Post by Lightningstar on Nov 10, 2007 16:20:00 GMT -5
Chapter 3
Both cats were taken aback by the realization. "But did Snakefang really….." Bramblejay didn't have the words to finish his question.
"I don't know," Rowanbranch told him. "But I know the mark of the killing bite all too well." Her voice became choked with sadness as she remembered her father, and how he had sported the same wound after the Great Battle so many seasons ago.
Bramblejay moved a little closer to Rowanbranch, pressing against her fur. "Whether he really was killed that way or not, Burntclaw's memory will rest in us forever."
"Hey, you two lovebirds!" a voice called. Rowanbranch spun around to see her sister Wildfur padding towards them. "I was just talking to Firestream, Burntclaw's daughter. She's devastated by her father's death, the poor thing! But anyway, what's the party about?"
Rowanbranch shook her head. "There is no party here," she assured her sister. "Just a remembrance of our lost deputy." She hung her head.
Wildfur padded closer to Burntclaw's body. "Swanfire and Snakefang, as the medicine cat and deputy, are going to bury him tonight," she informed them. "It's so sad that he's gone; he had kin here that loved him."
A breeze ruffled Rowanbranch's fur and blew through her whiskers, making them sway. Her ears caught the unmistakable sound of arguing cats- Dewpaw and Twigpaw.
She sighed. Those two ruffians, she thought. They're always fighting. She padded across the sun-dappled camp to the apprentice's den, where, sure enough, she found Dewpaw and Twigpaw.
Among the nests of moss and the cavern of sticks and brambles, the two apprentices glared at each other. Dewpaw twitched her ears and spat, "Burntclaw was a good deputy! He didn't deserve to die!"
Twigpaw shook his head. "Snakefang deserves being deputy more," he hissed back. "That mouse-brain Burntclaw was too soft!"
"Mouse-brain?" Dewpaw demanded. "You're insulting a StarClan cat when you say that, you know."
"But you're insulting a-" Twigpaw began to speak, but Rowanbranch pushed her way in. "Stop arguing!" she growled, pushing the two cats away from each other. "There is no use now. Burntclaw is dead, and Snakefang is the new deputy. That's how life is."
Dewpaw's shoulders drooped. "Well life can go chase a blue squirrel," she muttered.
"Now then," Rowanbranch mewed flatly. "We must prepare for the mourning ceremony." Then she padded out of the den, making her way to the GreenRock where Cinderstar was already gathering the Clan together.
A beam of sunlight drifted down from the lush green canopy and shone brilliantly on Burntclaw's body. His dark ginger fur glowed like fire in the light; unfortunately, this fire had been put out.
Cinderstar leaped down from the GreenRock and faced Burntclaw's body. Digging her nose into the dead cat's flank she mewed, "he was my apprentice, and then deputy. No cat could have done more for their Clan." She stepped back and proceeded to the side.
Next was Swanfire. "He was good in spirit," she announced. "He was worthy of StarClan."
Rowanbranch's muscles tensed as Snakefang walked up to the body. What would he say? Of course he wouldn't say anything bad at a Clan mourning, but Snakefang wasn't exactly the most predictable of cats.
"He was a good deputy," Snakefang meowed. "He served his Clan well every minute that he was alive. Every cat shall remember him."
A sigh of relief escaped Rowanbranch's mouth, and she could feel Bramblejay loosen up beside her. There was no mention of the struggle with the 'badger'.
Many more cats passed by to pay their last respects, proclaiming Burntclaw's wisdom or compassion or hunting and fighting skills. Rowanbranch leaned down and mewed, "He was a formidable warrior, and he was loved by his kin and Clanmates. Burntclaw's spirit will rest in us forever." Stepping back, she allowed Bramblejay to move forward.
The last cat to arrive at the body was Redfoot. Supported by Swanfire and Firestream, he limped up to Burntclaw. "He was a great cat," the elder rasped. "And my great-grandson." There was sorrow in his wavering voice. "StarClan will accept him as one of their own."
A long moment of silence followed after, broken at last by the call of a jackdaw. Swanfire and Snakefang picked up the fallen deputy by his shoulders and motioned for Raintears and Firestream to help them. The two cats trudged up to help, their eyes watering at the sight of their dead father and mate.
As the body, carried by the four cats, disappeared into the forest, Rowanbranch lifted her eyes to the darkening sky. "Goodbye, Burntclaw," she whispered. "Watch over me from StarClan, and lead my paws to find the truth about Snakefang."