Warriors: Black Rain

Chapter 6

        That evening, the camp elders carried Pepperpelt's body to the middle of the clearing, where the entire clan shared tongues with their old friend for the last time. Scarpaw had only spoken to the pretty warrior a few times before, and she nealed down towards her, filled with guilt and dismay. She nudged the brave warriors lifeless body, taking in her sweet scent; it was already fading into the surrounding smells of the marsh.

          "Im sorry I didnt get to know you very well. Sparkpaw spoke highly of you after every training lesson, and he seemed to respect you very much. You must've been a great warrior." Scarpaw opened her eyes and stood, looking to her right. Sparkpaw was curled up against his fallen mentor's side, un-moving and stunned by grief. Scarpaw wanted to stay to comfort her friend, but she felt as if doing so would be intrusive. Scarpaw simply brushed up against him in support, and made her way back to the den, her paws feeling heavy. The sun was starting to set on the tree's, and Scarpaw could see a single star glowing softly amid the pale sky.

        As the night winds blew through the leaves of the apprentice den, Scarpaw twitched restlessly, watching the nightsky with wide eyes. Sparkpaw was still out in the clearing with Pepperpelt; he would most likely stay there all night. Leopardpaw layed motion-less next to her, deep in slumber. The other apprentices were asleep as well; but Scarpaw did not feel the familiar tug of slumber. She was overwhelmed by the emotions and tensions of the day, and there was so much on her mind. Why had the ThornClan warriors killed Pepperpelt in a simple border attack? Surely they didnt intend to?
      Scarpaw flicked her ears. It could be that this was planned- ThornClan was fierce and cold, often cutting corners to achieve their success; they did take after ShadowClan, one of the great ancestral clans, after all. But what was their purpose? Did they want to irritate RainClan to attack? Surely they couldn't afford a declaration of war?
      Then there was the message from StarClan that Snowstar had recieved. Scarpaw couldn't help but wonder if it was about her family ties with MapleClan. She had never felt any longing for her birth clan from the very day she chose to leave; her heart lies with RainClan. She hadn't even seen her sister, Hawkpaw, since the day she had left MapleClan as a young kit. Maybe she was wrong, and the message wasn't about her after all. Any of the clan leaders could've recieved the message; there were simply too many possibilities.
      After a long time of thinking, sleep finally caught up to Scarpaw, as she drifted off into a dream-less slumber.

        Scarpaw awoke with a jolt. The sun was just starting to shine through the thin leaves, and she could smell the fresh dew resting on the grass outside. It must be early. 

      She looked to her left to see Sparkpaw curled up in his moss bed, twitching restlessly. He must be having a nightmare, she thought. Before Scarpaw got up to leave, she softly nudged her nose to his pelt. When he stopped twitching, she made her way out into the clearing to stretch.

      Most of the clan were still asleep, but some warriors were chatting near the soft-ground outside the warriors den. She recognized Stormspirit, and rushed over to check on her mentor, anxiety suddenly flowing through her veins. 

      "Stormspirit!" He turned his head to see her running towards him, whiskers twitching. There were two large scars over his left eye, but it seemed to be working fine. Thank StarClan, she thought, he must've had his eye closed when they striked.

        Stormspirit smiled weakly, a distant haze in his eyes. She could tell he was trying to hide his despair. "Scarpaw, hello! Its good to see you." Scarpaw rubbed under his chin, purring loudly. She had been worried sick about her mentor since he had arrived at camp, bloodied and beaten. 

      "I'm so glad you're okay. You looked as if you may not make it to Webbear's den." Toadface, another warrior sitting behind him, twitched his tail.

       "We're fine." Toadface's voice was raspy, and his dark eyes flashed. Scarpaw knew she hit a sensative spot; the two warriors had been apprentices with Pepperpelt.

       Scarpaw bowed her head. "I-I apologize, I was just so worried." Stormspirit smiled and flicked his tail, dismissing his friends anger. 

      "Thats alright. Thank you, but were tougher than you think; those mouse-brained ThornClan cats were so afraid of us, they ran back to their clan with their tail tucked between their legs." Scarpaw chuckled at his words, but she could see Toadface's eyes flash behind him. Stormspirit must be bluffing.

    She smiled and stood. "Well, Im glad your eye is alright." Stormspirit nodded, the distant look in his eyes slowly clouding up again. Scarpaw turned towards Toadface and nodded her goodbye. The old warrior looked at her through narrowed eyes. His jaw was twisted from many past battles, with warts and patches of scared skin and missing fur all over his face. She looked away, trying to hide her surprise, and headed back towards the apprentice den, where Leopardpaw was padding out the entrance. Scarpaw greeted her with a soft mew.

     "Morning, Leopardpaw. Sleep well?" Her friend yawned, reaching behind her ear to scratch. 

      "It was alright, I suppose. You?" Scarpaw sighed. 

      "I had trouble sleeping, with everything thats been happening lately. First the message, now Pepperpelt..." 

      Leopardpaw sighed. "I feel the same way. Maybe today's training lesson will help take your mind off things." Scarpaw nodded, exited to train with Stormspirit again. It was still early in the morning, and training wouldn't be for a while. Scarpaw and Leopardpaw groomed eachother as they waited for whatever lessons their mentors had planned.