Stones to Ashes - Warriors Fanfiction

Chapter Eight

The three ran like the wind towards the scent. Swiftpaw's heart raced, What's going to happen to the kits? He thought as he ran with Berry at his side and Jason behind them.

The scent got stronger as they approached a brown tabby kit and a black kit. The brown tabby looked older and was a she-cat, while the black kit looked way smaller and a tom-cat.

"Help! My brother!" Cried the brown tabby as they skirted to a stop, she turned around and saw them, with tears in her eyes.

"What's going-" Began Jason and circled around the kits, but cut off short, for some reason. Making his eyes narrowed.

Swiftpaw went to investigate what Jason saw and saw a terrible thing.

The black kit's side of his skull was bashed on the side of a large rock that was peeking from the grass.

"M-My brother!" She cried and ran towards Jason, then went under Jason's legs.

"We need Fogheart!" Swiftpaw gasped and flicked his tail to signal that the two barn cats should stay. So he ran back to camp as quick as he could, then once he got inside, he went inside of the medicine cat den.

"Fogheart!" Swiftpaw called once he got in. Fogeheart whipped around from mixing herbs, "What is it?"

"Kits! Rock! Barn cats!" He said quickly, breathing fast.

"Tell me what happened." She meowed, putting her tail tip on his shoulder for comfort, "Slowly."

"Me and some barn cats-" Swiftpaw explained but got cut off immediately by Fogheart, who almost could flip backwards if she could, "Swiftpaw! You hung out with barn cats?!"

"Yeah." He uncomfortably shifted his paws while he stood, while Fogheart went on and on about barn cats, "Do you know how dangerous they are, Swiftpaw?" She explained, pacing, "Their claws are sharp- oh and the smell. The foul scent of mice, and those twoleg bottles when they take them a dip! Oh I can't stand it!"

"Fogheart," He meowed calmly and Fogheart looked at him with an unease. "There is a kit that has his skull bashed. I need your help."

She finally sighed and said, "Let's go to the kit."

Swiftpaw went out with Fogheart and let her quickly follow, once they got to the kits and barn cats, Fogheart almost immediately picked up the sleek black kitten, "I'll go back to camp, while you, Swiftpaw, get these barn cats back to their stinky barn, then pick up the kit and come back to camp." She ordered strictly.

Before Swiftpaw can protest that the barn cats are good, the she-cat went back to camp with the poor black kit in her jaws.

"Alright," Swiftpaw looked back at Berry and Jason, "You know what to do, go back to your twoleg barn." Then added, "Please."

Berry and Jason nodded silently then left into the undergrowth, then, as Fogheart ordered, picked up the brown tabby and left towards camp.

Rain tickled his and the kitten's pelt while they ran, bushes and boulders passed them and trees towered above them with mighty branches.

Once he got to the gorse tunnel, he ran down it and went inside of the medicine cat's den. Fogheart was mixing herbs like crazy, so Swiftpaw set her down and meowed, "What's your two names?"

The brown tabby she meowed, "I'm Skykit, and my brother is Littlekit." Swiftpaw saw Fogheart press herb stuff into the black kit's eye that was bashed on the rock.

"Nice name," He tried to sound calm but it sounded like he was very scared, "I'm Swiftpaw," He began, "Say, what happened to your little brother?"

Skykit looked back at her brother, then back at him, "I-I don't know. We were playing with our dad but just then he said if we play a game of play-fighting, and whoever wins, our dad will give us a reward," She explained, "So, me and my brother agreed and Littlekit beat me, but then, our dad tore off some fur of him, yet I only screamed in horror," Suddenly tears formed in her eyes and shook her head, but continued, "Then" -Her throat went hoarse and she gasped, nearly sobbing- "H-He gr-grabbed L-Littlek-kit an-and took him d-d-down on- on a rock!"

Then she cried and lied on the floor, covering her eyes with her paws. Fogheart didn't notice, neither did Littlekit, though he was frozen but still breathing.

Swiftpaw softened and licked Skykit's fur to comfort her. "It's okay. You don't have to talk anymore." He mumbled and kept licking until Skykit fell into a deep sleep.

Just then, behind him came Crowstar and Hillfrost, while many other cats trailed along, Swiftpaw can make out Nightthorn and Stormtooth that were by Petallight and Skullheart. "What's going on here, Fogheart?" Asked Hillfrost, puffing out his fur.

"Swiftpaw and I found two kittens in the forest. One of them had half of their face bashed on a rock." She explained. Swiftpaw knew it was a lie but he knew that she had to do it. If she would say about the barn cats, the Clan would go nuts.

"Are they from other Clans?" Asked Hillfrost. "No, I don't think they are." Fogheart replied nervously.

"You 'don't think' they are from other Clans?" A voice sounded from the crowd, Swiftpaw knew it was Stormtooth.