This is probably the worst chapter I have written! Ever! And if you look at Chapter 1-5, that is saying something. I hope you can hold your lunch. But please read it! And please review! -puppy dog eyes- Please?
Rosepaw had tried everything she could.
"Eat it, Cheerypaw." Rosepaw mewed desperately, as she pushed a poppy seed towards the apprentice.
Cheerypaw let out a grunt, and started to writhe around in pain some more, flailing her limbs about. Her piercing screams made Rosepaw wonder if some ShadowClan warriors were mumbling at that moment about how loud ThunderClan were.
Behind Rosepaw, she was acutely aware of Turtlefeather and Furrytail staring in horror at what they knew would be their fate soon enough.
Heatherpelt had already died.
"Great StarClan!" Turtlefeather gasped. "Rosepaw, can't you give her something to ease the pain?"
"I'm trying to give her a poppy seed!" Rosepaw snapped, getting really impatient with the whole matter. Everyone seemed to think that she had no idea what she was doing!
Turtlefeather looked taken back at Rosepaw's attitude, but she shook her head. "That's not what I meant, Rosepaw. I mean ease the pain. Forever."
Rosepaw stared at Turtlefeather in horror. The queen was suggesting that she kill Cheerypaw! And Turtlefeather was Cheerypaw's mother!
"I think that would be best…" Furrytail murmured softly, looking at her paws. "She's in such pain."
And Furrytail was Cheerypaw's mentor!
"How can you be so cold-hearted!?" Rossepaw cried turning back to the cat that was clearly in more agony then she could imagine.
"I agree with them."
Rosepaw pricked her ears, and turned to the familiar voice. Streamstar stood before her, twitching her tail curiously. "Rosepaw," her leader breathed. "There's nothing you can do. She will journey to StarClan. At least this way, it will be less painful. Give her some yew."
"Yew? You mean deathberries?" Rosepaw cried, her eyes widening. Streamstar nodded. "Furrytail," she murmured turning to Cheerypaw's mentor. "Before we send Cheerypaw on the journey, I am going to give her a warrior name to carry to StarClan."
"That would be best," Furrytail sighed, lowering her gaze. "Something honorable."
Rosepaw shivered. These cats had just chosen to kill Cheerypaw! Sure, it was out of mercy…but if StarClan hadn't called her yet, then they hadn't called her yet! They had no right to take StarClan's will into their own paws!
Rosepaw opened her mouth to object, but Streamstar had begun the ceremony.
"StarClan," her mother breathed her voice coming out just the faintest whisper, "This apprentice has trained the ways of your honorable code, and has given her life to serve her Clan. Receive her as a warrior. Let this warrior, be known as Cheerysong."
Rosepaw padded towards the apprentice and her mother, and noticed how Cheerysong's tabby pelt was matted with blood. As was the moss in which the poor she-cat lay on.
"Give her the yew." Streamstar ordered. Rosepaw didn't budge, and Streamstar's voice hardened. "Give her the yew, Rosepaw!"
Rosepaw was about to say that StarClan would call Cheerysong when they called her, but…they called her. Cheerysong suddenly stopped her spasms, and was silent.
"StarClan called her." Streamstar breathed, saying exactly what Rosepaw was about to. "Before I came in here," the leader continued, as if there wasn't a dead cat before her, as if there weren't three cats in front of her who knew in their hearts that they were going to die, as if the medicine cat wasn't plotting a coup against the leader. "I spoke to the Clan about The Blood…they'll be keeping a lookout for anything suspicious…" Streamstar didn't wait for Rosepaw to answer, and bounded out of the den. Most likely she had instinctively known that the medicine cat had been ready to claw her eyes out for a couple of mouse-tails.
Coward.
"Cheerysong has gone to StarClan…" Turtlefeather murmured her leaf-green eyes wide with disbelief. "First Raykit, then Cheerysong…" she wrapped her tail protectively around Morningkit, as if she could defend her other daughter from The Blood.
"She'll be meeting me, at least, soon." Furrytail sighed. "Both Heatherpelt, my mother, and my apprentice, will greet me."
"Don't talk like that!" Rosepaw ordered, as she began to look at Morningkit, who only had her ears spewing out blood.
"If I end up like Cheerysong," Furrytail continued. "You know, in that agony, Rosepaw, don't hesitate to give me the yew. I don't want to endure that pain."
Turtlefeather mewed something that might have been an agreement.
"Uh…" Rosepaw stared at the Queen and the warrior not knowing what to say. How could she…?
"Rosepaw, Rosepaw!"
Rosepaw jerked her head behind her, and saw Robinwing leap into the den, nodding her head to the exit of the den. "There are a couple of RiverClan cats here. To see you, I think."
Rosepaw looked at Robinwing like she had told Rosepaw that there was a deer in their camp that was requesting to become a medicine cat apprentice.
"Who is it?" Rosepaw asked, flicking her tail towards Turtlefeather and Furrytail. "I'm a little busy right now…"
"It's important," Robinwing murmured, as she padded from the dead.
"I'll be back in a heartbeat," Rosepaw promised the worried cats, as she crawled from her den into the camp.
…
As Rosepaw exited her den, she was greeted by Blackshadow, who wasted no time in telling her to go into Streamstar's den, which she did.
"Robinwing mentioned a RiverClan cat?" Rosepaw asked, padding into the den.
Streamstar's ocean blue eyes glowed, as she flicked her tail to the cat sitting beside her, who Rosepaw recognized at Thorntail's old mentor from RiverClan, Speedtail. Beside the spotted tom, was a small golden she-cat that Rosepaw didn't recognize. And beside her, to Rosepaw's surprise and distain, was Spottedlight.
"Duststar sent us," the RiverClan she-cat explained giving Rosepaw a curt nod.
Rosepaw had assumed that.
"I'm going to be frank." Speedtail meowed, his voice filled to the brim with gloom. "RiverClan has been weakened by the disease."
"Thanks for the invitation to attack," Spottedlight meowed sarcastically. "Why are you here? If it's a plea for territory, then you can just shove said plea up your…"
"This isn't for you to decide, Spottedlight." Streamstar cut the warrior of sharply. Spottedlight dipped her head, accepting Streamstar's authority. Streamstar continued, to the RiverClan cats. "But why are you here?"
"Certainly not for territory." Speedtail growled, curling his upper lip. "But we knew that you were having difficulty with The Blood as well,"
"How?" Spottedlight asked, the fur on her neck rising.
"Uh…you told us, when you asked Blueherb for help, remember Spottedlight?" the gray RiverClan she-cat snapped, lashing her tail. Rosepaw had to sustain a chuckle. Spottedlight had been sent on that mission herself!
Spottedlight looked acutely embarrassed. "Okay, so you know we're weaker then we could be. But that by no means that we're going to let RiverClan take some of our land."
Rosepaw looked at her mother, expecting her to silence the warrior, but instead she was looking at Spottedlight, with pure pride in her eyes. Rosepaw was going to be sicker then the cats in her den, if this went on.
"Awfully defensive, aren't you?" Speedtail asked, narrowing his emerald eyes. "No. We came to tell you that Blueherb found the cause."
All the ThunderClan cats pricked their ears.
"Well, actually Puddlespots found the cause…" Speedtail meowed, looking at, what was probably his mate with pride. "And that cause is Scarlet Flowers."
"And what in the name of StarClan are Scarlet Flowers?" Spottedlight interrupted sharply.
Rosepaw looked down at her paws. She had never heard the term before, but it was obvious what they were. Flowers that were scarlet.
"They're flowers that are scarlet." Puddlespots explained politely, although she looked ready to claw Spottedlight's eyes out for being so mouse-brained.
"We don't have any flowers like that in our territory." Rosepaw murmured softly.
"Neither does RiverClan," Speedtail meowed, nodding respectfully at the ginger-colored medicine cat. "And I've raided ShadowClan twice," he said this sentence with pride. It was no secret that RiverClan and ShadowClan were always arguing about something or another. "And they don't have any flowers, let alone scarlet ones."
"What does ShadowClan have to do with this?" Rosepaw wasn't sure who asked it, either Spottedlight or Streamstar. Their voices were so similar.
"Think," Puddlespots murmured. "If Scarlet Flowers don't grow in ThunderClan or RiverClan, how did our cats catch the disease?"
No one seemed to have an answer. Why hadn't Rosepaw wondered that?
"Does WindClan have them?" Streamstar asked curiously.
"Yes." Puddlespots meowed grimly. "And I saw a couple of WindClan warriors cross into our territory with the flowers."
"So they're trying to poison us!" Spottedlight hissed, lashing her tail. Rosepaw wanted to run into WindClan territory, and claw Runningstar's eyes out. Well, actually, she had wanted to do that for a long while, ever since she realized how perverted the leader was.
"Wait," Rosepaw mewed realizing something. "How do Scarlet Flowers give you the blood? Why would WindClan cats want to come in contact with the disease?"
"At night," Speedtail mewed. "We saw the flower give off spores. They get on your fur. When you lick it off, you get the disease. Only at night do the spores appear. So WindClan cats could come in contact during the day."
"Leave the flowers in our territory," Spottedlight meowed, stating WindClan's plan. "And then wait for the spores to rain on our warriors. From there, it would spread."
"Exactly." Puddlespots mewed, nodding at the spotted she-cat.
"Why did Duststar take the time to tell us this?" Streamstar asked narrowing her ocean-blue eyes into slits.
Puddlespots and Speedtail exchanged a glance, before Speedtail spoke. "Duststar wants revenge. His own daughter, Leafcloud died from The Blood. As did several other warriors, apprentices, kits, and elders."
"I can understand why he would want revenge." Streamstar meowed, nodding in agreement. "But how does that concern us?"
Rosepaw thought for a moment. Streamstar was more mouse-brained then she had thought previously! They wanted help to attack! A half-deaf kit could've figured that out.
"We must leave a mark on WindClan that they won't soon forget." Puddlespots mewed. "RiverClan can't do it alone. And if you wait much longer, you won't be able to do much either. We should strike them now, before they take advantage of our Clan's weakness."
Rosepaw felt a shiver crawl down her spine. In other words, attack WindClan before they attacked them.
Rosepaw opened her mouth, to put in her two sense, when a cat from outside the den asked for permission to enter, which Streamstar granted.
It was Runningpaw, his emerald eyes wild with fear. "Can we borrow Rosepaw?" he asked. Rosepaw could tell he was quoting another cat's words, from the monotone way his voice was. "Dawnshimmer's fallen ill. Silverpaw and Scarface too…"
Rosepaw's fur stood on end, and she looked to her mother for permission. Streamstar shrugged. "She can go. We're going to be discussing the battle now, anyways."
"She was only here because Shadenight told us about a certain promise," Puddlespots put in.
Rosepaw dipped her head to Streamstar, and gave the two RiverClan warriors a curt nod, before slipping from the den.
…
Rosepaw padded from her own den, still panting from what she had seen. She raised her head to the dark sky, which had Silverpelt spilled over it, as she tried to drown out the memory of that day.
Furrytail and Turtlefeather were dead. Turtlefeather had died from the disease, and Furrytail…Furrytail had been cowardly, and ate the yew before she even fell into the true terror of the blood.
Rosepaw tried to drown out the pleas of her Clanmates, as they begged her to help them. Blood spilling from their mouths as they spoke. Rosepaw had wanted to help them, but she didn't know how! Silverpaw had died, right in the middle of the word 'Help'.
Rosepaw tried to forget the cold stares of her Clanmates, when they realized that she didn't know how to help them.
So many cats were in her den, even now. Poppy Seeds to help them sleep.
"I'm a terrible medicine cat," Rosepaw sighed. "I'm sorry, father." She mewed. "I'm so sorry…"
Behind her, she saw Applefur and Featherfrost drag the corpse of Dawnshimmer from her den, so she could rest with StarClan. Beside them, were the carriers of Blindeye, and other cats Rosepaw had failed to save.
As she stared around the clearing, she saw so many familiar faces, lying there, soul-less corpses, lying under the stars one last time.
"Rosepaw,"
Rosepaw turned around as her name was said.
"Thorntail," she purred. Suddenly, she felt a pang. "You're not sick, are you?"
"Only sick in the head," Thorntail assured her. "Anyways," he jerked his gray head behind him, and Rosepaw saw Speedtail and Puddlespots looking impatiently at him. "I was told to escort these two home. Maybe you should come with me." Rosepaw looked at him curiously, so he explained. "You probably have a lot on your mind. A walk would help clear your head."
Rosepaw flashed an icy glance behind her at her den, and too her relief all the sick were peacefully sleeping. "I guess so," she purred. "Let's go."
…
"So, how've things been with you, now that you're a ThunderClan cat?" Puddlespots asked Thorntail cheerfully, as the four of them padded through the forest.
"It's great." Thorntail shrugged. Rosepaw was surprised the RiverClan cats were so friendly. Usually, when a cat left a Clan, they were branded as a traitor, and their memory was spat upon by their former Clanmates. Yes, Puddlespots and Speedtail had probably been friends of his. But at the Gathering, several RiverClan warriors had asked him to re-join the Clan. Why had Thorntail left RiverClan? "I have all the she-cats wrapped around my paw," Thorntail continued.
"Even that one?" Puddlespots asked, nodding at Rosepaw.
"Well, almost all of them." Thorntail purred, giving Rosepaw a quick lick on the ear. "I have to settle for having Rosepaw as a friend."
Rosepaw purred gently, and playfully bopped Thorntail's side with her tail. "So, Puddlespots," she purred. The gray she-cat looked at her curiously. "Are you Thorntail's sister?" random question, Rosepaw, but she was curious. The tom and she-cat looked a lot alike, their gray pelts being almost identical.
"No relation." Puddlespots purred. In mock-anger, she hissed, "Do you honestly think a pretty she-cat like me, could possibly be related to that heap of fur?" she flicked her tail at Thorntail, who glared at her, but said nothing to defend himself.
Rosepaw had been so engrossed in the conversation; she hadn't noticed that they had arrived at the border.
"This is where we say our good byes. For now anyways," Speedtail sighed.
"For now?" Rosepaw echoed.
"Streamstar is meeting with Duststar tomorrow at Fourtrees. I imagine both cats will be bringing warriors – just in case." Puddlespots explained. "Streamstar wanted to battle too…so I think they're going to strategize."
Rosepaw nodded. That made sense, she supposed. Usually she opposed fighting, but she knew this battle had to happen for the good of their Clans.
"Well, good bye Thorntail." Speedtail meowed, dipping his head to the gray ThunderClan warrior. To Rosepaw, he added, "Nice meeting you too, Rosepaw."
"Same here." Rosepaw mewed politely, nodding at the two RiverClan warriors.
For some reason, Thorntail sniffed the air just then. "Hey, is there a patrol scheduled right now?"
"Maybe," Puddlespots mewed sniffing the air as well. Rosepaw sniffed it too, and caught a clear whiff of a RiverClan warrior, other then Puddlespots and Speedtail. Warrior. Not plural. Patrols weren't usually made up of one cat.
"Smells like Whiteflower," Speedtail mewed. To the ThunderClan cats, he added, "She's an elder. She's always wondering about…"
Rosepaw opened her mouth to reply, but just then the white elder appeared before them. Rosepaw looked at her in surprise. She seemed to have come out of nowhere. Suddenly, her eyes rested on a clump of ferns. Whiteflower had probably been hiding in there.
Whiteflower looked at them all, as if dazed.
"We'll take you back to camp, don't worry, Whiteflower." Puddlespots purred, padding towards the old she-cat.
Whiteflower seemed to not have heard her. Her pale green gaze was fixed on Thorntail, who had a stoic expression on his gray face.
"Graywhisker?" she asked staring at him in amazement. "Graywhisker, is that you?"
To Rosepaw's surprise, Puddlespots and Speedtail looked as if they wanted to strangle the elder with her own entrails, and Thorntail was looking at the elder like she was a monster that had veered off of the Thunderpath coming straight towards him.
Thorntail seemed to shake it off, and shook his head. "Uh…no." he purred. "You're thinking of my brother. This is Thorntail, his older brother."
Whiteflower's eyes started to glow. "Oh." She purred. "Graywhisker. He's a good warrior. Thorntail, don't worry about him. Soon Shadepaw will just be a distant memory to him."
"I know." Thorntail meowed, his voice hoarse.
"How is he? I haven't seen him in awhile."
Thorntail shrugged his shoulders. "He's fine, Whiteflower. He's just been on a lot of patrols, and hasn't had time to visit you."
Rosepaw felt her head spin. Graywhisker? Thorntail had a brother? Nice of him to inform her! And who was Shadepaw?
"Uh…" Speedtail broke Rosepaw's thoughts by speaking. "We should hurry back to camp, right Puddlespots?"
The gray she-cat nodded blankly. "Uh…bye." She mewed briskly. To Whiteflower, she mewed, "Come on. Let's go back to camp and we'll see if we can find Graywhisker for you."
"That'd be nice, Puddlepaw." Whiteflower purred, as she allowed the RiverClan warrior to lead her away. Puddlespots rolled her eyes at Whiteflower's calling her the wrong name, and the three RiverClan cats disappeared.
"You have a brother?" Rosepaw gasped as they turned to go back to camp.
"Yup." Thorntail purred, his sapphire eyes glowing in the moonlight.
The two cats started to officially leave RiverClan behind, and Rosepaw spoke again. "You must really smell…and look a lot alike, for Whiteflower to get you two confused! Under your ThunderClan scent even!"
"Well, sure." Thorntail shrugged his shoulders. "We were littermates. And we look, and sound exactly alike."
"No way!" Rosepaw gasped, her eyes widening. There was another cat that looked exactly like Thorntail in RiverClan! Thorntail was handsome enough for the whole forest, but two of him?
"Is it that surprising?" Thorntail asked giving Rosepaw a stare that made her wonder if she had spawned a frog head on her side.
"Yeah," Rosepaw mewed, rolling her eyes. "Of course it is." Rosepaw thought for a moment. "So what's Graywhisker like? Are you alike?"
Thorntail chuckled to himself. "No." the gray tom purred, as his pale blue eyes grew distant. "We're total opposites. He's kind, and timid." Thorntail's voice started to sound more melodic as he went on. "I grew up easily. Graywhisker…he had some trouble. He would always be bullied by some of the other kits, and apprentices. Sometimes warriors…and I," Thorntail chuckled for a moment. "I would avenge him every time!"
Thorntail felt his memory stretch back, to a certain day in the nursery. "Mommy, Mommy!" a gray kitten rushed into the nursery, interrupting a conversation his mother had been having with another queen. "Thornkit's really strong! He beat up Ravenpaw all by himself!"
The mother gave her son a lick on the ear, and turned her leaf-green gaze on Thornkit, who was standing beside his brother, looking as proud as if he had killed a badger, and not beaten up some half-trained apprentice. "Thornkit," she breathed. "Graykit's only going to have you. You have to be nice to him, and protect him, alright?"
Thornkit's gray fur fluffed up, and he flicked his tail lazily. "Didn't I just do that?" he asked gruffly.
"So," Rosepaw purred knocking Thorntail from his flashback. "Do you know how Graywhisker's doing now?"
Thorntail's eyes grew distant, and he stopped in his tracks. "He died."
Rosepaw stared at Thorntail in horror, her eyes as wide as full moons. "B-but…you said he was fine…to Whiteflower."
"What's the point in telling the truth?" Thorntail asked curiously. "And making some sweet old elder sad?"
"H-how did he die?" Rosepaw asked, unable to hide the surprise from her voice. Dead? Graywhisker was dead? But Thorntail was such a young cat! And if they were littermates… then Graywhisker would be his exact age!
Thorntail opened his mouth to answer, but an ear-splitting yowl interrupted him.
"What?" Rosepaw asked, as her ears pricked. "What was that?"
"Came from the Thunderpath,"
Rosepaw and Thorntail veered their direction from camp, and rushed north, to the ShadowClan border. The Thunderpath.
Close to the center, was a ShadowClan cat- from the scent. Hardly even looked like a cat now. Crowfood.
"That had to have been…a suicide…" Rosepaw breathed, her eyes widening. "At night, monsters are easy to pinpoint because of their lights…any cat with an ounce of common sense can avoid them…right Thorntail?" No answer. "Thorntail?"
The only answer was the tom's heavy breathing. She turned her head. Even in the darkness, she could see his eyes wide, and filled with fear. Why, Rosepaw didn't understand. Suddenly, Thorntail's legs seemed to buckle beneath him, and he fell to his side.
"Thorntail!" she gasped, leaning towards him. As her head neared his muzzle, she didn't feel any breath tickle her cheek. Thorntail wasn't breathing.
"Thorntail!" Rosepaw yowled.