Book 2: City of Ice and Fire (a warriors cats and shadowhunters crossover)

Chapter 28: Terrible News

****Nightrose's POV****

She'd awoken in the middle of her slumber to quite the commotion going on in camp. Sighing, Nightrose pulls herself onto her paws to head out of the Warrior's Den. The sky is dark now, with stars glittering in the sky to make the cats awake in the clearing gain a soft silver sheen. It doesn't take long for her to figure out where the commotion is coming from.

The Medicine Den has several of her Clan mates gathered around. Among them are Blossomstar, Vultureclaw, Dapplefur, Smokepaw, Mousepaw and Stripepaw. She finds herself even further surprised to see Arrowheart and Patchfur and Goldenclaw hanging around the group too, all looking anxious and worried.

She runs over to meet them, only to be surprised when she finds a fresh scratch across Arrowheart's chest. The blood there had dried but the wound was relatively recent if the discomforting grimace on his face was anything to go by.

"What happened?" She asked. "Arrowheart, how did you get hurt?"

At that, Goldenclaw looks down at his paws like he was deeply ashamed of something. Being the smart she-cat that she is, it didn't take long for her to connect the dots. Nightrose whirls her gaze onto her other brother.

"Goldenclaw, you did this?" She asks, stunned.

"I..." Goldenclaw breathes, unable to get the words out.

"He did." Arrowheart admits. "But he was upset, so it's okay. Besides, it doesn't even hurt that much." As if to demonstrate this, Arrowheart places a paw over the wound, pressing down. The gesture does not make him wince, giving off the sign that it wasn't a deep wound.

"Arrowheart will be just fine Nightrose, I'm taking care of him." Patchfur assured her. The warlock tom had his tail twined with her brother's. Arrowheart seemed pleased to have Patchfur so close to him. It made her wonder what exactly was going on with the two. For Arrowheart to let Patchfur be so up in his comfort zone...it had to mean they were close.

Whatever happened while they were gone must've done this.

Nightrose wasn't about to complain. Despite her brother's careful strategizing, she was well aware he is gay. A part of her had been worried that Arrowheart would never be honest with himself, allow himself to find love, luckily for her it seemed she was wrong. The question was, just what was the relationship between her brother and Patchfur? Hopefully she'd find out soon enough.

In the meantime, there was a situation at paw.

"So, who's injured?" Nightrose asks. She has a sinking feeling that she already knows, but still has to confirm her suspicions.

"Violetpaw." Goldenclaw uttered his apprentice's name somberly, his normally confident exterior ripped apart to leave behind a haunted shell.

"Oh. Oh no! Goldenclaw, I'm so sorry." All the anger she felt towards her foster brother vanishes in that moment. "What happened to her?"

Arrowheart seems to swallow a lump in his throat. "She was hit by a monster." He casts a sideways glance at the cats gathered there, his blue eyes narrowing on Vultureclaw. The traitorous deputy wasn't in earshot, too busy talking to Blossomstar. Arrowheart leans close to her, whispering in her ear. "She was trying to receive a message from Vultureclaw." His expression briefly hardens with his next words. "A message Blossomstar was supposed to go get."

Nightrose at first doesn't understand what her brother is getting at. When she does however, a bolt of horror strikes through her. Her brown eyes widen.

"You can't possibly mean...." Her voice rises with the horror building up in her chest.

Vultureclaw was trying to murder Blossomstar.