Warriors : The Clan's Curse (Book 2) - Uprising

Chapter 20

The clan was silent, crowded around a limp, lifeless body that smelled pungently of mint and rosemary Quailtail sat hunched over her son's stiff and broken body. The clan was in disarray, they had lost their leader and deputy, and with the storm, it allowed for part of the cliff to collapse meaning the destruction of the Leaders Den and the Warriors Den. Cliffclan was crumbling, Poplarpelt stood on the stump by the raging river "Cliffclan, the raging storm has passed and made way for a new day. Unfortunately, our Deputy passed away due to injury, and today we mourn our losses."

All the clan remained quiet besides one cat Hawkeye, whose light grey and dark grey pelt stood on end in annoyance and in heartbreak. "Beetlenose didn't die from injury!" Yowled Hawkeye, Quailtail looked to him as sadness welled from her one eye, the remaining cats of Cliffclan looked at each other confused and startled. "Beetlenose couldn't stomach living without being able to move. He couldn't go on without her, she was his world!"

"Hawkeye, this is a vigil, you must be quiet" hissed Poplarpelt his deep yellow eyes were narrowed as he looked down at Hawkeye.

"No, I need to speak!" Growled Hawkeye as he looked around at the other cats whose eyes were widened at the sight of the two bickering. "Beetlenose and I were opposites at birth, he was loud and energetic. A hopeless romantic. I was cynical, silent and well, judgemental. We were like the Sun and the Moon. I wouldn't have it any other way, he was my best Friend and my brother, and I thank him for that. Thank you. Beetlenose isn't with us anymore, and even though its been not that long, I miss him, and I'll keep missing him. I always will, because he was and is my shining light. He made me want to be a better cat, he inspired me, and now he's gone. We once believed that we could concur the world together, he would be a leader, and I would be deputy, standing beside each other. I will stay strong and stand tall because I know Beetlenose would do the same, I was proud of him, and I want him to be proud of me." Hawkeye's voice was choked out in pain as he began to panic. "He loved Orchidstar, he couldn't live with the guilt of knowing that he could have saved her."

Quailtail nodded openly, confirming while the group of cats all looked to Beetlenose's body that seemed to look a bit more peaceful with the new information. "Beetlenose wished that Hawkeye became the new Leader of Cliffclan, he will go to the Golden Hollow with Foxstripe once the vigil is complete" Poplarpelt announced guiltily as he stepped away from the stump.

Eagleheart looked to Beetlenose and to Hawkeye who was a few tail-lengths ahead of him, Eagleheart slowly padded towards Hawkeye greeting him with a bowed head"Farewells are always bittersweet, aren't they?" Eagleheart said with the most profound compassion to the new leader.

"Indeed they are...but he isn't in pain anymore; which is all that matters to me now." Hawkeye huskily meowed as he walked up to his sibling's body touching Beetlenose's flank with his nose. Eagleheart turned tail and stood beside Sheepfur who looked so heart shattered and defeated.

The moon paled in comparison to her in Eagleheart's aqua eyes. "It's sad to see how much destruction one storm can do...." Sheepfur meowed silently as she padded up to Beetlenose's body paying respect and then stepped back away from the other cats "Do you think they will get a patrol to look for Orchidstar's body, it could wash up along the coastline..."

Eagleheart shook his head "I don't think she would wash up, even at the mercy of the sea" admitted Eagleheart sadly, Sheepfur leaned into his fur trying to forget the sorrow that plagued Cliffclan. The remaining of the clan quietly all paid their respects one by one, Hawkeye and Quailtail both laid beside Beetlenose as if they were trying not to forget his scent as it burned into their memories.

As the night pressed on more warriors retreated to the quarantine dens that had now become the new warriors' dens, it was just over the river by the fallen tree, it was usually empty until there was an epidemic spreading the clan. It had only one tunnel, and that was to the Medicine den, soon there in the clearing only stood Eagleheart, Sheepfur, Hawkeye, Quailtail, Foxstripe, Rainfoot and Birdsong who kept to themselves the whole night. The sun peaked quietly and slowly as if it was afraid to shine its light to the clan, Hawkeye was soon led out of the camp by Foxstripe who held apprehension heavy in her eyes, and Sheepfur was looking wearily tired "Do you want to go out to the meadow and watch the flowers bloom?" Her meow was tired and flat as she nudged Eagleheart not letting him reply as she smiled at him "C'mon."

The two waited until they knew Foxstripe and Hawkeye would be halfway across the meadow and they began making their way out of the camp, being followed by Rainfoot, Birdsong and Quailtail gently carrying Beetlenose's body into the burial grounds of the meadow area closest to the mountains, meaning they had a much longer journey to take care to. Eagleheart entwined his tail around Sheepfur's as he padded quietly not saying anything; The buds of Newleaf laid dappling over the meadow the moon was now behind them, and they had lost sight of the burial patrol that had passed them some time ago.

A somewhat warm breeze rolled off the ocean and through the meadow making the flower buds sway as they slowly opened to the sunlight, their petals were in various shades of lavender, and yellow and Sheepfur looked radiant as if she was just as fragile as a flower herself. Something in his gut made him turn his head towards the charred forest hunting area, he could see cats and about the size of a large patrol gaining up towards them. The sun gleamed out from the mountain and made them seem like the sun was burning their pelts, Eagleheart rose to his paws. He was compelled and mesmerised to see who they were, but his mind had jumped to Yellowpaw, Fallingpaw and the apprentices. He pelted to the group of cats leaving Sheepfur to slowly catch up to him as her stomach swayed as she heavily ran behind him, Eagleheart gained speed as the cats seemed to edge closer, he could see how battered, bruised and tired they all looked, but they looked relieved.

Familiar scents wafted to his nose of his kin, Eagleheart bolted to them, his paws thumping the ground like thunder his heart was aflutter as he saw Yellowpaw in front of the group of cats, the sunrise backlit her making her look like she had transcended from the sun itself. Fallingpaw's droopy big eyes lit up upon seeing Eagleheart and so did her crooked jaw, and then a familiar tom stood to the corner, and one word fumbled out of his mouth as he stopped at their feet "Timberkit?"

The group didn't respond to him, but Fallingpaw and Yellowpaw touched noses with Eagleheart greeting him sweetly. He changed his focus to their battered and wound ridden bodies and to the other cats, the three other apprentices looked like they were alright in health and then two other toms stood there, a brown tabby who was scarred and shocked; and then a black tom who seemed like he couldn't care less. All Eagleheart could really focus on was the cat who looked the splitting image of Timberkit, he knew that his unfortunate little cat had seen things that would burn into his mind and never leave, the girls had found them.