A small she-cat purred with pride as she picked up the small mouse at her paws and headed back towards WindClan's camp. The morning sun shown brightly off her thin, ginger coat. When she returned to the camp, a forlorn black tom was standing guard.
"'Ello, 'Eed'er," the ginger purred through her mouse, wagging her tail briefly back and forth in greeting. The tom, whose name was pronounced Seedfur, merely nodded to her, scarcely looking up from his paws.
Inside camp, the ginger's mood faltered a little when she caught sight of a young warrior named Rushtail lying outside the warriors' den. His fur was dull and badly matted. It scarcely resembled the handsome, fluffy auburn pet it used to be. The tom's amber eyes stared blankly into the distance. "'Uf'ail?" she asked quietly, coming over to his side and setting down the mouse. "Rushtail?" she said again, this time clearly.
The tom slowly lifted his head. "Oh, hello, Palepaw. I'm fine, just a little tired." When a worried look came to her eyes, he added, "I just didn't sleep well last night, that's all…" Palepaw stared at him hard for a long moment, as if she wasn't sure she believed him. He sighed, "Alright, so that's not all…" He frowned and looked down at his paws with a sorrowful expression. "Berrynose, Larchpelt, and Hollypaw just got back from burying Fleetfoot."
"Oh, Rushtail!" Palepaw exclaimed sympathetically and brushed her tail across his cheek comfortingly. "You liked her a lot, didn't you?" The tom nodded, not looking up from his paws. Palepaw herself sighed with a sad frown. "She's in a better place, you know. Fleetfoot will always watch WindClan from Silverpelt." She paused. "She'll always watch you from Silverpelt, too."
Rushtail smiled softly and looked up at the apprentice. "Thanks, Palepaw; you always know how to make someone feel better. You haven't been taking lessons from Soulsparrow, have you?" he teased, giving her a soft cuff on the ear.
Palepaw gave a soft purr and nudged the mouse towards him. "Want to share?"
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Three cats crouched over the limp form of a she-cat. One of them, a very pale tabby, gave the dead cat a final lick before stepping back. "I-I couldn't even save Bluefish... And she was so strong…" the tabby whimpered and hung her head.
"It's not your fault, Sparrowleaf," said the only tom, a lanky gray warrior named Skythicket.
The third cat, a green-eyed tabby she-cat, nodded. "You've kept Rainkit alive, afterall."
Sparrowleaf dipped her head in thanks to them, although sorrow still clouded her eyes. "I think Rainkit should stay in here with me, just to be sure Eagleheart doesn't get sick. I'm sure you would prefer that, am I right, Skythicket?" she added, giving the tom a sideways glance. Skythicket tensed and nodded quickly. Eagleheart, a queen, was Skythicket's mate and had given birth only a few days before.
"And what of Mudpaw?" the other she-cat interrupted, her voice still filled with urgency. "Has he improved at all? Surely he will not follow his mentor Fleetfoot's path to StarClan," she urged the medicine cat, barely able to hold her panic at bay. This she-cat, usually very fierce in nature, was Wildheart, WindClan deputy. Already, half of her Clan had been lost to the sickness, even her powerful former-apprentice Snowstep.
The medicine cat shook her head slowly. "I'm sorry, Wildheart, but I don't know." She sighed. "Mudpaw is beyond my help now. Whether he lives or dies tonight is entirely up to StarClan above." Sparrowleaf paused again. "But, I'll tell you now, we'll be lucky if either Mudpaw or Elmstar are still with us come dawn tomorrow."
Wildheart let out an exasperated grunt. "We can all see Elmstar get worse daily! He insists on going out with Palepaw everyday to train." The tabby turned and paced back and forth. "Why couldn't he just have been sensible and given her training to you, Skythicket, or even Rushtail, for all I care!"
"What are we going to do?" Skythicket asked in a quiet voice, looking directly to Wildheart for guidance. "She's still young and knows little; Rainkit here could probably stalk prey quieter than her…" He sighed. "But, still, you know Elmstar; he's much too stubborn to pass Palepaw's training on to another warrior. And," he looked almost frightened as he said this, "Elmstar isn't even teaching her correctly anymore. The other day he tried to tell her that ShadowClan were our allies! Which they were," he added, "when I was a kit! Wildheart, what can we do? Elmstar has led WindClan since before I was born, before you were born even; what will we do without him?"
Wildheart gave Skythicket a sharp cuff on the ear. "WindClan is not dead yet! And, as long as there's a breath still left in me, that is how it will remain. Elmstar may be beyond help, but that doesn't mean we all are!"
"Think of Berrynose," Sparrowleaf put in. "She'll give birth soon, to her first litter, even. So long as there is hope for any of us, WindClan will live on." When Skythicket nodded to her, Sparrowleaf went on. "It's obvious what we've got to do, isn't it?"
Wildheart and Skythicket nodded.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Palepaw winced inwardly as Elmstar nearly fell as he leapt up onto the Roundstone, an evenly round, silver boulder. From the base of the stone, Sparrowleaf was watching him with keen, worried eyes.
"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey ga—" Elmstar broke off to have a coughing fit. When he looked up again, most of the clan was gathered before him, looking alarmed. He flashed them all a small smile before it vanished. "I have grave news for you all. Bluefish has gone to hunt with StarClan." Multiple cats wailed aloud in shock and grief. Elmstar coughed more until everyone fell silent again. "But, now, we turn to a brighter subject. Training has been going well and now we must name one of our apprentices a warrior."
Palepaw looked enviously over to where Hollypaw and Whitepaw were glancing excitedly at one another. However, her envy turned to shock at what the tabby leader said next.
"Palepaw, step forward."