Drenched In Scarlet

Without a doubt, this is crummy. But right now, I have to explain this. Quickly, I head for the stream. What did I ever do to deserve this? But this is no time to be take pity on myself. Without a second thought, i jump into the churning water. It's a good thing DewClan cats are good at swimming. Otherwise, I'd be dead now. I exhale quietly and relax. The stream feels oddly warm. Then i look down. I do a double-take. The water is turning red from all the blood! I jump out, my fur spiked. Quickly I lick my fur until it dries. Luckily all the stains are gone. Terrified, I begin my return to camp, my heart heavy. Aspenkit. Mousepaw. Soon Beetlestar. Then myself. I shiver in the sunlight. Darting into my den, I lie in my cold nest. Soon the dawn patrol will be out. They'll see the stream. They'll see the trail. They'll see that Mousepaw and Aspenkit are dead. A body bumps into me. Minnowleap. Of course. He winces when he sees me. "Sorry Sunheart. I didn't mean to hurt you." I sigh. "It's fine. Where are you going?' I ask, trying to change the subject. He smirks. "I have to wake the lazy furball apprentice of mine." My heart skips a beat. "Mousepaw?" I mew, barely able to breathe. He nods. "I'm teaching him to catch birds today." He leaves the den, heading towards the clump of bracken where the apprentices sleep. Exhausted as usual, I haul myself out of my nest. The clearing is quiet, but there are a group of cats awake and whispering. Then I hear Dawnpetal's terrified scream. She must have discovered Aspenkit's body. Beetlestar jumps down from HighRock and races into the nursery. Nervously, I follow. Dawnpetal is sitting in a state of shock, staring down at her son's dead body. Beetlestar lets out a wail. "Why StarClan!?!?! He was so young!" My heart almost breaks in two. Why couldn't I have prevented this? Beetlestar calms down and looks a the blood spattered nursery. "What could have done this to my kit?" I lean down and begin to wash Aspenkit's body. His blood is still sticky and slightly warm. It sends shivers up my spine. Dawnpetal looks down at her son. "He looks so tiny now." I nod and continue cleaning. Then I give a fake gasp. "Look at his neck!" Beetlestar snatches his body. "It's unbelievable. But how could any cat get into camp?" He whips around and stares at me. "You were guarding camp! You must have been working with that killer!" All hope drains out of my eyes. How did I forget that? Beetlestar growls at me. "You helped kill my son!" I let out a terrified mew, preparing for his claws to rake down my throat. But they don't come. Instead, Dawnpetal gives him a horrified glare. "How dare you accuse her of killing our son! It's obvious she's innocent!" Thank StarClan. I lave the nursery, trembling as I walk. Minnowleap walks up to me. "Have you seen Mousepaw anywhere? He's not in his den, and Owlpaw hasn't seen him since sunset. I shake my head. Let's not go into that right now. "Let's head by the river. Maybe he went there for an early morning swim." I might be lying, but it's better than him finding Mousepaw's body. We head out of camp, and start towards the river. Minnowleap keep calling for Mousepaw, and I do too, but It's a lost cause. He's already dead. When we reach the river, Minnowleap lets out a shocked gasp. I look down at the water and curse myself. Why? Because it's bright scarlet from the blood. Oh Fox-dung! Minnowleap just stares at it. "How could this have happened?" He leans down and licks the water. "Blood. Some cat died." I wince. Then Minnowleap's turquoise eyes practically jump out of his head. "Mousepaw! He must be in the river!" Minnowleap dives in without a second thought. I want to scream at him, He's not there! But that would lead to an impossible explanation. I'm not about to tell the truth. Luckily, Minnowleap gives up soon. "It's no use Sunheart. The dark shadows make it impossible to see anything under the red." I nearly jump out of m fur. "Darkshadow? Where?!?!" I dive behind a tree and shiver. Minnowleap just stares at me like I'm crazy. I curse myself. How could I make such a stupid mistake?

 The find Mousepaw's body. Broken. Torn. Ripped out throat. They say he fell in and died when the brambles touched his throat. But they're wrong. We sit at the vigil. Even me. But when the sun goes down, I escape. Just in the nick of time. Because Darkshadow escapes the second I leave camp. And the worst part is, she's getting stronger.

 The End