Chapter Seven

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"We don't have to sit vigil for Raintail," Cinderpaw whispered to Sun as they padded into camp. "We didn't know him that well."

Sun nodded. "Still, we should probably say good bye. He was a good warrior, right?"

Cinderpaw dipped her head. "That he was. Come on, after his body's cleaned and laid out and after Silverstar announces his death. The we can go to bed."

Sun nodded and padded away to a basking stone. She just felt like being alone. She curled up, facing out, and peering through the trees. What was beyond those trees? The lake? The mountains?

She heard the soft crunching of leaves behind her, and didn't stir as Goldleaf climbed up on the stone beside her, curling up and facing out like her. "He was my father, you know."

Sun looked at him, surprised. "Why aren't you over there, waiting for his body?"

He shifted uncomfortably. "Because we're friends, and you seemed...upset. Why?"

His question was so simple, yet Sun didn't know how to answer it. "I...I don't know. I feel responsible, because at one point I climbed up a tree and watched the whole battle. I could have jumped in to help Raintail. But I didn't."

"I saw you jump into battle and save Frostpaw," Goldleaf said firmly. "Anyway, I don't want to talk about this anymore. Do you want to-"

He stopped. Sun looked at him, and he bit his lip and looked at his paws. "What?" Asked Sun. "Do you want to... go down to the lake behind camp later?"

"Tonight?"

"No, tomorrow morning. After you train."

"Ok, sure," Sun agreed. A strange feeling stirred in her belly. "It'll be fun. Do you swim?"

"I love to."

"So do I," Sun mewed, purring. Just then, a loud yowl called from the Rock Pile. "Let all cats old enough to climb Sky Tree gather beneath the Rock Pile for a Clan meeting!"

Every cat was in the clearing, but they turned to Silverstar. Sun and Goldleaf turned on their rock. "As you all know, HollyClan attacked us. Raintail died nobly fighting Cherryflower and will be remembered in StarClan forevermore."

"Raintail! Raintail! Raintail!" The Clan cheered as Silverstar leaped down gracefully from the Rock Pile and settled herself next to the fallen warrior. Sun hopped off of the rock, nodding to Goldleaf, then ran to find Cinderpaw. She could feel his golden eyes burning into her back as she located her friend. "Let's go," she mewed as soon as she found her. Cinderpaw nodded, and together they padded up to the fallen warrior, who Featherpelt had been spreading herbs on as Silverstar had talked.

"Good bye, Raintail," Cinderpaw mewed softly, pressing her nose into the fallen warrior's fur. "You were a great warrior."

"Good bye," Sun echoed. She didn't know much about Raintail, but she decided he had to be quite a good warrior- and father. "I didn't know you very well, but you must have been a brilliant warrior and father, and mentor."

Sun stepped back and turned to go to the apprentice den, but Featherpelt called, "Sun! Cinderpaw!"

"What?" Asked Cinderpaw. "I need to treat your wounds," Featherpelt explained. "Come here. Cloverfur, you can help Cinderpaw."

He nodded at a light gray tabby she cat next to him. She beckoned to Cinderpaw wi her tail, and they disappeared into the den. Featherpelt brought her into the den, squeezing under the two rocks.

It was cool and shady in the little cave beyond. A small, lightly trickling pool was in one corner, and a tunnel led off to somewhere Sun couldn't see. The air smelled simultaneously sweet like flowers and sharp, like frost. A dim light shone down through a hole in the ceiling, and a row of nests lay in dips in the ground at the back wall. Two nests lay farther off; Sun thought they might be Cloverfur and Featherpelt's nests.

Featherpelt looked her over. "I must say, you came out quite well for your first battle against trained warriors," he remarked as he padded around her. Sun nodded. "I had a few battles as a rogue."

"You must have," Featherpelt mewed. "You only have one deep wound, right here on your flank. Your ear will need looking at too. But you stopped bleeding fairly quickly, do that's good. Wait here."

He turned and padded into the tunnel. Sun stayed where she was. He returned a heartbeat later win his jaws full of herbs. He began to chew up a poultice of three herbs, and then licked it onto Sun's flank wound. She hissed when the pain from the wound mingled with the sharp sting of the poultice. Featherpelt wrapped some sticky cobwebs around it. Then he moved onto her ear. He chewed up another few leaves, and licked them on. They stung even more than the flank wound ones had. Sun bit her tongue in an effort to not cry out. The stinging finally stopped and she stepped back, dipping her head to Featherpelt. "Thanks," she muttered, before she sprang out and hurried towards the apprentice den.

Sorry guys... I know this isn't my greatest chapter ever... But I'm at a sleepover, it's exactly 1:10 AM, and I have a baseball thing for karate in a few hours. I'm really tired and have a headache. So yeah. Anyway.

I'll try to update something later today but I don't know if I will... I'll most likely be catching up on sleep that I missed 🐱.

Anyway. I really should get to sleep. Sorry about the super short length. I was originally going to put some Lionscar stuff in, but I'm just too tired. So. That will have to wait.

But about the book- has anyone noticed any Clan similarities with CloudClan and HollyClan? HollyClan is pretty obvious, CloudClan... not so much. (You can combine Clans to get the character right.) I will announce what it is in the next chapter. Also, notice anything going on between Goldleaf and Sun...? You'll notice a she cat named Applefoot in the next few chapters... there will be some drama after Applefoot finds out what Sun and Goldleaf are going to be going tomorrow!

Anyways, like I said, it's pretty late, for me at least. It's 1:15. Good night!

Ps Thanks for all the votes and comments! I need to start putting up goals... TOMORROW! If you want to see them they will be in my description. And I'm actually having problems typing and keeping my eyes open at the moment, so. Nigth night!

Yeah. I lied. No goals, because I'm too lazy to do them. Sorry! Bye!

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