Thank you all for your comments. I've updated this sooner than I expected, so the next chapter might come slower, I was already halfway through the chapter when I posted the prologue. As for hitting, cuffing would have been a better word. I suppose its like slashing, but with paws sheathed.Chapter One
Yowels rangout through the WindClan camp as the evening patrol staggared into the sandy dip. Sunpaw looked wildly around for her sister and brother. Her eyes scanned the shocked Clan for the familiar brown and black pelts and relief shot through her as she spotted her brother. "Rockpaw!" she cried scampering accross the sandy ground towards him.
A big black tom looked up at her, his amber eyes frightened and weary. He was helping along a beraggled warrior with a grey-brown pelt. Sunpaw skidded to a halt once she came close, "what happened, where's Goldenfur and Darkpaw?"
"The mission failed," Rockpaw gasped, his voice horse and trembling, "and Shadetail is dead!"
Sunpaw gasped in horror, her golden eyes wide, "we lost our deputy?" Rockpaw nodded, groaning under the weight of the warrior he was supporting. Sunpaw dashed onto the warriors other side and helped support him from there, "come on Thrushflight, lets get you to the medicine den, Whitebrook will fix you up."
The warrior glanced at Sunpaw with tired fearful eyes, but made an effort to stumble towards a small gap in the camp wall. Sunpaw peaked her head inside and saw a small white she-cat dashing around, trying to scrape together moss into beddings for the injured cats. She looked up with panicking blue eyes as Sunpaw, Rockpaw and Thrushfilght entered her den, "not Trushfilght too oh no!" She scrambled over and took Thrushfilghts weight on her self, helping him over to a moss bed at the back of the den. She looked back at Sunpaw and Rockpaw, "If you two aren't hurt, go see if you can find me some moss, but be careful."
The two apprentices nodded and dashed out of the den. Back outside the camp was in an uproar, Kestrelstar was demanding to know what had happened, but the beraggled Clan cats could hardly speak. Sunpaw nudged Rockpaw, "where are Goldenfur and Darkpaw?"
Rockpaw glanced at her sadly, "Darkpaw and Duskfur stayed behind. I'm not sure what they where thinking, but you know them."
"What about Goldenfur?" Sunpaw asked, her eyes narrowing in concern. Goldenfur was thier mother, and as long of any of them could remember, she hadn't been the strongest cat. Runningstream, Goldenfur's sister, had told them that she had once been an excellent fighter, but after their fathers excile, she had faded. Sunpaw felt a twinge of fury at the thought of her father. He had been banished from WindClan after he had told ThunderClan about an attack on their territory. Goldenfur said he had done the right thing and he was a brave and noble cat, he had even been the Clan deputy at one point, but Sunpaw didn't believe her. What kind of warrior would betray his Clan and then leave his kits on the night of their birth? The only cat that would actually listen to Goldenfur was thier sister Darkpaw. Sunpaw supposed she had to however, she looked so much like their traitor father, sometimes the Clan didn't trust her.
The black tom looked at his paws, "Goldenfur is dead."
Sunpaw stopped, she couldn't move in horror. Goldenfur was their mother, losing her was like losing her ability to run. Rockpaw came back and and nuzzled her gently, "come on Sunpaw, we need to get Whitebrook that moss, how would you feel if more cats died?"
The pale ginger she-cat shook her head trying to clear it. There would be time to grieve later, now she had to focus on getting the moss. Rockpaw was right, she would feel terrible if more cats died. Sunpaw scampered after Rockpaw, down to the lake shore where the best moss in WindClan territory grew on the rocks. Her paws scrabbled over the pebbles and dirt, but her pads where rough and used to the wear that came from running up and down the moors. Sunpaws mentor Lightfoot said that she was one of the fastest apprentices WindClan had had in a long time. Sunpaw lengthened her stride as pride welled inside her. Despite Rockpaw being much bigger than her, Sunpaw flashed by him, running faster and faster.
When they arrived at the lake the sun was beggining to sink below the horizon. Sunpaw hurried and scratched off as much moss as she could from the slippery rocks. She glanced over at Rockpaw He was sitting on a boulder, a wad of moss already in his jaws. Before she picked up her bundle she mewed, "lets go."
Rockpaw nodded and turned and dashed back the way they had come. Sunpaw picked up her bundle of moss and ran after him, slower than she had coming. She was fast, but not as strong as Rockpaw, he could run for longer distances.
Sunpaws sides where heaving and sweat prickled uncomfortably underneath her fur when she and her brother came scrambling back into the WindClan camp. Most of the warriors where lying out on the sand where they usually slept, but a few that had not been on the patrol where either sharing tounges or eating fresh-kill. Sunpaw followed Rockpaw across the camp, and ducked into the gorse den.
Whitebrook was crouched beside the body of a ginger tom. Sunpaw reconised him as Gorsewhisker, a young warrior. He was not the fastest cat in the Clan, but he was a good fighter and if he died WindClan would have lost a brilliant warrior.
The white she-cat looked up as Rockpaw and Sunpaw entered, "put the moss in Tanglefur and Stonepelts nests. They where the best off, but they don't have enough bedding to make them comfortable," Whitebrook quietly. She looked at Rockpaw and her eyes narrowed at his scratches, "are you okay?"
"I think I'm fine," Rockpaw answered glancing over his pelt, "nothing hurts right now."
"Well take tomorrow off from training, and come see me if anything starts to hurt."
Rockpaw nodded solemly and padded up to a grey tom, curled up on only the smallest scrap of moss that could be found from there all the way to ShadowClan territory accross the lake. Sunpaw followed, but took her moss to the sleeping body of a brown she-cat. There where a few scratches on her side and some looked quite nasty. Sunpaw carefully tucked the moss underneath the she-cats body hoping she wouldn't wake up. The she-cats whiskers twitched, but other than that she was still.
Turning around, Sunpaw looked sadly at Whitebrook, "will everyone be okay?" she asked.
Whitebrook glanced around her, "some will take a while to heal, but they should all make it," the white medicine cat smiled at Sunpaw, telling her not to worry. Sunpaw gave a small smile back, then padded out of the den. Rockpaw was out side, sitting at the place the WindClan apprentices slept picking away at the carcass od a rabbit. Most Clans had dens for everyone from warriors to elders to queens, but in WindClan, cats liked to sleep out in the fresh air, underneath the light of Silverpelt. The elders and queens, and even the leader had dens, but only on the coldest nights would they sleep inside. Sagepaw and Mosspaw were sleeping near him, but the other apprectice, Larkpaw was in the medicine den,
Sunpaw padded over and sat down beside him, "are Darkpaw and Duskfur back yet?"
"No," Rockpaw shook his head. "Kestrelstar sent out the moonhigh patrol to the ThunderClan border, but they havn't come back yet."
"What went wrong?" Sunpaw asked. Kestrelstar had some up with the most perfect and random time to attack ThunderClan. There hadn't been a war for moons, and they shouldn't have expected anything. When Kestrelstar had been deputy, the Clan had lost a good swath of land to the ThunderClan scum. The leader then had not had the courage to take it back, but Kestrelstar did, and he was determind to do it.
Rockpaw sighed, "everything was going great, there was no sign of ThunderClan warriors anywhere. We where marking out a new border, when all of the sudden, all of ThunderClan burst in on us, maybe the warriors had seen us from the trees. We faught them. I was wrestleing with this ginger she-cat, Adderfur I think her name is and Darkpaw was fighting with Larchpaw, do you remember him out first gathering?"
Sunpaw nodded then Rockpaw continued. "Anyway the fighting seemed to last forever and we where losing so Shadetail called a retreat, but a golden brown warrior came out of nowhere and leaped on her. Despite that, Cinderfoot rallied us together and we retreated. Once we where far enough away, we found out who was dead. We lost Goldenfur, Heathertail, Ashwhisker, Shadetail, Blossempaw and Spiderweb."
"Oh!" Sunpaw gasped in pain. Blossempaw had been a really good friend of hers in the nursery and as an apprentice. It was really sad that she had died, she had only been an apprentice for a less than a moon. She had been sent on the patrol because she was an excellent fighter already. Her brother Sagepaw must be really sad. They had lost so many good warriors too, this was devistating for WindClan!
Her brother shook his head, "and now we've probably lost Darkpaw and Duskfur too."
"Don't!" Sunpaw hissed furiously. Darkpaw and Sunpaw never really saw eye to eye, but Sunpaw couldn't bear losing her sister and mother in one night, "don't you dare say that!"
There was silence between the siblings for a moment then Rockpaw asked, "I know it was past moonhigh when we got back, but did Kestrelstar appoint a new deputy yet?"
"I don't know mousebrain, I was collecting moss with you!" Sunpaw spat, her temper short from stress.
Rockpaw shrugged, finally finishing his rabbit, "I'm going to sleep now, its been a long night."
"Get a good rest," Sunpaw whispered more gently. She had to be sympathetic to her brother, he had been through alot today. Soon Rockpaw was fast asleep, breathing slowly beside her. Sunpaw tucked her paws underneath her, and rested her chin on the sandy ground and shut her eyes, trying to get some sleep, but her mind just wouldn't rest.
How could Goldenfur be gone? Sunpaw didn't get on the best with her either, but she still loved her mother. Then stupid Darkpaw had to go trapsing off who knows where. Why did she think she had to prove herself so desperately? There was nothing she had done to make it so.
Suddenly Sunpaws nose twitched, the sent of blood was in the air. She lifted her head instantly and looked over towards the entertance. Nothing stirred for a moment, then Sunpaw relaxed as the shape of a white and brown warrior came through. It was her mentor Lightfoot. He was carrying a dark grey body in his jaws, and Sunpaw reconized the form of Shadetail. A dark lump rose in her throat, but she bit it back and padded up to her mentor, taking the fallen deputy from him and dragging her body to the center of the camp.
More cats had awoken now, and they padded up to say good-bye to their deputy. More warriors came through the enterence, carring the bodies of their fallen Clanmates. Sunpaw heard a small wimper and looked behind her to see Sagepaw, staring stricken at the pale grey body of his sister. Sunpaw was about to comfort him when she spotted the dark brown tabby pelt of her sister.
"Darkpaw!" She cried rushing over to the she-cat. Darkpaw looked over to her, her green eyes sorrowful. In her jaws, she held a pale ginger body, identical to Sunpaw's own. Sunpaw halted and stared for a few moments. Darkpaw blinked sadly and dragged their mothers body to the center of camp.
Sunpaw followed solemly. Memories swirled inside her, lovely caring golden eyes,a soft sweet voice, tales of her father, it seemed to unreal that all that was gone. Darkpaw placed Goldenfur on the edge of the group, farthest from Shadetail then sat beside the body to hold a small vigil. Thier mother was the mate of a tratior, she would not recive any place of honor.
There was a flash of silver fur, and a pretty she-cat with blue eyes, as pretty as Goldenfur, was beside her, comforting her with soothing strokes of her tail. Darkpaw glanced over, but did not smile. Her green eyes where blazing with a dark fire. Sunpaw could hardly imagine the fury an torment raging inside her. For Sunpaw there was only a depressed feeling of loneliness. Rockpaw came up, a pitiful look on his face. He had had time to come to grasps with his mothers death, but Sunpaw knew he would not miss out on the vigil. He looked at Darkpaw and she threw him an angery bitter look and Rockpaw smiled sympatheticly.
Beside her the silver cat sighed, "I will sit with her, you three should get some rest, especially you two," she nodded to Darkpaw and Rockpaw, "you've had a long hard day."
Darkpaw looked contemptuous for a moment but then she nodded. "Okay Runningstream," she mewed for the first time she had gotten back. Rockpaw nodded aswell, then the two padded over to where the apprentices slept. Only Mosspaw was there.
Sunpaw looked up at Runningstream, "can I stay with you, I wasn't fighting today," she really wanted to sit vigil. She knew her mentor would want her to hunt, and possibly go on the dawn patrol.
"Why don't you go ask Lightfoot," Runningstream glanced over at a white and brown tom, paying his respects to a pale grey tom.
"Okay," Sunpaw nodded and got up, approching her mentor quietly. She waited until he noticed her then asked in a hushed voice, "can I sit vigil for my mother?"
Lightfoot thought for a moment, "yes you can. I'll need you to hunt tomorrow, alot of cats are injured and they will need to be fed, along with the rest of the Clan."
Sunpaw understood and she smiled at the tom, "thanks Lightfoot."
She padded back over to Runningstream and Goldenfur, "he said yes." Runningstream didn't seem to hear, she was looking at the body of her slain sister. Sunpaw thought it must be even harder on her than on Sunpaw and her siblings. Runningstream and Goldenfur had always been very close, especially after thier father had been banished.
Sunpaw sighed, everyone knew how mousebrained it had been to attack ThunderClan in the first place, but Kestrelstar had a fair claim on the land, and he had spoken about it so galliantly, he convinced the Clan it was right. Then the plan had back fired, like Sunpaw knew it would. There was a gathering tomorrow night, and WindClan would have alot to answer for.
