Warriors: A Dark Sun

Chapter 38

Lilymist woke up in the deputy den, curled with Olivenose. She gently shook the gray tom awake.

"Olivenose. Wake up." Lilymist licked his ear. Olivenose groaned in his sleep then opened his eyes.

"I was worried it was just a dream." He purred. Lilymist felt her ears grow hot and she batted his head playfully.

"I've got to go make patrols." Lilymist softly meowed. She stood up and stretched then exited the den. She say Grayheart standing in the centre of camp.

"I sent out the dawn patrol for you. I hope that was ok." Grayheart explained. Lilymist felt relieved.

"Thank you." Lilymist meowed, dipping her head. Snowbreeze padded up to Lilymist. The deputy turned away from her former mentor to speak with Snowbreeze.

"May I be excused from patrols?" Snowbreeze asked. "I'm expecting kits." The white she cat meowed cheerfully. Lilymist was happy for the queen, but worried because Snowbreeze was rather old.

"Of course. May I ask who the father is?" Lilymist purred. Snowbreeze looked shy and her ears folded back.

"Berrysplash." She chuckled. Lilymist wasn't surprised. He was a handsome tom and the two had gotten close. Snowbreeze thanked Lilymist then walked towards the nursery. Lilymist watched her go into the nursery. In the last half moon the Clan managed to fix the camp. It looked almost exactly like it did before the fire. She padded to the medicine den and walked inside.

"Echomist, how long until Snowbreeze has her kits?" Lilymist questioned the medicine cat. Echomist looked up from her nap and yawned.

"Are you worried about her too? She's not due for another half moon." Echomist lay her head back down and fell asleep again. Lilymist turned out of the den and Brightcloud walked up.

"Hey Lilymist. My two kits are almost ready to be apprentices. They have about a moon left. Should I wait another moon and a half for Lichenkit and Moonkit to be ready?" Brightcloud asked. Lilymist considered it for a second.

"In a moon I'll make them apprentices. I don't want them held back because of the other two." She choked out. It pained Lilymist to the that her sister's kits would hold Hailkit and Stormkit back. She nodded to the queen and organized patrols.

"I want Reedsplash, Skygaze, Rainwhisker and Appleglow to patrol the ThunderClan border, and while you're there keep watch for Aban. Sunfrost, Olivenose and Duskflower, patrol the WindClan border. Cloudrunner, Feathermist and Frostspiral, hunt." Lilymist awkwardly commanded. Berrysplash stepped forward.

"And who will escort Pixiepaw and Echomist safely to meet the other medicine cats tonight?" He called out. Lilymist sat down and thought for a moment.

"Sparrowleaf and Jasperheart." She ordered. Her Clanmates nodded and separated into their patrols. Lilymist sat down and watched her Clanmates bustle around her. The Clan seemed peaceful.

Later that night, the Clan stayed up to welcome Pixiepaw and Echomist back. It was well past Moonhigh when they returned. Pixiepaw ran through the camp entrance in excitement. Echomist followed behind her apprentice calmly laughing with Jasperheart and Sparrowleaf.

"We have gathered this half moon night to celebrate Pixiepaw. Will you please come up here and announce your new name to the Clan?" Icestar yowled from the Tallstone. Pixiepaw hopped over to the base of the stone and clawed her way up.

"I was named Pixiepath, in honour of the path that I had to take to get to this very moment. The path I have walked was not alone, I had my Clan, I had my family, I once had Rosie. This path has lead me to be RiverClan's next medicine cat." Pixiepath yowled. The Clan cheered her name into Silverpelt. StarClan seemed to be feeling rather happy at the former rogue's ceremony because a ray of moonlight shone down and turned the white cat's fur silver. The Clan was in awe of this honour given by StarClan.

Half a moon later

"Echomist! Pixiepath! Snowbreeze is kitting!" Brightcloud yowled. The medicine cats raced to the nursery, herbs in their jaws. It was an leaf-fall evening. The breeze was cool and an ear splitting shriek broke the cool air. Lilymist bolted up and poked her her in the nursery.

"Lilymist get your head out! You're blocking the light!" Pixiepath hissed. Lilymist jerked her head back and sat outside the entrance. She sat there until past Moonhigh, waiting. Berrysplash padded out of the den and sat down beside her, his head and tail drooping. He suddenly lay down and rested his head on her paws. Lilymist looked down in shock when she realized he was sobbing.

"She's gone. She's dead. Snowbreeze died before our kits could learn her scent." He choked out. Berrysplash curled up like a kit at her paws and shook in grief. Pixiepath and Echomist padded out of the den, dragging Snowbreeze out. Sparrowleaf and Brightcloud carried two kits out, their eyes glazed in grief. Lilymist felt her heart shatter at the sight of the daughters carrying their dead half siblings. Brightcloud turned away from her mother's body and padded back into the nursery. Lilymist stood up and padded away from the grieving father.

"How many kits did she have?" Lilymist quietly asked Pixiepath. The white she cat looked at her.

"Four. Three she cats and a tom." She replied.

"Did they name the kits before Snowbreeze..." Lilymist didn't want to say that she died. Pixiepath nodded.

"They named these two Thornkit and Dapplekit. The living kits are Lakekit and Maplekit." Lilymist looked at the two she cats laying on the cold ground. They were both tortoiseshell she cats. They were so small. She turned away and walked into the nursery. The two living kits curled next to Brightcloud. One was a white tom and the other was a small tortoiseshell she cat. Lilymist felt bad for Brightcloud because only two of the six kits at her belly were hers. Brightcloud looked stressed and strained because she had to care for six kits.

"If it will make it easier Hailkit, Stormkit, Lichenkit and Moonkit can sleep in the deputy den with me tonight." Lilymist told the silver queen. Brightcloud nodded and gently woke the four kits.

"You are sleeping with Lilymist and Olivenose in their den tonight. Doesn't that sound fun?" Brightcloud forced herself to sound cheerful.

"Cool!" Stormkit squealed. Brightcloud licked his head and then looked at them sternly.

"Listen to whatever they tell you and don't bother Olivenose." She whispered. The kits nodded then followed Lilymist out of the den. She herded the four kits into her den. Olivenose was already waiting in there for her. His eyes widened at the sight of the kits then he slowly smirked.

"I didn't expect to have kits this soon." He slyly meowed. Lilymist gasped in mock horror and pushed his shoulder. The kits were curling up already and they all piled in a lump of silver, gray and brown. Lilymist and Olivenose wrapped their bodies around the small lumps of fur. Lilymist purred and pulled them all closer. Hailkit, Moonkit and Stormkit disappeared in Olivenose's gray fur while Lichenkit blended in with Lilymist. If a cat came in who didn't know that these were not their kits, it sure looked like they were.