The young warrior licked the top of the older cat's head bowing her eyes to the ground.
"Be at peace in Starclan, I`m sorry I couldn't have stopped it Badgerclaw." Raising her head she pressed her nose to Laurelcloud's head in a gesture of comfort. With a heavy heart the she-cat walked to the edge of the camp to sit and watch from afar. Pain bubbling in her chest.
They had been on patrol, instead of making light hearted conversation she should've seen the branch. She should've heard it! Spottedfire knew it would help nothing to beat herself up over what had happened, but he had been their deputy. The clan needed him. Her family needed him. Who would be able to fill his role? He made it look so easy to be Silverstar's second. The responsibility he had handled so effortlessly.
"It should've been me." She thought before recoiling at herself. That was an insult to his bravery to think like that.
The energy in the camp was so sorrow. There was nothing she could do to help it. Her spotted paws suddenly seemed to be more interesting than looking at anyone else. It wasn't often such a tragic death happened. Having seen it happen right before her eyes probably wasn't the easiest thing either.
She felt warmth suddenly next to her and looked from her paws to the taller tom. Owleye, her heart felt a little better at his presence. Even back when they were apprentices he seemed to always mellow out her energetic nature. He made her feel like she could take a second to breath. It was always more than appreciated.
"Not well if I`m honest," she leaned into him a little.
"I can't help but feeling like this is my fault. I hope he can forgive me for being so careless." No matter how hard she tried to not sound like she was in so much pain, but around him the other side of her always seemed to peak out. The more emotionally honest side. She wanted to be strong for others, but it often meant she overlooked herself a lot.
"Do you remember that one time he caught us when I convinced you and Birchcloud to leave the camp to go help that loner when we were apprentices?" A sad laugh left her at the memory.
"He made us clean the elder's den for half a moon, yet I could see the pride in his eyes. He was happy we held that kindness." Spottedfire looked at the warrior laying limply before all of them. She would always remember him in the good ways. Nothing is perfect, but the good memories were a lot sweeter than the bitter bad ones.
He'd tried his best to find some form of life in the warrior. Some way to revive him from the accident that took his life. Starclan had made it clear in their signs that he was among their ranks now. His poor mate left back in their clan for now. It weighed heavy on him. When he'd been brought to camp he had already been gone for awhile. The heat coming from him had given Birchcloud hope, it had been fleeting though. There was no way he would've been able to save him.
Had he been on that patrol right next to them, he still wouldn't have lived. The branch had done it's damage to his head. The entire clan would mourn him. The other clan's would no doubt feel something from this lost. He was one of the good ones. The kind of cat that they had hopes in should Silverstar been taken from them. They never doubted he would become what they needed should he ever have had too.
The tom should have been able to retire. To have joked with the others and sunbathed to his heart's content. Gotten on to apprentice's that stepped out of line. Birchcloud, much like his sister, remembered that night as if it was yesterday. He had many different interactions with him, but that was one of the first. New apprentices doing a lot of things they shouldn't of. He was often dragged into Spottedfire's antics back then. None of their adventures had ever been with ill intent, always trying to help. Maybe that's why their punishments had been light in comparison.
The striped cat smiled and took a long breath. He met Silverstar's eyes as she looked over them and bowed his head to her encouragingly. She was a great leader. Her father and the past leader had made a great choice. Just as it had been a great choice to appoint Badgeclaw as deputy. The only question on his mind now, and probably many others though was:
Who is going to fill his role?