☁ 𝒜𝓈 𝒞𝓁𝑜𝓊𝒹𝓈 𝒞𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓇 𝒯𝒽𝑒 𝒮𝓀𝓎 ☁

Chapter 18

𝒮𝓊𝓃𝓅𝒶𝓌

~ ✵ ☁ ✵ ~

Sunpaw basked in a patch of grass, warmed by the bright sun. His eyes flitted lazily across the camp as his mind wandered, lost in a thick forest of thoughts.

It had now been days since Slowpaw's accident and his mentor, Pounceheart still didn't seem very interested in getting back to training his apprentice just yet.

Poor Pounceheart. Sunpaw let out a sigh. It isn't his fault Slowpaw got hurt. If anything, it's mine... Sunpaw had felt weighed down by guilt ever since the incident had occurred. Why hadn't he done anything? Why had he stood around to watch it all happen? Perhaps if he had at least tried to help the apprentice, Slowpaw never would have gotten hurt.

His thoughts were interrupted quite abruptly when Littlelight, BreezeClan's only current queen strode up to him, flicking her tail to and fro to get his attention. "Sunpaw," her tone carried a hint of worry, but the apprentice could tell she was trying to hide it. "Have you seen Fiercekit or Cleverkit by any chance?" She questioned. But Sunpaw shook his head.

"Why?" He asked. "Are they not in the nursery?" Worry began to prick at his pelt at the thought. As he gazed out to peer at the cave entrance that led to the nursery only to see a very concerned-looking Thunderkit.

The queen shook her head. "No. I left them with Fleetpaw but her mentor must have taken her out of camp and I guess she forgot to let any cat know." She spoke. "They must have snuck out of camp while no cat was watching them."

Panic began to rise in Sunpaw's chest. "We have to find them!" He sputtered suddenly. His eyes flew wildly around him before he fixed them on Littlelight. "Should I tell Lightningstar?" He asked, flustered and not sure what to do.

"Yes. Go tell him! I'll find some other cat to take care of Thunderkit." She replied. "They're my kits, so it is only right that I help search for them."

The apprentice raced to his leader's den, feeling grass tear beneath his claws as he ran. "Lightningstar!" He called, rushing into the tom's cave. He knew it was disrespectful to enter his leader's den without being invited first, but he didn't care. This was urgent. Lightningstar would understand his reasons. He hoped that was true at least.

"Sunpaw?" The old leader spun around, blinking at him in confusion.

From a distance, the apprentice had never noticed, but up close to Lightningstar as he was at that moment, he could clearly see the leader's light gray muzzle he had developed due to his age. It was at that moment when he realized that there would be a time in Sunpaw's life when Lightningstar would no longer be BreezeClan's leader. But he shoved the thought to the back of his mind. He had to focus on the problem they were dealing with now.

"It's Littlelight's kits! Cleverkit and Fiercekit have gone missing!" His desperate mew rang and echoed across the stone walls around him as Lightningstar's pale yellow eyes went wide in alarm.

The leader stood up and began to pace slowly across the small den, muttering to himself, although Sunpaw could clearly hear him. "Wolfcall's patrol is hunting right now, but the best chance of finding those kits would mean sending out the majority of BreezeClan to search for them." After a moment of thought, he finally spoke once again. "Sunpaw," his mew was stern as the apprentice glanced up at Lightningstar, their gazes locking for just a moment. "Go find that patrol and tell them to look for those kits!"

Sunpaw nodded vigorously before spinning around and practically leaping out of the den. He almost tripped over his own paws in the process, but he managed to keep his balance as he scrambled desperately to the camp entrance.

Don't worry kits! We'll find you! He thought through the worst possible scenarios were cycling through his mind, swirling around him like snowflakes in an endless blizzard. Once he made it outside the clan camp, he tasted the air, hoping he could taste the lingering scent of Wolfcall's hunting patrol, but he found it impossible. Too many cats came in and out of BreezeClan's camp, obscuring specific scents such as the one he was searching for.

He hoped they would be deep in the forest, a popular hunting area within BreezeClan territory since the prey was so plentiful there. He ran as fast as his paws could take him. His lungs ached as he weaved through the trees and he wished he could have participated in some of the running exercises Fleetpaw had with Finchfrost.

He didn't even know how long he had been running once he heard voices in the distance calling out. "Great teamwork Fleetpaw!" He instantly recognized Finchfrost's gentle voice. He followed the yowl to a copse of trees and caught sight of the black messenger soon later.

Fleetpaw was running toward them with a large cream-colored and white rabbit hanging from her jaws. The apprentice must have seen Sunpaw's orange fur sticking out amongst the natural colors of the undergrowth around them because her ears pricked up in interest and she let out a mew of surprise.

"Sunpaw what are you doing out here?" She inquired once she had dropped the rabbit at her mentor's paws. The black-furred cat followed Fleetpaw's gaze.

"Have you seen Fiercekit or Cleverkit around?" He asked.

Both of them shook their heads, and within a heartbeat, Fleetpaw's eyes went so wide Sunpaw was worried they would pop out of her head. "Oh no! I didn't have any cat watch over them before I left. Did they sneak out? What if- "

Finchfrost draped their tail across their apprentice's shoulders, cutting her off.

"I'm sure they're fine." They told her in a calm tone of voice. "We'll catch find in no time, don't worry."

"I'll search the StreamClan border!" Sunpaw called, as he made his way past his clanmates. "Tell the rest of the patrol to help search for them as well!" And with that, he disappeared into the vegetation. As he left, he could still hear the muffled conversations of the patrol members, though he couldn't make out what they were saying.

He hoped what Finchfrost said was true. He hoped the kits were fine and that they would be found soon. He never knew he'd feel so happy to feel the edges of the moist marshland that marked the edges of BreezeClan's land, where their grassy forest gave way to the wetlands of StreamClan. He tasted the air once again, and to his surprise, he caught a familiar scent. But he was disappointed to find that it wasn't the sweet and rich, milky scent that belonged to young kits. Instead, the smell belonged to StreamClan. Why is there scent over here, across the boundary? He wondered silently to himself, checking the air for a second time just to make sure.

That was when four cats emerged from the undergrowth, their pelts sleek and shining in the sunlight. He recognized the muscular clan deputy Sharpswipe at the head of the patrol with a sandy brown she-cat just behind him as well as two other she-cats he didn't recognize. One was a light brown tabby, and the other was light gray with a lithe and fairly thin build.

There was only one cat he knew of in this group, and that was Quickpaw, his sister, though she lived with her mother, separated from Sunpaw and Hazelstripe. The apprentice dipped his head to the patrol in a respectful manner, greeting them as politely as he could.

"Sunpaw! It's been so long since I've seen you!" Quickpaw called in a delighted squeal. But before she could step toward her brother, Sharpswipe gave her a warning glance that stopped her in her tracks.

"Why are you out here on your own?" The deputy demanded, regarding the apprentice with a skeptical look. "You aren't sneaking out against your clan's orders, are you?"

"No, no. Of course not." Sunpaw assured, but the deputy didn't look convinced. "Two of our kits have gone missing and I'm trying to help find them. Have you- "But before he could ask them about the whereabouts of the missing kits, Sharpswipe cut him off with a growl.

"Even so, you shouldn't be out here on your own. I'm afraid I have to escort you to StreamClan camp until one of your clanmates comes for you." He told Sunpaw.

"Wait, what?" The apprentice's heart began to race, sending tremors of panic through his fur. But before Sharpswipe could lay a paw on him, a high-pitched mew cut into the air. A mew that could only belong to a kit.