EOTW: Code of the Forest: Chapter Sixteen

Warriors Series 5.5: Echoes of the War
Book 5: Code of the Forest
Chapter Sixteen

     It was quite some time before the cats descended from the roof, slipping back into the stone barn below. Silentstorm's whole body seemed to ache with the effort of fleeing from the dogs and climbing up onto the roof. She sagged gratefully back onto the floor of the stone barn, exhaustion coming over her as cats began to check the dens for damage.

     “They tore the walls of the elder's den pretty good,” Minnowtail called as she inspected the den in question. “But the structure is sound. We should be able to weave more branches in easily.”

     Sunstrike was sniffing the nursery walls. “There's a bit of tearing here, but nothing too bad,” she reported.

     The leaders were checking for every cat, while the medicine cats weaved through the crowd, looking for injured cats. Silentstorm could hear Willowshine nearby, sniffing over Swanfall's pelt. The she-cat had been thrown by one of the dogs, and had been badly bruised, but luckily nothing had been broken.

     Silvershine and Slushfoot were hovering around the she-cat, pelts fluffed out with concern, until Swanfall batted Slushfoot's muzzle away with one paw. “Leave me alone, will you?” she grunted, wincing as she lifted her paw. “I'm not some helpless kit.”

     “You're my kit,” Silvershine said firmly, ignoring Swanfall's protests as she continued checking the warrior over. “And you could have died!”

     Silentstorm was distracted from their conversation by the rise of concern mews nearby. She turned away from the RiverClan cats, padding over and listening as the concerned calls rose in pitch. The queen froze at the sound of Leafpool's grim mew. “I can't help him.”

     “You have to try!” Brightheart snarled. Silentstorm's hackles rose eerily at the desperate fury in her tone. “You can't let him die!”

     Silentstorm pushed through the crowd, getting to the front so she could figure out what was going on. Her pelt quivered in horror as she picked up the tangy stench of blood. Cloudtail was lying on the ground, giving rasping, ragged breaths as Brightheart crouched beside him. Silentstorm heard a gasp from Ambertalon, and the she-cat left her mate's side to come stand over her father, Snowfall quickly joining her.

     Finchwing was already working on the elderly tom, chewing up herbs into poultices and dressing Cloudtail's wounds. “Come on Cloudtail,” Silentstorm heard the tom murmur. She was surprised at the way his voice cracked, before remembering the bond Finchwing had formed with the elderly couple after Petalkit died. “Stay with me. I can help you.”

     “Finchwing,” Leafpool mewed softly. “There's nothing we can do for him. He's lost too much blood.”

     Finchwing barely glanced at his mentor. “We have to try!” he growled, ignoring Leafpool as he continued to dress Cloudtail's wounds. The elder's ragged breathing had grown softer now, the elder now unconcious. Silentstorm felt a chill run through her pelt as Cloudtail began to fade, growing softer and softer with each rattling breath.

     Brightheart gave a choked cry. “He was defending me from the dog,” she whispered, tone heavy with horror. “I... I was frozen. I couldn't move. Maybe if I'd fought sooner...”

     “It's not your fault,” Snowfall murmured, pressing against his mother's pelt. “What those dogs did to you before was horrible. Any cat would be terrified of dogs after that. And Cloudtail would have always fought for you.”

     The elder took a few moments to compose herself, before crouching beside Cloudtail. She pressed her muzzle against his cheek as his breath grew more and more shallow. The tom wasn't moving anymore, only the shallow rise and fall of his sides to indicate that he was still alive. “It's okay, my love,” she murmured, her voice cracking with grief. “I'm here. If you're hurting, you can go. I won't be long behind you, and we'll be together in StarClan. It's okay.” She rasped her tongue over his cheek, giving a low, comforting purr, even as her pelt trembled with grief. Ambertalon and Snowfall crouched beside her, pressing their noses to Cloudtail's pelt.

     Cloudtail took a few more breaths, a soft rattle in his throat, before he gave a final quiet gasp of air. His sides stilled, and he fell silent. The elder was dead.

     Finchwing took a step back, tail quivering. “Cloudtail?” he asked in a trembling mew.

     Brightheart gave a wail of grief, no longer holding back for her mate's sake. She pressed her muzzle into the thick pelt of her mate, wailing her grief as her pelt shook, her kits pressing against either side of her. The rest of the cats watched in stunned horror. Cloudtail had been one of the oldest cats in the Clans, the nephew of the great Firestar. Every cat was shocked to see him dead. The ThunderClan cats were especially horrified; Silentstorm could feel horror creeping through her own pelt, her heart full of raw grief. She had known Cloudtail since she was a kit, he had always told the funniest stories, had always been ready for a game or joke, and had a loving mate and father. She couldn't believe he was gone.

     Nearby, she heard Sorreltail murmur in a tone of sorrow, “We won't even be able to bury him in the forest.”

     Silentstorm ducked her head, grief threatening to overwhelm her. They had lost another Clanmate tonight. For a moment, grief for Jayfeather stirred in her heart. Oh Jayfeather, where are you? she wailed internally. She hadn't heard from StarClan since the Clans had come to the city. If she could only know for sure that Cloudtail would be going safely to walk with their ancestors, perhaps the grief wouldn't hurt so much.

SCENEBREAK

     After the initial shock of Cloudtail's death wore off, Silentstorm learned that Pouncetail too had died. Silvershine asked her to look after her kits for a while, as Pouncetail had been her father and she wanted to grieve him. As Cloudtail and Pouncetail's friends and family began to sit vigil for him, the Clan cats began the repairs for the dens. Silentstorm returned to the nursery, gathering Silvershine's kits and fosters kits back near her own nest.

     “When is our mother coming back?” Graykit asked, gazing curiously at the ThunderClan queen. She and Pikekit were sitting next to Silentstorm, while Dewkit, Duskkit, the other Graykit, and Stormkit were lying nearby, watching their adopted littermates with clear sympathy. Blossomfall's kits had grown greatly in the last few moons, their pelts no longer full of kitten-softness, and their limbs and bodies beginning to grow beyond the stubby, chubby form of kits.

     “She and Leafdrift will probably want to sit the whole vigil tonight,” Silentstorm told the kits. “You can stay with me tonight, though.

     Pikekit reached out one paw and poked Silentstorm's belly. “You're really big,” he mewed bluntly. “How long until your kits are born?”

     Before Silentstorm could answer, Dewkit approached the younger tom, smacking him lightly over the head with one paw. “Don't be rude!” she chided the young tom. “You can't just ask queens why they're so big, and when their kits are coming.” Silentstorm blinked in surprise. Blossomfall's kits were treating Silvershine's kits like real littermates.

     “It's okay,” Silentstorm assured Dewkit, purring in amusement. “They should be here in the next few days, hopefully. I'll certainly be glad to not be carrying kits anymore. I won't be as tired, or clumsy.” And I can't wait to meet you, she added silently, purring fondly as she thought of the kits in her belly.

     Graykit and Pikekit purred. “I can't wait to play with them!” Graykit mewed, tail curling in joy.

     Silentstorm's whiskers twitched. “You'll have to wait until they're old enough,” she chided gently. “They're be too small when they're born.”

     Graykit opened her mouth to answer, only to be cut off by a distant call. “Let all cats of all four Clans join here for a meeting of our Clans!”

     Graykit and Pikekit's tails shot up, giving excited purrs. “Silentstorm, can we go, please?” Pikekit begged.

     Silentstorm hesitated, then nodded. “Alright. But be quite and listen, and stay close to me. You too,” she added to Blossomfall's litter. She rose unsteadily to her paws, her massive belly making her clumsy as she led the kits out of the nursery.

     Cats were gathering near the overturned block, avoiding the area where Cloudtail and Pouncetail's bodies were laid out. Night had fallen, so Silentstorm was surprised to catch the scent of Rizzo, and some of the other city cats. She hadn't realized that they had returned after chasing away the dog, and it smelled like all of them were there. The blind she-cat sat beside Lightfoot and Shadowpaw, the kits settling around near her paws. Her mate brushed his muzzle against hers with a purr as she sat, Shadowpaw mewing a quiet greeting.

     Bramblestar stood atop the overturned block. Once every cat was gathered, he rumbled, “I would like to begin tonight by expressing thanks on the behalf of every Clan cat, to our city allies.” Rizzo stood near him with the other leaders. She was moving her tail oddly, as though it had been hurt in the chase with the dog, but she held her head up proudly. “If it had not been for their brave diversion of the dogs, we would have lost many more cats today.” He glanced towards the bodies of Cloudtail and Pouncetail, giving a sad twitch of his tail.

     Cheers rose from the crowd, names of the various city cats chanted out. “Rizzo! Cosmo! Oak!” Silentstorm was pleased to hear no objections from the Clan cats, and many of the cats calling out for the city cats. She even thought she heard Yarrowleaf's voice, and Sparktail's.

     Rizzo dipped her head. “We only did what any cat would have done,” she mewed.

     “Dogs can be big and brutish, but they're also predictable,” Oak added from the crowd. “Once you know how they think, it's not hard to keep out of their way or distract them.” His voice turned solemn as he added, “I just wish we could have saved your elders as well.”

     Leafpool mewed from where she sat, “It's not your fault.” She flicked her ear towards the tom next to her. Finchwing had reluctantly left Cloudtail's vigil, and was sitting silently beside his mentor, his head bowed. “Sometimes, there's nothing any cat can do. Not every cat can be saved.”

     “Cloudtail and Pouncetail may be gone, but the rest of our Clanmates are alive today because of your courage today,” Bramblestar rumbled to Rizzo. “We will not forget what you have done for us, or the skill and fearlessness you showed today. Breeze and his rogues will have their paws full trying to fight any of you.”

     More cheers rose from the crowd. Silentstorm heard Lionblaze nudge Cosima's shoulder with a friendly purr, while Ripplewing and Steamfrost chatting brightly with Whisp and Scurry.

     As the cheers died down, Bramblestar took over again. “Today, we lost two valued cats, two elders who spent long lives serving their Clans, and have been honored for their moons of service. Now, they will run with StarClan, at rest and at peace for the rest of time. Tonight is a night of mourning, but it is also a night for celebrating the cats among us who acted bravely in defense of their Clanmates. And there are three apprentices who fought bravely in the defense of their elders, and tonight, we will honor them with their warrior names.” Silentstorm stiffened as she realized what Bramblestar meant, and she heard Shadowpaw gasp beside her.

     “Shadowpaw, Sunnypaw, and Redpaw, step forward!” Shadowpaw stiffened beside her. For a moment, Silentstorm wondered whether he was ready to pledge his loyalty to ThunderClan. Did he truly want to be a warrior of ThunderClan, or was his loyalty to ShadowClan?

     Silentstorm leaned closer to Shadowpaw, murmuring, “It's your choice.”

     He glanced at her for a moment. Then, without any further sign of hesitation, he rose to his paws and began padding through the crowd. Shadowpaw met his sisters by the base of the overturned block, and didn't look back once. Silentstorm had been uncertain at first, but now that Shadowpaw had made his own excitement clear, she was nearly bursting with pride. Her first apprentice was finally to become a warrior!

     Bramblestar began, “The cats before me have walked a hard path. The kits of the ShadowClan leader were always going to have a hard time proving themselves in ThunderClan.” Shadowpaw flicked and ear, and Sunnypaw gave a small nod, but otherwise neither cat reacted. “But they have more than proved their courage and compassion, and they will be valued warriors.” The leader lifted his chin. “I, Bramblestar, leader of ThunderClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on these apprentices. They have trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend them to you as warriors in their turn.”

     He hopped down from the block, coming to stand before his kits. There was warmth and love in his mew as he said, “Sunnypaw, Shadowpaw, Redpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code, and to protect and defend this Clan, even at the cost of your life?”

     “I do,” Sunnypaw and Redpaw mewed together. Sunnypaw sounded bright and excited as a kit, and while Redpaw's tone was more controlled, she was clearly excited as well.

     There was no hesitation at all in Shadowpaw's mew as he said, “I do.”

     “Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior names.” Bramblestar paused for a moment, something heavy in the pause. “When I first named you, I promised that I would do everything in my power to remember and honor the loyal warriors who have left to join StarClan,” he rumbled. “Today, I uphold that promise again.” He turned to Sunnypaw first. “Sunnypaw, from this moment on you will be known as Sunnyflower. StarClan honors your kindness and your forethought, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan.” Silentstorm heard murmurs of understanding from some of the older warriors, but she wasn't sure what they were reacting to. Had Bramblestar named Sunnypaw after someone? It must have been someone who had died before she'd been born.

     Bramblestar turned to Shadowpaw next. “Shadowpaw, from this moment on you will be known as Shadowstripe,” he rumbled. Shadowstripe lifted his head, a proud purr escaping him. “StarClan honors your thoughtfulness, and your loyalty, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan.” Silentstorm had never felt so proud before. She heard Shadowstripe's purr as he dipped his head, his father resting his chin over his head.

     Last of all, Bramblestar turned to Redpaw. He hesitated a moment longer, before saying, “Redpaw, from this moment on you will be known as Redleaf. StarClan honors your patience and wisdom, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan.”

     This time more cats murmured in surprise. Silentstorm stiffened, awe coming over her as she realized the significance of Redleaf's name. Hollyleaf, she realized. He named her after Hollyleaf. She felt a sudden rush of warmth for the StarClan cat, who had done her best to guide her and advise her about the prophecy. But after a moment, it faded. Where are you, Hollyleaf? she wondered. I need your guidance again.

     “Sunnyflower! Shadowstripe! Redleaf!” Cats began to cheer for the new warriors. After shaking off her dark thoughts, Silentstorm added her voice to the sounds of the crowd, cheering loudly for her first apprentice. “Shadowstripe!”

     As the cheers died down, Bramblestar gave a dismissive flick of his tail, sending the new warriors back into the crowd. Shadowstripe was purring loudly as he came to stand beside his former mentor, his pelt quivering with joy. Silentstorm flicked her tail against his flank, giving a small purr as Bramblestar continued, “We also have four kits who are ready to begin their training. Step forward Dewkit, Graykit, Duskkit, and Stormkit!”

     All four kits stiffened from where they sat beside Silentstorm. Slowly, they rose to their paws, coming to stand before Bramblestar.

     The leader paused as he regarded the kits. “Your mother and father should have been here to see this moment,” he said in a subdued tone. “And your brother should stand beside you today.” Silentstorm felt a brief flicker of horror as she remembered the horrifying deaths of Blossomfall and Cedarkit, and how she hadn't been able to save Mousewhisker in battle. “Your early life had been plagued by tragedy. But now, hopefully, better times are ahead. Your Clan will always stand beside you.” He gave a quick shake of his head. “From this moment on, until he has earned his warrior name, this cat will be known as Stormpaw.” The new apprentice lifted his head, giving a small purr. “Dovewing!”

     Silentstorm heard a murmur of surprise, then Dovewing was padding to the front, coming to stand before her new apprentice. “Dovewing, you have used the gifts granted to you by StarClan again and again in the service of your Clan. You worked hard to fulfill the prophecy of the Three, and the Clans live on today because of your courage and your sacrifice. Pass on these virtues and skills to your new apprentice.” Dovewing purred as she touched noses with Stormpaw, who purred back in response. Dovewing had never had an apprentice before, but the she-cat was one of the Three. Any cat would be lucky to have her as a mentor.

     Bramblestar renamed Graypaw and Dewpaw next, assigning them to Lilyfrost and Poppyfrost respectively. He turned to Duskkit last. “From this moment on, until she has earned her warrior name, this cat will be known as Duskpaw,” he called. He glanced around the crowd, before calling, “Blazeheart!”

     Silentstorm heard a nearby gasp. Blazeheart had been looking after Wrenkit so Ambertalon could sit vigil for Cloudtail, but he had joined the crowd for the ceremony, having left Wrenkit with another queen. He was sitting nearby, and had gone stiff in shock, his tail bristling.

     The she-cat felt a rush of excitement. My brother is getting his first apprentice! After a few moments, Blazeheart rose shakily to his paws, coming to stand at the front with his new apprentice.

     “Blazeheart, you have proven over the moons to be a patience, thoughtful warrior, always looking out for the young and old of our Clan,” Bramblestar announced. “You learned well from Bumblestripe, and I expect you will pass on the same courage and thinking to Duskpaw.”

     Blazeheart's shock seemed to have worn off. He was purring now, lowering his head so he could touch noses with the new apprentice. Duskpaw lifted her muzzle eagerly, purring loudly.

     “Stormpaw! Dewpaw! Graypaw! Duskpaw!” Cries rang out from the crowd as the Clan welcomed the new apprentices. Silentstorm heard Silvershine purring loudly. She had left behind the vigil for her father, moving through the crowd as she came to greet the new apprentices. Silentstorm listened as she purred, touching noses with each apprentice in turn as the meeting broke up. The RiverClan queen sounded as proud of the new ThunderClan apprentices as any mother would be. Graykit and Pikekit ran from the crowd, joining their mother as they congratulated their adopted siblings with bright mews.

     As the crowd began to break up, Silentstorm turned to Shadowstripe. He was already bound by the silence of a warrior's vigil, but he was purring loudly enough to tell Silentstorm everything she needed to know. She rubbed her muzzle against his, purring, “I can't tell you how proud I am of you, Shadowstripe. You've earned this.” She pulled back, mewing, “Good luck with your vigil.”

     Shadowstripe nodded silently, his pelt prickling with joy. He gave a small dip of his head to Silentstorm and Lightfoot, then turned and padded away, joining his littermates as they began to move towards the window. They hopped up one by one onto the window, leaping outside. Silentstorm wondered if they would sit their vigil on the roof tonight; after the dogs, the ground didn't seem as safe.

     Once he was gone, Silentstorm pressed her muzzle against Lightfoot's neck. “I'm going to go get some sleep,” she murmured. “See you in the morning.”

     “See you in the morning,” Lightfoot purred back quietly. He padded away, leaving Silentstorm alone as she made her way to the nursery. She knew that Silvershine would send in her kits if she wanted Silentstorm to look after them during the vigil.

     But as she curled up in her nest for the night, the joy of the ceremonies was beginning to fade, leaving her feeling hollow with grief. Cloudtail and Pouncetail were gone, StarClan hadn't spoken to her in moons, and the city seemed more and more dangerous every day. We have to get out of here soon, she thought as she curled her tail tight around herself. I can't raise my kits here. They need the forest.

     I just hope we can get back soon.