Warriors: Storm and Flood

Chapter Fourteen (Final Chapter)

Frosttoe let out another wail as she curled up next to Minnowshade, who had her tail wrapped around her shoulders protectively. Sorrow gripped Frosttoe, chilling her to the bone; My kits are gone! She thought desperately. Palekit and Seedkit must be so scared! Where could they have gone?

"Emberfern is here to speak with you," Minnowshade murmured and nudged Frosttoe's cheek. She looked up, her chest twinging painfully as she did. Emberfern and Ferretpelt looked nothing like their normal selves; they were blurry blotches of fur padding toward her, making her shrink away. Minnowshade, however, wouldn't let her go any further. Let me out! She cried silently until she finally let herself be guided out of the nursery and into the medicine den. Emberfern's outline appeared in front of her, dropping a leaf in front of her paws.

"They're poppy seeds," the medicine cat murmured. Frosttoe lapped them up obediently, and a few moments later her vision began to clear. She could make out Emberfern's tortoiseshell patterns and Ferretpelt's stripes. "Thrushtail is on his way."

"Thrushtail..." Her brother's name rolled numbly off her tongue. He would be scared as well. Where's Hollowtail? Her mate popped into her mind and she suddenly was frantic. "Where's Hollowtail?" She asked quickly, unable to control her breathing.

"You need to calm down," Ferretpelt meowed softly, bringing over a wad of soaked moss. "You're going through shock. The poppy seeds will help, but being calm is the best thing for you."

Calm? "How can I be calm when my kits have disappeared!" She wailed and a sob wracked her body. "I fell asleep for a few heartbeats and they were just gone! They haven't even opened their eyes! They couldn't have run off!"

"They didn't run off," Thrushtail's meow echoed at the entrance to the medicine den; Frosttoe saw his soft brown pelt pad through, his expression grave and angry. "A Thunderclan cat stole them."

"We can't just jump to conclusions," Emberfern snapped.

"No cat is jumping to conclusions," Thrushtail replied. "Harveststar sent Gorsemouse to sniff out the medicine den. His nose is better than all of ours. Gorsemouse says that there is definitely Thunderclan scent near a hole in the back of the nursery."

Frosttoe's blood ran cold. Puddlepelt. She had been seeking revenge when Poppykit and Silentkit died; she had even told Thrushtail this. Puddlepelt stole my kits. Rage flowed through her violently, making her head spin. Palekit and Seedkit have to be okay. She told herself. If they're hurt, I swear by Starclan I will kill her.

"Harveststar wants to attack Thunderclan today," Thrushtail continued.

"I'm fighting," Frosttoe said immediately and rose shakily to her paws. "I'm finding my kits."

"You can't fight!" Ferretpelt argued, his fur bristling. "You're in no condition--"

"I am fighting," she snarled, whipping her head toward the medicine cat. "No cat will stop me from finding my kits." Every cat stared at her, shocked. She didn't care; the only thing she cared about was bringing her kits safely home. Letting out one last hiss, she pushed passed Thrushtail out into the clearing. As she did, every cat in Riverclan turned to gaze at her; their eyes were full of sympathy and sorrow. Frosttoe blatantly ignored them as she stalked up to Harveststar, looking up at him resolutely. "You can't stop me from fighting." She growled, narrowing her eyes at the leader.

To her surprise, Harveststar nodded in agreement. His meow was soft and understanding, "Of course not. I would expect nothing less from you. We will find your kits and bring them safely to Riverclan."