Warriors: Stripeblaze's Path

Chapter ten

Stripepaw felt as if his paws were stuck to the ledge, he didn't move one bit. His eyes widened and he felt like his heart had just dropped to the bottom of a pit. His breathing became ragged and he nearly fainted.
He shook his head and leapt off the ledge and raced after Rosepaw, desperate to save her.
"Rosepaw!" he called out. "Rosepaw answer me!" His voice became more desperate and his blood turned cold. Please StarClan! Help me find her! Save her!
He heard a wail in the distance, and he instantly shot towards it. He could hear more paw-steps behind him, but he didn't dare look back. He hoped that it was more warriors, but he couldn't be sure. All of his senses were blocked with terror, and suddenly the image of Rosepaw's eyes glazing over came to him again. He pushed the thought away and pushed himself to run faster, tears streaming down his face.
"Rosepaw!" he cried again. Her reply call was much closer this time, and much more blood curdling.
"Help me! I can't take it anymore!"
Stripepaw's lungs screamed for air, but he pushed on, determined to find her. He finally let his instincts take over, and Rosepaw's scent, mixed with fox and blood, washed over him. He was so close, he knew it. He took a sharp turn and entered a small clearing known as Prey Clearing. There, in the centre, was a fox hovering menacingly over a beat and bloodied Rosepaw. Her once beautiful, soft grey fur was now matted and clumped with scarlet blood, her ears were shredded and one eye was shut tightly with a large scratch over it. Stripepaw gasped at the sight, and his body started to fill with adrenaline. In a surge of courage, he threw himself at the fox, only to be batted away like a mouse. He shook his head to clear it and, without hesitation, leapt at the fox again. This time, he aimed directly for the throat, and dug his claws in. The fox raked its claws across the apprentice's face in retaliation, catching Stripepaw's nose. Blood started to pool to the ground, but Stripepaw didn't feel any pain; he felt nothing. He dived under the fox's belly and raked his claws across it, letting blood spill out. The fox yelped, and kicked Stripepaw with one of its hind legs. It hit Stripepaw squarely in the shoulder and this time a searing pain shot through him. But that only gave him more energy.
Stripepaw squirmed out from under the fox and grasped its tail with his teeth. It tried to throw him off, but he clung on. Suddenly, more cats burst through the bushes and stood, bristling, in the clearing. There were Sandwhisker, Birchsong, Berryclaw and Leopardpaw. They all readied themselves to leap at the fox. The red-brown creature growled at them and finally swatted Stripepaw away. He was thrown across the clearing and crashed into a tree. He groaned as his vision started to blur and black spots appeared. He saw a bright light coming towards him, and he nearly gave in, but a desperate cry from Rosepaw called him back. He snapped his eyes open and stared at his love. He pushed himself up and trudged over to her as fast as he could, wincing as his back ached and stung with every move he made.
He sat down beside Rosepaw and rasped his tongue across her cheek.
"It's okay, I'm here now," he meowed, trying to comfort her.
"I'm sorry, Stripepaw. But I know you'll be a great medicine cat, I wish I could see you fulfilling your true destiny," she whimpered softly.
"No, no, no, no, no! Stay with me!" Stripepaw sobbed into her fur. "Please! You said we'd be forevermore!"
"I'm sorry," she croaked, closing her eyes. Stripepaw stared at her and shuddered. Tears started to stream from his eyes, and he felt his world crashing down around him.
"Rosepaw?" he meowed softly. The rise and fall of her chest became slower and slower, and it eventually stopped. He pressed his ear to her chest, but there was no heartbeat to listen for. "Rosepaw! No!"

Stripepaw's breathing slowed, and he looked up, watching the battle his Clan-mates had thrown themselves into. He couldn't hear anything, just a high pitched noise. He could feel all emotion drip away from him as he held Rosepaw's body between his paws. A very faint cry echoed in his ears, and he saw Birchsong drop to the ground with blood pooling from his throat. Berryclaw stood over him, crying for her friend, as Sandwhisker and Leopardpaw battled the fox until it ran away. Leopardpaw jumped about with pride and excitement, and Stripepaw's stomach flipped as he watched Leopardpaw turn around to see Rosepaw. His face fell instantly and a loud wail escaped his mouth. He raced over to his sister and pushed Stripepaw away furiously and sobbed into her crusted grey fur.
"StarClan no! Why didn't you take me instead? Please Rosepaw!" Leopardpaw cried out to the sky, sobbing uncontrollably.
Stripepaw stared around numbly. His face was damp and his eyes were starting to dry up after crying for so long. He watched as Berryclaw grabbed Leopardpaw's scruff and dragged him away so that Sandwhisker could pick up Rosepaw to take back to camp. In a moment of sorrow, Stripepaw raced over to Sandwhisker and took Rosepaw's scruff in his jaws. He rested her head on his back, while Sandwhisker carried her bottom half on his back. Stripepaw whimpered one last time, letting one more tear fall to the ground, and trudged toward camp with Rosepaw supported on his back. If only I hadn't hesitated so long when I saw her dragged off, I might've been able to save her.
Ahead of him, Berryclaw dragged Birchsong with the help of a still distraught Leopardpaw, who was now also mourning for his father. When they made it back to camp, the five foxes had left and cats were lining up outside Mosssting's den to be tended to. Three cats already lay on the ground, dead. Stripepaw sighed when he saw the bodies of Gingerclaw, Willownose and Cedarkit. Although Cedarkit had already died before the battle, Stripepaw still wished she could've lived. He watched as Berryclaw laid Birchsong down on the ground next to Willownose, the only elder they had, and as Leopardpaw sobbed into his father's black and white fur. Stripepaw started to sob once again as he let Rosepaw's body slip off his back next to her father, Birchsong. His gut twisted as Moonpoppy padded out of the medicine den and looked at her mate and daughter in the throng of dead cats. She closed her eyes and wailed up to the sky, before racing over to them and sobbing while comforting her son. Cedarfoot sat beside his daughter, sobbing as his mate, Mistpetal, tried to comfort him while also keeping conscious.
Stripepaw painfully looked at Rosepaw one last time, before padding away to the medicine den. Inside, he saw Mosssting tending to the wounds of Buzzardwish. He was frantically chewing up burdock root while also trying to get the cobwebs on the wounds. Stripepaw felt a large throb of guilt, knowing that he nearly left Mosssting to do this all by himself.
He quickly padded over to his mentor and placed his paw on Mosssting's shoulder.
"Sorry I didn't come earlier, but I'm here to help now," he meowed. Mosssting smiled and spat his burdock root pulp onto his paw, then started to rub it into the large scratch on Buzzardwish's shoulder.
"It's okay, you can put the cobwebs on," he told his apprentice. Stripepaw nodded and gathered as much cobweb as possible, then placed them over the gash on the white tom's shoulder. He repeated the process for every cat that came in, and when they were done, he realised something horrible.
"ThunderClan is so small now, we've lost so many cats, and we have no expecting queens," he commented.
"Haven't you heard?" Mosssting meowed, looking at his apprentice. "Doebrook moved to the nursery a few days ago, but she's already one moon along, she put it off so she could continue doing her duties."
"No, I didn't know. I guess nobody told me," Stripepaw meowed, puzzled.
"Well I told you but you didn't notice because you were so infatuated with Rosepaw."
Stripepaw snapped around and stared at his old mentor. How did he find out? Was it that obvious?
"I was not- I would never- I don't...I don't have her anymore, she's gone!" he cried. Mosssting sighed and embraced Stripepaw, comforting him. Stripepaw sobbed into his mentor's fur, wishing it was Rosepaw.
"I know what it's like to love another, trust me," Mosssting meowed. "But you're a medicine cat, it just simply wasn't meant to be."
Stripepaw let out one more sob and looked up at his mentor. "But she was just so...perfect. I'm going to miss her so much," he meowed softly.
"Maybe you'll see her when we go to the Moonpool," Mosssting suggested.
"But I'll have to wait another half-moon to see her then, I can't wait that long!" Stripepaw exclaimed. "I'm sorry, but I can't do anything about it," Mosssting meowed regretfully and shrugged. "But, it's been a long day, and we'll be sitting vigil tonight, you should get some sleep until then."
Stripepaw nodded and padded over to his nest, his vision starting to blur with more tears. He curled up in his soft nest and closed his eyes, wishing sleep would come instantly.

Stripepaw was woken up by Mosssting's paw shaking his flank. Stripepaw groggily looked up at his mentor and yawned.
"Come on, the Clan is sitting vigil," Mosssting meowed, turning around to leave the den. He suddenly stopped ad turned around to look at Stripepaw again. "And Mistpetal is with them. We lost her a little after you fell asleep."
Stripepaw gasped as a pang of guilt hit him. He could've saved her if he wasn't so wrapped up in talking to Turtlestar about changing his mentor. He quickly stood up and shook his pelt, before following his mentor out of the den. The rest of the Clan was gathered around the pile of cats, most of them sobbing. Stripepaw padded up to them and sat beside Leopardpaw in front of Rosepaw's body. Stripepaw leaned down and buried his nose in her soft fur, but her body was now cold and rigid.
I just can't believe she's gone, he thought to himself. He remained calm, but he wanted to just wail like a kit for her.
That night, the Clan sat vigil for six cats: Mistpetal and Cedarkit, who both died of greencough, Willownose, who died protecting the nursery during the battle, Gingerclaw, who sacrificed herself to save Branchheart, Birchsong, who died protecting his two kits Rosepaw and Leopardpaw, and Rosepaw, who was taken by a fox.

Stripepaw could feel his eyes starting to droop as the sun started to rise. Mosssting placed his tail on his apprentice's shoulder.
"Get some sleep, you've been up all night," he meowed. Stripepaw nodded and, dragging his paws, padded over to his den. As soon as he had curled up in his nest, he fell asleep.