Embers

Chapter 23

"Sunpaw passed his assessment," Dustfur said as they trekked through the forest. "I wonder what his warrior name will be,"

Emberstripe shrugged her shoulders and continued on with the patrol. "I don't know, but he'll make a great warrior,"

The patrol, with Morningmist, Elmshade, Hollysong, and Hazelwood, padded through the trees, looking for any signs of trespassing cats. As they reset the markers, a small whiff of kit smell reached her nose. She stopped, and began to smell for the kit in the grass. As the smell got stronger, she looked down and saw a small kit, a tom, as she suspected, lying in the grass.

"I found a kit!" She called to the patrol. Morningmist came over first, giving the kit a sniff. Emberstripe picked up the kit and placed him on her back. He was white, with a gray blue tail, hind legs, and paws.

"What are you doing? We don't know who's kit that is!" Hazelwood said. "It could be some rogue's or loner's,"

"But look at how thin he is. He's shaking, and he's digging his claws into my back. He was probably abandoned," she retorted. The light brown tom only shook his head and started to head back. She shifted the kit on her back, then gave him a lick on the head, telling him it was okay. He began to stop shivering as much, but his claws still dug into her pelt. She carefully made her way back to camp with the patrol.

Once in camp, she slowly grabbed the kit by his scruff. As she was heading to Mothstar, the golden she-cat met her first.

"What do you have there?" She asked.

"Its a kit. We found him abandoned by the border on our patrol," she said through his scruff. Mothstar save him a good look, then nodded.

"Its good you brought him back. He's starving. Ask Madeline if she can nurse him," she said cooly, then headed over to Stonefrost to talk. She padded to the nursery, which was cool in the spring heat.

"What's that? A kit?" Madeline asked once she came in. She carefully set the tom down.

"Yeah, we found him on our border patrol. I was wondering if you could spare some milk for him?" She asked.

"Of course I would!" She said. She carefully picked up the kit and placed him at her stomach, where he quickly began drinking her milk. "You should name him. You were the one who found him,"

"Well, his fur is quite blue. He will be named Bluekit," she said. Madeline nodded and looked at the gray-blue and white kit. Emberstripe gave him one last lick on the head. As she left, she heard Madeline gasp, then purr. She turned and saw Smallkit looking up at her. She headed back inside.

"Hello, little one," her sister purred. "Your name is Smallkit,"

"Mama!" She mewed loudly, surprising both of them. She then turned to Emberstripe, and gave her a confused look.

"Hi, Smallkit. I'm Emberstripe," she said. Smallkit jumped onto Emberstripe, catching the white and orange she-cat off guard. She gazed at her with wide amber eyes. She laughed then the kit jumped off, shaking her fur.

"She has a surprising amount of energy for being so small," Emberstripe laughed.

"Smallkit, this is your brother, Swallowkit. And this tom right here is Bluekit," Madeline nodded to the toms. Smallkit headed over to Swallowkit and began nudging him. He pushed her away, trying to sleep. She then headed over to Bluekit, and nudged him as well. He lay still for a moment, the sat up, his eyes still closed. Opening first one eye, then the other, he looked at Emberstripe. To her amazement, his left eye was light green, and his other eye was sky blue.

"How is that even possible?" She asked. His bi-colored eyes gazed at her, and he cocked his head in confusion. "Should I get Cloudshine?"

Madeline nodded. She headed outside and to the medicine den, where she saw Cloudshine and Moonpaw looking over piles of herbs. When she entered, the white medicine cat looked up.