Warriors! Moonstars journey.

Chapter 12

Moonfrost refused to tell the clan her sister had been about to leave them. So she told them that willowfall had been hunting with her, as the sisters had done many times before, and chased a squirrel onto the thunderpath.

The wails of loss echoed in moonfrost's ears, loudest of all from Ruby, who huddled near willowfalls head, her own head bowed in mourning. Brackenstar just stared hollowly at his favorite daughter's body, and moonfrost worried for her father.

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After the vigil, moonfrost helped the elders bury her sister, then went back into the camp and hunched by the warriors den, feeling empty with sorrow.

A slight touch on her shoulder drew her attention, moonfrost glanced over to see Ruby watching her, her ice blue eyes wide with worry.

"Moon if you want to come back to twoleg place with me... I could get my housefolk to let you in." Her words were gentle, trying to be persuasive.

"You want me to be a kittypet?" Moonfrost hissed, anger tightening her stomach. "Im a warrior. Not a pet. Im not going to run to the first twoleg i see and purr at it!"

Ruby didnt flinch, her eyes still worried, but a spark of amusement and admiration flared softly. "You sound just like your father. Im so proud of you..."

Ruby leaned over and licked moonfrost between the ears, gentle and loving, making moonfrost feel like a kit again, but she ignored it. Curling up, moonfrost sighed softly and drifted to sleep.

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Limping into camp, moonfrost looked around at her depleted clan, and mourned for the many that had died in the needles battle brackenstar forced them into.

Two moons had passed sense willowfalls death, and the once noble and caln leader she had known as her father, had gone mad and turned into a vicious and terrible tyrant.

The battle had been swift, many cats from both sides had died. But it wasnt the only needless battle brackenstar had forced them into these past moons.

Limping behind her old mentor, moonfrost hurried to cloudspot's side, and licked a bleeding scratch on his shoulder, seeing brackenstar stalk past, and vanish into the undergrowth.

"We must do something, or our clan will die while we fight needless battles." Moonfrost murmured into cloudspot's ear, careful not to let any other cats overhear.

Nodding, the deputy huffed and looked around at the silent, defeated cats he had lead into battle this morning.

"Cats of stormclan... We must be rid of this leader that harms us. We must chase brackenstar out," his words were firm, but full of regret. Moonfrost felt it too, but she was certain that it must be done.

Trudging home warily, they slipped into the camp and saw brackenstar getting his wounds treated by mousefeather, the medicine cat pressing cobwebs to their leaders huge body.

Many cats behind them muttered in nervousness, trailing along and glancing apprehensively at brackenstar.

Finally cloudspot raised his tail, and they fell silent. Cloudspot stalked forward, moonfrost and snowberry on his heels, to face the once great leader.

"Brackenstar. We must talk." Cloudspot raised his voice, letting himself be heard by all the clan, and he glared into the leaders eyes.

Brackenstar rose to his full height, his amber eyes glaring a challenge. "You have the audacity to come here and demand things of me when you failed me against river clan?" Brackenstar snarled irritably.

"Brackenstar. you have broken the warrior code. its time for you to leave stormclan." cloudspot kept his eyes on brackenstar, and watched as his words registered.

Fury and madness shone brightly in brackenstars eyes, and he pulled his lips back in a snarl, his large claws sliding out. "And your going to make me then?"

"The entire clan want you gone." moonfrost forced herself to speak, her mew raised.

The hurt in his eyes made her waver for a second, but she remembered the pain, and focused, closing her heart to her fathers pain.

"You too, moonfrost?" Brackenstars deep mew was soft, and a empty confusion drew over his eyes, giving the impression of a confused kit. "you betray me too? My only daughter?"

Moonfrost flinched backward, pain over her sisters death, and her betrayal of brackenstar piercing her heart like a thorn.

"Very well." Brackenstar looked around, his eyes clearing, making eye contact with every cat in the clan. none of them flinched.

Brackenstar snorted, then stalked past the cats gathered around him, and slipping out of camp, his dark ginger tail flicking as he disappeared.

Sighing, moonfrost looked at cloudspot. Then dipped her head, raising her voice to call out "cloudstar! Cloudstar!"

The clan quickly raised their voices to welcome their new leader. Cloudspot looked uncomfortable.

"I need starclans approval, first. So do not call me that yet. I shall go tomorrow night after i get some rest from the battle today." Cloudspot bowed his head to the clan, humbled, and turned, going to the medicine den.

Moonfrost watched him go, her heart aching almost as much as her body. Limping across the camp, she settled outside of the warriors den to wait for mousefeather.