Warriors: Water (Warrior Cats Fan Fiction Book Two)

Chapter Three

 Briarpaw watched from the medicine den as Marshstar announced the new deputy. Cowfur's a good choice, he thought. He had been Brightpaw's mentor, after all.

Thinking about his dead sister made Briarpaw feel horrible all over again. After the battle the day before, the loss still stung. She was so young, he thought. She wanted to fight so bad, and look where it got her!

Firenose was sitting next to Briarpaw, shaking her orange head.

"What is Marshstar thinking?" she muttered. "Cowfur?"

"Who would you have picked?" Briarpaw asked his mentor.

"It doesn't matter what I think," Firenose said. "I'm not the Leader."

"But you're the medicine cat," Briarpaw replied. "Marshstar will consult you all the time."

Firenose rolled her blue eyes, then turned back to enter her den. "Go check on your sister," she told him before leaving.

Firenose didn't have to tell him twice, Briarpaw wanted to check on Lightpaw anyway. He padded across the clearing and poked his head into the apprentice's den, which Lightpaw now had all to yourself. He found her sitting in her nest.

"How are you feeling?" He asked her gently. He felt like he had to be strong for Lightpaw. Even though they had both lost their sister, Lightpaw had been closer to Brightpaw. He had to put aside his own grief for her sake.

Lightpaw looked up, her brown eyes unfocused. "What do you think?" She snapped.

Briarpaw walked over to her and sat next to her. Lightpaw looked away, hissing.

"You can't stay in here forever," Briarpaw whispered. "I know how hard it is, but you have to keep going. Brightpaw would have wanted..."

"We don't know what Brightpaw would have wanted!" Lightpaw snapped, her head flying up. "We'll never know again, because she's dead." Lightpaw's voice trembled, and she started sobbing.

Briarpaw curled up next to his sister and rested his tail over her flank. She let him as she sobbed into his shoulder.

I can't believe Brightpaw's gone, he thought, anger burning inside him. He didn't blame Thornstar or Cowfur, or even Froststar... Brightpaw had wanted to fight.

How could she have known that her first battle would be her last?

Flightbreeze came into the den. She came over to her kits and sat down, her own eyes filled with tears.

"How are you both holding up?" She asked them.

Briarpaw looked up at his mother. Lightpaw remained looking at the ground, not speaking. Flightbreeze seemed to understand.

"I just talked to Marshstar," Flightbreeze said. Briarpaw knew that his mother was good friends with the new Leader. "She said that you don't have to resume your apprentice duties until you're ready, Lightpaw," she told her daughter. "Take all the time you need."

Lightpaw didn't reply.

"How are you doing?" Briarpaw asked his mother.

Flightbreeze sighed deeply. "Horrible," she said truthfully. "I brought my kits here to protect them, but now Brightpaw is gone! I'm starting to wonder..."

"We can't leave!" Briarpaw cried, leaping to his feet. "I love living in Snowclan! I'm the medicine cat apprentice, they need me!"

"I know," Flightbreeze said sadly. "It's just... it's a lot to think about."

Briarpaw nodded sadly. He understood why Flightbreeze was having second thoughts.

They had lost so many cats because of the wolves. Thornstar, Glareheart, Shrewheart, Tigersong, Brightpaw, Rockflight, and Weatherfall...

Thinking about Weatherfall made Briarpaw feel even more pain. He hadn't even congratulated his friend on his new Warrior name. He had been too busy grieving Brightpaw and healing cats' wounds from the battle. And now Weatherfall was gone too.

Flightbreeze is right, he thought, we've experienced so much pain since we came here...

But living in Snowclan was all he knew. He couldn't imagine leaving.

Flightbreeze wordlessly pulled him close and started lapping his head. Briarpaw felt like a kit again, and he pressed closer to his mother. He didn't remember much about his early childhood, only living in the chilly forest with little food or shelter. He remembered a shadowy figure that could only be his father, showing him the tall tree he had taken Weatherfall to to talk about the prophecy.

The prophecy... Briarpaw hadn't thought about it for a few days. Was it still important?

Whatever it meant, it didn't matter right now...

He stayed in the den with his mother and sister for a while. They didn't speak, but just being near them made Briarpaw feel comfort for the first time since the battle. He knew that their grief would never fully heal, and that he'd always miss Brightpaw. But he was grateful to still have Flightbreeze and Lightpaw. At least they were together.