One less apprentice [open]

Her eyes were clouded with grief. The muscles in her shoulders felt like they weren't there. Everything felt like death. Shadefall burst through the Windclan camp entrance, Willowpaw's scruff locked tightly in her jaws. Once she reached the middle of camp she let go of her brother and collapsed at his side. Why was starclan so cruel. Why was that Skyclan cat so cruel? She failed Willowpaw, she couldn't protect him. The terrible scene of her brother's death replayed in her head. She buried her face in her brother's fur, her tears staining it dark grey.

Sparkpaw's head quickly snapped to the two apprentices who had just entered the camp. He quickly recognized Shadefall and....was that Willowpaw? Is he dead? Sparkpaw quickly padded over to the two cats. "What happened?" he demanded. "Is he dead?"

OOC : yes ofc he's dead idiot[/color]

Shadefall looked up as sparkpaw. Of course he's dead you mousebrain! She thought. Why else would he not be into camp with her? She stayed quiet for a few moments. She lifted her head and finally spoke, "W-we ran i-into a skyclan p-patrol w-when we were h-hunting" She stuttered. Her blue eyes were cloudy with grief, and she prepared herself to answer more questions from her clanmates.

Anger flashed like a bolt of lightning through Sparkpaw. Did the SkyClan cats do this? He didn't ask. It was obvious enough for him. Of course they did! How dare they kill one of his Clanmates? He didn't know what to say to Shadefall that would be of comfort. All he growled was, "They will pay."

The moment that sight hit his eyes, Nectarleap knew that he would never be happy again. Not even a day after Stormcloud, his only son died? But for some reason, not just the usual overpowering grief filled him. No, rage filled his entire the body the moment he heard "SkyClan". Oh. they would pay big time after he grieved. Using his WindClan speed to lunge closer, he pressed his muzzle into Willowpaw's bloodied body. Why did StarClan even have to be so cruel? A few sobs escaped him before he raised his head, bleary eyes making contact with Shadefall. Though she was physically wounded, he knew she must be feeling her brother's death just as horrible as he was, which would be the biggest wound of all. For that reason, he hesitated before asking her.
"Who did this to him? Who k-k-" Right then, he couldn't even bring himself to say that awful, terrible word. "Who did it? Because I will make them pay."

"Hazelpaw" She said, her pale blue eyes wide. She remembered the moment when she saw the fox-hearted apprentice take the life from her brother. She met Nectarleaps gaze, " I-i'm not sure w-what he w-was trying to s-say, but i think that W-willowpaw wanted me t-to tell you s-something. B-but her couldn't f-finish" She looked up at the sky. The sun was starting to set, revealing the first stars of silverpelt.

A slow growl rumbled in Sparkpaw's throat. How dare that fox hearted apprentice take the life of a young cat who had a bright future ahead of him! He felt ready to charge over to SkyClan and kill this "Hazelpaw", but that would be just as bad.

"What hapend?!" Foxpaw meowed loudly, rushing over. When she saw Willowpaw's lifeless body, she began to back up slowly. "No. NO!" She yoweld. "He cant be dead!"

Yowls filled the camp. Alarmed, Ashstar sprang out of her den immediately, cutting short her talk with the deputy about mentors for the newest batches of kits. That could wait. Please not another murder, please not another murder, please not another murder...! But unfortunately, she hoped in vain. When she saw the scene waiting for her in the middle of camp, her heart sank. Willowpaw lay dead and bloody in the center of the clearing, surrounded by mourning friends and family. Would it ever end? Grief and disbelief already started to crash down on her- and then she heard the word "SkyClan."

The leader stopped short, taking in the word, suddenly filled with a hot and blinding rage. Was this what Rippedstar's regime would be? Murdering cats of his former Clan? That scummy, fox-hearted, Dark Forest- She took a breath to calm herself down. Anger could wait. The gray-furred she-cat stepped over to Willowpaw, seeing the claw wounds on his young body, taking a moment to bury her muzzle in his bloodstained fur with grief. "Rest well in StarClan, young one," she murmured, voice heavy. "May you have peace and good hunting there." Ashstar raised her head then, looking around at all her Clanmates, features twisted with competing emotions, trying to gain control of herself. Eventually, steel set in her eyes, and she spoke again. "Willowpaw died bravely, fighting against an enemy cat. We will hold his vigil tonight. But now-" her green eyes narrowed in fury. "Now, SkyClan will answer for what they have done. Shadefall, Nectarleap, Brindlewhisker- come with me. We're going to have a talk with Rippedstar."

When Sparkpaw heard his leader's words, for a moment he felt rage. He was about to stop her and hiss "What about me?" but he paused and nodded. His leader's word was law, even though he did not agree with what she said. Surely she would need more warriors just in case some SkyClanner decided it would be a wise move to attack his Clanmates? However, he kept silent.

When shadefall heard her name she rose from where she sat. Going to address the murder face to face is what she wanted. She wanted to see the punishment that fox-hearted apprentice would get when she was accused. She looked at her leader, “alright” she said. She slowly padded over to Ashstar’s side.

Nectarleap tried his best to quiet his sobs when Ashstar started speaking, and it partially worked. Mostly she was just saying the normal death things, and that just pushed him further into the fact that Willowpaw was dead. That's when she spoke of going to SkyClan, and that he would be going with her. Yes, that made sense. If she hadn't said that, he would have requested it. His son was dead. It was the plain truth. There was no way to bring him back, but there was a way to avenge him. Anger burning in his amber eyes, he nodded to his leader and padded over to her.

White-hot fury coiled deep within Brindlewhisker's gut as she observed the scene unfolding before her, a simmering mixture of rage and grief tainting her gaze. Being forced to sit idle and merely witness such an intense moment of grief on Nectarleap's behalf made her feel weak in one of the worst ways possible.  There was something quite gut-wrenching about an apprentice's death- perhaps it was always the knowledge of how tragic and easily preventable it truly was. She was entrusted to protect them, and yet she seemed to be failing in such an endeavor. Exhaling a forced breath through her teeth as she listened to the shaky recounting, Brindlewhisker merely nodding in response to Ashstar's command, mirroring her Leader's fury.