Death by angry snek

Dewpaw awoke that sunny morning, the orange-headed tom blinked his eyes open slowly and peered around his slim tail and arose from his balled up sleeping position. He walked out of the den and over to Mosspaw's nest that was empty. He bent his head to sniff if before thinking. 'She must of gone hunting.' He took off out of the camp, following Mosspaw's scent. The yhadn't talked since her medicine cat ceremony, and boy did Dewpaw have something to say about it. He couldn't ignore the fire in his heart.

Mosspaw had settled into her new nest under the ferns by the medicine cat den, and decided to go out for a quick hunt, looking for herbs along the way. Having started to get used to her new responsibilities, she yearned to enjoy a peaceful walk to collect her thoughts and think about everything that had happened. Normally she would have asked Flintfang if he wanted to join her, but the sharp ache of pain at his leaving still stabbed at her heart. Deciding to go alone instead, she checked with Pricklebush, before making her way out of the camp, following a path that wound through the woods and undergrowth towards Snakerocks. It was early enough that the dew from the night before still pooled in sparkling droplets on leaves and grass, and she paused for a moment to take in the beauty of the forest in all of it's splendor. As the morning sun claimed the last of the darkness from the sky, she looked in the direction of ShadowClan, yearning to go and see if her father was there. Before she could trick herself into doing so, a familiar smell caught her attention, and she padded over to grouping of bright yellow flowers. She purred roughly past the lump of sorrow in her throat, recognizing the petals and smell as marigold, and nimbly picked a few of the buds, wrapping them delicately in a leave before picking the bundle up with her mouth. Even with everything that had happened, she was determined that this would be a good day, a beautiful day. Feeling reinvigorated and reassured in her choice by the find, she continued on her quest for herbs and prey with slightly lighter paws.

Dewpaw padded into the forest, sulking low and navigating around and under the loud nature. He picked up his pace as he noticed her trail headed towards snakerocks. Perfect just far away enough from camp that you could not hear a cats yowl. He sniffed the air when her trail veered off left and he followed. He slowed his pace, Mosspaws scent was stronger now. He shuffled behind a bush and peeked out. Mosspaw was picking at flowers. How petty.

A shuffling behind her caught her attention, and she hesitated, setting the flower bundle at her paws. Casting her gaze around, the fur along her neck and spine started to raise. The air suddenly felt cooler, dangerous, but she wasn't sure why. That's when she saw the eyes, peering out of the bush. Locking her gaze with this strange one, she slowly stepped back without looking away and dropped into a defensive crouch. The wind was blowing away from her and towards this stranger, so she wasn't even able to scent what it was, or who it could be. Her tail tip twitched anxiously, but she stayed squared defensively towards the eyes, her mind going through routes of escape if she needed to. "Show yourself." She forced out in a hiss.

Dewpaw clenched his teeth and cursed himself. Stupid tail! It brushed on some leaves. Dewpaw could smell her fear scent as he watched herbthrough narrowed slits. When she called out for him to show himself he stood up and walked boldly out of his hiding spot and stopped as he faced her. ”Well Mosspaw.. You shouldn’t have done this.” He growled as he crouched down and snarled at her. ”If I can’t have you- no one will!” He shouted but suddenly his posture changed as he let out a yowl and turned around, clawing at his hurt food, rolling and spitting.

Watching with bated breath as the eyes narrowed and rose, Mosspaw let out a breath of relief when she recognized Dewpaw's face emerge from the bushes. "Oh, Dewpaw, it's just you! You startled me, why were you sneaking around like that?" Her fur started to lay flat before she noticed the malicious intent behind the tom's eyes. Put on edge again, she remained poised, ready to run if she had to. Taking a step back as he snarled at her, the confusion and hurt was evident in her expression. What was going on? What was he talking about? That's when he shouted. "If I can't have you- no one will!" Realization shot through her pelt, and her ears lowered, anger bubbling to the surface of her being for the first time in her life. Anger that she had pushed back at the unfairness of the twolegs treatment of her, the flood that tore the clans from their home, Flintfang's abandonment, and anger at Dewpaw's resistance to accepting both her and StarClan's decision. She hissed, prepared to fight for her chance to run, when the Tom yowled and spun around to some unseen foe, rolling with it. The body of an adder caught her eye as they rolled, and for a moment her paws were frozen with horror. The anger melted away, replaced by panic. "NO!" She yowled, jumping forward. Once she saw an opening, she quickly reached in and snagged the snake, trying to stay clear of Dewpaw's claws. Quickly ending the snake, she turned back to where Dewpaw lay in dirt, and hurried to see what she could do to help, regardless of what he had just said to her.

Dewpaws Paws flailed And He yowled again as the pressures was released and the snakes fangs were ripped out of his leg violently. He immediately bent over and pulled his leg closer to him and licked the wound as he felt sudden fatigue set in, little did he know he was letting the venom get easier access to his body through his mouth.

She watched in horror as Dewpaw pulled his leg in, licking it rapidly. "No, wait, stop! If there's poison you'll only make it worse, spit it out!" She yowled, panic setting in. Pricklebush hadn't gone over a snake bite with her, but she knew it worked quickly... Oh stars, no, NO.... She took a staggered step back, fear gripping her heart as the previous seconds ticked by. "I... I don't know what to do... Pricklebush.... Pricklebush!!!" Her voice gradually grew from a whisper to a yowl, hoping beyond hope that Pricklebush would be nearby with some stroke of luck from StarClan, but as she knelt down next to the tom it quickly became clear that wasn't the case. She was on her own, with no idea of what to do, utterly lost and torn between helping the cat who had every intention to harm her just moments ago or help. Maybe a passing patrol would hear and send help... Until then, she had to do what she could. Pulling Dewpaw's leg away from himself, she began to try to kick the poison out, spitting after every lap of her tongue to make sure she didn't ingest any of it. Please... Please StarClan, not like this...

Dewpaw looked at her crossly before realizing she was helping. He watched her panic and he laid his head down and his body went limp, too tired to speak yet however he forced himself to. ”Mosspaw don’t end up like me.” He rasped. ”Don’t let love blind you. I’m sorry.” His eyes watered as he watched her lick and spit at his leg. He lifted his chin up ever so slightly to see the clouds and the sky. He knew what was happening.

Mosspaw merely cut her eyes over to look towards his head, refusing to take her attention away from his leg. The tip of her tail flicked back and forth, her emotions warring with themselves. "Hush, Dewpaw. Conserve your energy. You'll need it. Don't give up on me now, you can't. We were friends you mouse brain, why would risk throwing it all away." She spoke in between licking his wound, her attempts becoming more desperate with each passing moment, watching and feeling the tom lose his battle against the venom. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him look skyward and hissed. "I said don't you dare give up on me Dewpaw, you have a lot of explaining to do you... You..." Tears began to form in her eyes, blurring her concentrated vision as her words were cut off by the lump in her throat. Why did he try to attack her, what was he trying to gain from it? Why now? When she was already emotionally in pain, from Flintfang leaving? No, she refused to let StarClan take him, there was so much he still needed to do, he hadn't even received his warrior name yet.

Dewpaw lifted his head to look at her and spoke, despite her protests. ”Me and Flintfang will lead your paws from the stars.” He whispered and blinked slowly, the fatigue starting to become too strong as he laid limply on the foliage and closed his eyes, his heart came to a stop and his breathing eased into nothing.

"You mousebrain!" Mosspaw spat as the tom used more of his swiftly waning strength to look at her and speak again. "Don't you dare say things like that, you... you foxheart.... You can't die, not like this.... I... I won't let you!" She sobbed, abandoning his leg to look him in the eyes as they closed, and watched in horror as his chest rose one last time before stopping. The air was still, silent, as if the forest was holding it's breath. A thin wail rose from her throat as she gently poked the apprentice's side. Not getting a reaction, she whacked it, firmly but not too hard, and still got no reaction. She stood, her tail dragging across the ground, ears flattened against her head as the tears sprung back to her eyes. "No... No.... It can't.... Pricklebush!! Leopardstar!! Someone, anyone... Please...." She backed away, still watching for any sign of movement in the tom's flank. After a heartbeat, she whispered. "I'm... I'm going to go get help, I'll be right back, don't move..." Deep in her heart, she knew that Dewpaw's paws would never move again, his eyes never seeing the dawn of another day, but she convinced herself that she was just missing something. Surely this wasn't the end of it, it couldn't be. She would get someone who could help, and he'd be fine.

Turning towards camp, she sprinted through the forest, stumbling occasionally as she did so. She didn't care about the thorns that gripped and ripped at her normally well-kept fur, giving no sign that she even noticed the pain of their scratches as she ran. The tear-blurred forest seemed so foreign and odd, and the brilliance and majesty she had been admiring what seemed like moments before had dulled into the monotonous foliage that now surrounded her. It was at this point, nearing the top of the ridge, that her paw found a rock and twisted under her, sending her rolling and tumbling down the side of the ravine, only stopping as her body met the legs of another cat. Having rolled just a tail length further, she lay stunned and sobbing silently, sprawled in the dust from her fall. Blinking the tears and dirt away she recognized what she was positive was the pelt of Leopardstar. Scrambling to her paws with a wince, she hobbled over to him and nudged him rapidly with her nose, the tears coming back tenfold as the adrenaline and shock started to wear off.

"Leopardstar, please, I need you to come with me... Dewpaw... Snake... Hurry... I can't...." The lump reclaimed her throat, and after making sure the tom had stood she began to pick her way back to up the ravine, from memory more than sight. Surely she wasn't too late... Please Dewpaw, hang in the a little while longer. She looked back to check if the leader was following before running back towards Snakerocks, limping as pain shot through her leg with each step. She'd worry about that later, for now she had to get back to Dewpaw, and the more time she took the less time he had. Once they arrived back at the clearing, Mosspaw hesitated next to Dewpaw's body, staring at it in silent horror.

Deciding to enjoy the beautiful sunlit morning instead of staying cooped up in his musty, still slightly moist den, Leopardstar left camp with a soft smile on his face, calm gait expecting nothing more than a short walk about the territory, perhaps taking a drink from the river before meeting up with a hunting patrol along the SkyClan border...but it seemed fate had other plans.  As he neared the slope of the ravine, preparing himself for the brief climb ahead, he heard a noise.  Black-tipped ears pricking, the golden spotted tom glanced around, more perplexed than alarmed at first.  Soon though, the pattering of fearful paws registered in his mind, and the leader only had a heartbeat to be concerned before - WHAM!

"Wha-!"  As something rammed into his legs, the leader felt himself fall, tipped off-balance by the shocking not-so-graceful entrance of a cat he didn't quite recognize from the angle his face was at, half-smashed into the dirt.  Sitting up - thankfully he wasn't hurt - Leopardstar was about to hiss many questions at this unwelcome intrusion...but he quickly realized who it was.  Mosspaw, calico pelt tangled with dirt and twigs and leaves...and face stained with tears.  Instantly concerned, Leopardstar returned to a stable standing position and lifted a paw to step towards the medicine cat apprentice.  "Mosspaw, what's-"  He didn't finish; the young former kittypet suddenly jumped to her feet and stumbled over to him, pressing her nose against his chest as she continued to sob, to the point where he almost couldn't understand her between that and her breathlessness.

"Leopardstar, please, I need you to come with me... Dewpaw... Snake... Hurry... I can't...."

Oh no.  Hazel eyes widening twofold, he felt his claws sink into the sandy ground as he growled; "Lead me."  The she-cat started off at an agonizingly slow pace, and for a moment he contemplated just following her scent trail, but with one look at the distraught apprentice, he knew he couldn't leave her.  Her leg was hurt...and his heart ached for her.  Her former denmate could be on the brink of death...finding Pricklebush would take too much time they didn't have.  Leopardstar could only pray that either his limited medical knowledge or his strength could save Dewpaw; the apprentice was a promising young tom, and to lose him now when he was so close to warriorhood...

But alas, it was too late.  The Snakerocks casting their shadow across the grim scene, Leopardstar halted beside Mosspaw, staring down numbly at the already deceased tom, flank forever still.  For a moment, it almost seemed as if he was still breathing, but as the breeze passed his fur returned to its limp state and the spotted leader sighed, closing his eyes and slowly shaking his head.  For a moment he wanted to be angry, ask why in StarClan's name Mosspaw and Dewpaw had been at Snakerocks, but it wouldn't change anything.  Dewpaw was with StarClan now, and ThunderClan had one less family member.  Leaning down, Leopardstar rested his muzzle against the ginger and white tom's shoulder, before opening his eyes to wrap his tail gently around Mosspaw's much smaller frame, trying to provide some form of comfort.  "I...I'm sorry Mosspaw.  He is with StarClan now...there's nothing we can do."

Mosspaw swayed in the still air, all the magic and wonder from earlier now gone from her eyes. "No.... He can't be... He has too much... Too much explaining to do..." Her eyes closed for a minute as she looked to the sky, the stars of Silverpelt hidden by the bright light from the morning sun. Her voice started as a whisper, shaky and confused and lost, but building by the second in anger, frustration, and the pain of loss. "Why.... What were you doing, sneaking after me? What was your plan, or did you even have one?" She spat, eyes flashing as they fell onto the body of the snake and noticed, just a short distance away, the herbs she had found earlier.

Her shoulders sagged, as though something inside of her had broken, and she stumbled before slumping to the ground.  Sobs wracked her body, and she felt smaller than she ever had. Dewpaw had died in front of her very eyes, and there was nothing she could do to stop it. Some medicine cat apprentice she was. Feeling a grim understanding to how Mistlepaw must have felt, she buried her face in her paws. She hated that she felt almost grateful to the snake for interrupting what surely would have resulted in her injury, or even worse.... But she hated that it had ended this way, with her unable to do anything to help or even make things more peaceful.

Was this really what love was all about? Turning your back on the ones you claim to care for to pursue or chase some greater good, or consider them to be nothing more than a possession to claim for yourself? She had once thought she knew, but now.... the small calico she-cat couldn't help but feel that everything she had taken solace in was a complete and utter lie.

Mosspaw's odd, stumbling words came as a surprise to Leopardstar; they were not usually what he heard from the mouth of a grieving cat, especially when the deceased had passed right in front of them.  In the end though, as Mosspaw collapsed to the ground in a sobbing heap, he knew from experience it wasn't the right time to ask what she meant.  Hazel eyes wide and round with sympathy, the long-legged leader lowered his body until he was laying down beside the calico apprentice, his pelt gently touching hers as he laid his tail across her back.  Mosspaw didn't deserve this, to lose a friend and to have possibly lost a father within the same moon...his own memories of loss burned hot within his stomach, a grim reminder of what being alone could cost.  A fatherly sort of instinct being summoned, he gave the she-cat's ears a few gentle licks before nudging her shoulder, twisting his head to see her face.  "C'mon, let's go back to camp.  I don't want you going into shock, besides, I saw you limping on the way here."  Getting to his paws, he mentally reminded himself to send out a patrol to bring home Dewpaw's body.  "Can you walk, Mosspaw?"