A Star Forgotten - Warriors Fanfiction

Chapter 10

Snowsong, Pantherstep, and Ashleaf froze with shock as they parted the grass that surrounded the camp. Just as Ashleaf's instincts had told her, StormClan was in utter chaos.

Cats ran about, wailing and caterwauling, some in pretty drastic condition. Mousepaw and Sunpaw were in hysterics, grieving over their lost sister. Lilyblossom and another tom were pacing around wildly. Ferneye, the queen, was calling for Snowsong, trying to drag around her swollen belly of kits. 

"Oh, my StarClan!" Snowsong gasped, horrified. "This is why I don't leave camp!" She added under her breath. The brown and white medicine cat ran into the clearing. "What is the meaning of this?!" She demanded.

Ferneye moaned and flopped onto her side. "Oh, Snowsong, where have you been? Wisetail's dead!"

"What?!" shrieked Snowsong, "What happened?! Did he die after I left?!"

Ferneye nodded miserably, her distinctive green eyes wide with despair. Ashleaf felt her stomach churn with horror as well. Wisetail was Ferneye's mate. Ashleaf had never gotten the privilege of having a mate, according to Snowsong's memory of her, as she was much too busy with her own warrior duties. Despite this, she couldn't fathom the torture that must come with losing a mate.

Suddenly, Ferneye craned her neck around to face Ashleaf. "This is your fault," She growled. The gray queen's fur bristled furiously. 

"My fault?" Ashleaf mewed, appalled.

Snowsong, once adjacent to her, had already pelted off towards her den. Ashleaf was left alone with the queen, who now appeared to be driven mad with grief. Oh, StarClan...

"You should have been there in the battle to help us all! Where were you?!" Ferneye choked out a disgruntled mew. "Now, Loudpaw is gone and my mate is dead! Explain yourself!"

The leader gulped. After convincing Pantherstep to help her, she thought all her problems had been solved. But now she saw that she hadn't remembered that she would have to explain herself to the rest of StormClan. 

Ashleaf turned away from Ferneye. Ferneye let out a scoff of indignation, but Ashleaf ignored her. Mustering up all the courage she could summon, she padded up to the top of the Highrock and yowled, "Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather here beneath the Highrock!"

She braced herself as the cats of StormClan gathered around the rock. Pantherstep was the first to arrive. His eyes still glittered with shock, leading Ashleaf to the conclusion that he still had not recovered from the revelations of their previous meeting.

Darkstorm and Redear, the littermates of Wisetail, padded out of the medicine den accompanied by Snowsong. The two toms' eyes were dull with grief, while Snowsong's amber eyes were filled with crushing clouds of failure.

Gradually, the StormClan cats filled the clearing. Ashleaf's belly churned at the sight of the disgusted and horrible glares she was receiving from her Clan. She had been used to kind gestures of respect and honor, not these of disapproval and hatred!

At last, when all the cats had gathered, Ashleaf parted her jaws to speak. However, she was interrupted by a sharp yowl from below.

"Well, well, well, the great leader arrives at last!" spat Darkstorm, a spotted brown tom, "Would you like to explain, Ashstar, why my brother is dead?"

Ashleaf winced. 

As she had previously learned, Wisetail, Darkstorm, and Ashleaf's father Redear were littermates. They were bonded almost as close as Ashleaf and Snowsong were, but by the close bond of kinship as opposed to the relationship of a leader and medicine cat. Of course, Darkstorm was angry. Ashleaf's cowardice caused the death of his brother.