Rabbitspring's Fate

{*Chapter 28*}

Rabbitspring's fur stood up on its end.

The DawnClan warriors were snarling and bristling at her.

" Who are you?!"

"Rabbitspring, let me into PhantomClan Camp to see my kits!"

"Rabbitspring...? Your kits aren't in PhantomClan, they're in DawnClan, we rescued them a few days ago." A red tom with green eyes mewed, "come with us, we promise shelter for you and your kits."

Rabbitspring nodded, walking beside the tom, "What happened for the past two moons?"

"Tigerstar took over MapleClan, PhantomClan is trying to get the rest of the clans to follow, so DawnClan, SunsetClan, EmberClan and some rouges are trying to fight against them, but they have some of the strongest warriors in those clans."

"How is Crowstar?"

"We rescued him along with your kits, he's badly injured but safe and we have Leftear looking after him."

Rabbitspring could feel her heart start to bubble up with excitement as she started to come into view of the marshy landscapes that formed the wet marshes of DawnClan.

DawnClan and PhantomClan have a very close border on the side that Rabbitspring had come onto from MapleClan.

The wet ground felt foreign to her pads but it felt nice at the same time.

As the camp came in sight, she could smell the fresh herbs that Leftear must have picked recently since the medicine den was almost right at the entrance Rabbitspring could hear the cats inside.

"Rabbitspring!?" She heard a familiar voice call out to her. She turned her head to the former leader of MapleClan, Crowdapple.

"Crowdapple! I'm so sorry about the destruction my mate caused, he is being possessed by Houndstar, I will do all of my power to bring MapleClan to its former glory, I promise." The white warrior mewed, dipping her head to Crowdapple.

"I understand, but we don't have enough warriors to help us, the MapleClan warriors who did escape are badly injured, we can't fight them in our current state." The warrior sighed, it looked like he had lost all hope of bringing back his Clan.

Rabbitspring's heart dropped as she heard a muffled conversation coming from the medicine den.

Rabbitspring sighed, muttering under her breath, "I had just gotten home, I can't leave again..." her gaze then rested on Crowdapple and moved to the cats who were looking at her with curiosity, Rabbitspring sighed again, raising her voice for the whole camp to hear,

"As you know, I am Rabbitspring, a warrior of MapleClan, I have been gone for many moons, I assume most of you know about me coming back to life after I died, I have made many mistakes and I regret them all, but now is the time to fight, I know that now, I have made some allies who live out of our territory, I will try to speak with AuroraClan to send them a message, but for now we should prepare for battle," Rabbitspring announced, letting her gaze drop to a group of apprentices, she saw her kits mixed with DawnClan apprentices. Her kits looked scared of her, it made her feel guilty, they never saw her, she was never there for them, all because of a mouse brained promise she made when they were just kits. Rabbitspring signalled for her kits to go to her as she sat down on the far edge of DawnClan camp.

Swiftpaw gave her a glare as his other siblings slowly crept to their mothers tail, their small bodies scrawny and matted.

Rabbitspring was about to tell him to come to her but a light grey she cat who looked like she was expecting came up to him and pushed her head into his ear and said something to him and then went back behind him and smiled happily when Swiftpaw wearily followed in trail of his litter mates.

As soon as her son sat down next to Cinamonpaw with still an aggravated look in his eyes.

Guilt pricked at Rabbitspring's heart as she thought about how many moons and memories she missed with her sons and daughters.

The DawnClan warriors looked expectantly at Rabbitspring as she gathered up her courage.

" I am the mate of Tigerstar and these are his kits. I know my mate like no one else in this world, and so I know how to bring him back."

The DawnClan warriors looked confused for a second and a small grey apprentice spoke up in a squeaky voice.

"What do you mean 'bring him back'?"

Rabbitspring's sighed and shuffled uncomfortably.

" Well, a long time ago, there was an evil leader by the name of Howlingstar and when he died he didn't leave like most of us will, he lived on in NightClan to persuade incident cats into doing his evil deeds. I know because he tricked me too." Rabbitspring admitted shamefully.

"But it doesn't mean that I'm completely evil, a rogue Clan named StormClan can help us, I'm done with helping Howlingstar, I'm going to get rid of him once and for all, I'll stay the night here, then I'll go back to MapleClan with my kits, this will all be over before the next gathering." Rabbitspring assured the DawnClan warriors.

Fernpaw looked up at her mother, uncertain of what she was about to say, "Mom..." she started, "why did you leave us? Did you have a choice? Do you not love us enough to have stayed with us?" The small apprentice mewed, looking at the ground, tears forming in her eyes.

"I didn't have a choice, if I didn't leave you, you would be dead, and I would never see you again, but now I'm free, and I don't have to listen to Howlingstar anymore," Rabbitspring mew quietly, licking her kits ear, "You also have a new brother named Softkit, and we need to save him from Howlingstar, I just hope that he'll survive the night..."