EOTW: Faded Boundaries: Chapter Twenty

Warriors Series 5.5: Echoes of the War
Book 1: Faded Boundaries
Chapter Twenty

     As Blazepaw headed out to hunt for the day, Bumblestripe stopped him. “Going out?” he asked.

     Blazepaw paused. “Oh, yeah.” He'd gotten so used to his mentor being busy fussing over his kits and the haphazard patrols that he'd chosen to go out hunting without consulting Bumblestripe. “Did you want to train instead?”

     The fluffy tabby shook his head. “I'm on the next patrol. Dovewing insisted I get away from camp for a bit. I think I might be hovering too much.” The warrior was spending nearly all his time in the nursery these days, and when he wasn't there, he was getting prey for Dovewing, or finding some new, soft thing for her bedding. He probably was being a little overbearing, but no cat could deny how much he adored his mate and those kits.

     “Don't worry,” Blazepaw assured his mentor, tail curling at the tip, “I'm sure you're doing fine.”

     Bumblestripe purred. “Thanks, Blazepaw. Anyway, if you're going hunting, would you mind bringing something back for Dewfrost? Her paw's getting better, but Jayfeather said she's not allowed to hunt yet.”

     Blazepaw dipped his head. “Yes Bumblestripe.” Two days had passed since the Clan had taken in the ShadowClan cats. Dewfrost was still prickly, but she didn't act like she was going to rip every cat's ears off anymore. Not every ThunderClan was entirely thrilled she was being fed and treated like a guest. Sparkpaw completely ignored the she-cat, and Spiderleg hissed whenever he passed her. Blazepaw wasn't entirely sure about just letting an enemy warrior into their camp, but he hated how rude some of his Clanmates were to her.

     He glanced over to Bramblestar's den. He could see her through the entrance, chatting with Tawnypelt. The tortoiseshell was listening, but she looked utterly exhausted. Her eyes were closed, and her nose was running. She gave a slow nod, but didn't respond to whatever Dewfrost was mewing to her.

     Tawnypelt's scrapes and bruises had healed fine, but being out in the soaking rain and cold had caused the queen to fall ill. Jayfeather and Leafpool were treating her, but Blazepaw could tell they were really worried about With how close she was to birthing, he hoped that she wouldn't be too weak to bring her kits to the world.

SCENEBREAK

     “Nice catch!”

     Snowpaw looked up from his robin as Blazepaw padded towards him. “Thanks,” he purred. “You think this'll be enough to feed Tawnypelt? I promised Bramblestar I'd find her something.” The snow-white apprentice was doing a lot better since his brother's death. He was still grieving, but he was moving forward with his life, enjoying his time with his kin and playing and hunting with Blazepaw.

     “Definitely,” Blazepaw assured him. “But before we go back, I need to catch something for Dewfrost.”

     “Sure.” Snowpaw glanced in the direction of ShadowClan's territory. “Any clue when they'll be heading back to their Clan?”

     Blazepaw shook his head. “I was on the border patrol this morning,” he told his friend. “The rain from the other day made the stream along their border flood even more. It's too dangerous to cross into ShadowClan's territory right now.”

     Snowpaw sighed. “I guess we'll be feeding them for a while, then.”

     “Hey, cheer up,” Blazepaw mewed, “Dewfrost's paw will be fine soon, then she can hunt for herself. And Tawnypelt needs to eat a lot, she's expecting kits after all.” He didn't voice his other worrys about Tawnypelt and her health.

     The white tom got to his paws, shaking out his pelt. “You're right,” he agreed. “Come on, we can get more hunting done before we have to be back.”

     The young friends stayed out for a while, bringing down two squirrels and a finch before they had to return to camp. Their spirits were high as they proudly toted their catch back home.

     A dreadful wailing greeted them as they neared the outer walls of the nest. Blazepaw stiffened. “That sounds like Tawnypelt!” They bounded inside, dropping their prey just inside the door as they hurried to see what was happening.

     Cats were crowded around Bramblestar's den. Blazepaw and Snowpaw pushed through the crowd, trying to see what was going on, joining Amberpaw when they found her. He could see Tawnypelt past the gathered cats. She was lying on the ground, yowling and wailing in absolute agony. Dewfrost, Bramblestar, and Squirrelflight were gathered around her, whispering to her in soothing voices. Jayfeather and Leafpool were there too, stroking her belly. “You'll be alright, Tawnypelt,” Leafpool soothed the screeching queen. “You just have to be strong.”

     Blazepaw gasped. “She's having her kits!” Tawnypelt's yowling reminded him of Dovewing's kitting. But this sounded even worse.

     “Come on, Tawnypelt, you can do it,” Dewfrost told the queen desperately. She glared at Jayfeather, spitting, “What are you doing? Help her!”

     “We're doing everything we can!” Jayfeather snapped. “Tawnypelt, concentrate. You have to stay with me.” He looked up, glaring at the crowd as though he could see them. “Blazepaw, Amberpaw, get in here.”

     Surprised, Blazepaw and Amberpaw pushed past the crowd and made their way into the den. Jayfeather addressed them tersely. “When the kits come, I need you to lick them dry. Lick their fur the wrong way so they'll be warm.”

     Blazepaw tried not to look too afraid. “Why us?”

     Jayfeather snapped, “All these cats are going to be too focused on Tawnypelt to be any use, and Leafpool and I need to make sure Tawnypelt doesn't bleed out.” He turned his attention back to the wailing she-cat. He placed a paw on her belly. “The first one's coming, Tawnypelt.”

     Blazepaw looked away. The whole scene felt uncomfortable; Jayfeather's order and his own desire to help were the only things that kept him from fleeing the den in terror. Finally, the first kit arrived, and Jayfeather pushed it towards Blazepaw. “Lick,” he ordered curtly, before turning back to Tawnypelt.

     The kit in front of him was a dark brown tabby tom-kit, almost identical to Bramblestar in color. The only difference were his thick, night-black stripes. Blazepaw hesitated, then leaned down and began licking the kit. He licked the fur the wrong way, as Jayfeather had instructed. The little thing wriggled and squealed under him, but he ignored it and kept licking.

     As the kitting dragged on, Tawypelt's wailing turned into high shrieks of agony and terror. Blazepaw only looked up once briefly. There was so much blood, far too much blood. He couldn't imagine a cat bleeding that much and surviving. “Keep going, Tawnypelt!” Squirrelflight mewed, giving Tawnypelt a lick to the cheek. “You're one of the toughest warriors I know. If you can beat a rat bite, this should be easy.” She kept her tone light, but Blazepaw could hear the terror lying underneath. Bramblestar wasn't the only cat in ThunderClan with ties to Tawnypelt.

     Finally, another kit was born. “That's the last one,” Jayfeather announced. It was a tiny, pale ginger she-kit, wailing and mewling. Amberpaw took the kit, covering it with swift, confident licks. Now that his kit seemed fairly clean and warm, Blazepaw felt safe enough to look up.

     Tawnypelt wasn't wailing anymore. Her head lay on the dusty floor of the den. She looked too exhausted to go on. Blazepaw was chilled by how still she looked.

     Bramblestar looked absolutely panicked. “Tawnypelt?” he urged, nudging her with his nose. “Tawnypelt, please, stay with me. You can't leave your kits. And Rowanstar, he's waiting in ShadowClan for you. Think how happy he'll be when you sees you and your kits, and how healthy they all are.” She didn't respond. Every breath out of her looked painful, and shallow.

     “Remember the quest to the sun-drown place,” Squirrelflight added. “Remember how brave you were. You saved the Clans. Tawnypelt, you can't give up now. You have to fight!” The leader and deputy looked absolutely terrified as they looked upon their dying friend.

     “Fight, Tawnypelt!” Dewfrost yowled. She was staring at her Clanmate with wide eyes, as if she couldn't believe what she was seeing.

     Leafpool and Jayfeather had backed away from Tawnypelt, hanging their heads. “She's bled too much,” the she-cat murmured. “There's nothing we can do for her now.” Jayfeather said nothing, only digging his claws into the wooden floor and glaring at nothing.

     With the last of her energy, Tawnypelt lifted her head. She murmured something to the cats gathered around her. Blazepaw strained his ears, but he couldn't hear her words. Only a few moments later, Tawnypelt's head flopped back to the ground. Her breathing slowed, until her sides stilled entirely, her eyes closing. Tawnypelt was dead.

     Blazepaw stared at the tortoiseshell queen in utter shock. It had all happened so quickly. This was one of the legendary questing cats, one of the four chosen to speak to the badger Midnight. And now she was dead? He couldn't understand it.

     Squirrelflight and Bramblestar stared at Tawnypelt's body in utter shock. “Tawnypelt?” Bramblestar asked in a very small mew, almost like a lost kit. Dewfrost wailed in grief, laying her head on her Clanmate's back. Blazepaw couldn't look away, until his kit let out a shriek that snapped him out of his trance. He began licking it again, the repetitive action numbing his thoughts and distracting him from the horror that he'd just seen.

     There was a very long silence, broken only by Dewfrost's wailing and the cries of the kits. Finally, she fell silent, too tired to go on. Even the cats gathered outside didn't speak. They all knew how much Bramblestar cared about his sister, and how hard this had to be for him.

     Amberpaw was the first to speak. “Bramblestar,” she said quietly, “I'm so sorry. But someone needs to feed these kits.” Her kit was already wailing with hunger, and Blazepaw's kit was wriggling furiously.

     Bramblestar stared blearily at Amberpaw. For a moment, Blazepaw was afraid that he was too deep in grief to reply. But after a while, he shook his head, as though trying to shake off his grief. “Right. You're right.” He glanced at Jayfeather. “You think Dovewing would be willing to suckle them?”

     Jayfeather shook his head. “I'm sure she'd be willing. But she's a new mother, and she's got her paws full enough with two kits as it is.”

     “I'll do it.”

     Everyone turned to look at Squirrelflight. The deputy's eyes were glazed over in grief, but she stood firm before the other cats. “My kits will be here soon. I have milk to spare. I can care for Tawnypelt's kits.”

     After a moment's hesitation, Bramblestar nodded. He still seemed completely stunned by his sister's death. Squirrelflight stretched out on the stone floor. When Bramblestar nodded at them, Blazepaw and Amberpaw gently picked up the kits and laid them by Squirrelflight's side. At first, the kits scooted around blindly, wailing for milk. But when Squirrelflight guided them gently with her muzzle, they found her belly. The kits fell silent as they began to suckle. Squirrelflight still seemed dulled by grief, but a fond purr rumbled in her throat as she looked down at the kits suckling at her belly.

     Dewfrost finally spoke. “Someone has to tell Rowanstar.” She struggled to her paws, looking weak around the legs. “I have to go home,” she murmured, looking half-awake. “Back to ShadowClan. I have to take the kits. Tell Rowanstar she's dead.”

     She took a step towards the kits, but Bramblestar blocked her. “You're not going anywhere,” he said in a half-hearted growl. “The stream by the border is too flooded to cross safely.”

     Dewfrost's tail lashed. “Those kits belong in ShadowClan,” she snarled.

     “If you want to go out and drown yourself, be my guest,” Bramblestar said bluntly. “But I'm not letting you put my sister's kits in danger. They're staying here until the water goes down.” The energy seemed to drain out of him. Bramblestar stumbled over to Tawnypelt's body, then laid down and curled around her, closing his eyes.

     Amberpaw scooted closed to Blazepaw, hissing in his ear, “We should go.” Blazepaw mewed in agreement. The cats who had loved Tawnypelt needed to be left alone with their grief. He turned and followed his denmate out of the den, Jayfeather and Leafpool soon following.

SCENEBREAK

     They held a vigil that night. Even the cats who hadn't been happy the ShadowClan cats were here seemed shocked by the death. Bramblestar and Squirrelflight stayed right by Tawnypelt's side, as did Dewfrost. The kits were being suckled by Dovewing while Squirrelflight grieved for her old friend. Blazepaw was surprised to see how subdued the Clan was. Not everyone in ThunderClan had been close with Tawnypelt, but she had been one of them once. No cat could deny that she was a brave, worthy warrior, worth mourning.

     Vigils usually passed in silence. But as the cats began to crouch, ready to begin, Bramblestar spoke. “My sister left ThunderClan because she didn't want to spend every day proving she wasn't just Tigerstar's daughter. She decided she'd rather prove herself on her own terms, in a new Clan.” He took a deep, shuddering breath. “I missed her, of course. But it was her choice, her life. All I wanted was her to be the best warrior for her new Clan that she could be. We went on the sun-drown quest together, we brought the Clans to their new home together. Even when ShadowClan and ThunderClan were the bitterest enemies, I always knew I had Tawnypelt to turn to. She was my sister, and my best friend. I don't know what I'm going to do now that she's gone.” The leader fell silent, too overcome by emotion to go on.

     Squirrelflight tail a comforting tail on his back, then continued where he had left off. “I was on that quest too. I was the annoying apprentice who bullied her way into a journey that she hadn't been invited to. But even as much as we bickered and quarreled, I always knew they would fight beside me to the death. Tawnypelt was a great friend, and one of the bravest warriors I ever knew.” Her eyes gleamed with terrible grief as she rasped, “We all returned to our own Clans. But the bonds between those who went on the quest would never be broken. I still remember the grief of Feathertail's death. I had hoped it would be many more moons before I had to say goodbye to another friend from that quest.”

     “My mentor, Pinenose, went to the nursery before I completed my training,” Dewfrost said in a tone dull with grief. “Tawnypelt was already training Specklepaw, but she took me on as well. She may have been born in ThunderClan, but she was a ShadowClan cat through and through. Brave, utterly loyal, patient... she was my mentor, and my friend. I will miss her more than I can say.” She met Bramblestar's gaze as she added, “And it means more than I can say that ThunderClan mourns her beside me.” Bramblestar seemed surprised by her declaration, but he gave her a tiny nod in response.

     The leader lifted his muzzle towards the sky, addressing his warrior ancestors as well as the body of his sister. “Farewell, Tawnypelt,” he said strongly as he spoke the words passed down season after season, the words that would send his sister to Silverpelt. “May StarClan light your path as you walk the skies to join them. May you find good hunting, swift running, and shelter where you sleep.” He sighed. “And may we meet again in StarClan.” The ceremony finished, he crouched beside his sister's body.

     Blazepaw sat beside Amberpaw and Snowpaw, still trying to process the horrible death. As he settled in for the vigil, he noticed Snowpaw's expression was sharp with grief. “Are you alright?” he mewed in surprise. Tawnypelt's death had been horrible to witness, but he hadn't thought his friend had been particularly close to the ShadowClan queen.

     Snowpaw shook his head. “Yeah. It's just... I can understand what Bramblestar's going through. You know. Because of Dewpaw.” Amberpaw said nothing, but leaned against her brother's shoulder, closing her eyes.

     “Oh.” Blazepaw fell silent. His grief for the gray apprentice seemed to return full-force in that moment. He couldn't understand what it was like to lose a littermate. He prayed to StarClan he never did. But in that moment, all his anger and bitterness for his sister melted. In the face of all this grief, he missed his sister more than anything. Silentpaw, please come home soon, he thought wretchedly. If this is what it's like to lose you, I can't be mad at you anymore. I just want you to come home.