Stones to Ashes - Warriors Fanfiction

Chapter Two

It was a badger. The skinny thing could have taken Skullheart's life if Sunsetberry didn't yowl.

Swiftpaw narrowed his eyes in fear and Sunsetberry bit the creature's ear and tore it, but that didn't stop the badger, it screamed this horrible squeal and scratched Sunsetberry's side. "Skullheart! Get more warriors!" Sunsetberry yowled then collapsed underneath an alder tree.

Swiftpaw couldn't tell if Skullheart left or not, because the badger tried to nip his fur, luckily he dodged the attack.

Just then, Swiftpaw saw Nightthorn yowl in aggression and jumped on top of the badger's back and began to kick the creature. Swiftpaw slightly smiled then ran at the badger and raked his claws on the badger's side.

The badger growled in frustration then ran out of their territory. "Swiftpaw!" Swiftpaw realized Nightthorn jumped off the badger just in time for the badger to escape. "A-Are you okay?" Nighthorn looked as concerned as ever.

"Yes. I'm fine." Swiftpaw replied, "What about Sunsetberry?" The two looked back at Sunsetberry, who was still lying down and bled badly.

"Do you think he'll live?" He asked and looked back at Nightthorn.

"No. I don't think so." Nightthorn replied and looked away in shame.

Swiftpaw walked towards Sunsetberry and crouched down to mourn over the senior then silently prayed to StarClan.

"What happened?" He looked back and saw Petallight, Hillfrost, and Riverpaw already here with Skullheart.

"Sunsetberry. . ." Nightthorn began and Petallight gasped and ran to Swiftpaw's side then sobbed in Sunsetberry's fur.

"A badger came." Skullheart explained and stared at Hillfrost, Skullheart's eyes looked as if it was going to explode in tears, "It was my fault."

Swiftpaw added and got up to lock eyes with the deputy, once Hillfrost turned to Swiftpaw, "Luckily we chased it away." Then he protested and turned towards Skullheart, "Skullheart, it wasn't your fault. It was the badger's fault. The badger couldn't have gone into our territory, it should be in CloudClan territory!"

"Don't add CloudClan in there, apprentice." Growled Nightthorn suddenly.

What has gotten Nightthorn to be so moody? He thought.

"Let's get back to camp." Suggested Riverpaw and shrugged.

"Yes. Then we shall mourn over Sunsetberry's death until tonight." Hillfrost nodded then added, "Nightthorn, Riverpaw, Petallight, you three should carry Sunsetberry's body to the camp."

Riverpaw, Nightthorn, and Petallight all began to drag the dead body of Sunsetberry back to camp, while Swiftpaw followed Hillfrost, which was leading the cats.

"Hillfrost?" Swiftpaw sprinted up to trot beside the deputy, "What will you do about the badger, well, since it's on the loose?"

Hillfrost looked down at him but didn't stop, "We'll just upgrade the patrols, but we will probably stop until we have the next gathering to see if the other Clans will have problems with the badger." The deputy paused to look if they were going in the right direction, "But I bet the Clans will not know, since it's only one badger."

"Don't worry, Swiftpaw, me and Crowstar will go over it. You can question me after." Hillfrost added as they approached the camp finally.

Swiftpaw at once ran down in the entrance and accidently ran into Quickpaw.

"Get off me!" The apprentice grumbled as Swiftpaw, who felt as if he was going to have a headache because they bumped heads, was on top of Quickpaw.

"Sorry." Swiftpaw flinched once he got off of the white tom. But Quickpaw didn't do anything but left inside of the apprentice's den.

"Crowstar!" Swiftpaw heard Hillfrost call for the poor elderly leader. Crowstar bounded towards the deputy as the other clan-members came out of their dens.

"What is it?" Crowstar rasped as his head hung low, under the leader's shoulders. Then the three cats appeared, dragging along Sunsetberry. "Oh my whiskers!" Cried a clan-cat. "StarClan no!" Yowled another.

Swiftpaw noticed Petallight wasn't looking so bright and warm as she would always be, actually looking pale and dull.

A sunset shown on the clouds and a pink line stretched out to meet with the sun and became orange.

"We shall mourn over Sunsetberry's death tonight." Crowstar meowed and his eyes narrowed, "Hillfrost, you will order cats to bury the body when the moon reaches its highest peak."

The three cats then settled Sunsetberry in the clearing and cats huddled close to mourn over the fallen senior.

Swiftpaw already mourned over Sunsetberry's death, so he went to the apprentice's den.

He saw Quickpaw wide-eyed in his nest, staring out to see the dead senior warrior.

"Why did . . .?" Quickpaw began, having horror in his voice.

"A badger took his life." Sighed Swiftpaw and uncomfortably lied down on a moss-bed.

"Oh. . ." The white apprentice meowed and set his head on his paws. "Well, good night."

"You too."