Warriors: The Unknown Threat Series Book #5: Mysterious Newcomers

Chapter 8: Sunpaw

SUNPAW

            Sunpaw lifted removed her nose from her sister’s cold fur as a voice meowed quietly, “Could you please move your heads so that we can bury Pondpaw’s body?”

            She glanced at her father. Lionblaze was an unknown moving lump of golden fur, and for a horrible moment, Sunpaw thought he was dead. Then she saw his eyes open and close, and she breathed a silent sigh of relief. Yet the look of grief in his eyes worried her. “Lionblaze, please move your head so I can bury your daughter’s body,” Cloudtail said, a hint of impatience in his voice.

            Sunpaw’s father didn’t move or even blink. Cloudtail nudged him in the side. “Move Lionblaze!” he hissed, not even attempting to show politeness this time.

            This time Lionblaze moved his head and rose slowly to his feet. Snowpelt walked towards the ThunderClan deputy. “I am sorry for your loss,” the white tom meowed.

            Lionblaze didn’t respond. “Lionblaze,” Sunpaw stammered. “Patrols?”

            Lionblaze turned his head towards her. His eyes smoldered with fury, not at Sunpaw, but at his own Clan. “Why worry about WindClan and ShadowClan when there are traitors within your own Clan?” he spat.

            Sunpaw flinched under his angry stare. Suddenly, a dark brown tom appeared at Lionblaze’s side. “I’ll take care of patrols for today,” Bramblestar said. “Lionblaze, why don’t you go and rest in the warriors den?”

            “What if someone kills me in my sleep?” Lionblaze mumbled.

            Bramblestar’s gaze hardened and he narrowed his eyes. “Go to warriors den now,” the ThunderClan leader ordered.

            After a long moment of hesitation, Lionblaze trotted into the warriors den.

            Sunpaw sighed. Would her father be okay? Would he ever get over Pondpaw’s death? Would she ever get over Pondpaw’s death? she wondered.

            Sunpaw saw her mother approaching. She saw a terrible sadness in her blue eyes. “Sunpaw,” her mother meowed, her voice raw with grief.

            “Cinderheart,” Sunpaw meowed quietly.

            “Sunpaw, your father will be fine,” Cinderheart said, as if she could see Sunpaw’s worries. “He just needs time to grieve. At least he’s talking, unlike Bramblestar when he lost Squirrelflight.”

            “And who is the traitor?” Sunpaw demanded.

            Cinderheart simply shook her head. “StarClan knows,” she meowed softly. “Only StarClan knows.”