"Mama!"

A distressed young orange-and-white she-cat wailed forlornly from the banks of an overflowing, violently rushing river. She was looking straight at Bravestar, her brilliant blue eyes pleading for mercy. That azure gaze pierced Bravestar’s heart with anguish and regret like a million tiny shards of ice.

"Hold on, Spottedpaw, I’m coming!" The petrified ginger leader picked her way down a tall mound of rocks carefully. I’m not going to make it in time,

thought Bravestar frantically.

Spottedpaw twisted her head around and gasped. Another, more muscular orange-and-white cat, a tom, was stalking towards her, the glow of murder glinting in his green-and-amber eyes. She looked back to the river, then to the powerful tom, then back to Bravestar. Spottedpaw bunched her muscles to jump into the swollen river and swim for her life, but the tom was faster. As she bounded into the water, he unsheathed his lethal claws and sliced her belly. Spottedpaw yelped like a hundred frightened birds, then splashed into the water.

"Adderstar!" Bravestar shrieked. "You foxhearted murderer!"

She leapt off the rocks and landed with a hard thud. Her legs felt numb from the fall, but she didn’t care. Out of the corner of her eye, Bravestar could see a sinister gray tabby she-cat watching from the shadows of the trees, her olive green eyes shimmering with pride for her new mate. Snakeheart. That mousebrained fool.

Bravestar shook her head. There were more urgent matters at paw!

She crept towards Adderstar and sprang on his back. He tried to shake her off, but she held on firmly. She lowered her muzzle to the back of his neck, teeth bared, ready to deliver the fatal bite. But before she could, another squeal came from her wounded daughter. She looked back and saw that the petite apprentice had washed up on the shore many foxlengths downstream, lying in a pool of cerise-tinged water. Bravestar jumped off of Adderstar and rushed to her daughter.

By the time she arrived, the little she-cat was already cold and lifeless, and all of her blood had washed away. Just how I found her,

reflected Bravestar sadly. A familiar scent engulfed her, and she turned to see a starry she-cat.

"Spottedpaw!" she cried, overjoyed to see her daughter again.

The dazzling spirit laid her tail across her mother’s muzzle to quiet the mourning she-cat. "Shhh, it’s okay. I’m content in StarClan, although I miss all of you at home in LeafClan." Her voice started to crack with sadness. "Send my love to Creektail and Papa. Tell them both that I love them and miss them very much. And please tell Leaf-fire that it wasn‘t his fault I died." Spottedpaw faded until she was barely visible against the clear blue sky.

Bravestar wept. "No, don’t leave me again!"

"I won’t, Mama. I promise

. I’ll always be in your heart, as long as you remember me."

Impressum

Tag der Veröffentlichung: 11.03.2010

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