Lucid Tides book 1 - Flowering Hearts

Chapter 16 - Longing

Cedarleap paced around camp. Snakestorm had been exiled a few sunrises ago, she attacked Blizzardpaw and according to rumours, murdered the apprentice she'd had before Lilypaw.
With Snakestorm gone, Lilypaw wasn't sure what to do. Cedarleap wished he would think about taking an apprentice, so he could become Lilypaw's second-in-command. It would be amazing, sharing a den with Lilypaw, sleeping in nests beside eachother. 
"Cedarleap!" Lilypaw called, making Cedarleap's heart jump.
"Lilypaw!" Cedarleap smiled.
"I was wondering, what did you think about the name Lilysplash?"
"wha-"
"It's the name the other medicine cats gave me"
"I think it's a beautiful name" Cedarleap thought about how the name sent butterflies through him, how it suited Lilysplash so oddly well.
Lilysplash smiled and trotted off to Sagestar's den.
~~
Lilysplash peered into the den, where the grey and white tom was grooming.
"Sagestar?"
"yes, Lilysplash?" He looked up, smiling fondly at Lilysplash.
"I was wondering, what did you mean by you'd already given Snakestorm another chance?"
"Well, come sit down. I'll tell you the story"
"so.. While your father was in power, he enacted a rule. One that would allow Medicine cats to 'mercy kill' their patients. If a medicine cat felt a cat was going to die, they were told they could hide..deathberries in their patient's food."
Lilysplash sighed, he knew of this rule, Snakestorm had told him about it when he became her apprentice.
"Your mother..was one of those so-called 'mercy kills'"
"she..was?"
"unfortunately."
"what does this have to do with Snakestorm's exile-?" He tried to divert the subject.
"Well, when I came into leadership, I found Snakestorm poisoning poor Shockpaw, Snakestorm claimed that Shockpaw had been attacked and was going to die from internal injuries, but at Shockpaw's funeral, I couldn't see any injuries. No broken bones, no cuts, nothing."
Lilysplash sat there for a moment in silence. He felt bad for Sagestar, he was a young leader, and he almost immediately lost two of his lives, one to greencough and the other to a badger that attacked camp.
Lilysplash glanced at the scar on his own flank, where the badger had gotten him the worst.
"I'm gonna go for a walk, if I'm needed, send Cedarleap to find me" Lilysplash sighed, he needed to process this.

Lilysplash climbed down the soft, mossy floor. He smelt something strange, another crowfood flower? He followed the scent, trying not to gag.
He padded along the trees until he came to a stream, and he saw a pile of ginger fur.
"S-Snakestorm?"
He shakily approached the body, it was definitely his mentor. Her throat had been ripped out, she looked long dead.
Her eyes were glazed over, the light and colour from them completely gone.
"I have to tell Sagestar about this-" He ran away from the body, tearing up.
When he reached camp, he called for Sagestar.
"Lilysplash? Are you okay??"
"I-I just came across something I think you should see."
Lilysplash led a concerned Sagestar out of camp, and to the stream.
"How has nobody found this-?" Sagestar asked, in shock
"I would assume its because the stream isn't really bordering with any of the other clans" Lilysplash sighed.
"what are we going to do-?------" Sagestar's voice faded out as a loud ringing broke its way in.
"Lilysplash, Beware, Beware. The snake bites the most untrustworthy, don't let yourself be bitten." A voice called in the back of his head, his vision faded out and he couldn't feel the ground beneath his paws. He felt sick, his head was pounding as he awoke in the medicine den, Cedarleap standing over him.
"Are you alright?" Cedarleap licked Lilysplash's forehead.
"I'm okay- but- what happened-?" Lilysplash was dazed.
"you and Sagestar were out by the stream, when you suddenly fainted."
"I had a vision- something about snake bites-? I need to speak to Sagestar"
"He's in his den, I think it's best you stay here."