Warriors An Awaiting Dawn: A Doused Star

Chapter 17

Thresh was sleeping beside Rue in the mossy glade. The land was dry aside from some parts. Magnolia, Light Mist, and Moth were helping set up the temporary camp. "This material looks like great nesting!" Moth mewed through a patch of vines and moss and leaves. Magnolia flicked her tail. "I think being here is good. Too many of us would be out in the open." She mewed. Violet Leaf padded close to Wolf Fur playing with the kits. Light Mist shook off a leaf from her paw. "Blech.." she mrowed. Weasel Spot looked around. "I must admit, it may not be our home in the pines, but anywhere with my kits is my home." He mewed.
Viper Strike turned and smiled at Weasel Spot. "I'm glad you're with us." She mewed. The black and white mottled tom nuzzled her. The foliage rustled and a cat exploded forward from the undergrowth, half of his face raw and charred. It was Alpine!
Cats jumped amd bristled as the tom lept from the bushes.
Apline's eyes darted around and he leaped for the nearest cat, Moth. Magnolia screeched and tackled the tom to the ground, he wriggled away and backed up to a rock. A hiss sounded. A viper slid out. Alpine gasped. In a second the action was over. Alpine was on the ground, his screams echoed around as the cats watched. "Aaaah! Aaah! Please heelp! I'm dyiing! Aarraaagh!" He screeched and wailed. "My blood! It burns!" The snake slithered away to parts unknown as the scarred tom was still wailing and thrashing on the grass, mud and moss. The cats looked down with pity before turning to look the other way. Eagle's Speck covered her kits ears and turned them away. "You think after you set this woods on fire? Never!" Magnolia snarled. As harsh as her reply was, even if they had said yes to his pleas, it'd possibly be too late to even drain the poison from him. Plus the mountain cats didn't even know how to drain a viper's poison. The screams of agony slowly quited until they stopped. The violent rogue cat was dead.
"H-he's dead.." Moth mewed.
Wolf Fur flattened his ears. "What should we do?" he meowed. "Do we burry him?" someone asked in a low tone.
Fish Scar bowed his head. "My cats, we will take this cat and burry him."
"What?!" Running Fern leaped to his paws. "He tried to kill us!" His green eyes were blazing with rage.
"I know that!" Fish Scar hissed. "But if we didn't would we not be as bad as him?" He pointed out.
"He tried to burn us alive if it escape your notice!" Gray Sky called up.
"No it hasn't! We are in a new place, with new cats, but we keep out traditions alive! And that includes burrying the dead." He meowed. Leaping Breeze nodded. "Where should we burry him?" She asked. The mackerel tabby blinked. "Somewhere. Anywhere." He replied. The van she-cat curled her tail. "Running Fern, Gray Sky, you two being so concerned, want to help?" She mewed to the two toms. In silence, they both drew over to help her burry tom poisoned cat.