Badgerpaw scrambled to her paws and limped as quickly as she could over to her mentor. "Featherleg!" she cried.
Her mentor's belly bled heavily, and his chest was heaving for breath. "Badgerpaw…" he mewed quietly. "He said… but I don't think…"
"Featherleg, please don't go!" Badgerpaw cried. "You're my mentor! I still have so much to learn!" She felt completely numb. This can't be happening. He was going to kill me, not him!
Featherleg took a last, shuddering breath before he went still and his eyes grew glossy. Badgerpaw's eyes widened. "No…"
She felt barely aware of the silence on the battlefield, barely aware that the fighting had stopped. She buried her face into Featherleg's fur. "No…" she mewled. "You can't be gone, no…"
She felt a bigger cat sit down beside her and the scent told her that if was Raventail. The dark tom was trembling.
Redstar's voice broke out across the battlefield. "Do you see what your lust for territory has gotten you?" he growled. "The Clans have lost a brave warrior, and your Clan has made a murderer!"
"I-I didn't mean to!" Flyfang cried, but Badgerpaw new the fear in his voice was faked. "I didn't want to kill him!"
Anger flared up inside Badgerpaw. She looked him, her teeth bared. "Yes you did!" she snapped. "You were about to kill me too, before he stopped you! And then you killed him!" Her voice shook. "You're rotten!"
Raventail placed his tail on her flank and caught her eye. His gaze, though filled with grief, asked her for silence.
"Muddyfoot, your Clan trained this cat and named him a warrior," Redstar meowed, his voice cold as the air. "Why would you allow such training? Why would your Clan do any of this?"
The deputy spoke. "Ashstar trained Flyfang and told us to fight for this strip of territory," he meowed. His tone surprised Badgerpaw- it was filled with guilt. "It is against the code to disobey your leader. I never wished to cause this harm."
"What your leader does is outside the code," Raventail hissed, rising. "It is within your right to go against her. Crossing borders, encouraging her apprentice to kill?" His tail lashed.
A tabby ShadowClan cat stepped forward. "The RiverClan border is being attacked, too. They came to us asking for aid too, and we sent it, but StarClan knows how the battle is truly going. If you truly feel that you didn't want to harm the other Clans, go fight on the side of RiverClan."
"I can't betray my leader," Muddyfoot growled, though he sounded forlorn. "I will take my warriors and leave. Flyfang will be punished for what he's done. I am sorry for your Clan's loss."
The WindClan cats began walking away. Most looked guilty, though Flyfang's face was clear. He didn't seem to care about the pain that he had just brought upon ThunderClan. He only looked concerned at the prospect of punishment.
Redstar turned to look across his warriors and allies. "Thank you for fighting with us today, ShadowClan," he meowed. "Ashstar's attempts to divide the Clans have only brought us closer together."
A ginger tom the Badgerpaw vaguely recognized as Whiskerear moved forward. "ShadowClan is glad that we were able to help," he meowed. "WindClan was outside the code. If we had not fought alongside you, we would be breaking the code ourselves." He bowed his head. "The loss of Featherleg is a loss for all the Clans. ShadowClan will grieve tonight."
Raventail stepped forward, past Badgerpaw and the body of his brother. "I thank you personally," he meowed. "We may have lost more if you had not come."
Whiskerear dipped his head. "ShadowClan will be leaving, now." He raised his tail and beckoned his warriors.
"Do you need an escort?" Redstar asked.
The ginger tom shook his head. "I promise you can trust us," he meowed. "We aren't about to start another fight between Clans."
"Very well. Farewell."
The ShadowClan cats began to bound away. ThunderClan cats moved around and began to check on friends and relatives. Badgerpaw remained unmoved from her spot beside her mentor.
"Badgerpaw, are you okay?" Thistlepaw asked, walking over to her. "I know that you lost Featherleg, but are you okay?"
Badgerpaw only shrugged.
Thistlepaw scuffed her paws across the grass. "We're about to head back to camp. Can you walk?"
Another shrug.
"Are you going to help carry-"
"Just leave me alone!" Badgerpaw snapped. "I don't want to talk right now."
Thistlepaw took a step back. "I'm sorry," she meowed. "I'll just… go with Cloudflower, now."
Badgerpaw felt her chest twist a bit after being so harsh to her sister, but she really didn't want to talk- she just wanted to be left alone with Featherleg.
It seemed she wouldn't be aloud that.
"We must go back to camp now," Raventail meowed gently. "You can help carry him, if you'd like."
Badgerpaw nodded dully. She stood on stiff legs, barely noticing the pain in her ankle.
Raventail ducked under Featherleg's chest and shimmied the large tom's body onto his back. Badgerpaw did the same with his backside and they supported his weight back to camp.
The few cats left in camp- the queens, the kits, the elders, the medicine cats, and Heathertooth and Whiteflower- were waiting in the clearing anxiously.
"Is everyone alri-" Heathertooth started, before he stopped when he saw Featherleg's limp body.
"Raventail!" Sparrowkit cried happily. He was about to leap forward to greet his father until Rockwind placed her paw in front of him.
Badgerpaw placed her mentor down in the middle of camp. Raventail laid down beside him, and Badgerpaw did the same.
"Raventail!" Duststripe cried. The old tom moved stiffly, but quickly forward. "What happened to your brother?" His voice was thick with grief. "My son… I was supposed to go before you." He collapsed by the silver tom's body.
Redstar had leaped up to Highledge and called out across the Clan camp. "We have lost the life of a noble warrior," he meowed. His shoulders shook. "Featherleg did not die in vain. Muddyfoot has promised to stop the crossing of our borders."
Meows of victory rose from the cats.
Have they already forgotten Featherleg? Badgerpaw thought bitterly.
"Berrypaw and Harepaw fought bravely during this battle," Redstar mewed, "and I think it is high time that they were named warriors."
Harepaw and Berrypaw moved forward to stand beneath highledge. Berrypaw was practically purring in delight. Badgerpaw narrowed her eyes. How dare she, after such a loss!
"I, Redstar, leader of ThunderClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on these apprentices," Redstar meowed, his voice having lost any trace of grief. "They have trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend them to you as a warrior in their turn.
"Berrypaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"
Berrypaw held her head up proudly. "I do!"
"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name," Redstar meowed. "Berrypaw, from this moment on you will be known as Berryspots. StarClan honors your optimism and fighting skills, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan."
Redstar jumped down from Highledge and placed his muzzle upon Berryspots' forehead, and Berryspots licked his shoulder respectfully before she stepped away with gleaming eyes.
Redstar jumped back onto highledge to adress Harepaw. "Harepaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"
"I do," Harepaw meowed solemly.
"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Harepaw, from this moment on, you will be known as Hareclaw. StarClan honors your energy and your tracking skills, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan."
"Berryspots! Hareclaw! Berryspots! Hareclaw!" The Clan's cheer rose high as Hareclaw and Redstar performed what Redstar had done with Berryspots. Even those lying with Featherleg now raised their voices joyfully.
How can they all so easily forget Featherleg? Badgerpaw growled to herself, tail lashing. He was one of the strongest warriors in the Clan, and no one but me cares that he's dead!
