Disclaimer: I don't own Warriors, but I do own the characters created for these stories. Please don't steal any of my characters intentionally.
Chapter Two
Clawstar
Name: Clawfang/Clawstar
Appearance: large, dark gray tom, very light green eyes
Family
Mate: Cindermoon
Kits: Ashfang, Wetpelt
Grandchildren: Mothkit (deceased); Smokekit (deceased); Mistmeadow; Darkeye; Thunderstripe
Apprentices
Ashfang, Cedarspirit
What Has Happened to Him/Her
Clawstar lost most of his lives when he was kidnapped by DarkClan.
Love Ones Lost
"I say these words before the body of Grayfeather, so that he may hear and approve my choice!" Goldenstar meowed as the ThunderClan cats below him looked up at him with sorrow in their eyes. Their leader's ginger pelt moved in a light breeze that blew through the camp. "Clawfang will be the new deputy of ThunderClan."
Clawfang's light green eyes looked up from his paws. His dark gray pelt was jerked around in the wind as he looked up at Goldenstar with surprise. He'd been wondering if Goldenstar would choose him to be his new deputy after Grayfeather had drowned trying to save Smokekit, one of Ashfang's adventerous kits, after he fell into the river between ThunderClan and ShadowClan.
"I will try my best, Goldenstar," Clawfang said to his leader.
Goldenstar nodded before climbing down from the Highledge.
"Congratulations, Clawfang!"
He turned to see one of his daughters, Wetpelt, walking over. Behind her trailed her young kits, Darkkit and Thunderkit.
"Thank you, Wetpelt," Clawfang said.
"I know you'll be a great deputy," Wetpelt meowed to her father. "It's too bad Grayfeather had to die in such a tragic way, though."
Clawfang's eyes filled with worry. "How are Ashfang and her kits? I haven't had a chance to see them since yesterday after I helped bring Grayfeather's body back to camp."
Wetpelt flicked her tail in dismissal. "You know Ashfang. She scolded her kits and punished them by keeping them in the nursery. That must be why you haven't seen them."
There was a frightened yowl suddenly from the medicine cat's den. Clawfang and Wetpelt turned their heads curiously to see what was going on.
Granitetail, a young, dark gray tom with a white face and paws, pushed himself out of the medicine cat's den. Clawfang heard Frostflower shouting Granitetail's name, trying to get him back into her den.
"Fernflight has whitecough!" Granitetail yowled. The tom stumbled and fell to his belly. "Frostflower says that Fernflight has whitecough!"
"Granitetail, I must ask you to come back into the den! You may have caught the sickness as well!" Frostflower said, appearing beside the tom. She pressed on his shoulders with her paws and forced him back inside. "Please, Granitetail. Go and try to comfort your mate."
Goldenstar padded toward his sister from by the fresh-kill pile. Clawfang saw his leader gesture at him to join them. With a glance at his daughter, Clawfang headed over to his leader and medicine cat.
"How bad is it, Frostflower?" Goldenstar asked once Clawfang was seated with them.
Frostflower shook her head. "It isn't looking good, Goldenstar. I need to fetch some catmint, and I will need lots of it. There is no telling how many cats will come down with the sickness. I'll need the help of some apprentices to fetch as much catmint as possible."
Goldenstar nodded. "You may take Oakpaw and Patchpaw with you. Hurry back, Frostflower."
"I will," Frostflower meowed.
Once the medicine cat had gone off with the apprentices, Goldenstar turned to Clawfang. "Come to my den. We need to discuss what could happen."
His belly full of fear, Clawfang followed Goldenstar up to his den above the Highledge. They sat down facing each other, Goldenstar seated in front of his nest of moss.
"This is terrible news, Clawfang. Fernflight and Granitetail have only just found out from Frostflower that she is having kits," Goldenstar said.
Clawfang shook his head. "Did StarClan warn Frostflower about the whitecough?"
"Not that she has told me," Goldenstar meowed. "Frostflower has never had any prophecies; you must know that. She confessed to me that she is beginning to worry that StarClan have decided they don't agree to her being a medicine cat. I've tried to convince her otherwise.
"Fernflight catching whitecough worries me, Clawfang. We have quite a few kits in the Clan right now. Ashfang's kits are ready to be apprenticed, but I have decided not to apprentice them for a few more days as punishment for sneaking out of the camp on their own. My own kits are still young enough to be susceptible to the sickness."
"I'm worried about my grandchildren," Clawfang confessed. "Especially Darkkit and Thunderkit. They are so young still."
Goldenstar nodded solemnly. "We will have to keep a close eye on this. I need to ask anyone who has come in contact with Fernflight in the last day to wait outside Frostflower's den for her to come back. Frostflower will need to look over anyone who has been in contact with Fernflight, to see if anyone else has gotten the sickness." His amber eyes flickered with alarm. "Have you been in contact with Fernflight closely recently?"
"She sleeps on the opposite side of the den from me," Clawfang said. "Other than that, no. I think the last time we went on any patrols together was a few days ago, possibly longer than that."
"Good. Let us go and discuss this with the Clan now," Goldenstar meowed. With a sigh, he said, "Let us pray to StarClan this sickness does not spread far."
Two and a half moons later, ThunderClan was full of weary, sorrowful cats. Three days after Fernflight had come down with whitecough, two of Ashfang's and Thornfur's kits, Mothkit and Smokekit, had come down with whitecough. Within two days, the kits' sickness had become greencough. A day later, the two had passed on to StarClan. Only one of Ashfang's kits, Mistkit, was sparred from the sickness.
Fernflight died a quarter moon after Mothkit and Smokekit, during which time Quickpelt had her kits and Patchpaw and Oakpaw came down with whitecough. A half moon later, Quickpelt's kits, Stripedkit and Tumblekit, came down with the sickness and died. A day later, Patchpaw died and Cindermoon, Clawfang's mate, found out she had come down with the sickness.
Sometime during all of this, Hollowriver, one of the newest warriors, and Volepelt, an older warrior, had both died during a badger attack when the badger gorged Hollowriver's eye out and crushed Volepelt.
Clawfang felt so heavy with sorrow he was afraid he wouldn't be able to move soon.
He'd witnessed the love between his daughter, Ashfang, and her mate, Thornfur, deteriorate as they fought over the fact that their kits, Mothkit and Smokekit, had died.
He'd watched Granitetail struggled with his warrior duties, after he'd been checked over by Frostflower to see if he had whitecough, as he worried about Fernflight.
He had seen the terrible sorrow of Poppyflower when her mate, Volepelt, died because of the badger, and their daughter, Patchpaw, died from greencough.
Was StarClan punishing ThunderClan for something? Clawfang couldn't think of anything ThunderClan had done to deserve this much loss and pain.
He woke one day to a cold, misty morning. When Clawfang slipped out of the warriors' den and into the camp, he found the place nearly deserted. These days, the elders, queens, and kits stayed inside their dens, afraid of catching the sickness. The warriors often went out all day on hunting and border patrols, only occasionally coming back to camp to check on the elders, queens, and kits. Everyone except Frostflower, Goldenstar, and Clawfang stayed away from the medicine cat's den.
Right now, Cindermoon was the only cat left who had greencough. Oakpaw, against all odds, had been the only one so far to pull through the sickness and get better enough to go back to the apprentices' den. Frostflower was keeping him from doing his apprentice's duties, however, until he was over the sickness for at least a quarter moon.
A ginger blur appeared in the mist curling through the camp. Clawfang squinted to see Frostflower walking toward him. Her white fur practically melted into the grayish-white mist. His heart plummeted when he saw the sadness in Frostflower's amber eyes.
"Cindermoon is asking for you," Frostflower whispered softly. "I was hoping I wouldn't have to wake you."
Clawfang closed his eyes and bent his head for a few moments. "Is anyone else in your den?"
"No," Frostflower replied quietly. "Goldenstar has gone to tell Ashfang and Wetpelt. He doesn't want them to be in my den, for the sake of the lives of the rest of the kits."
"My daughters will understand," Clawfang said. He opened his eyes. "Thank you for coming to get me, Frostflower."
The medicine cat nodded and watched him walk over to her den.
Clawfang pushed his way inside and quickly spotted Cindermoon's long, silver fur. He slowly walked over to her and lay down.
Cindermoon's amber eyes opened and focused in on his face. He heard a purr escape her. "Clawfang. I'm glad...you came."
"I couldn't miss saying...good-bye," Clawfang replied, his voice choking.
Another purr rumbled in Cindermoon's chest. "Tell...our kits...I love them...and our grand...children. I'll be...watching over...all of you."
"Oh, Cindermoon," Clawfang whispered, his eyes glistening with tears. "I wish...I wish there was something I could do to stop this."
Cindermoon chuckled, her voice harsh. "I wouldn't want...you to, Clawfang. Good-bye, my love..." She sighed, her last breath escaping through her lips.
Clawfang licked Cindermoon's ear one last time. "Good-bye, my love."
