A Swift Death (Open)

(OOC: For timeline sense, Falconpaw will stay Falconkit for this. This is a continuation of this topic. )

The journey would have taken mere moments had Sedgestrike taken the trees. The silver tom padded slowly towards camp, uncertain of what lay ahead for him as Falconkit lay in his jaws. A hearty slash on Sedgestrike's nose were a tell of the kit's intolerance to being held like this, yet he didn't dare to let him down until they were safely in camp. He padded through the camp entrance, the soaked kit in his mouth yowling and shivering in discomfort while he carried him towards the medicine den. He ignored the kit's movements until he twisted and shoved his back claws over Sedgestrike's jaws. Starling the large tom into dropping him.

"L-L-LET G-GO OF M-ME! YOU M-MONSTER!" The shivering kit yowled as he backed away from Sedgestrike. Ignoring the pain in his green eyes as Falconkit looked around to the nearest warrior and ran to them desperately. "H-HE LET THE B-BIG WHITE ONE DROWN!"

"I didn't let-" Sedgestrike found his voice stalling. He had let him drown. He could have rushed in, he could have gotten Falconkit out on his own, he could have helped Swiftflight... and yet. He sighed, closing his eyes and looking down at the ground ashamedly. For once, not only did he not have a defence... he had no reason. He was SkyClan, not RiverClan, but that didn't mean he should have let that cat drown. That was no better than killing him with his own claws. He flinched at the realisation, listened as cats began to gather before he spoke slowly.

"'The big white one' was Swiftflight... he is dead."

"What...?" Mintwhisker padded out of her den, her expression numb.
Once again, Mintwhisker couldn't think. All she saw was the body, the terrified, trembling kit, and...
"S-Sedgestrike... is this true? Is Swiftflight dead? H-how..." The she-cat could tell- the faint scent of the river drifted towards her on the air, and her nose twitched.
Swiftflight had drowned. She knew he did. She didn't know how, but there was an odd, empty feeling in her chest as she stared at Sedgestrike without seeing.
For once, Mintwhisker's voice wasn't trembling out of fear; the anger, the pure rage radiating from her was nearly palpable. "You're a c-coward." She couldn't express any other emotion now- no doubts, no fears. All she saw was the warrior standing in front of her, bold and unashamed. She wanted to cut him deeply. Swiftflight lay forgotten as the Medicine Cat bore down on the silver tom, fighting in the only way she could. She wanted to see him hurt. She wanted her words to burrow into his pelt and sting him days later. She wanted to dig her insults into his back and rip at his very being. She hated him, and what he became. Everything he did, every move he made, only drove Skyclan and Rippedstar's legacy deeper into shame.
So, Mintwhisker spoke. She flung everything she could possibly come up with at him, missiles of pain attacking where Mintwhisker knew it would hurt. It didn't matter if they were true or not, it only mattered that Swiftflight was dead and Sedgestrike was the reason why.
"You're a coward. You're u-unworthy of the rank you hold, the title of 'warrior' and yet you're unable to see how everything you do is an embarrassment to our clan. You're a heartless, cowardly fox, yet y-you have the audacity to wonder why Rippedstar didn't make you deputy, as i-if you had the c-capacity to think of anything other than your Starclan-forsaken r-reputation. I despise you and your s-selfish, cowardly heart."
With that said, the short-legged she-cat took a threatening step forward as if defending her fallen friend's body, although it was not there. "Y-you don't deserve to mourn Swiftflight. Your fur is dry; you didn't raise a paw to help him." Her voice grew louder as she spoke, edging on hysterical. She was done. Done being weak, done watching her friends and family die around her.
It was time to take action and fight back, and that started with Sedgestrike.

Crowpaw stayed silent, though her amber eyes bore into Sedgestrike's pelt as if Crowstar himself was judging him way up in Starclan. Of course, this was just because her eyes were so similar to the former leader's. Sedgestrike had basically killed Swiftflight with his own two paws.

Featherkit padded up, unaware of what had happened. "Why is he so wet?" She mewed, poking the white fur with her paw. She looked up at the cats in confusion. "Did he fall in the river?" She asked, "Why is he sleeping?" Featherkit looked at Falconkit. "What happened? I don't get it'"

The large silver tom opened his jaws to spit words back at Mintwhisker, his green eyes narrowed at her in anger as his pelt spiked on his back.
"Coward!? If I had drowned, who would have brought Falconkit home?" He protested as he glanced over at the shivering kit. His gaze turned back as the hard declaration was spit at him, his eyes narrowed as he readied words back to her "Embarrasment to the clan? How dare you." Sedgestrike snarled as he stepped forward aggressively towards the young Medicine Cat. Her words that she spat at him raked through his pelt, stoking the fires of his anger as he nearly lost himself to it. The accusation stinging, especially as it was the truth. One he couldn't deny but wished he could vehemently.

The soft sniffle of a kit stopped him. His ears flattened uncomfortably as he looked at the newest cats who came out. Crowpaw and Featherkit. Jaws parted, he readied sharp words, only to have them ripped away once more as he realised what he was about to do. What he had almost done. If he attacked Mintwhisker, he'd be attacking his own clanmate. What kind of SkyClan cat did that? Discomfort roiled in his stomach as he lowered his head. Aggression seeping slowly out of his posture as the truth sank in. What would Rippedstar have said?

He'd be dissappointed. Sedgestrike knew it. He could practically feel his former mentor's gaze on his pelt as he lifted his head to speak, only to shut down again as he realised that she was not an enemy he needed to make. She was his daughter's current hope of getting better.
"You weren't there..." He mewed slowly. "It had happened quicker than I could do anything. One moment, Falconkit fell into the water, the next, he was on the shore. Was I just supposed to abandon him, to help the other warrior who was already dead?" He asked, looking to Falconkit for some support.

The kit trembled, sneezed and sniffled as he uncomfortably wiggled under the green glare of Sedgestrike. He moved slowly, his little brown body tucking under Mintwhisker with a shivering mew. Sedgestrike stepped forward to help the kit, to lick him warm, but the angry Medicine Cat now stood between them, and he backed away instead. Tail low, but his head rose in pride. He had done what he could. He had at least protected the kit and that was what mattered... though the loss of Swiftflight was unfortunate.

"He was a good warrior. If only he was as good at swimming as he was at running." He declared, forcing back his discomfort and displeasure to the one thing he knew and understood best. How to be proud, to be firm... though his heart felt like it was down at his paws. "Better go back to your herbs Mintbreath. Don't want the kit I helped dying of cold."

Crowpaw suddenly turned from judgemental to understanding. She looked at Featherkit, who was confused, the poor thing. "Falconkit almost died and Swiftflight gave his own life to save Falconkit... and all Sedgestrike could do was watch. " She looked then at Mintwhisker, daring to oppose the medicine cat's words. "Are you deaf and blind? Can't you tell that he feels terrible? I thought you of all cats would understand him since sometimes cats die in the Medicine Den and it's too fast to do anything! It's just the same out in the life of a warrior too!"

Mintwhisker didn't move as Sedgestrike spoke back. He was powerless- there was no way he would've been able to attack her in the middle of camp. "Why was Falconkit with y-you in the first place?" She flexed her claws, trying to vent her anger without screeching or throwing herself at the warrior. "And as for saving S-Swiftflight? It would've b-been an easy choice." Her voice grew cold, but the she-cat still wrapped her tail around Falconkit in an effort to comfort him. "To l-leave a kit for a-a few moments in order to recover a-a fallen clanmate's body so h-his parents had something to mourn over. No doubt Swiftflight's body i-is already in the heart of Riverclan t-territory." The tabby shook her head, lowering her voice. "Petty n-nicknames were always y-your style, Sedgestrike. I'll n-never forget this d-day. Starclan knows you're g-going to regret t-the pain you caused Skyclan." She couldn't stand here any longer. She was going to care for Falconkit and mourn the only way she knew how.
Poplarstar would deal with this. She only had one last thing to say before she left.
"As for you, Crowpaw." She turned to the apprentice, eyes blazing yet again. Crowpaw had the audacity to speak, even though she had no knowledge on the subject of healing. She also was apparently unaware that Mintwhisker was once a warrior apprentice herself, although the Medicine Cat was willing to let that go. The apprentice was obviously in shock, but Mintwhisker had to address the blatant disrespect Crowpaw had exhibited. Besides, it didn't hurt that she was still filled with anger at the unfair circumstances of Swiftflight's death.
"Don't speak of things you know n-nothing about." She snapped, ears flattening. "I d-don't have the authority t-to punish such d-disrespectful behaviors, but I w-will be speaking with P-Poplarstar a-and Pantherblaze about this."
That said, the she-cat picked the small kit up by the scruff. The she-cat turned to give Sedgestrike one last scorching gaze, her tail lashing the ground. "N-now if you'll excuse m-me, I have lives t-to save."