The Fate of Flat and Soot - A Warriorcats RP

Icestar stared at Cornfur's lifeblood, leaking from the throat of a gently twitching she-cat. It didn't seem real. There was so much blood. It happened so fast. One moment Cornfur was a living, breathing, loving, deputy and the next she wasn't. She became past tense. Icestar found himself idly wondering what she was thinking about when she died. Perhaps Confur was just mad at Emberstorm. There was hatred there but at least it's gone now.

Distracted by his thoughts, Icestar didn't notice Reedstar. The Riverclan leader hadn't moved. There was hardly a perceptible difference in his countenance, but Icestar could see: the light has gone out of his eyes. The leader he once feared was broken.

"The Sunningrocks are yours," said Reedstar, his voice carried an almost imperceptible shake.

"I'm sorry" replied Icestar, unable to think of anything better to say "She was a great warrior". In moments like these, such platitudes are not enough and too much.

The praise went unnoticed as Reedstar crept towards Cornfur's body. He stopped and stared at the pool of blood, seeming to muster some shred of resolve. Reedstar waded in. The sticky red liquid matted the fur around his paws, but Reedstar seemed not to notice. He lay down next to his mate, blood lapping up his grey coat, and whispered
"I love you, Fogpaw and Duskpaw will be okay. I will protect them. I love you. I love you."

Emberstorm felt numb. "I-I didn't mean to- Should we get Puddlefoot?" She could see they were long past that point, but a part of her couldn't accept it.

I was just trying to keep her away! I didn't mean for this to happen!

Cornfur's blood had cooled on her claws. The sticky feeling of it sickened her.

Reedstar didn't move. He didn't respond. The Thunderclan cats might as well have been trees, so focused was Reedstar on Cornfur's lifeless body. His whispered chant of "I love you' drifted slowly towards the starlit sky.

Icestar padded up to Emberstorm and gently nudged her. "It's time for us to go" he breathed. "We can't do anything for them now"

Emberstorm nodded slowly and backed into the trees. She followed Icestar back toward camp.

"Where do you think your paws are a-walking to?"
A melodic voice ambushed the Thunderclan cats shortly after leaving the Fourtrees clearing.
"You and I are going to have a little chat"

Emberstorm froze and crouched down. We're they going to be attacked again? Or had this cat seen what had happened? If so, did they think she killed Cornfur on purpose?

Killed Cornfur

The words echoed in her head, a reminder of what she'd done.

"Show yourself!" she demanded.

"I'm here to trade words and not blows" A distraught Raggedtogue said, walking out of a bush behind the two Thunderclan cats.

"I know you" Icestar began, hoping to distract the Riverclan poet from confronting Emberstorm.

"A feather can not fly alone" interrupted Raggedtongue. "You should know this better than most"

Icestar started. he was not ready to spar with the barbed wit of Raggedtogue. The only thing he could think of leaked out
"Why are you here?"

"Things in and out of my control conspire together to bring me here, But I stand before you because I need to talk to her"

Emberstorm's fur stood on end. "Okay," she said uneasily. "Talk." Anything to get them back to camp faster.

"I've been om these bushes for a-while now. My eyes told me one thing, are you going to tell me a-nother"
There was a fire in the poet's eyes, perhaps not a desire to fight but a desire to know.

"What do you want?" Emberstorm snapped, out of patience.

"Why is Cornfur dead?" The poet shot back, abandoning all pretense.

Emberstorm flattened her ears against her head. "I don't expect a RiverClan cat to believe me, but she was trying to kill me. She said as much herself."

"You called her bluff," said Raggedtongue, deflating with each word. "When you fight to kill then don't be surprised when your combatants respond in kind"

These last words seemed to be said to nobody in particular, a somber pronouncement for the chill Leafbare air.

Icestar, always trying to fill empty air with inadequate platitudes, said "I watch the fight she fought bravely. Riverclan should be proud"

This last statement seemed to sting Raggedtongue who visibly flinched. As he turned to leave he whispered something that (intentional or not) carried to the ears of the thunderclap cats"

"Oh Riverclan, your violence is a circle. Swim too hard away and you end up where you began. Troutstar would be proud"

Whatever that means... Emberstorm thought wearily. I just want to get home

She turned away from Raggedtongue and began plodding back to camp again.

Raggedtongue's lament followed the thunderclan cats through the forest. It echoed in the way that only the truth can.

"Violence is a circle" muttered Icestar. Directed at no one in particular. He knew that he should say something to Emberstorm but Cornfur's final moments kept popping into his head "How many more will bleed?".

Just before entering the camp, Icestar looked up at his deputy, the finality of their journey forcing his paws.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry I brought you along, I'm sorry I didn't fight. I could have negotiated this. Cornfur didn't need to die. "

Emberstorm shook her head. "This was what RiverClan wanted, wasn't it?" she asked grimly. "It was a trap all along. We couldn't have known. I'm going to go clean my paws."

She stalked off without another word.

That did not sound like the response of a cat at peace with taking a life thought Icestar as he followed into the camp.

Dawn arrived as it did every day and found Emberstorm lying sleeplessly in her nest. She felt a paw prodding her side.

"Emberstorm. Do you have the cats for the dawn patrol figured out?" Hollyfoot whispered. "I was thinking we could take Flatpaw and Sootpaw. I know Puddlefoot wants them to help with herb things, but they need to practice their warrior skills too, right?"

Emberstorm groaned and heaved herself to her paws. Her head felt like it was going to split open. "I'll go ask Puddlefoot," she mumbled.

"Oh. Okay. Are you alright?" Hollyfoot called after her.

Emberstorm didn't respond. She headed straight to Puddlefoot's den and peeked inside. Her clan mates who had been injured in the fight with RiverClan had recovered, so it was just Puddlefoot and the two apprentices now.

"Puddlefoot? Are you awake?" she called.

"If there's one thing I've perfected, it's how to avoid waking sleeping apprentices" Puddlefoot whispered, dipping their head out of a darkened alcove. For the first time Emberstorm could remember, the medicine cat looked old. The white on their muzzle seemed larger and more solemn than before.

"You look like you've seen a badger, what happened"

"I was wondering if Hollyfoot could take Sootpaw and Flatpaw on the dawn patrol. They haven't gotten much of a chance to see the outer edge of our territory." She looked away as she spoke, as if that would keep the old medicine cat from knowing that she was hiding something.

Puddlefoot stared at Emberstorm, searching for what could be the matter with the Thunderclan deputy. Puddlefoot decided to go with an old classic.

"Emberstorm, I've been a medicine cat for too long to not no know when a cat is in trouble. What's bothering you?"

Emberstorm's tail twitched. "Right now, who I'm going to be sending on the dawn patrol. Can I count Sootpaw and Flatpaw in?"

She wasn't about to tell Puddlefoot what had happened with the apprentices so close by. In fact, she wasn't so sure she wanted to tell anyone else what had happened. It would come out soon enough, though... Maybe it was better coming from her.

"That's... Not all," she admitted, "but I'd prefer to speak of it in private. Perhaps later. After the patrol."

"Munchkins, it's time for you to stop snoozing and start to act like real warriors" Puddlefoot shouted in the hard yet caring tone that only they could get quite right

"You and Icestar went on a nice moonlit walk yesterday. The whole camp knows it. I don't know what happened there but I hope you're prepared for bitten tongues and sideways glances."

Puddlefoot paused for a second and pretended to examine a partially chewed yarrow

"The crowd must be won and Icestar will never be enough. It's up to you to win it Emberstorm"

Emberstorm grimaced. It was discouraging to hear even the medicine cat speak ill of their leader. "Rest assured, Icestar and I were seeing to it that Thunderclan was protected. We will discuss how much of that to share with the clan. I understand what you're saying. I know how important this is."

"Your logic is sound" responded Puddlefoot, suddenly distracted by the herbs

"Flatpaw, Sootpaw. I won't ask again. Emberstorm has special task for you and it's not good to keep your deputy waiting."