Warriors New Rivals
Chapter 24
"Get ready!" Brindlestar's call sounded from the highcliff. A storm had started and left the clan in a panic, rain poured down and lightning strikes split the sky.
"Get ready for what, our death?" Honeyclaw stammered, her eyes were filled with horror.
"I promise to keep you safe," Chestfall soothed the she-cat by laying his tail on her shoulder.
"Thank-you Chestfall, I've never seen anything like this in all my days," Honeyclaw explained. Chestfall was more terrified than he had ever been, not just for himself but for his clan.
"Be safe my love," Honeypelt had appeared beside him obviously telling that he was terrified.
"As long as you do the same," Chestfall rubbed his cheek against hers and gave her swift lick on her forehead.
"Mummy I'm getting wet," Chestfall heard Wolfkit complain. The nursery had been torn apart by wind and debris so the queens had been forced into a little shelter by the apprentices den. Lightwhisker was standing over her kits trying to keep them dry but nothing seemed to work as the rain was being blown all over the place.
"I'm sorry my sweet," Lightwhisker reached down and gave her kit's soaking pelt a quick lick.
"We have to move, it's too dangerous here," Brindlestar ordered.
"Moonblaze, Chestfall, and all the queens come with me!" Redfeather instantly ordered.
How convenient I'm with my two parents. Chestfall thought to himself before he followed them out of the thorn tunnel.
"We should use the bridge toward Streamclan!" Chestfall had been placed at the back but he could still shout loud enough to tell Redfeather about his idea.
"Alright!" Redfeather steered off toward the bridge but when they arrived the bridge had been flooded and they had no choice but to swim across.
"I can't go across that with my kits!" Lightwhisker exclaimed. At this point Lightwhisker was the only queen with kits, Sweettuft and Cherrywhisker hadn't had theirs yet.
"Give them to me and Chestfall, we will find a different way across," Moonblaze advised. Lightwhisker didn't look too happy with the idea at first but eventually she nodded and gave her kits to Moonblaze and Chestfall.
"Promise you'll come back?" Lightwhisker pleaded to her mate. Moonblaze nodded with a deep sadness in his eyes, the two cats touched noses and split apart.
"Let's go," Moonblaze ordered. He quickly swooped up Wolfkit in his jaws and signalled for Chestfall to do the same with Springkit. They both pelted off further downstream, suddenly the sky lit up and huge lightning strike hit a tree causing it to come falling down.
"Moonblaze watch out!" Chestfall tried to shout but it was too late, his father had been crushed by the enormous tree.
"Chestfall!" Wolfkit's meow sounded from where the tree had fallen, Chestfall hid Springkit in a bush and went to find Wolfkit and he found him sitting beside his father who was lying motionless beneath the tree.
"Go to your littermate, she needs you," Chestfall ordered the kit that walked away toward his sister.
"Chestfall?" Moonblaze gasped. Chestfall stared at his father who was trapped underneath the tree with no chance of escaping.
What is that? Chestfall heard a strange noise heading toward them, he jumped on top of the tree and saw a huge wave filled with broken branches and leaves and twigs cascading toward them.
"Don't worry I'll get you out," Chestfall jumped down from the tree and started clawing at the ground beneath his father.
"Go now, there's no time!" Moonblaze ordered; his meow full of sadness and grief.
"No, I won't leave you!" Chestfall replied.
"Save your brother and sister," Moonblaze pleaded, Chestfall turned his head around and saw the two kits sitting beside each other, their eyes filled with horror and sadness.
"No you can't leave me like this," Chestfall whined, falling to the ground beside his father.
"Please leave me I'm not going to make it, you save yourself and your brother and sister," Moonblaze soothed Chestfall, facing his two beautiful kits.
"I'm so sorry…" Chestfall turned around and picked up his brother and sister.
"Tell your mother I love her!" Moonblaze called, someone faced his father one more time and nodded before pelting through the forest away from the wave.
"What about daddy?" Springkit asked Chestfall, whose pelt was soaked with rain.
"Don't worry, daddy will meet us later," Wolfkit replied.
Chestfall didn't answer either of the kits. They'll find out the truth later… Chestfall grieved, when they arrived at the other side of the river most of the clan was already there sharing tongues in a makeshift camp. They all went silent as they saw Chestfall trod slowly into the centre of the camp. Lightwhisker was the first to run to Chestfall, and she was then followed by Honeypelt, Swiftleap and Dapplecoat.
"Where is…" Lightwhisker's meow trailed off as she realised what had happened. Chestfall shook his head slowly before flopping to the ground in exhaustion; Honeypelt laid down next to him and gave his cheek a soothing lick.
"See, if mummy is here then daddy will get here soon," Wolfkit told Springkit who didn't look too convinced.
"I'm sorry my beautiful kits, but your father isn't coming home," Lightwhisker told the kits, trying not to show too much.
"When will he be coming home?" Springkit asked.
"Never…" Lightwhisker hung her head low and both kits rubbed themselves against her to sooth her.
"Chestfall, is this true?" Redfeather grieved, Moonblaze had been best friends with Redfeather and Birchthorn.
"Yes, it is, I'm so sorry," Chestfall told the tom. Redfeather and Birchthorn glanced at each other with deep sadness.
"Just because he is gone does not mean his spirit won't live on, Moonblaze will always be remembered," Brindlestar split into the crowd of cats and praised the dead warrior. Chestfall looked around the clearing for Splashheart but she was nowhere to be seen.
"Where's Splashheart?" Chestfall asked Honeypelt, he stood up and looked around the clearing.
"I don't know, I didn't see her come in with the rest of us," Honeypelt began to look worried, her gaze whipped around the clearing.
"I have to go find her," Chestfall raced to the thorn tunnel but was stopped by Brindlestar.
"The storm is still raging out there it's too dangerous," Brindlestar ordered, the leaves of the makeshift tunnel rustled announcing the arrival of Splashheart; her eyes were filled with deep sadness.
How did she already know?
"Splashheart, are you alright?" Brindlestar asked the she-cat. She simply looked up and faced her leader before padding off to the side of the clearing and started grooming her soaked pelt.
"Do you know?" Chestfall approached his sister wearily.
"About what?" Splashheart stopped cleaning herself and faced her brother.
"Moonblaze is dead…" Chestfall told his sister, her eyes filed with deep sadness and shock and all around him the clan went silent, Splashheart stood up and faced the clan.
"My father was the best father any cat could ask for, he understood how you felt and he knew how to help you even if you didn't know yourself, he will be forgotten in the future but remembered in the past," Splashheart preached.
This is the last chapter in this book, my next book is called 'Warriors Sky of Dreams' so make sure you look out for it ;)