him, but Slatefang settled down beside Hollowtree to lick fragrant herbs into Spottedfur's chilled pelt.
The cold light of the moon was beginning to fall below the tree line when Spottedfur's Clanmates stood back from her body. Her well-groomed fur shone in the starlight and her paws and tail were neatly curled underneath her. Her fur was free of blood and instead smelled of lavender and rosemary.
Dawnheart felt a stab of pain as he tried to take one last whiff of her familiar scent and found it masked by herbs and death.
He leaned into Blackmoth's side and focused on the warmth of his friend and former mentor. Tiredness clouded his mind. He just wanted to sleep and forget. He closed his eyes.
Suddenly Blackmoth tensed. Dawnheart sat up and looked around. He saw Blizzardstar and the other senior warriors breaking up their meeting.
Whiteshade, Falconstorm, Shadowgrove, and Brushfire followed Blizzardstar towards the camp's entrance while the others padded to the warrior's den. Slatefang leapt up and dashed to intercept the patrol. Dawnheart followed.
Slatefang reached the patrol and partially blocked their way through the camp entrance.
"I want to come with you." He said. He hastily dipped his head to his leader.
Dawnheart skidded to a halt next to Slatefang and did the same.
"Me too." Dawnheart muttered.
Blizzardstar looked them up and down. His whiskers quivered. Dawnheart held his breath.
"No." Blizzardstar finally said.
Slatefang's ears flattened.
"She was like our mother!" he hissed. There was anger but also sorrow in his voice. "You can't- "
"Yes, I can." Blizzardstar interrupted. "You have had a long night, both of you. You need to rest and grieve." His dark blue eyes were empathetic but his tone was final. He looked to Blackmoth. She met his gaze and nodded.
"I'll see to it, Blizzardstar." Blackmoth promised.
Slatefang growled and glared at the black warrior. She held his gaze and pointedly stood between him and the camp entrance. Slatefang clamped his jaws shut and turned away.
Dawnheart nodded to the patrol and backed away to let them pass. He got sympathetic looks from Whiteshade and Shadowgrove as they passed.
"We'll get justice for Spottedfur." Falconstorm said as he brushed past Dawnheart and through the fern tunnel. Dawnheart watched as the dark warrior's tail disappeared into the forest.
"He can't do this." Slatefang hissed behind him. "He can't make me stay behind."
Dawnheart turned to face his denmate. He knew he should feel Slatefang's anger but he was just so tired. All he wanted to do was sit by Spottedfur's side and close his eyes.
Slatefang turned around and saw Dawnheart's face. To Dawnheart's shock, his green eyes narrowed and he took an aggressive step forward.
"Why weren't you with her?" he demanded. "I told you to protect her."
Taken aback, Dawnheart fumbled over his paws as he tried to back away. "I...I thought she was safe," he stammered.
Slatefang had never looked at him like this. There was real anger in his eyes. Real betrayal.
"I wouldn't have left her if I didn't think she was safe." Dawnheart said desperately. His voice cracked with stress and fatigue.
Slatefang's lip twitched. His eyes widened as he seemed to realize what he was doing. At that moment, Blackmoth moved over to see what was going on. She studied them both with a discerning gaze.
"Spottedfur knew what she was doing." Blackmoth said to Slatefang. "Nothing would have stopped her."
Slatefang's tail drooped and he looked away.
Blackmoth turned to Dawnheart. "It wasn't your fault." she said quietly.
Dawnheart nodded, unable to speak.
They let Blackmoth silently lead them back to Spottedfur's side.
Dawnheart settled down next to her familiar pelt, numb. He closed his eyes and relived moments from the past where Spottedfur was alive and well. This is where she would reside for him now, only in memory, until he joined her in the ever-green forests of StarClan.
. . .
Dawnheart's eyes shot open. He felt a stab of shame. He hadn't meant to fall asleep.
The gray light of dawn was beginning to creep into the forest. It would soon be time for the elders to bury Spottedfur. The camp was silent except for the wheezing breaths of Beepelt and Hollowtree. Dawnheart exhaled and was surprised to see a white cloud mist around his muzzle.
Slatefang tensed beside him.
"I hear the patrol." He muttered into Dawnheart's ear.
Dawnheart strained his senses and he too picked up the sounds of a group of cats making their way to the fern tunnel. After a few moments the patrol pushed their way one by one into the camp. They all bore wounds.
"What happened?" Plumleaf demanded. She rose from her spot at Spottedfur's head and stalked over to the battle-worn warriors. Blizzardstar stepped forward to meet her.
"WillowClan refused to take me to Cougarstar."
Dawnheart was shocked to hear that his leader's normally strong and deep voice had become raspy and thin. An icy claw of horror stabbed at him when he saw a red gash at Blizzardstar's neck.
"You're injured!" Honeyleaf wailed.
"Do you need an extra set of claws to teach WillowClan a lesson?" Croaked Hollowtree.
Beepelt and Foxtail got up and paced. Low growls escaped their throats.
As if summoned by the commotion, a few warriors bound for the dawn patrol slipped out of the warrior's den. Elkheart, Cloudpelt, and Kestrelfeather hurried over once they spotted the crowd.
"How'd it go?" Kestrelfeather began as he padded up to Falconstorm. His eyes widened as his gaze fell on his brother's scratched flank and torn ear. "Great StarClan!"
"You need that patched immediately." Plumleaf said to Blizzardstar. He looked like he was on the verge of arguing but obeyed.
"Shadowgrove and Brushfire you come too. Those wounds need dressing." Plumleaf ordered with a flick of her plumy tail. The warriors followed Plumleaf to the medicine den.
The remaining cats turned their attention to Falconstorm and Whiteshade.
"Can some cat please explain what happened?" Kestrelfeather demanded.
"We went to the border and waited for a patrol." Whiteshade began. "When one finally came, they refused to take us to Cougarstar. When Blizzardstar insisted they threatened us. Brushfire challenged them and they attacked."
"There was more than one patrol by then." Falconstorm grunted between licking his wounds. "We were outnumbered."
Falconstorm's pronouncement was met by more muttering and growls from the elders and queens.
Dawnheart felt a chill. What was happening? The Clans had been at peace for moons and suddenly they were attacking gathering patrols and elders?
Elkheart raised his voice over the noise. "What is Blizzardstar going to do?" he asked.
Whiteshade looked over his gathered Clanmates, battered, grieving, and fearful. His amber eyes dropped to his paws.
"I don't know."