Stones (Book Five) Raging Fires

Chapter Nine

Ambertufts POV

"You're freezing!" Swanshimmer gasps.
Ambertuft looks over to where her friends voice was coming from and watches as she rushes to a soaking wet cat that had just come through the camp entrance.
"Is that Seagrass-?" Ambertuft asks, glancing to Galaxyflame beside her.
"I believe it is-" Galaxyflame breaks off.
"I'm expecting kits!" Iceberry squeals as she comes out of the medicine den, Nighteyes by her side.
Gravelstripe rushes past the two of them and over to Seagrass, who sits shivering and crowded by Halftail, Zenwhisker, and Silvereyes, who had been on patrol with her.
"Oh my stars-" Iceberry breaks off, seeing her former leader, "what happened!?" She rushes toward the group of cats.
"I just wanted to catch some fish," Seagrass's teeth chatter.
"In the middle of Leaf Bare!?" Gravelstripe exclaims.
"I figured I'd try," Seagrass stutters.
Ambertuft glances to Galaxyflame in disbelief. Surely a cat who's clan was solely based around water would know that going fishing at this time of the year was a horrible idea.
Galaxyflame shrugs and doesn't take his eyes off of the shivering cat.
Swanshimmer and Gravelstripe herd Seagrass into their den to try warming her up.

"She still has her nine lives?" Cats in the clearing murmur when the news was announced that Seagrass had just lost a life.
"I hear she only has a few left," another cat whispers.
"Well she lost one on our journey to the ravine..." a cat trails off, trying to list the lives she'd already lost.
Seagrass steps into the clearing with a huff, "can't you find something other than my mortality to talk about?"
Cats scatter from their groups quickly as she makes her way into the clearing, seemingly headed towards the fresh kill pile.
Ambertuft leans over to Galaxyflame once the older cat had passed them, "She doesn't want us to know how many lives she has left-" she whispers.
Galaxyflame nods, "it's understandable that she'd want to keep that a secret."
Cocoabounce pads over to them quickly,  glancing nervously towards Seagrass.
"I hear she lost a life?" He whispers.
He and a few others had been out on a border patrol.
Ambertuft nods, "and she won't say how many she has left."
"I wouldn't say either," Cocoabounce shrugs, "if I made an enemy, they would know exactly how many times to-"
"You only have one life, they already know how many times theyd have to kill you," Ambertuft rolls her eyes.
"Well duh," Cocoabounce rolls his eyes, "I meant if I were leader."
"She's not the leader anymore though," Galaxyflame points out.
"Well no, but she's only not a leader because she was doing what's best for her clan, which is pretty noble," Cocoabounce shrugs, "so what if she isn't the leader anymore."
Ambertuft glances at Seagrass, "either way, jumping into freezing water was a stupid idea," she rolls her eyes.
"Agreed," Galaxyflame nods.
Cocoabounce shrugs and pads away toward the nursery.

Ceaderstripe's POV

"I hear Seagrass lost a life," Ceaderstripe mews as Cocoabounce walks into the clearing, "is it true?"
Cocoabounce nods, "and cats won't shut up about it."
Ceaderstripe sighs, "come over here, take your mind off of it," Ceaderstripe waves him over with her tail.
"They're pretty cute," Cocoabounce smiles, looking down by Ceaderstripes belly at her kits.
Ceaderstripe smiles warmly down at her kits, "they are."
"We're cute too!" Rainkit shouts from the corner of the den.
The cats in the den laugh and turn to look at her. A moss ball is wadded up at her paws, though she's just glaring at Ceaderstripe and her kits.
"Yes, you're all very cute," Ceaderstripe purrs.
Rainkit stares for a moment longer before rolling her eyes and tossing the moss ball at her siblings.