Chapter 34
Crimsonfur yawned as she emerged from the warriors den. A day after their warrior ceremonies had gone by, and it was officially Crimsonfur's second day as a warrior. She wasn't thrilled for the dawn patrol she had been appointed to that morning. She would've much preferred laying in her nest until sunhigh.
Shadowtail was already waiting for her, with Falconheart sitting beside him. Once she reached them, the deputy turned and trotted away, his tail flicking for them to follow. Crimsonfur sighed and padded behind her brother as he followed the dark furred tom.
They trekked over the moorland hills, the wind already picking up as the sun rose above the mountains in the distance. Crimsonfur gritted her teeth as they passed the blood pools that had stained the ground, forever marking Flarepaw and Jaguarpaw's death. She glanced at Falconheart to see he, too, was looking at the blood stains. Her brother's spiked tail flicked sadly and his head drooped slightly, ears flattening. Crimsonfur felt a pang of sorrow for her brother. I'm not the only one suffering.
The red furred she cat quickened her pace, catching up with Falconheart. She looked up at him as they walked together, her amber gaze searching his face. "Are you okay?"
"Been better." He replied simply, his voice sharp with grief. His blue eyes met her's briefly and he offered her a reassuring smile, leaning into her as they walked. "Don't worry, she's watching over us in Starclan."
"What about Jaguarpaw?" She sighed, flattening her ears.
Falconheart's smile faded in a heartbeat. "He's gone forever, he won't be in Starclan."
Crimsonfur lowered her head to look at the ground. Everyone hated Jaguarpaw just because he was a rogue. It was unfair.
Suddenly there was a screech in front of them and Crimsonfur snapped her gaze up to see Shadowtail had disappeared. They quickened their pace and emerged into a clearing to see Shadowtail laying on his side, a thick pool of blood pooling around him. Crimsonfur looked up to see a brown tipped tail disappearing into the bushes beyond.
"Hey! You! Get back here!" She hissed, leaping after the cat. She dashed through the bushes and stared around the undergrowth. They had walked into the thicker, foresty end of Flameclan territory. It gave many hiding places. She growled. "Don't run from me, murderer!" She snarled, glaring around for the black tail with a brown tip.
Nobody replied, and after a while, Crimsonfur sighed and returned to Falconheart's side as he watched over Shadowtail's dead body.
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Crimsonfur and Falconheart returned to camp carrying Shadowtail between them. The moment they trekked into the main clearing, shocked gasps and yowls erupted around them and their clan mates quickly rushed around them, circling the deputy's dead body as he was set down.
"What happened?" Frozenstar demanded, pushing to the front of the crowd with a look of horror on her face. Solarflare appeared behind her leader, her blue eyes wide.
Crimsonfur opened her mouth to explain, but Falconheart flicked his tail over her mouth and spoke first, glancing briefly at her, silently telling her to keep quiet. "Shadowtail went ahead of us and was attacked by what we presume was a rogue. There were no signs of the killer anywhere, they had vanished."
Frozenstar hung her head, sighing. "Too much death... Starclan has cursed us." Then she looked back at the two young warriors standing guard at Shadowtail's body. "Set up the vigil while I discuss with the senior warriors who the next deputy will be."
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