Dawnstar's Trouble {COMPLETE}

Chapter 39

 "I'm gonna win!" Falconkit declared, pouncing on the moss ball, batting it away from Honeykit, she stumbled after it.

"No fair Falconkit! You have bigger paws!" She complained, skidding to a halt, her green eyes annoyed.

"No my fault I grew faster than you!" Falconkit chuckled and bat the moss ball back to his sister so she could hit it. Dawnfire watched her two kits play, Falconkit was bigger and played a bit rougher but would always slow down so his sister could catch up. Honeykit was smaller, and gentler when it came to playing. She was a very kind hearted kit already, Dawnfire loved watching them play.

She didn't allow Falconkit and Honeykit to play with Earthkit and Mudkit just yet; they were barely a half-moon old and Earthkit played rough. She would let them play just outside the nursery, and she checked at all times to make sure they were in view. She kept thinking about the yew bush behind the warrior's den, the one that had killed Willowkit, Dawnfire refused to let her kits go anywhere near it.

Lionclaw would visit all the time since he still wasn't doing warrior duties to play with his kits, and they loved it when their father visited. Dawnfire had gone back to organizing hunting patrols and border patrols, but remaining with her kits in the nursery. She had grown use to the playful chirps and mews of kits, more times than not it was Earthkit who woke her and her kits up. She was certainly rambunctious, but Squirreltail had moved out now that Rosepaw was an apprentice, her mentor being Sandfoot. That had only happened a few days ago, and in a little over a moon Earthkit and Mudkit would be joining her, then it would just be Honeykit and Falconkit in the nursery for the next five moons.

Dawnfire was glad SunClan finally had some apprentices again, but the warriors had been very good about doing the duties around the Clan, and now they had Rosepaw. Dawnfire did not attend the past two gatherings, but knew that Thornstar announced the apprenticeship of Thrushpaw, Cherrypaw and Briarpaw but at the time he announcde it, they only would've been five moons. Dawnfire grew uncomfortable at the thought that he was making apprentices before they were six moons. She knew he had done time same thing with Puddlepaw, Ravenpaw and Skypaw. She worried for the sake of the SunClan cats in there, she also wondered what happen when Rockfur joined them. Did the AshClan cats accept him? She supposed it didn't matter, what Thornstar said they had to follow.

"AshClan! AshClan cats in our territory!" Dawnfire was suddenly on her paws and standing over her kits, she looked outside and saw Heatherflight in the middle of camp, eyes wide with fear. Dawnfire told Fawnheart to watch her kits and being deputy, she ran to the terrified warrior. "How many? Did you see Echoheart or Thornstar?"

"No need to fret." Another voice spoke. "They come in peace." Rainears stepped into the camp with a group of cats behind her. Dawnfire saw Silvermoon, Riverstorm, Lilyclaw and Haresong, all looked scared and incredibly thin.

"Silvermoon?" Dawnfire padded over to her friends, she looked at Riverstorm; she hadn't seen the former deputy since they talked on the border.

"Riverstorm," Flowerstar said, padding from her den. "Why are you and your warriors here?" She was clearly suspicious, Flowerstar had zero trust in Thornstar.

"I apologize Flowerstar, but we didn't know where else to go." Riverstorm said, dropping her head low. Her fur was dull, and her eyes filled with pain, Flowerstar looked at Dawnfire for a moment, her expressing reading concern and confusion.

"What are you talking about?" Flowerstar questioned, her voice very soft. She clearly sensed that this cats were in some kind of trouble.

"Thornstar!" Silvermoon exclaimed. "He's ruining AshClan!" Dawnfire's fur rose on her spine and she tensed up. Thornstar?