Tawnystar's Secret

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Thirteen

Tawnypaw could feel tears coming to her eyes. Bluestorm was laying on her side, blood gushing out of a slit in her neck. Gorseclaw had taken shelter with the elders, so he came out to see. "Let me check her..."

He rummaged around, sniffing, feeling, and thinking. He finally let out a sigh. "She doesn't smell of death yet, but her flanks aren't moving."

Tawnypaw's heart dropped again. First Sedgepaw, then her foster mother? Now she only had Applefire, Stormpaw, and Sparrowpaw.

Cats appeared from the entrance, purring loudly. They looked exhausted, but Tawnypaw could see their smiles disappear at Bluestorm's body.

"Bluestorm!" A wail went up. Sparrowpaw bounded forward, nuzzling his face into Bluestorms fur. Duskpaw came up behind him, licking his ears soothingly. Stormpaw came forward more slowly. Creekpaw walked with him, letting him lean on her shoulder.

"Bluestorm!" Tawnypaw yowled. "Bluestorm!"

Reedstorm joined her. "Bluestorm! Bluestorm!"

Soon the whole clan was yowling her name. "Bluestorm! Bluestorm!"

Tawnypaw sighed as the yowls died away slowly. Reedstorm sat beside her, and Tawnypaw noticed that she had reached his muzzle. His blood red fur brushed her fire-coloured fur. "Are you ok?" He breathed.

"Never felt like this before." Tawnypaw sighed.

"Go back to sleep." Reedstorm whispered. "It's not even dawn yet."

Tawnypaw yawned before she closed her eyes.

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Tawnypaw opened her eyes. Happiness tugged in her belly as she felt Reedstorm's body curled around her. They had been sleeping with each other on and off for a moon. Since she wasn't allowed to sleep in the warriors den, and Reedstorm wasn't allowed to sleep in the apprentice den, they had been sleeping in the clearing. But sometimes they abandoned each other for their nests.

"They start earlier every year." Frostflight rasped.

Sundance flicked her tail. "Hush! Their still sleeping."

Tawnypaw looked up at the sky. The sun was already up.

Tawnypaw jumped as Sundance rasped again. "Cloudheart is retiring today."

Lionclaw paused eating. "Really? But Clearsky is so young!"

Frostflight coughed. "Skystar isn't too young either."

Sundance nodded. "We are elders when Aspenfrost and Poppyleaf are only... How old are they, Lionclaw?"

"I would have to say they have been warriors for two seasons." Lionclaw said, chewing a carp.

Tawnypaw poked Reedstorm. He grunted before opening one eye. "Wake up! I think we've missed our patrols..."

Reedstorm purred, uncurling himself from Tawnypaw and sitting up. "Cloudheart says that she's staying in camp today. She said that you can join any patrol you want."

"Everybody's already gone." Tawnypaw yawned, stretching. "I'm going to play with Poppyleaf's kits."

Reedstorm stood up, shaking the dirt off his pelt. They had settled down beside the apprentice den, the dustiest place in camp. There was trampled down blades of grass everywhere else. "I'll come. I wasn't invited for a patrol today."

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"Moss-ball!"

"Tag!"

"Moss-ball!"

"Tag!"

"Why don't we do tag first then Moss-ball?" Tawnypaw stopped the fight.

The only she-kit in the litter was sitting beside Tawnypaw, watching her brothers fight. "I like that idea." Her name was Willowkit.

Reedstorm sat on her other side. "Ok, Flamekit, Graykit, lets go." He nudged the two toms.

"I'm it!" Flamekit growled before leaping on Graykit's tail.

Graykit wailed. "Not fair!"

Willowkit peeked out from behind Tawnypaw. "What about hide-n-go seek?"

Graykit immediately brightened up. "Good idea!"

Flamekit decided to like it also. "I'm still it!"

Tawnypaw jumped up. "But stay in camp!" She said before turning around, looking for a good place to hide. Willowkit bolted for underneath a tree root that grew from the nursery tree, Graykit hid in between two rocks underneath SkyStone, Reedstorm nosed his way into a hole in the bramble wall that surrounded camp, making sure the tip of his tail was hidden. Tawnypaw spied the elders oak, an old oak tree that had fallen down in a storm. She pushed her way through the tangle of branches, hiding in the thick green fronds.

"Ready or not, here I come!" Flamekit spun around, looking for a cat. He scampered over to SkyStone, where Graykit sneezed. "I found you!"

Graykit and Flamekit looked around some more. Tawnypaw felt a shadow close over her. Looking up, she saw an owl circling overhead.

"I see you!" Flamekit yowled, spying Willowkit's stray tail.

"Fish guts!" She squeaked, backing out of the tree root. "My stupid tail!"

The owl looked at the kits hungrily before swooping down. "Owl!" She shrieked, plunging onto the kits. She wrapped them underneath her belly, waiting for the sharp talons to dig into her fur.

"Get away you worthless piece of frog dung!" Reedstorm screeched. Tawnypaw looked up to see Reedstorm leaping onto the owls back. He slashed his claws over its back. Lionclaw seemed to have some fight left in him, because he charged at it, dodging underneath its belly, raking his claws down it.

Cloudheart appeared from the medicine cat den, racing towards it. Even though she was almost an elder, she had tricks to pull. Gorseclaw appeared just in time to seethe owl fly back into the air. "Wow..." He breathed. "Cloudheart!"

"Yes?" She asked.

"What did I tell you-"

"You told me that if I wanted to become an elder I would have to stop fighting battles, I know! But even Lionclaw was fighting!"

Sundance appeared, panic-striken. "Now you'll be complaining about aching joints! I told you not to fight!"

Poppyleaf appeared, flustered. "My kits! Where are my kits?"

Tawnypaw realized she was laying on them. "Here!" She stepped away from them.

Poppyleaf rushed forward. "You saved my kits!" She licked them all. "You saved them, Tawnypaw."

Skystar appeared, Mintleaf, Pinefoot and Stormpaw on his heels. Right behind them, Fallenleaf came in with Birdwhistle, Weedwhisker, and Sparrowpaw. Each of them carried three pieces of prey.

Skystar stepped forward. "Saved?"

Poppyleaf nodded vigorously. "She saved them!"

Skystar leapt onto SkyStone. "Our apprentices have been training well, and one of them even saved clanmates lives. They haven't reached their six moons of training yet, but I see no reason not to delay their warrior ceremony."