Briarpaw stared into space. His whole body felt numb.
Graystar was dead. His father was dead.
He had just gotten the news moments ago.... He had been sharing a squirrel with Ferntail and telling her about his training when Cedarheart, Briarpaw's half-brother, had approached and told them the whole story. The patrol had been attacked by a huge band of rogues, who had slaughtered Graystar, Mothflight, and Littlestream.
Ferntail had gone to find Orchidpaw, who was out hunting with Stripefur, to break the news to her. Briarpaw had been left alone with his shock and grief.
"Briarpaw?"
The tabby apprentice looked up. Bluepaw was standing next to him, looking a bit nervous.
"Briarpaw..." the other apprentice said. "Look, I'm really sorry. I... It's my fault!" he blurted out. "If I had run faster... or if I had stayed and fought...."
"That's ridiculous," Briarpaw said. His voice – his whole body, in fact – felt as if it belonged to some other cat. "If you had stayed, you would have been killed as well."
Bluepaw just hung his head in sadness. Briarpaw saw that he had a bundle of cobwebs around his right foreleg. Briarpaw felt a stab of resentment toward his best friend. Bluepaw had only suffered one wound, but Graystar had lost his life.
"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather under Star Rock for a Clan meeting!"
Briarpaw's head jerked up. A flare of hope surged through him. Could it be...?
But no. Graystar's body still lay in the center of the camp along with Mothflight and Littlestream. Windystep stood on top of Star Rock, and Briarpaw realized with a jolt that he was now Clan leader.
"Come on," Bluepaw said softly, nudging the tabby to his paws. "This way." Briarpaw dazedly followed his friend toward the place where the rest of the Clan was gathering. Briarpaw only half listened as Windystep told the story of the attack to the Clan.
"We must assume that the rogues will strike again," Windystep said. "From now on, no cat will leave camp alone. Apprentices must be accompanied by a warrior. We will patrol the borders more frequently, and the patrols will consist of more cats. Kits are to stay inside the nursery at all times. Runningbelly and Shreddedear will dig a hole where we will stock up on prey incase the camp is attacked." The Clan was deathly silent, listening in rapture. "Marshpelt," Windystep continued, "you will gather a large patrol of cats -- our best warriors. Check to make sure that the rogues have left the territory. Whitespot, you and the apprentices will reinforce the nursery walls while Braveheart and a team of warriors will reinforce the camp walls. Make sure there are no places where a rogue could sneak in. Blossomfur, Forestpaw, take a few warriors and go gather some herbs to treat wounded cats if there is a battle. The rest of the warriors shall go hunting. Meeting dismissed."
Briarpaw looked around the camp. At Windystep's ending words, cats had leaped to their paws to begin the tasks Windystep had laid out for them. Briarpaw had to admit that Windystep's calm way of handling the crisis had prevented the Clan from panicking. Giving the cats a purpose had cleared their minds and allowed them to push away their grief for the time being.
"Briarpaw?" Whitespot said. "I know this is hard for you, but you should help with the nursery." Briarpaw looked up to see the other apprentices already at work, dragging brambles toward the nursery and weaving them into the gaps. "You will have time to grieve tonight during the vigil," Whitespot said softly. "But right now there is a job to be done. The Clan must be defended." Briarpaw nodded and slowly followed Whitespot toward the nursery.
That evening, the exhausted Clan gathered under Star Rock once more. Windystep was to appoint a new deputy before moonhigh, as was tradition.
"I say these words before the body of Graystar, that his spirit may hear and approve of my choice." Windystep's voice rang out across the clearing. "Sunstorm will be the new deputy of PineClan." Briarpaw turned to look at the ginger tom, who gave Windystep a brief nod. Sunstorm's mate, Brookfur, and his kits, Hawkscar, Lionclaw, and Gingertail, purred with pleasure. He could see Rosepaw's eyes shining with pride: her mentor was the new deputy!
"Graystar was also the mentor of Bluepaw," said Windystep. "He will need a new mentor immediately. We need our apprentices battle-ready. Cloudstorm, you have no apprentice. You shall be Bluepaw's new mentor." Briarpaw dully watched his friend slowly get up to touch noses with Cloudstorm. "Tonight," Windystep said, "I will travel to Dream Pool and receive my nine lives. Meeting dismissed." Windystep jumped down from Star Rock, and Blossomfur was immediately at his side. It looked as if the two cats were heading to Dream Pool right away.
Ferntail was sitting next to Briarpaw. She gently nudged him and they walked toward Graystar's body. Orchidpaw was already there. The three cats, plus Cedarheart and Sandstripe, Graystar's other kits, would spend the night saying their good-byes to their beloved Graystar.
Rosepaw blinked her eyes open and surveyed the apprentice den. It had been a little over a moon since the fateful rogue attack. Rosepaw had just been on the new moonhigh patrol and none of the cats on the patrol had gotten a sniff of the rogues. They seemed to have disappeared, but Windystar would not let his guard down. The Clan was exhausted from the extra patrols, but every cat from Kinkedwhisker to Goldenkit knew that the Clan must be protected: they would not allow another surprise massacre.
The apprentice den was mostly empty. The only other cats in the den were Orchidpaw (who had been on night guard duty with her mentor) and the newest apprentice, Slashpaw. Rosepaw gently prodded the silver apprentice with a forepaw. Since Hazelpaw and Otterpaw – now Hazeltail and Otterpelt – had become warriors, Rosepaw had taken over their duty of helping out the new apprentices.
Slashpaw slowly opened his strange red eyes.
"Wake up," Rosepaw whispered, trying not to wake Orchidpaw. "Windystar will be waiting."
The Clan leader had chosen to mentor the half-loner cat himself, despite the fact that some cats distrusted him for his parentage. Of course, thought Rosepaw to herself, it could be for that very reason that Windystar took him on: to prove that he has no doubts about Slashpaw's loyalty.
"Thanks, Rosepaw," Slashpaw muttered. Rosepaw nodded and left him to groom his pelt. She stepped into the camp and was met with a biting late leaf-fall wind. The sky was overcast, and seemed to convey the mood in the camp. The prey was beginning its winter hibernation and hiding away in its warm burrows. The Clan was hungry, and living in a state of constant fear of the rogues did not help the matter.
Rosepaw could see Sunstorm on the other side of the camp, discussing some matter with Windystar. Rosepaw was proud that her mentor was the deputy, but he was often busy organizing patrols and such. The apprentice decided to bring prey to the nursery while she waited for him. As she was deciding between a mouse and a starling (both way too thin for her liking), Briarpaw approached with a rabbit clamped in his jaws.
"Wow, Briarpaw!" she exclaimed. "That's huge! It's almost bigger than you!"
Briarpaw purred with pleasure.
"I'll bring that to the queens," she said. "It will feed all three of them with some to spare!"
Briarpaw set it down. "Thanks," he said.
Rosepaw purred and brushed her muzzle along his. "Graystar would be proud."
Sadness clouded the tom's eyes for a moment, but then they cleared. "I know he would," he said. "When you're done feeding the queens, do you want to see if Sunstorm and Crowflight will let us go hunting together?"
"I'd love to," Rosepaw purred. When she picked up the rabbit, she grunted in surprise at its weight. Wow, she thought. Briarpaw is such a great hunter! This thing could feed half the Clan!
When she reached the nursery entrance, she set the rabbit by her paws. "Hello?" she called.
"Who's there?" called one of the queens. Whitefeather, Rosepaw thought, recognizing the voice.
"It's me: Rosepaw. I've brought prey," she replied.
"Come in," said Whitefeather with a grateful purr. Rosepaw snatched up the rabbit and trotted into the nursery, her thoughts still full of the sound of Briarpaw's purr. She set the prey in the middle of the nursery.
"Briarpaw caught this," she said. "Isn't it huge?" But her spirits fell a little as she looked around the nursery. All the cats – kits included – were much thinner than they should be, even with leaf-bare approaching.
"Mother!" cried Goldenkit. "Applekit hurt me!"
"Did not!" protested Applekit.
"Kits!" snapped Sandstripe.
"They're getting sick of being cooped up inside all the time," Whitefeather mewed.
Willowfur, Rosepaw's mother, walked over to say hello. Her belly was plump with kits; they should be born within the next moon. The queen purred and bumped her nose against Rosepaw's ear. "How is your training going?" she asked.
"Wonderfully," Rosepaw replied.
"What are you going to do today?" asked the queen.
"Hopefully we're going hunting. I don't know for sure yet," Rosepaw replied.
"Hopefully?" Willowfur asked, curious.
"I want to go with Briarpaw," Rosepaw gushed. "He's such a great hunter. He's going to be an amazing warrior." All the queens purred with amusement.
"Well, you'd better run along then," said Willowfur. "You shouldn't keep him waiting."
"Bye!" Rosepaw meowed, dashing out of the den.
"There you are, Rosepaw," said Sunstorm, spotting her as she stepped into the cloudy camp.
"Hello, Sunstorm," she replied. "Can we go hunting with Briarpaw and Crowflight today?"
Sunstorm looked surprised. "I was planning to do battle training today, but I guess the prey pile is getting a bit thin."
"Thank you, Sunstorm!" she cried. "You're the best."
Sunstorm let out a small purr. "Really? Even before I've told you that you and Leafpaw are going to the Gathering tonight?"
Rosepaw's meow of surprise and delight was his answer.