Warriors | A Prophecy Reborn: Book 2. (A Path Beyond Stars)

~A Path Beyond Stars: Chapter 10~

You can't be dead! Reedtail thought furiously. I just found out you were my mother. You can't die now!
The blood trickling from her side stained the stump where her body lay.
Reedtail hesitantly walked toward Runningstar's body, ignoring the dead warriors and apprentices surrounding her. The RiverClan leader's breathing was shallow.
"She's alive!" Reedtail exclaimed.
"Stonegaze isn't," Ashpelt remarked, prodding the gray RiverClan warrior's side.
"Neither is Kestrelwind," Spiraltail said with a slight shudder.
"Or her apprentice," Iris-Eye said.
"Leave," rasped a voice near Reedtail. She looked at Runningstar, who was now staring at the four of them desperately.
"The camp?" asked Iris-Eye, creeping forward.
"The Lake," Runningstar wheezed.
"Who did this?" Reedtail demanded.
Runningstar's eyes darted to the den where Pebblesoot lay, unconscious.
He's not dead either...
"Save him and run," Runningstar warned. Her eyes closed and a small huff of breath was released. She moved no more.
"Grab him and let's go," Reedtail ordered. Spiraltail moved to pick him up, but Reedtail stopped her. "You, help me see if anybody else survived."
They searched the dens and saw that the RiverClan deputy, Ferngaze, was not anywhere to be seen.
Reedtail and her friend met Iris-Eye and Ashpelt outside the camp. "Is anyone else left?" Ashpelt asked.
"We couldn't find Ferngaze," Reedtail said. "We think he escaped."
"And anyone else?" Iris-Eye asked.
Spiraltail shook her head. "There were countless queens and kits and apprentices that we didn't recognize, and whoever left with him wasn't any cat we know or could easily recognize."
Iris-Eye sighed and the four cats ran on with Pebblesoot's unconscious body.
Finally, they reached ThunderClan's camp. They quickly dove through the entrance and pushed their way through the curious faces that were gathering around. Iris-Eye and Ashpelt moved Pebblesoot from their backs and onto an empty nest.
"What in StarClan?" Russetfire stared curiously at the tom. "He's a RiverClan warrior! Why is he here?"
"Runningstar has fallen," Reedtail said in remorse. "We couldn't find Ferngaze. We assume he escaped, and Pebblesoot was the only other cat left alive."
"Kestrelwind?" Russetfire asked fearfully.
Spiraltail shook her head sadly. "Neither survived."
"Find Fernfeather and tell her," Crookedfire said from the back of the den. "We will do our best to tend to any wounds Pebblesoot has."
Russetfire's ear twitched uncertainly, but she nodded and the warriors went on their way to find the patrol.
They saw them patrolling the border separating WindClan, ThunderClan and the Twolegplace. "Fernfeather," Reedtail panted as she stood facing the deputy.
Fernfeather turned her head questioningly. "RiverClan has been warned?"
"RiverClan suffers a fate similar to WindClan, with less survivors," Reedtail said grimly.
Fernfeather's answer was hesitant. "Tell Stonestar if you haven't already. We will follow you shortly."
Reedtail nodded and went back to ThunderClan. She shot a worried glance at Russetfire talking with Crookedfire. Her mind then shifted to Pebblesoot and Stonegaze. It was strange knowing them, yet not knowing before that they were her kin. Guilt burrowed in her stomach like an oncoming bellyache.
"Are you okay?" asked a voice behind her. She turned around to see Spiraltail, her left ear tilted off to the side.
"Just concerned," Reedtail admitted. "Let's go find ou- your father," she corrected herself quickly. The time didn't feel right for her friend to know they were actually related.
They padded off to Stonestar's den, and Reedtail could feel Spiraltail's questioning gaze burning into the back of her head. She ducked through the hanging lichen and entered the den where she saw the leader sitting with his head down, his eyes fixed on the floor.
After a moment, he turned his head up. "You warned RiverClan?"
"We... we tried to," Reedtail said solemnly. "We got there and... Stonestar, the scene was no different to WindClan."
Stonestar dipped his head and asked, "Any survivors?"
"Two that we could count, but only one inside RiverClan's camp."
"Who?"
"P-Pebblesoot..."
"And who do you suspect the other was?" he asked.
"We think the other survivor could've been Ferngaze," Spiraltail interrupted, pushing her way through the lichen next to Reedtail. "He wasn't in the camp, and I could smell his scent leading away from the camp. It was faint, but he escaped."
You couldn't mention the scent before we left? It would have been more useful than pointing out Kestrelwind's death, Reedtail thought bitterly, nearly visibly losing her temper.
"We are losing time," Stonestar muttered quietly. He whipped his head around to stare at his daughters. "You must find WindClan and RiverClan's remaining survivors. Did Pebblesoot say anything about the attack?"
"He was unconscious when we got there," Reedtail said, shaking her head. "But Runningstar said..."
"What?" Stonestar prodded. "What did she say?"
She took a deep breath. "She said we needed to leave the Lake."
"ThunderClan?" Stonestar asked hesitantly.
"I... think she meant everyone," Spiraltail said. "Stonestar, it's not safe here anymore. Half-Sight is dangerous. He won't stop at RiverClan. He will continue unless we defeat him or move on."
"She's right," coughed a voice from outside the den. The leader and the two warriors turned to stare at Pebblesoot. A long scar swept across the side of his muzzle and he seemed to walk with a limp. Blood coated his underbelly and his left side while a chunk of fur had been torn from his shoulder. His right ear was torn and his eyes seemed clouded.
"You need rest," Stonestar observed.
"I will not rest until my Clan has been avenged," Pebblesoot said determinedly. "Half-Sight and the fools of ShadowClan will pay for what happened to RiverClan."
Stonestar tilted his head to the side and they all saw Fernfeather approaching with a frustrated face. Stonestar indicated for the younger warriors to leave, and so the three padded slowly to the spare den.
"Thank you for saving me," Pebblesoot said to Reedtail and her friend. "Anyone else would've surely left me for dead."
"It seems like trouble is rippling through the Lake worse than often," Reedtail stated. "Were you awake long enough to see if anyone left the camp alive?"
Pebblesoot shook his head sadly. "I and the others were badly wounded. Most died, some lived. I passed out before I saw the end of the fight. I regret not being able to finish it."
Reedtail hunched. "Did you manage to catch a glimpse at who escaped?"
Pebblesoot thought hard for a moment, then slowly began to nod. "Our deputy, Ferngaze. I think he and one of our apprentices and queens or elders managed to get out before they joined the rest of my Clanmates."
The tom looked around outside the den for a moment, then asked, "Where is Stonegaze?"
Reedtail shuddered. This was the question she knew was soon to come. Reedtail's other sister, Pebblesoot's sister, Runningstar's daughter...
"She didn't make it," she mumbled.
Pebblesoot dipped his head.
"You were the only other cat alive when we entered your camp," Spiraltail said shyly. "Runningstar warned us. She said we needed to leave the Lake, and-" She cut off, probably trying to avoid talking about the prophecy.
Or the omen.
"She was correct," he snarled suddenly. A fire seemed to burn in his eyes as he continued to speak. "No cat can be trusted anymore. Only those who are trustworthy are those willing to risk their lives for another, and ShadowClan will not do that..."
Pebblesoot unsheathed his claws. "We need to exterminate that rogue Half-Sight from our territory."
Before Spiraltail or Reedtail could argue, Stonestar yowled for a Clan meeting. They joined the other cats of ThunderClan and gazed up at their leader.
"When Reedtail and her group returned from RiverClan, Pebblesoot accompanied them," Stonestar announced. "He was injured. As Reedtail reports, RiverClan was found empty of living cats. Other cats lay dead in their camp."
Shocked gasps erupted from the crowd of cats. Pebblesoot flattened his ears and licked his chest in embarrassment.
"According to Reedtail and Spiraltail," Stonestar went on, "Runningstar's final words were used as a warning to leave the Lake. We will prepare to do so as of now. Gather the kits and apprentices. We will leave before the next Gathering if possible."
"Is it a wise choice to leave without anyone to scout ahead for a safer path?" Beeflower called from the back of the crowd. "We may get attacked by foxes or dogs on the way there."
"I understand your concern," Stonestar said, "but we must leave as soon as possible. Half-Sight and ShadowClan is a threat, that they have made very clear. We must take the opportunity to leave while we can."
"At least allow us to prepare for the journey," Tigerfur said unexpectedly. "Fuzzyear's kits are still too young to travel so far, and Willowleaf is expecting her own litter!"
Stonestar sighed. "I suppose I have no choice with this argument," Reedtail heard him mutter. "Very well," he said, loud enough for the others to hear. "We will leave later. Perhaps not tonight, but some time tomorrow, if we are able. I would rather not lose any warriors or kits to Half-Sight. The first two were enough..."
The leader flicked his tail dismissively and walked into his den, alone.
"There may still be WindClan survivors left," Spiraltail said as Ashpelt and Whitestripe joined Reedtail. "None of them were in camp during the attack, and if they were, they were very well-hidden."
"Let's hope so," Ashpelt grumbled.
Light faded faster than ever that day. Before she knew it, Reedtail found herself lying in the warriors' den on her nest feeling uneasy.