Just One Sparrow

“Russetmoon, Eagletalon, Saplingheart, Bumblewhisper, Finchpaw, Morningpaw. You’re on DawnClan border patrol. Eagletalon, you’re the patrol leader. Dullsky, Quietbrook, Rockfall, Goldflame, Blazewhisker. You’re on FireClan border patrol. Dullsky, you’re in charge. Marigoldflame and Skylily. Take your apprentices out for battle training, along with Coyotepaw. Scratchpad, Endlessrain, Scorpionfang, Sorrelfox, Silversoul, Vixenpaw, Puddlepaw, and Clearpaw. You’re on hunting patrol. Sorrelfox, you’re in charge. Everyone, move out.”

The cats that had gathered for patrol all gathered into their respective groups and followed the leaders out into the forest to do their assigned jobs. Spiceshadow sighed softly and turned to the fresh kill pile. He himself had been on the sunrise patrol and was ready for something to eat.

Nosing through the freshkill pile, he pulled out the perfect rabbit and turned away from it, walking over to the leader’s den. He stopped short and scratched gently on the den wall to announce his presence. Timidbreeze lifted her head up from where she was curled up next to a sleeping Fallenstar. The deputy set the rabbit down and bowed his head. “Make sure he eats. He needs to recover. You as well, Timidbreeze.” The small queen nodded and Spiceshadow quietly left as not to disturb his leader’s slumber.

With that small task done, he returned to the fresh kill pile and pulled off a sparrow and moved to lay down by the warriors den to begin eating.

“Hey, Spiceshadow.” The deputy had been about to take a bite when he was stopped by perhaps the most persistent kit in barging into the warriors den since Fallenstar was a kit.

Burningkit.

“Yes, how can I help you, Burningkit?” Spiceshadow’s tone was slightly annoyed.

“Have you seen my dad?” The small kit was monotone, but straight to the point.

“He just left on patrol.”

“Okay.” Burningkit then turned around and walked away, leaving Spiceshadow slightly more annoyed than he had been thirty seconds ago. Flicking his ear to calm himself down, Spiceshadow was about to take his bite once more before the sound of hissing made him flatten his ears.

“If you two don’t shut it I’ll claw you both to shreads!” Spiceshadow hissed angrily.

Lostpaw and Deathsong, who were the two bickering, both stopped mid word and glared at Spiceshadow, their ears back angrily and their eyes narrowed. Spiceshadow lowered his ears in appology, grabbed his sparrow and quickly relocated across camp to the elder’s den.

Poking his head into the elder’s den, he was immediately met by his brother, Breezemoon. With a soft purr, Spiceshadow nuzzled his brother’s cheek and flicked his tail, summoning him outside. The gray tom followed him outside with a purr. “Hello, Spiceshadow.”

The Somali tom set his sparrow down and wrapped his tail around his paws. “How is being an elder? Less stress on your shoulders?”

Breezemoon rolled his shoulders with a smirk and laid down. “Hardly. Mothtrail may be the official medicine cat now, but I still do my fair share. Checking on Cloudkit and Hiccupkit, helping with herbs and the sick occasionally… and your shoulder.”

Spiceshadow flicked his tail in Breezemoon’s face to silence him. “Hey now. Let’s keep that voice of yours down a bit more. Do you want to wake up StarClan?”

The gray tom looked at his brother with an amused smirk. “Why are you so intent on hiding it? You got an injury. You aren’t immortal, Spiceshadow. If you keep acting like it, you’ll destroy your shoulder even worse.”

Sighing, Spiceshadow looked down at his left shoulder. Underneath his fur was a large scar he got as a kit during the FireMoon war that ended up keeping him confined to his nest up until the day of his apprentice ceremony. Not to mention the recent dislocation of it during the PebbleClan raid when he took Quickwind’s life. The thought made the tom shiver and he quickly looked away and down at his paws.

“You’re still having nightmares?” Breezemoon inquired knowledgably.

Spiceshadow let out an amused laugh. “I killed someone Breezemoon. That’s not something you get over.” He pawed at the ground and sighed, his ears falling flat. “It was an accident… an act of self-defense. I didn’t mean to kill him. It’s the biggest regret of my life.”

“You say that every time I talk about it.”

“And every time I say it I feel like it’s an excuse. Oh, Breezemoon… Am I broken?”

The gray tom laughed heartedly and pushed himself up to his paws. “Broken? No. Damaged? Yes. Evil? No. Good? To your core. Spiceshadow, you took on a lot of responsibility taking up after Joltflash. You keep trying to be her. It’s not healthy. Joltflash and Patchstar… those two were immortal. You’re not. So, stop trying to be the hero.” Breezemoon pressed his nose to Spiceshadow’s injured shoulder and let out a soft purr.

His ears came back up and he returned the purr. “Thank you, Breezemoon.” He licked his brother’s ear and smiled. “Now that’s settled. Time to eat.” He leaned down to take a bite of his sparrow, only to hear the angry shrieking of Frogsplash and Silversoul’s kits, demanding to know where Silversoul went. His ears fell flat. “I’ll be right-“ Spiceshadow was cut off once more when Lostpaw’s angry voice filled the hollow followed by Deahtsong’s.

Letting out a deep sigh, Spiceshadow got to his paws and went to go deal with the kits, deciding he’d rather not get involved with the mentor and apprentice. Breezemoon smiled as he watched his brother go, the sparrow laying at his paws uneaten.