Distant Sun - Clouds

Chapter 1

Fallenpaw sticks her tongue out of her mouth as she watches her prey sit idly, not at all knowing she was there. She resists the urge to flick her tail or wiggle in excitement for fear that her prey would hear. Once she's sure she's ready, Fallenpaw pounces.

"YEOUCH!" Greypaw yowls.

Fallenpaw giggles and releases her friend's tail from her claws. "I'm surprised you didn't hear me."

"That hurt, you furball," Greypaw cuffs her friend behind the ear. "And I didn't hear you because I was talking to Patchpaw!"

Fallenpaw merely smiles brightly and sits down beside her friend. Greypaw huffs and returns to her conversation.

"Anyways, like I was saying before I was rudely interrupted, I think you should talk to Nightfall about doing your warrior assessment. I mean, you are the strongest out of all of us. And you're great at hunting," Greypaw meows. "And fighting. And all of the other things we're training to do."

"I'm not that good," Patchpaw mumbles, hunching his shoulders in embarrassment. "I was just thinking age-wise, I should become a warrior soon, right?"

"Yep," Greypaw nods.

Fallenpaw makes a noise of agreement. "Nightfall will definitely agree to let you do your warrior assessment if you ask."

"I guess I-" Patchpaw was cut off by Blueheart's yowling.

"Barknight, Firepaw, Moonfur, Darkstep, Grassfur! We're going out!" the blue-grey she-cat looks at each cat in turn. "Don't ask why, I'll brief you on our way."

The five cats go to her and they all leave camp. Fallenpaw watches them leave.

"Huh, I wonder where they're going?" Greypaw meows.

"I think they're looking for Vinetail and the kits," Patchpaw meows gently. "I saw Coralsong talking to Blueheart before she left."

"They have been gone for a while," Greypaw frowns.

Fallenpaw looks at her friend. She knew how much Greypaw worried about her little sisters. Jaykit and Lilykit were her only siblings and she was fiercely protective of them. They were the youngest kits in the nursery as of now. They knew so little about the world they lived in.

"I'm sure they're ok," Fallenpaw meows softly, mostly to Greypaw. "Vinetail is a great warrior, he'll protect them."

"Yeah, you're right," Greypaw sighs. "I'm sure they made him stop to play some sort of game or something."

Fallenpaw nods with a smile.

***

The sun had started to dip behind the hills when the search party returned. Fallenpaw kneads the ground with her paws as she watches them enter camp. Blueheart was carrying a limp Gemkit in her jaws, the little kit's pure white fur matted with what looked like blood. Behind her, Barknight and Grassfur were carrying Vinetail on their backs. He was also covered in blood. Moonfur followed the three warriors closely, Jaykit hanging limply in her jaws. Greypaw makes a small noise of fear as she watches the calico warrior walk past. Firepaw and Darkstep backed up the precision of somber warriors. Firepaw's blue eyes were hollow as he pads into the apprentice's den. Blueheart leads Barknight, Grassfur and Moonfur into the medicine den, leaving Darkstep to be interrogated by the Clan.

"What happened?" Lightwing demands of her brother.

"Where were they?" Coralsong asks worriedly.

"Are they dead?" Amberpaw questions timidly.

Darkstep waves the questions away with his tail. "We found them a few leagues away, near the rogue border. I..." Darkstep pauses, shuddering a little. "I don't know if any of them are still alive."

The clearing went silent once Darkstep had finished speaking. Anxious glances were tossed at the medicine den. No one had exited the den yet. Fallenpaw silently prays to SpiritClan that they would be ok. She couldn't bear to think that any of the kits would die. They couldn't. They had so much more life to live.

Suddenly, there was a rustling at the entrance to the medicine den. Blueheart and the other three warriors exit the den. The Clan rushes at them. Overlapping chatter began to grow louder as questions were thrown at them.

"Be quiet," Blueheart meows sternly.

The clearing quiets. The cats all look expectantly at the deputy.

Blueheart sighs, hunching her shoulders in exhaustion. "Vinetail and Jaykit are... dead."

A cry comes from the nursery. Fallenpaw whips her head to look for the source of the noise. A shaking Mossflight was on the ground, hiding her face with her paws. Slatepelt was trying her best to soothe the light grey she-cat. Violetstorm was nowhere to be seen. Fallenpaw hopes she hadn't heard anything that had just been said.

"And Gemkit?" Treetail presses after a long silence. "I-is she ok?"

"Gemkit is just fine," Blueheart meows. "At least for now. She's badly injured, but still breathing. Rocktooth says she might have some permanent scarring if she makes it through this."

Treetail nods, curling his tail around himself. Blueheart says nothing more and heads for the warrior's den. Fallenpaw looks around the clearing for Greypaw and spots her entering the apprentice's den. Fallenpaw rushes into the den.

"Greypaw? Are you ok?"