Ashtree is dead. We drag his body to camp. No more of the cheerful personality of the councilor. His throat is ripped out. Voice and life taken away from him. It is horrifying. No apprentice or kit needs to see, so instead of going into camp, we head to the PeakClan graveyard, which is next to the camp. I leave Silvereye to set Ashtree's body into a graceful position and decorate him with lavender and pine needles.

There is no wall separating camp and the outer world, just the protection of the mountains and the secret trail through the mountains that PeakClan uses to go out to hunt, patrol, and go to Gatherings. But there is a small wall of bushes hiding the grim feelings of the graveyard. And when Amberstrike sees me walk into camp from that direction... A tear slips down her fur. She yowls loudly, and when members of the Clan see her going towards the graveyard, the warriors follow. Falconstar and Hawkswoop, the medicine cats, and Mintgrass do too. The caretakers and queens hold the apprentices and kits back.

I keep on walking forward instead of going back to the graveyard. I am in no mood to see another drop of Ashtree's blood.

"Lionpaw, Goldpaw, Lindenpaw. You are sensible enough to know that the scene over there is not for you. Go distract Rainlight's kits." I stare the apprentices down until they do what I asked.
I nod to Sorreldew, who then leads Squirreltail, Rainlight and Moonripple towards the graveyard.

---------------

It is the next day, and it is sunhigh. Well, as far as I can tell, since the sky is cloudy and it is raining. PeakClan cats have no problem with rain, and we quite enjoy it. I am with Stormshadow and Finchwing, taking advantage of a leak in the nursery to teach Lionpaw and Lindenpaw how to patch one. There's a small crack in the stone ceiling.

"Okay. Why are we on top of the nursery instead of inside it?" Stormshadow asks the young she-cats.

"Because we fix it from the outside!" Lindenpaw exclaims. Water drips from her whiskers.

"And why am I about to send Finchwing inside the nursery?"

"So that he can let us know if we're pushing the rock and leaf too far!" Lionpaw answers this time.

"Both of you are correct. Like you said, here we have a leaf and a rock that fits perfectly into this crack. You will put the rock inside the leaf, and push it down into the crack, stopping when Finchwing tells us," Stormshadow explains as Finchwing disappears from our sight and into the nursery.

Lionpaw puts shoves the rock and leaf into the crack. "Now what?"

"Here I have sand, dirt and gravel, along with a flat stone. What do we put in first?"

"You mix the sand and dirt, and then put them in the hole, covering it with gravel, and then put the flat stone on top so that the filling doesn't melt from the rain and drip into the nursery, opening the hole again!" Lindenpaw starts mixing the sand and dirt.

"Very good! Lionpaw, put the mixture in, Lindenpaw, put the gravel in after, and then Lionpaw will cover it with the stone. Now, Crowflight, could you make sure they do that? I'll send Finchwing over to you. I'll go check out what the patrol has to say."

I did not even notice Amberstrike come in. I watch the apprentices, and right after they finish, just before Finchwing sits down next to me, I hear a yowl.

Not again! Why... Why... Why? StarClan, why? I think and look at a distraught Goldpaw next to the body of Stripebird. Finchwing prods me with a paw, but I just blankly stare at the dead tom. His brother Streamfur rushes over, letting out a long, sad wail.

Streamfur starts dragging his brother's dead body to the graveyard. I still stare. I don't move. Who is murdering these cats? And why? Did someone make them? Are they wokring for someone? What do they get in return?

"Hey? StarClan to Crowflight? You've been sitting there for a while, and missed the funeral," Finchwing gently lets me know.

"I- but... who...?" I ask, he seems to understand me but doesn't reply. I lift myself up and head towards the warriors' den.

***

Some time later, the rain stops, and it is just past sunhigh. Falconstar has called a Clan meeting.

"We have all lost a great warrior this day, and the day before. They will be remembered as noble cats, and we will think of them every time we look upon the night sky, where StarClan hunts. One warrior, Stripebird, had an apprentice," Falconstar pauses, scanning the crowd of cats.

"Goldpaw, step forward. Your new mentor shall be Streamfur, your old mentor's brother. I am sure that Streamfur will pass down his confidence and fighting skills to you," Falconstar finishes and jumps down from the Small Peak as Streamfur touches his nose to Goldpaw's.

After the meeting, I search for Silvereye, who is talking to Alpineheart.

"Hey Crowflight! You doing okay? You seem... Far," Alpineheart meows.

"What do you mean? I am alright. Never felt better," I respond.

"What about the gaze that seems to stare at a non-existent place? Slow pace? Saying that you're alright when you don't seem to be?" She presses.

"I said I am fine, can we talk about something else?"

"Okay, okay, Alpineheart, leave her." Silvereye saves me. I am not lying, I am feeling fine. Just a bit concerned.

"Well then, two deaths in two days? Isn't this... Suspicious?" The amber-eyed she-cat switched the topic of the conversation, not too far from my own thoughts.

"Yeah, and it seems that it's only our Clan," I say.

"How would you know?" Silvereye asks me.

"Well, knowing the other two Clans, even if we are a whisker away from a big conflict, messengers would be sent out from both of them if a cat got murdered. I don't know why Falconstar isn't sending out any patrol to visit them, though. He really should," I explain.

"He should though. I'll ask the other members of the council about it. Actually, I can do that right now. Goldenember said that as long as she's head councilor, any of the councilors can call a meeting... I guess I'll go do that now!" Alpineheart got all fidgety and her tail stood up before she bounded off towards the council cave. She can get excited.

"Well, that was odd," Silvereye points out.