sage | a warrior cats fanfiction

chapter thirty nine

"You," Cougarstar snapped, lifting his tail to point at the she-cat. "This is all your fault!"

She reared back, casting him a confused and vexed look. "What did I do?" She asked as she looked back into the den, and from behind her, Twilightcloud trotted out. Both black-furred she-cats glanced to the leader, who stomped a paw furiously down on the ground.

"You let them get all healed and then they just left! If they would've been more injured, it wouldn't have happened!" He flared, tail whipping. "And you just stood by and let her do it!" He looked at Twilightcloud, fury clearly written all over his expression.

The crowd had not dissipated. Really, it had only grown, for the cats who'd only gone a little in the journey to try and retrieve the rogues had reappeared, though Palewhisker had yet to return. However, the tom soon enough skidded into camp with irritation scrawled across his features, but at seeing the anger within Cougarstar's gaze, the deputy simply slipped into the crowd.

And apparently, that meant right next to him.

Adderheart shifted uncomfortably, unable to stop the scent of blood from completely invading his senses. Swallowing a huff as though to get rid of the smell, his tail twitched back and forth beneath him, but he tried his best to try and breathe normally. As long as he kept on breathing, then all would be well, right? As long as he tried to keep things going like normal, it'd be fine.

"This is all your fault!" Cougarstar flashed out again, tail now thumping as he stalked forward.

"We had to heal them," Twilightcloud answered evenly, her features simple as she looked back to the leader. His maw dropped.

"You really didn't. You didn't! You only wanted to because... well I don't know why, because you're both idiots, really," he spat shortly after, tail lashing as he shook his head. "When my healers are both stupid, what am I meant to do—"

"So you would've wanted to get information from a corpse?" Coalbelly interrupted, stepping forward as the leader whipped, baring his teeth in her face. "Because all that information you got would've been completely gone if I wouldn't have gone and healed them."

"They're rogues, idiot! Obviously I know that, do you think I'm stupid?" Cougarstar barked, "where's Palewhisker and everyone else? Are the rogues back?"

The deputy rose from beside him and stepped forward, answering, "The rogues got away, but we tried our best. I don't know where they went."

"Send a patrol after them," he ordered, "because our stupid healers went and healed them so they could get away."

"I only used cobwebs! I didn't even use herbs!" Coalbelly snapped, and the leader whipped to her and glared.

"I don't really think that matters. You used some form of herbs on him," he spat in response, "now don't talk to me, now that you've ruined it all. Go back in your den and don't come out even when you want to."

"You can't do that!" Twilightcloud protested, ears harshly twitching. Her eyes were bright with confusion and irritation was hidden within her light yellow depths. "We didn't do anything wrong!"

"Go," Cougarstar ordered.

Coalbelly's tail quickly whipped against Twilightcloud's foreleg, and the two healers cast each other a look before turning and walking off to the healers' den. Though, their heads were tipped up and their tails lightly brushed the ground, gait steady and almost confident before they disappeared within the den.

"Now go get a patrol," the leader snapped, turning back to Palewhisker, "before they get away."

Palewhisker rose with a huff, gaze sweeping the area. "Marigoldcry, Freckletuft, Antwhisper, you three," he started, tail waving harshly as all three cats rose and obediently trotted forward. "Go find the rogues."