The cats in WindClan camp began to gather noisily, following Swiftstar as he paced around his warriors, his tail-tip twitching back and forth. Once his assembled cats gathered behind him, Swiftstar lifted his tail and studied his battle line with narrowed yellow eyes. His ears twitched.
"Where's Russetstripe?" Swiftstar snapped at Scorchclaw.
"I have no idea," Scorchclaw replied.
Swiftstar snorted. "She's better off not being here. She'll challenge everything I say. Hawkfeather, Thrushwing, Sandfall, Aspenstep, Scorchclaw, Wildheart, Brambledusk, Dovewillow, Spottedwing, Cloverwhisker, with me! We will teach ThunderClan a lesson they will never forget! They will pay for assisting Adderstripe with their blood!" Letting out a howl, Swiftstar bunched his muscles and led his cats out of camp.
Brambledusk was at the tail end of the patrol. The last thing he wanted to do was fight for Swiftstar. He had been in the clearing when the ThunderClan cats had gathered to discuss the plan with Adderstripe, and he knew that they hadn't been doing it for Adderstripe. They were doing it because, when Adderstripe was leader, he had promised them that he would make an alliance with them rather than attack them. That was what the ThunderClan cats wanted. They had known that, as long as Swiftstar lived, there would never be peace between ThunderClan and WindClan. But with Swiftstar's successor? There was a chance.
Scorchclaw was at the head of the patrol, running side by side with Swiftstar. Of course he is, Brambledusk scowled. Gods, all of this for a few lone warriors who just wanted peace with WindClan? Damn it, Swiftstar. You're going to kill your own Clanmates. Brambledusk spotted his mother near the front of the patrol, and he could only pray to the gods that she would be all right in the battle. She has to be. She's got kits to come back to. The WindClan patrol moved as one, crossing the ridges of the hollow and moving through the sedges and swaths of heather. Just as they crossed the stream, Brambledusk was reminded of the same scenario, so many moons ago.
Swiftstar had led the attack personally on ThunderClan because they had blamed him for Thrushwing's death. In that battle, Hollyfrost from WindClan and Sorrelfur from ThunderClan had died. Hailstep had been exiled from ThunderClan due to his killing of Sorrelfur and his forbidden relationship with Hollyfrost. Hollyfrost had been refused a proper vigil, and had been sent to her ancestors with the judgement of a rogue. So many things have changed since then, Brambledusk thought to himself. I was the one that buried Hollyfrost.
Just as the WindClan cats used the stepping stones to cross the stream, they traveled further into the forest, following the stench of ThunderClan where it swerved through the trees and through well-trodden paths. Brambledusk recognized the stone hollow that harbored ThunderClan's camp in the distance. As he quickened his pace to follow the patrol, the stone hollow came closer and closer until Swiftstar skidded to a halt.
"They're ready for us," Swiftstar murmured. Brambledusk skirted around to look over the edge of the hollow, and he saw the ThunderClan cats already formed in a perfect battle formation. Someone tipped them off. This was never going to be a surprise attack in the first place. Brambledusk recognized Rootstar, standing in the middle of the clearing, his claws unsheathed and his yellow eyes blazing with the light of battle. Brookfeather was at the entrance of camp, her shoulders braced. Brambledusk could make out Winterfall's silver tabby fur guarding the medicine den, Peartuft's dark fur in front of the nursery, protecting Blossomfawn, and Briskheart's stocky body next to Brookfeather.
Swiftstar seemed to recognize the cats who had joined the fight against him, for he whispered under his breath, "Make your targets Winterfall, Briskheart, Blossomfawn, and Peartuft. I don't care what else you do, just get them." The ginger-and-white tabby tom bounded through the thorn tunnel that created the entrance to ThunderClan's camp. The thorns raked against Swiftstar's shoulders and pierced Brambledusk's side as the WindClan cats pooled into the entrance of ThunderClan's camp.
The ThunderClan cats faced the WindClan lines – several ThunderClan cats gathered around the camp, forming a perfect circle, while the remaining warriors broke into three lines in the clearing. Rootstar's nostrils flared as Swiftstar squared his shoulders, staring wildly at the ThunderClan camp.
"I am giving you one chance to go home," Rootstar growled. Brambledusk recoiled at the icy danger that lurked in the usually gentle tom's voice. "You will live if you turn around. I cannot guarantee you will live if you stay, though."
Swiftstar snorted. "You know that your warriors plotted to overthrow me, no?"
Rootstar growled lowly. "They informed me of their involvement, and I have told them exactly what I thought about it. But that does not mean ThunderClan officially took a stance in your turmoil. It was the work of lone warriors."
"I don't care," Swiftstar growled. "Your warriors still helped my treacherous son try to kill me and Scorchclaw. That is something that cannot be forgiven. I will show you what it is like to be usurped! But it seems like you don't care, do you? After all, I've had your son for days, and you haven't come to rescue him. Why is that, Rootstar?"
Rootstar's fur bristled. "Am I to think that you could not treat a small apprentice humanely?" he demanded. "Is that how far your mercy stretches, Swiftstar?"
"I would do anything to rescue my children," Swiftstar snapped at Rootstar. "It seems that you would not."
"I was going to send a rescue patrol," Rootstar growled. "I did not want to fall into your trap, Swiftstar. I know you wanted to lure me there for the sake of battle. But I do not fight to spill blood. I fight to protect what I love. And if fighting you now will protect them… then I say, let us fight." With a howl, Rootstar lunged at Swiftstar, who met him head-on. The two leaders slashed their claws against each other, and just as Rootstar had predicted, crimson blood spilled from their wounds.
The stone hollow broke into a whirlwind of howls, claws, and teeth. Brambledusk watched in horror as Scorchclaw, still barely healed from his previous wounds, leaped onto Peartuft and rolled with the dark tabby. Aspenstep lunged at Briskheart and battled with the big golden tom, while Sandfall's claws scored down Brookfeather's side. Houndheart snapped his slathering jaws at Wildheart, who stepped back and slashed the spotted tabby's ears with her claws. Cloverwhisker and Dovewillow fought back-to-back as they fended off ThunderClan warrior after ThunderClan warrior.
Brambledusk ran into Winterfall, and the silver tabby's blue eyes widened as Brambledusk leaped on him. Winterfall used his superior strength to his ability and wrestled with the pale tabby tom until he pinned him down. Brambledusk coughed as he felt the silver tabby's gaze burn into him.
"If you had been there, Adderstripe would've won," Winterfall hissed at him. "And then this battle wouldn't have happened! WindClan and ThunderClan would be at peace." He flicked his tail towards the raging battle. Blood splattered the clearing, cats lay limp, and the howls split the air of cats in pain. "We were promised peace with WindClan, and because you decided to turn traitor, now we'll never have it! You could've made a difference, Brambledusk! But you didn't!"
"Don't you think I don't know that?" Brambledusk hissed at Winterfall. "Do you think I liked being imprisoned? Do you think I liked seeing Emberpaw held hostage? Do you think that I enjoy fighting in this battle? Well, I don't!" Brambledusk's front paws slashed at Winterfall's pure white stomach. "I hate it all! And I hate myself, too! I couldn't find it in me to stick to one side, because I didn't know what side! I can't live with myself!"
Winterfall's blue eyes narrowed into slits. "You should've chosen the side of mercy. The side that your Clan gets to live. But today, cats will die, and it'll be your fault, Brambledusk. Yours… and Swiftstar's, the leader you defended."
Anger fizzed deep in Brambledusk's bones, sending a surge of strength through him as he found the power in his back legs to kick Winterfall in his underbelly and send him staggering off him. Everything Winterfall said was right, and it just made Brambledusk hate himself even more. The pale tabby slashed his claws against Winterfall's shoulder, the skin of the ThunderClan tabby splitting open and blood splattering on Brambledusk's face. Brambledusk blinked away the sticky spots of blood that had landed on his eyelids.
Brambledusk chased Winterfall through the crowd, but the disdain that made him fight was directed towards himself. The silver tabby's words hit him like claws in his gut. I've messed up. I should've just followed Adderstripe. Even if it was morally wrong, Adderstripe wasn't a cat to lie – he would've made an alliance with ThunderClan. Winterfall is right. It's all my fault.
The realization sent a haunting sensation through him and he stopped, the world turning silent around him as he contemplated his place in his Clan. I'm the worst warrior they have. I can't even decide my loyalty. But… I stayed. I'm still here. Why? Brambledusk wondered what he had to do to forgive himself. He didn't care what Swiftstar thought of him. It was what he thought of himself that mattered. He couldn't live on if he hated himself – and he didn't know if he could ever forgive himself. But he had to fight his demons – he had to make peace with himself if he wanted to continue his life as a warrior.
Winterfall stopped in his tracks, ducking out of the way when Brambledusk lunged on top of him. Brambledusk rolled neatly on the ground, emerging on the other side. But when he looked up, Winterfall was nowhere to seen. Brambledusk clenched his jaw tight and surveyed the battle. Even though WindClan seemed to be faring well, with Wildheart throwing Sweetfern across camp, Aspenstep sinking his teeth into Honeyfeather's throat, Dovewillow wrestling with Brookfeather, and Thrushwing cuffing Briskheart's ears, Brambledusk couldn't help an ominous feeling that shook his paws and made his heart sank. His suspicions were confirmed when he heard a painful howl from behind him.
Mother! Brambledusk would recognize that cry anywhere. The pale tabby shot through the fighting cats to where the howl had come from, and he saw his mother struggling with Vinestep of ThunderClan. Vinestep had his teeth clamped in Spottedwing's neck just as the she-cat had swiped her claws across his throat. Vinestep dropped the tabby she-cat to the ground, stepping back in horror. Brambledusk raced over to his mother's limp body, staring at her in shock. Fury bubbled in his blood, and before he knew what he was doing, he was turning on his heels and slashing his claws down Vinestep's unprotected throat. Blood splattered from the deep wounds Brambledusk's claws inflicted, and the brown tabby tom dropped on the floor, the sickening thud rushing through Brambledusk's ears. Brambledusk turned his back on the dead tom, not batting an eye, and leaned over his mother's body, collapsed in a bloody heap on the ground.
"Mother?" Brambledusk whispered, his voice tiny as he tried to turn his mother's face open. Her blue eyes were glazed over, staring sightlessly at the sky, her bloodied jaw gaped open in one last snarl. Brambledusk's entire body trembled as he shut his mother's eyes with his paws. He looked down at the killing wound on her throat, and he swallowed the rock that was lodged in his throat. N-no…
His heart – his heart made of stone – shattered into thousands of pieces as he stared at his dead mother. Grief sunk in his pelt and sent him staggering. No… Oakcloud is dead… I can't have lost Spottedwing, too! The black hole that made his chest sucked any feeling coming out of him, turning him numb, into a cat that had lost everything but somehow was still losing more. He wanted to scream in the middle of camp, to yowl at Swiftstar, to hiss at Scorchclaw, to claw Vinestep, but when he looked over his shoulder, he saw that Vinestep was unbreathing and not moving. Hatred for the tabby made Brambledusk arch his blood-stained claws. He felt nothing for Vinestep. He had lost another cat he loved.
But no cat noticed. No cat came to see what the matter was. They focused more on their opponents, clawing each other to pieces while not aware of the loss and grief sustained in battle – it was more than any victory was worth. War was not worth fighting. It made monsters out of warriors. Death has no regard at all for what cats are to each other, who they believe they are. That is what war is. Brambledusk stepped back, his breathing rapid and ragged as his gaze darted between the dead bodies of his mother and Vinestep.
"Mother!" Brambledusk yowled again. The clearing turned silent in a second, and Brambledusk wondered if they were reacting to him. But when he looked over his shoulder, not one cat was looking in his direction. Instead, their eyes were focused on a limp black-and-white tom in the clearing. Rootstar. Thrushwing was standing over the ThunderClan leader, malice glinting in his yellow eyes.
"Rootstar!" yowled Brookfeather, the brown-and-white tabby ripping her way from Hawkfeather's tight hold and streaking across the clearing towards her leader's body. She shoved Thrushwing out of the way, hanging her head over Rootstar. "Rootstar…" The grief in her voice dripped just as vividly as it had from Brambledusk's voice.
"What have you done?" Sunfire barked at Thrushwing.
"I've brought justice to WindClan," Thrushwing snarled at Sunfire. Sunfire lifted his paw, ready to slash his claws down Thrushwing's throat, but Swiftstar crashed into Sunfire at the last moment, sending him flying across the stone hollow. Swiftstar watched the yellow tabby hit the ground, but just as he prepared to race after him to end his life, Winterfall launched himself onto the ginger-and-white warrior, sinking his teeth in his neck and biting as hard as he could. Swiftstar let out a yelp of surprise, and his paws gave out underneath him as he collapsed to the grass.
Two leaders are dead! Brambledusk gasped. Scorchclaw bounded over to Swiftstar, his amber eyes wide with worry, and Hawkfeather and Thrushwing were on his heels. Brookfeather lamented over Rootstar's body, grief misting her green eyes, and Brambledusk wondered if Rootstar was on his last life. He can't be… The fighting in the clearing had come to a sharp halt, and no cat dared to breathe, for if they did, surely the fighting would start again.
Peartuft joined Brookfeather, his blue eyes shadowed as he stared at his brother's body. He prodded Rootstar in the side, and just at that, Rootstar let out a sharp gasp and dragged himself to his paws. Peartuft touched Rootstar's shoulder with his nose as he studied his brother next to him. Brambledusk dragged his gaze to Swiftstar, who had not risen yet.
Blood trickled from Rootstar's throat as he steadied himself and stalked over to Scorchclaw. Every movement of Rootstar's was stiff, and pain glazed in his eyes as he approached the WindClan deputy, but he did not falter, nor did he shy away from Scorchclaw's burning glare.
"Leave," Rootstar ordered. "And do not return. The war rages, but we will not commit to violence to sate your blood lust."
"What about Emberpaw?" Thrushwing barked, his black fur bristling. "Are you going to come get him?"
"I said, leave!" Rootstar yowled, his roar akin to a lion's. Thrushwing leapt back, shock making his eyes widen, and then looked at Scorchclaw. Scorchclaw let out a tired nod and picked his limp father's body up, draping it over Hawkfeather's back. The WindClan deputy flicked his tail towards the fighting cats, and Brambledusk lowered his head to look at his mother's limp body.
Brambledusk sank his teeth in Spottedwing's scruff, his heart pounding as ice filled his veins and made his paws stiff. But he forced himself to move, holding his mother in his jaws and lifting her so her fur didn't drape the ground. She was so light – a featherweight in his mouth. Her fur was beginning to grow cold, and Brambledusk could taste the blood in his mouth. Whether it was from Spottedwing's wounds or Brambledusk's fighting, he wasn't sure. No one had noticed that Spottedwing died. All their attention had been on Swiftstar.
A sense of defeat hung above the WindClan patrol. Sandfall limped next to Aspenstep, creating a trail of blood in her wake. Wildheart's tortoiseshell fur was streaked with crimson blood, and pain glazed in Dovewillow's pale blue eyes, even though she seemed to have no visible injuries. Cloverwhisker hung her head, her claws still unsheathed. Brambledusk clenched his teeth in outrage as the cats left the ThunderClan camp, forcing their way through the stone tunnel and trekking through the forest.
No cat spoke a word as they reached the stream and crossed the stepping stones. Blood from Brambledusk's body trickled down his fur and stained the stream red, but he barely gave it a second thought as his mother's limp body swung in his teeth. He reached the bank of the stream, being the last cat to cross. Still, no cat commented on Spottedwing's dead body. Their eyes were focused on Swiftstar, whose eyes were open as he laid on Scorchclaw's back. The walk back to the WindClan camp was apprehensive and tense, and Brambledusk wondered just what Swiftstar would say to them when they gathered under the Tall Branch.
When the WindClan cats approached the moorland hollow, Scorchclaw slipped down the walls with his father holding on tightly to his back. The senior warriors, Thrushwing and Hawkfeather, were right after him. Wildheart followed Scorchclaw, and the rest of the warriors picked their way down the hollow, leaving Brambledusk alone as he looked over the ridge. Nothing was the same. Even the hollow where he had lived his entire life looked foreign. He didn't recognize any of it – were those boulders there when he had left? Brambledusk swallowed the metallic taste of blood in his mouth and climbed down the hollow, making sure his mother's limp body didn't hit anything on his way down.
Just as Scorchclaw and the senior warriors helped Swiftstar to his feet, the last string of Brambledusk's patience snapped. No cat had noticed Spottedwing was dead. He had enough of playing nice. Brambledusk forced his way through the crowd, pushing the cats out of the way and dropping Spottedwing to the ground. The thud finally caught the attention of the warriors as they followed where the sound had come from, and a collective gasp gathered around the warriors as they focused on Spottedwing's limp body.
"This is what this battle got us," Brambledusk snarled. "For what? Why did we fight? What was the point? More cats are dead, and for what? What did we achieve?"
Each cat exchanged uneasy glances, and Brambledusk realized his words were sinking in. What had the point of the battle been? To enact revenge on ThunderClan for Adderstripe? Adderstripe was dead, and as far as Brambledusk knew, the cats who had helped him were still very much alive. Brambledusk looked down at Spottedwing's body, agony wrenching his heart as he blinked tears from his eyes. "My mother is dead."
"Oh, Brambledusk," Waspberry murmured, walking over to the pale tabby and brushing her tail down his spine. "I'm so sorry. I know what it feels like."
"Do you?" Brambledusk snapped, turning on Waspberry. "Because I don't think you do!"
"My mother died, too," Waspberry murmured.
"Was it in a useless fight?" Brambledusk lashed his tail. "Oh, wait, I forgot. Your mother died defending the cat that got us into this mess."
"Silence!" Hawkfeather snarled across the clearing, and Brambledusk glared defiantly at the dark brown tabby tom. He wanted to snap something back to him, but a yowl made the WindClan warriors stop in their tracks as they stared at Emberpaw's former prison, where Thrushwing was standing, his tail lashing.
"Emberpaw is gone!" Thrushwing yowled.
"What?" Deerheart's yellow eyes widened. "How is that possible? Wasn't he tightly guarded?"
"He should have been," Thrushwing growled, his eyes focusing on the cats who had been chosen to stay behind. He trotted over to Songbreeze, his yellow eyes blazing. "You were his guard!"
Songbreeze faced Thrushwing's rage calmly. "I was ordered to guard him when you were gone," she explained, her eyes icily cold as she met Thrushwing's gaze. "That is what I did. I did not check in on him – that wasn't my job."
"Did you help him escape?" Thrushwing challenged.
"You think I care enough about him to help him escape?" Songbreeze asked dryly.
"Songbreeze is right," Deerheart meowed, walking over to her. "She was in front of the den the entire time. I didn't see Emberpaw escape."
"But he's not in there!" Thrushwing growled. "So, where did he go?"
"Thrushwing, you need to calm down," Scorchclaw told the black tom who was pacing with his fur bristling. "If Emberpaw is gone, then it's none of our concern anymore. The battle with ThunderClan was fought. What use is it keeping him here anymore? If he's gone, then he's gone."
"That's not the point, Scorchclaw," Thrushwing growled. "The point is, he escaped. Either some cat helped him, or he was able to outsmart our cats and escape. He's probably somewhere on our territory by now, and I bet he wants to get revenge."
"Thrushwing, seriously, I—"
Thrushwing cut Scorchclaw's off. "This is what happens when you make inexperienced cats deputy." The black tom bared his teeth at Scorchclaw. "You've never even had an apprentice. You don't know anything."
Scorchclaw's nostrils flared, and Wildheart raced up to Thrushwing, her yellow eyes blazing with fury. "Don't talk to your Clan deputy like that!" she snapped at him.
Thrushwing snorted. "We need to let Swiftstar know."
"Swiftstar needs to recover," Scorchclaw snapped at Thrushwing.
"What happened, now?" The cats froze, and Brambledusk saw fear cloud Scorchclaw's eyes as he turned to look at his father, who had finally gained his bearings. Blood still fell in droplets from the wound on Swiftstar's throat, and his mate, Sunleaf, was licking his wounded pelt rapidly. But Swiftstar paid her no mind, instead, he stared at Scorchclaw. "What happened?"
"Um…" Scorchclaw's words trailed off.
"Emberpaw is gone," Thrushwing replied for Scorchclaw, shooting the deputy a burning glance.
"What?" Swiftstar's amber eyes smoldered, and before he could leap to his paws, Sunleaf held him down. "Where did he go?"
"No cat knows," Scorchclaw explained rapidly. "But, wherever he went, Father, we don't need him anymore. He's gone, and there's no point in following him unless we want another battle with Rootstar. You lost a life, and Spottedwing is dead." The WindClan deputy nodded to Spottedwing's body in the clearing. Swiftstar followed Scorchclaw's gaze, focusing his gaze on Spottedwing's corpse. Brambledusk studied his leader's expression, but couldn't find a hint or flash of remorse or sympathy. The Viper of WindClan.
"I do not enjoy being double-crossed," Swiftstar growled at Scorchclaw. "It would be just like Rootstar to send a rescue patrol while we were fighting. Is that what happened?"
"No cat attacked the camp," Deerheart replied.
Songbreeze nodded in agreement.
Swiftstar's fur fluffed up. "So… how did he escape?" Confusion made the powerful leader tilt his head, and he visibly was trying to wrack his head for answers, his eyes scrunching up. "There's no way… unless…" The WindClan leader examined camp, and turned to Scorchclaw. "Where is your sister?"
Scorchclaw's eyes widened. "Um…"
"I swear, if she had anything to do with this, I will kill her myself!" Swiftstar yowled.
Sunleaf gasped. "Swiftstar, no! She did nothing!"
"So where is she?" Swiftstar turned on his mate, lashing his tail furiously.
Violetheart streaked across the clearing, landing near Swiftstar. "Swiftstar, you must calm down," the medicine cat ordered him, watching as drops of blood stained the ground beneath the big leader. "Please, let me treat your wounds."
Swiftstar curled his lip. "Fine!" he snarled. "But I will get answers!" With his fur still standing on edge, he followed Violetheart into the medicine den. The injured warriors watched the leader go, and then exchanged nervous glances – they would have to wait until after he was treated.
Scorchclaw let out a sigh and limped over to the clearing, touching his nose to Spottedwing's cold body. "Tonight, we—"
Brambledusk raced over to Scorchclaw and shoved him away from Spottedwing's body. "Get away from my mother!" he snarled at him.
Scorchclaw's amber eyes were wide with shock as Brambledusk sent him reeling. Brambledusk crouched protectively in front of his mother, feeling a snarl crawl up his throat. Just as Scorchclaw raised his hackles, a loud cry rung from behind Brambledusk. "Mother!"
Oh, no. Brambledusk turned on his heel to see his brothers standing in front of Spottedwing's limp body, horror in their eyes. Buzzardpaw let out a mournful cry, while Lightningpaw was still as a stone, and Cinderpaw collapsed on the ground, digging his nose into his mother's cold fur.
"Wake up!" Cinderpaw pleaded. "Please, Mother! Wake up! I have a battle move I want to show you! Please—"
Brambledusk walked over to Cinderpaw, wrapping his thin tail across his brother's neck. Grief rose like bile in Brambledusk's throat, and he wanted to say something to his grieving siblings, but for a moment, no words came out. But I'm the only cat they have left. Oakcloud was dead – and so was Spottedwing. They were young cats who needed guidance in their life. Brambledusk was the only cat who could provide that to them. Brambledusk looked up at the evening sky, seeing a small star twinkle. Mother… Father… if there's nothing I can do for my Clan, maybe I can do it for you. I'll raise your kits – my brothers – to make you proud of them. I swear.
"Cinderpaw," Brambledusk murmured. "Mother is dead." The three words hit Brambledusk like a dagger to the heart, carving his heart made of stone and into fragments, never to be found. Now I no longer have a heart.
"She can't be…" Cinderpaw whispered.
"You see her dead, in front of you," Brambledusk growled. "But… I promise to you… she will not have died in vain."
"What?" Cinderpaw looked up at Brambledusk, his wet blue eyes wide.
"My mother once told me, when you were all kits, that she doesn't want you to grow up in a world full of war." Brambledusk's voice shook. "She doesn't want you to die."
"But she died!" Lightningpaw exclaimed.
"She did." Brambledusk hung her head. "But, you know what? She wanted me to protect you from the wars. And that's what I'm going to do. I'm going to protect all three of you, so that you can help me bring peace to the world. That's what Mother would want. She would want you three to be safe, and to help build a new world."
"A new world?" Buzzardpaw whined. "What world will there be if she's not there to see it?"
"She will be," Brambledusk urged his brother. "She's in StarClan, now. Please." Brambledusk padded over to Buzzardpaw and touched his nose to his brother's head. "Mother will always watch over us. It's going to be our job to create the new world that she always wanted to see. We have to hold the world in our paws to understand it. It's broken, and we can put it back together."
As his brothers simply nodded, Brambledusk's words seeming not to reach their ears, they turned to look at Spottedwing's body, their eyes gaunt and hollow, void of any feeling. Brambledusk hung his head, joining them in their mourning as he gazed at his mother's body. Oh, Mother, he thought. I hope you're at peace with Oakcloud. You're reunited, just like you wanted to be. Are you okay now? Are you not in pain? Can you see this vigil? Will you watch over your kits? Can you hear us? I miss you. And… I promise… I'll take care of Buzzardpaw, Lightningpaw, and Cinderpaw.
Another death, thanks to Swiftstar.
What kind of world am I to live in if he is the one who is ruling it?