Chapter 7:

Tears Shed, Mysteries Unraveled

Sandstorm walked along the riverbed, by the RiverClan border, her tail dragging in the wet grass. Tears dropped from her whiskers and she sat down, looking into the swift-moving river. She saw her own reflection, and Firestar's. Sandstorm turned around to see her mate standing behind her, about as sad she was, maybe even more.

"Hey, Sandstorm," mewed Firestar quietly.

Sandstorm nodded, turning back to face the river. She felt like leaping in, being swept away forever, and joining her lost kit. It was all her fault.

"Don't, Sandstorm," Firestar meowed, as if he could read his mate's thoughts, "Leafkit still needs you." He let his tears flow freely, looking into Sandstorm's eyes, "I need you."

Sandstorm shook her head sadly. Firestar padded to her side and pressed his pelt against hers comfortingly.

"It's going to be all right, Sandstorm," muttered Firestar.

"It'll never be all right, Firestar," meowed Sandstorm, "Squirrelkit is gone, and it's all my fault."

"No, it's not," Firestar said, "Nobody's to blame for this."

"Oh, Firestar, why Squirrelkit?" cried Sandstorm, "Why our little kit? Aren't StarClan watching over us? Why didn't they save her?" There was anger hinted in her voice.

"We are not the puppets of StarClan," replied Firestar calmly. "They do what they can, but the rest is up to us."

Sandstorm didn't say anything. She simply stared into the river's vast waters, wishing that she could just wake up from this horrible nightmare and have Squirrelkit and Leafkit curled at her side.

"All hope isn't lost yet," Firestar mewed hopefully.

"What hope is there?" meowed Sandstorm sadly. "Squirrelkit is dead, and she will always be dead."

Firestar sighed, and he and his mate sat quietly together, staring into the river.

Bramblepaw's POV

Bramblepaw couldn't stop thinking about Squirrelkit's death. He didn't have training that day because his mentor, Firestar, was grieving his daughter, so he had time to think.

"It is most likely that the badger got her, but what if it didn't?" he muttered to himself. "But why was there blood?"

"Hey," meowed Frostfur, one of the newer elders, from across the clearing, "Cats will think you're crazy if you keep talking to yourself!"

Bramblepaw shook his head and decided to go out into the forest to think by himself. He settled himself beneath a great oak tree.

"Wait a second – my mother told me that badgers never kill cats to eat, but for the thrill of killing! If the badger had gotten Squirrelkit, there would be a body to show for it." Bramblepaw muttered to himself. "But…if it wasn't the badger…"

"What 'cha doin'?" Cloudtail, a white warrior, padded up.

"Oh, nothing," Bramblepaw answered quickly, "Just…relaxing."

Cloudtail settled himself beside Bramblepaw. "Thinking about what happened to Squirrelkit, aren't you?" he meowed.

Bramblepaw hesitated, then sighed. "Yeah." he admitted. "I was thinking that badgers don't kill cats for food, just for the thrill of it. So there would be a body if Squirrelkit was killed by a badger."

Cloudtail looked puzzled for a moment, then he brightened, meowing, "Hey, you've got a point!" He stood. "We should tell Firestar."

"No," Bramblepaw said quickly, surprising himself. "I want to figure this out first."

Cloudtail grinned. "You want to be a big hero," he mewed, chuckling. "Okay then. Tell me what you find out."

With that, the white warrior disapeared into the forest.

Bramblepaw sighed, staring off into space, deep in thought.

"The badger could've bitten her or something," he muttered, "That could be the case of the blood. Then she could've run away from the badger and hid somewhere! Maybe she's just up a tree or something!"

Excited, Bramblepaw hurried to where Squirrelkit was supposedly killed the night before. He saw where dried blood still stained the leaves. He sniffed it.

Definitely Squirrelkit's, he thought.

He also scented faint traces of badger. He sniffed even harder, opening his mouth to taste the air, trying to find any sign of fresh Squirrelkit scent. He smelled something. But it was stale, and it wasn't Squirrelkit.

"ShadowClan!"