Chapter 1
Blackpaw's Death
"But who would have done this?" A light gray tabby she-cat wailed sorrowfully. At her paws lay the lifeless body of a small black tom. His pelt bore deep claw marks which were still oozing fresh blood. "Come back to me, Blackpaw." Her words were a mournful whisper.
"A very fowl cat, Silverfeather," a large black and white tom replied, the Queen's sadness reflected in his amber eyes. He shook his head slowly. "He's with StarClan now."
"Who did this? Was it a cat from another Clan?" A black tom snarled, coming up beside Silverfeather. "We must get revenge!"
"Badgerfoot," a red tabby tom said calmly. "I can't pick up any distinct scent on your son. There aren't any tufts of fur in-between his claws either. Whoever killed him… knew how to clean up after himself and hide his tracks."
"Redbelly," the black and white tom mewed, beckoning the medicine cat with his tail. "Get them some poppy seed for shock. They're going to need it."
"The whole Clan's going to need it, Rushstar," Redbelly replied solemnly, but he went into his den to fetch the small black seeds.
The rest of the Clan was too shocked to speak. They sat a little apart from the grieving parents, wary and frightened. One of them could have been the traitor, the one who killed the young apprentice.
Rushstar jumped up on the ledge of the rock face and looked down at the broken Clan.
"Cats of ThunderClan," he addressed, not needing to summon them. "The death of young Blackpaw is both unexpected and shocking. But we must move forward and we must be strong!"
Despite their leader's strength, the cats still looked uneasy.
"From now on, three cats will be on the nightly patrol," he decided. "Two at the entrance and one walking around. Apprentices must use the buddy system and always have another cat with them. Queens, never take your eyes off of your kits. Warriors must hunt in twos or more."
Everyone was looking more reassured with a plan in place, but Rushstar went on.
"If anyone knows anything about Blackpaw's death, speak now," he demanded, voice hard. A thick silence fell on the Clan only to be broken by a young golden she-cat.
"I-I think I saw… a cat," mewed the little apprentice in a small voice.
"Speak up, Sunpaw," the leader meowed more gently now.
"I saw a large… white tom earlier… I-I don't know if he has anything to do with Blackpaw…"
"Was he a Clan cat?"
"I'm not sure. He did smell kinda funny," she admitted, nose twitching from the memory.
"Thank you, Sunpaw," Rushstar meowed, dipping his head. "Everyone keep an eye out for this white tom. If he's found, escort him to my den immediately."
Rushstar hopped off of the ledge and watched as his Clan began to mourn. But little did they know, the mourning had only just begun.
