Maybe It's Just Love TalonclawxThrushpelt

by Eomer's Queen

Thrushpelt is a wonderful character. He loved Bluestar very much, but that love was not returned. This tells of his romance with another cat, Talonclaw. Talonclaw is not in the Warriors series, but her life was written so that it fit perfectly into Erin Hunter's books. Nothing about the original Warriors series is changed in this book. This is simply an untold life, revealed.

21. Chapter 23

Chapter Twenty-three

Stormtail led his search party through the woods. Pinestar had ordered patrols to search for Talonclaw. Swiftbreeze and Thrushpelt were not, however, included in them. They were worried sick. Pinestar was sure the tabby warrior was fine though.

***

Goosefeather heard them coming. He scrubbed furiously at his red, bloodied paws in the stream. Talonclaw had deserved it. She had deserved for her kits to die. She was a rogue anyway. The Clan only had room for true warrior blood.

***

Stormtail splashed through the stream towards Goosefeather. The medicine cat was staring into the stream, his paws tucked under him. His face seemed frozen as he looked, unseeing at the water.

Robinwing prodded him with a paw. "Goosefeather!"

The tom jumped. He stared wildly about.

Windflight stroked his back with his tail. "It's all right, it's just us. Are you all right? We're looking for Talonclaw."

Goosefeather let out a whimper. "Talonclaw... StarClan - she - " He collapsed, sobs making him shudder violently.

Stormtail felt sick. "What's wrong with Talonclaw?"

"She's dead!" Goosefeather wailed. "I saw it all! StarClan struck her down!"

Stormtail couldn't believe his ears. "We have to get him back to camp!"

***

"StarClan was displeased with Talonclaw." Goosefeather stammered as he stood in the Great Rock. "I was collecting borage for Moonflower, when I heard her yowling. She was yowling her hatred for StarClan for having taken her brother. Then... A branch fell from one of the trees. It fell on Talonclaw, killing her instantly." The fat gray cat buried his muzzle in his paws. "StarClan wishes us never to speak of her again. She must be dead to us."

Swiftbreeze wailed and pressed herself into Adderfang's fur. Thrushpelt snarled furiously. "He's lying! Talonclaw would never have done such a thing!" He sunk tiredly to the ground, tears blurring his vision.

"You're arguing with your medicine cat?" Pinestar was shaking his head.

The Clan was in shocked silence. Thrushpelt couldn't see anything.

Talonclaw... dead? Our kits... No!

Adderfang's eyes were dark. "What did you do with her body?" He asked Goosefeather.

"I buried it."

Moonflower looked stricken. "But StarClan wouldn't kill Talonclaw! Not when she was having kits? They would never take the life of a cat like that!"

"No." Goosefeather replied gravely. "Not unless the offense was great."

"Talonclaw wasn't evil! She was kind, and loved by her Clan!"

Thrushpelt couldn't listen to anymore. He charged blindly through the gorse tunnel and into the forest. He felt as if grief was eating away his insides. Nothing would cure the tear in his heart.

He would never love again.
End of Book One