Warriors: Finding Myself: Downcasted (Book Two)

Chapter Seven: You Are Losing Me

CHAPTER SEVEN

"Featherpaw, where are those raspberry leaves?" Puddleheart shouted from inside the nursery where the pained yowls of Echobreeze kitting echoed around us and through the forest and probably all the way to WindClan. It sounded very bad in there and Strikefang, who was coughing, was pacing in front of the nursery, worry plastered all over his face.

She watched the little silver-and-black she-cat raced across the clearing with leaves in her jaws and a stick. Instead of looking afraid, she looked amused and Winterpaw couldn't tell if she was worried about Echobreeze or not.

Beestar was lying below the hazel branch, her eyes shut tightly and Tawnypelt beside her, stroking her pelt softly with her tail, trying to calm her. Cloudsong and Slateleaf were sitting by Clumsystep and Stonefang, Moonpaw and Twigpaw were practicing fighting in front of them, they were mumbling to one another and she briefly caught Stonefang's gaze, but she turned away. Mudstorm led Birchwing, Grassheart, and Pinenose into camp each other them carrying a piece of prey in their jaws and worry in their gazes. Flowerstem, who was plump with kits, sat beside Winterpaw as well as Lightheart and her kits. Everyone else escaped to the dens or went out on patrol to hide from the pained yowls of the kitting queen.

"Is she going to be okay?" Dovekit squeaked, looking up at them with round eyes. She was a little older than four moons old now, old enough to know.

Winterpaw glanced at Lightheart who froze, so she answered, "She's going to be perfectly okay. And when the kits are born, you'll have someone to play with that isn't our food." She made sure to seem happy so the kits wouldn't suspect she was lying.

Ravenkit bounced up at down, his light eyes resting on Winterpaw. "We'll get to show them around camp before we're apprenticed, hopefully! And even then I want to be their best friends!"

Suddenly, a yowl of alarm filled her ears as Puddleheart padded out with a brown tabby-furred kit in his jaws.

"This one didn't make it," he mumbled around the fur of the kit. "Echobreeze named him Soulkit." He set the kit down in the middle of the clearing while Featherpaw remained in the nursery and Strikefang, after bowing his head for his lost kit, entered the nursery.

The two kits suddenly froze and the light in their eyes seemed to dim. They were old enough to understand what had happened. They slowly inched to Soulkit's limp body and Dovekit sniffed him while Ravenkit poked his side.

Beestar was gazing at the dead kit, her eyes wide with shock and then they flickered to the nursery where Strikefang stuck his head out. They met gazes for a heartbeat.

"A she-kit and a tom!" he called to no one in particular. "We named them Yellowkit and Creamkit." His head disappeared as he retreated into the nursery.

Junipernose emerged from the medicine den, coughing a little. Ever since Featherpaw had given him the remedy of feverfew and watermint, he'd been getting better. Same with the other cats, but they were still weak and, as Featherpaw told her, their supplies were getting low.

Kinkfur and Whiteeyes appeared behind him, trying to stay out of the snow in camp, but also trying to see what was happening, besides Whiteeyes, who couldn't see at all.

"Winterpaw," Beestar's soft voice startled her and she turned around to face her mentor, "I put you and myself on the night patrol. Stonefang and Twigpaw offered to come with us. Eat something," she ordered, flicking her tail at the pitiful fresh-kill pile which held a lizard, two frogs, and a scrawny mouse.

Obeying her mentor and leader, she snatched up the mouse and ate it quickly, realizing that hunger scraped her belly. No one had had a decent meal in moons, ever since the snow.