[beau]

Wolfpaw emerged from the apprentice den as he heard the Suncat's call and his heart leapt to his throat as he caught sight of the scene. There, in the center of the clearing like some morbid display, lay a small kit's body. There was no rise and fall of her chest, no small sleepy movements. Just stillness like Wolfpaw had never seen before and berry juice leaking out of her mouth. A corpse, he realized. He had never seen a cat corpse before.

His stomach twisted uncomfortably and he wondered somewhere in his disconnected brain if he was going to be sick. He hoped not. His head felt so light. His heart was going so fast. What had killed this kit? There was no danger he could see, nothing the could have hunted her. Just the berry juice dripping down her chin to the floor. Maybe he was going to be sick.

A kit's wail made the scarred tom flinch with alarm, his head swinging to look at her, to look for the danger, but there was none to be found. She was crying for the kit that lay dead. His chest tightened more as he watched the grief-stricken scene. He wasn't sure what to do or where to go. His eyes focused on his paws, though he could not help but sneak glances at the body, no matter how much he did not want to look at it.

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