Thanks to everyone who reviewed last chapter! I'm glad to have some new reviewers, because you guys are what keep me going! Everyone was so worried about poor Cinder that I'm almost sorry to say we won't be seeing her this chapter. Instead, we'll see what's going on in StoneClan from Sharpthorn's POV.
Disclaimer: Don't own Warriors, savvy?
Sharpthorn padded into the den and had to fight the urge to flinch as the smell of sickness surrounded him. His brother's ragged, labored breathing echoed through the air. He forced a false smile on his face as he approached the tabby leader. "How are you feeling this morning?" he asked.
At first, he though Breezestar didn't recognize him. Finally, however, there was a hoarse sigh. "Sharpthorn." He took another deep breath, and the black cat could hear the rattling in his chest. "I lost another life last night," the tabby leader murmured. "Only one left."
The blue-eyed medicine cat cursed himself for not staying the night in the den. "What did StarClan say?" he asked. He began to sort through the herbs he had placed in the den yesterday. Everything was as he left it, except the poppy seeds were missing.
"I saw Mother," he answered. Sharpthorn went perfectly still, glaring at the herbs. He could feel his brother's eyes on his back. "She says she was sorry for what she did, brother. She said she regrets everything." The thin tom resisted the urge to bristle.
"She's apologized to me as well, Breezestar, but that doesn't change what she did." His mew was quiet and he pulled the juniper berries and chamomile out of the pile. "An apology does not change the past." He passed the herbs to his brother. "Eat these," he instructed. "Did you take the three poppy seeds I left here yesterday?"
The pale tabby did as he was told, amber eyes distant and clouded. As he swallowed, he shook his head. "No, I didn't." The sick cat paused for a moment, his breathing coming a little easier as he didn't speak. "You have to let go of the past, Sharpthorn. I don't think Mother ever meant to harm us when she pushed us to our limits. It was the way she showed her love."
Sharpthorn listened until he mentioned their mother. "I will not forgive and forget, brother," he growled. "You and Smokeclaw were the favorite sons, so you never saw the side of her that I did." His icy eyes darkened with anger as he remembered the screaming tirades.
"Sharpthorn, you must—"
"That cat is the reason our sister is gone!" the medicine cat snarled, his temper flaring. All was silent in the den for a moment, and the stench of death seemed stronger than ever. "I'm sorry," the medicine cat meowed. "I should not have raised my voice like that. But Ivykit left because of our mother, and she never came back."
The leader waved a paw. "It's all right. I miss her as well." His eyes, clouded as they were, darkened a bit. "Cinderwing didn't stop by this morning. She always comes by to wish me a good morning and ask how I'm doing. Have you seen her?'
The black cat frowned at the mention of the gray tabby. "No, I haven't seen her." Not since last night, when she was sitting at the edge of camp. "I'll go ask around," he mewed. He pushed the last of the herbs toward his brother, coltsfoot. "Eat this."
His brother pushed it away. "Later. Do you think I'm going to die?"
The question caught Sharpthorn off-guard, knocking the breath out of him as well as any blow to the stomach. "I..." He trailed off. "Yes, I think you're going to die," he answered truthfully.
The gray tabby nodded. "Thank you." He closed his eyes. "I'm tired. Go tend to your other patients. I'll be fine." The leader curled up in a ball, and Sharpthorn could barely recognize his enthusiastic, reckless brother.
The black tom nodded. "I will. May StarClan watch over you, brother." When the dying leader didn't respond, Sharpthorn sighed and padded out of the den. He promptly ran into a cat with ginger fur.
"I'm sorry, Sharpthorn!" the she-cat meowed, backing away quickly. It took him a moment to recognize her. Russetwhisker. Breezestar's first apprentice. "I just wanted to come and check on the leader, and I wasn't expecting you there. It was my fault." She continued to babble, apologies tumbling out of her mouth.
"It's fine," he interrupted sharply. "No harm done. Breezestar is asleep at the moment, but you're free to go in. Now, have you seen Cinderwing?"
The ginger she-cat shook her head slowly. "No one's seen her all morning."
The thin medicine cat felt the cold touch of dread. "When you see Sparkstorm, ask him to come to my den. I need to speak with him about gathering a patrol to find her." He felt a bit of relief as the she-cat nodded without any questions.
He quickly walked over to his den, trying to reason with himself. She's probably just out hunting, he reasoned. She'd want to be by herself, so she most likely wouldn't tell anyone. She likes to be by herself, just like her father once did. A bitter smile curled his lips as he thought of his deceased brother, Smokeclaw. He and Cinderwing's mother had died very young. Cinderwing had never known her parents.
In his den, all was silent. Wrenpaw slept peacefully in her nest, carefully positioned so she wasn't laying on any of her burns. The she-cat had been trapped in the apprentice den during the fire that had recently ravaged camp. His store of herbs destroyed, he was unable to help her as infection spread and took her eyesight.
She tossed her head in her sleep, shifting slightly. "Marigold..." she murmured. "On...claws." He shot her a glance as she began to talk in her sleep. The black cat walked over to wake her up, but he was startled by the sound of pawsteps outside of his den. He whipped around, fur bristling until he recognized the cat.
"You had Russetwhisker come for me?" the golden tom asked, stepping inside. The deputy's blue eyes roamed about the den, finally settling on the medicine cat. He sat down, wrapping a striped tail around his paws.
"Yes," Sharpthorn meowed, "I did. No one has seen Cinderwing since last night. She's been gone all morning. I was wondering if you would send a few cats out to look for her. I'm worried for her."
The deputy didn't answer, instead studying Wrenpaw. "How is she doing?" the tabby asked, gesturing to the burned apprentice with his tail. "I haven't heard much about her condition."
"She's doing a little better," he said impatiently. "The infection has stopped spreading, and most of her burns are healing. She hasn't regained her sight, and she doesn't remember anything about the fire." He lashed his tail. "Now, we need to send the patrol soon."
"We won't be sending one," Sparkstorm meowed. His expression was of polite disinterest, but there was a gleam in his eyes that the medicince cat didn't like.
"What are you talking about?" Sharpthorn hissed. "She's been missing all day, and it's almost sunhigh! Someone needs to be looking for her." His claws unsheathed, clicking against the floor of the den.
The younger tom smirked. "We won't send a patrol, because we're not going to look for her." His voice grew quiet and deadly. "I suggest you sheathe your claws, or you might go missing as well. That would just be tragic, wouldn't it?"
Sharpthorn felt a flash of surprise before the fury rose up in him. "You set her up!" he snarled, hackles rising. "I would kill you where you stand right now, but I'll let Breezestar handle it." He stalked forward, but the golden tabby blocked his path.
"Going to tell the Clan? I don't think so." The deputy's smirk widened into a smile. "You see, I know something about you, Sharpthorn. Something that no one else knows. I'm sure the Clan would love to hear about why you have that scar."
The black medicine cat stopped in his tracks, pure shock written all over his face. He paled under his pelt. How could anyone have found out? He had always been so careful. "You don't know what you're talking about, kit," he growled.
The golden cat looked amused. "I think I do, actually. I wonder what the Clan would think about their medicine cat if they knew your secret. Don't you think your brother would love to have those be the last words he'd ever hear, that his brother has lied to him about something for so long?"
"Leave my brother out of this!" he hissed, slashing his claws across the deputy's cheek. To his brief satisfaction, blood began to drip down Sparkstorm's muzzle. The medicine cat bared his fangs in a razor-sharp smile.
Sparkstorm hissed with pain before his blue eyes darkened in fury. "You'll pay for that," he growled. "Understand one thing before I leave. This is my Clan now. These cats will do as I tell them to, or I'll kill the ones who disobey. This is the dawning of my reign, and things are going to change. I will rip you apart before I let you stand in my way."
Out in camp, a wail of misery echoed through the air. "Sharpthorn!" Russetwhisker's voice shrieked.
"Run along," the golden tabby said, grinning.
The black cat glared at him. "I'll go, but you understand one thing before I leave. I am a loyal cat of StoneClan. The real StoneClan, not what it will be under your leadership. My Clanmates are my family, and I will do anything to protect my family. I will be ripped apart before you receive your nine lives, because I'm going to do everything in my power to kill you. Because I have nothing left to lose."
The deputy smirked. "We'll see about that, Sharpthorn. I'm going to look forward to killing you." He chuckled. "Now go and see what your Clanmates want."
The black tom stalked out of the den. Russetwhisker met him halfway through camp. She was horrorstruck and wailing. "I was in the den with him, and he woke up all of a sudden. He w-was in p-pain, asking for poppy s-seeds. There weren't any, and I didn't know what to d-do. He...he..." The ginger cat broke off in another wordless wail, and he pushed her out of the way.
He raced through camp and to Breezestar's den, pushing cats out of his way. "Let me through!" he snarled as he shoved two warriors away from the den's entrance. His brother say in his nest, eyes open and dull, the light of life having left them. He felt something inside of him break as he stared at his brother's corpse. He reached forward with a shaking paw and closed his eyes. "May your spirit watch over us, brother," he said in a shaky whisper.
He turned and padded out of the den, oblivious to the cries of mourning and the murmured apologies. He padded straight to his den, but stopped in his tracks at the entrance. Placed at the mouth of his den were three poppy seeds and a tuft of golden fur.
And so begins a new era.
And with a new era beginning, our new chapter ends! Yes, I was a little sad about killing off Breezestar, but I think it turned out well. Sparkstorm's an evil little kitty, but you've only just seen the beginning. We'll have Cinderwing in the next chapter, so don't worry about her. Please keep reviewing you guys!