Warrior Cats: Sky of Storms

Chapter 13

It was four moons after the birth of the kits. Wavefire's strived and fit in just as well as any other kit, and Echowing watched them carefully every day.

Waterstar was still apprehensive about them, and she caught him staring between Wavefire and the kits. He wasn't the only one who noticed Wavefire's similarities with the kits. Echowing saw it too.

The tom that had been taken looked the most like the defeated medicine cat, but the two she-cats fitted in well.

Skykit and Thunderkit were their names. Echowing treated them like kin and smiled so much her face began to hurt.

Echowing let out a spurt of coughing and winced. There was that too. Wavefire commented that she had New-leaf allergies, and they would pass when Greenleaf comes.

Skykit and Thunderkit came out of the Nursery. The two kits thought they were both outsiders, just to be brought into the Clan. Echowing watched over them, noticing that Thunderkit stayed behind, glancing wearily around.

The tom spent most of his time protecting and standing up for his sister. Echowing guessed he felt like an outsider, and wanted to protect his sister as much as possible.

Wishkit, Sunkit, Twigkit, Tidalkit, and Hopekit came rushing out of the den behind them, yowling, "Let's play warriors!"

Sunkit tried to bare his teeth and said, "I'll be Bluetail."

Twigkit wailed, lashing his tail. "I want to be Bluetail!"

"Too bad." His brother turned, jumping up onto a piece of bedding that Pebblewing was organizing.

The Clan didn't have any apprentices right now, now that Rockheart and Pebblewing became warriors, so they took turns having apprentice tasks.

Wishkit bumped her littermate and said, "You can be the mighty Waterstar. I'll be Reedwhisker. I mean, Blackclaw." She glanced apologetically at Echowing.

She wanted to shake her head or bare her teeth at the cats, but they were kits and didn't know what they were saying.

Is Reedwhisker watching his kin in StarClan with Mistystar? Echowing missed her mentor. After losing his mother, he abandoned himself in a cramped cave. He did not eat, nor sleep. When any cat tried to approach him he would scream and try to claw them.

Echowing remembered the scene when she had walked up to his cave all too clearly.

Is he getting any better? Echowing had thought. I wonder if he's eating the herbs that Wavefire gave him.

Echowing stopped outside his cave. In leaf-fall, it was cold, and the wind whipped at her fur, blowing debris into her eyes.

Echowing tried to crouch low as she crawled into Reedwhisker's den, and she dropped the mouse a far distance away so Reedwhisker wouldn't claw her.

She looked up at the lump of fur that used to be her friend. His fur was ungroomed and full of ticks. His eyes were wide in deranged fury, and he shot his head up as she dropped the prey.

"I brought you food." She glanced at the pile of withered herbs and swallowed, taking a step back. Reedwhisker stared at her for what seemed like moons, then suddenly, he ripped his fur off and yowled in pain.

Echowing tried to jump forward to stop him from hurting himself, but he snapped at her ear, hissing, his eyes wide and bloodshot.

"They'll come and kill us if I don't do it first!" He yowled, springing at her, the first time he moved in moons. Echowing flung him off with her legs, trying to fight in the cramped space.