Spirits on the Wind

Chapter 10

(No more Silvermoon POV :1)

Minnowsplash felt the cold rain sink into his pelt, longing for the warmth of his mate. He thought of Silvermoon and Dagger. He thought of Carly and... Wolfhaze.... My own mother probably thinks I'm dead!

He shook his head with longing for his kin and mate. He kept padding silently along side Carly, keeping a swift pace as they rounded a bend along a fence. The talk wooden slats were curved out and movement a little further down one side caught Minnowsplash's attention. A sleek, wet silver pelt and a dark silver and black pelt showed.

"Silvermoon!" Minnowsplash called, racing over. His eyes widened, seeing Dagger, that flea-bag, laying on the ground dead.

"He deserved to die..." He muttered angrily and then stepped around him and tackled over Silvermoon.

Her eyes were numb with grief. "What's wrong? Dagger deserved to die." He hissed. Then he purred reassurance to his mate.

She sat up and wiggled out from underneath him. "He died protecting me from another tom who was trying to get me. A Twoleg...hit him and threw..." Silvermoon trailed off.

"Oh..." Minnowsplash meowed sadly, regretting what he said.

"Minnowsplash, it's okay. He was really nice the whole time but he realized his faults near the end. He should've lived...." Silvermoon closed her eyes still grieving for her lost friend.

Minnowsplash sniffles behind him. He looked back seeing tears in her eyes too. "Uh, Silvermoon." He meowed. She looked up. "This is Carly. She was helping me find you. And now that we did, we should go back." He purred, helping his mate to her paws.

Silvermoon nodded. "Can I bury him first?"

"Sure." Minnowsplash assisted her as they dug a hole and put Dagger's lifeless body in it. When they filled the hole, they covered his head last. Silvermoon touched her nose to Dagger's before they covered him completely.

"I'll see you out, you two." Carly mewed from behind them. Minnowsplash turned around to face her.

"Thank you Carly." He dipped his head after the gray and white kittypet led them to the edge of Twolegplace. "For everything. You were a great guide." He laughed lightly and flicked his tail on her nose. Every one of them was still a little quiet with sadness.

"Thank you too. I had quite the adventure. Come back and visit anytime Minnowsplash." Carly smiled and then bounded back down the sidewalk.

Silvermoon and Minnowsplash walked silently back, pelts pressed together to face the cold. "I really missed you." He mumbled right after they crossed the river.

"Me too. I wish things were different. I caused a cat to die." Silvermoon stuttered, her voice faltering with grief.

"It's alright. Dagger is in a wonderful place with many other cats to flirt with." Minnowsplash meowed playfully and twitched his whiskers.

"I hope you're right." Silvermoon looked down at her paws.

"We need to get you warm. You're shaking more than a dead leaf clinging to a branch during a gust of wind." He joked.

Silvermoon laughed a little. "Alright, race?" She asked and swished her tail.

"Sure, maybe I'll let you win."

"Go!" Silvermoon shouted.

Minnowsplash dug his paws into the ground, lurching forward. Her dashed across the ground, leaves spraying in his wake. He was about a mouse length in front of Silvermoon and he didn't plan on letting her win. Suddenly, she pulled ahead, bursting with speed. She won, tagging the trunk of her hollow tree with her tail.

"Well..." He wheezed and flopped onto the grass "That was crazy..." He puffed.

"Yeah." She meowed back. He watched her paw at the ground with her front paw.

"Silvermoon. I'm sorry but I should really get going back to camp." He purred and stepped towards her.

"I understand. Go." She purred back and nuzzled his head.

Minnowsplash ran through the marsh with a new kind of speed. He needed to see his kin, Grayfeather, Pebblestream, Wolfhaze...

He thundered into camp, skidding to an abrupt halt. He had only been gone for 3 sunrises but the clan seemed slower.

Quailswoop was the first one to spot him, her eyes widening. She ran over, tumbling into him. "Minnowsplash!" She purred, gently rubbing her head against his.

"Minnowsplash?" Wolfhaze poked her head out of the warriors den in curiosity. Her whiskers twitched and she stood still.

Minnowsplash left Quailswoop and walked over to his mother, pressing his muzzle on her head. "I-I thought you were d-dead." She stuttered, happy tears streaming from her eyes.

"Welcome home, Son." A deep voice boomed behind him.

"Father." Minnowsplash meowed and touched his nose to his father's.

Then a gray head came out of the nursery. "Minnowsplash?!" It was Grayfeather. She walked out, and nuzzled her brother.

"Are you expecting kits?" He asked, suddenly aware that he didn't see Pebblestream.

"No I was visiting our sister. Pebblestream is expecting Smokewhisker's kits." Grayfeather smiled. "We all thought that you got taken by Twolegs! Where were you?"

"That's not really important. I'm back. Maybe I'll tell all of you later." He replied. "Now, I'm going to check on Pebblestream." He nodded to Grayfeather and started for the nursery. He peeked his head in, seeing his sister stretched out on her side with only a little of a rounder stomach.

There was also Brookspring, who was a while further into expecting than Pebblestream. He began to pad towards his sister, when a tan flash of fur tackled him to the ground. He was ambushed!

"Hey Minnowsplash!" Larkkit meowed, her amber eyes bright and green like her mother's. He remembered Silvermoon saying that she was Shelldrop.

"Hello there Larkkit." He laughed and grabbed the kits' scruff, pulling her off of him.

"I'm almost 6 moons old!" She yowled excitedly.

Brookspring woke up scowling. "Be quiet kit! We are trying to sleep."

Larkkit bowed her head and flattened her ears to her head. "Sorry Brookspring.." The kit mumbled and trailed out of the nursery, her tail dragging.

"Was that necessary? To yell at a kit?" Minnowsplash snarled at Brookspring.

"Yes, she doesn't deserve to be loud. And she doesn't have a mother to scold her." Brookspring sneered and put her muzzle in the air and puffed. She had grown increasingly annoying.

"Hey Pebblestream!" He ignored the other queens' comment and sat down beside his sister, who was grooming herself.

"Hey Tinykit!" She teased and batted a sheathed paw over his ear.

"How do you like being in the nursery. It's always crowded in here." Minnowsplash meowed.

"It's perfect but I'm thinking about taking a short nap. Come back and visit later though." She nuzzled his face.

"Alright. Will do!" She meowed and trotted out, the bright sunlight blasting his face.