Island Territory: Lost Stars (Warrior Cats)

Chapter 9

Photo up there is Dapplefang

Icekit stretched out in her small den, her legs splaying out to embrace the warm sunlight, which soon turned into a chill through the air. Icekit shriveled up almost immediately, and muttered under her breath about the weather.
But Icekit kept her cheerful mood. Last night, yes, there was a fox attack, but it had been quickly resolved. Today, not only was she going to test out the limits of her newfound skill, but her new friend Silverpaw was going to tell her about the gathering.
Icekit found it easy to smile and feel happy throughout the dawn light, waiting for Silverpaw to come back from her morning patrols.
Although, Icekit had to admit that the fox attack might've rattled her. But that was then, and this was now.
Icekit bounced along the stream, remembering her first catch, and looked over at the other warriors, gathered by a very battered up elder's den.
It looked far beyond repair, and all of the gathered warriors were murmuring quietly to each other, as Treestar approached, looking very dignified and regal, as always.
Icekit turned her thoughts away from that, and hopped towards the medicine den.
She was hoping to hear better news about her mother, he heart pounding. Icekit quickened her pace, spotting Snowkit at the entrance, as if expecting her.
Snowkit had a hopeful smile on, and Icekit wondered if this meant that Crystalpelt was healed.
"She's not completely healed yet." Snowkit started, as if she was reading her mind. "But she's getting better!" Snowkit chirped, her pelt seeming to radiate happiness.
Icekit purred. Snowkit must've been the one who had healed her, if she was so happy. A small silent part of her mind still wanted Snowkit to become a warrior, but if she could reach better success as a medicine cat...
Icekit shook the thought away, and relief flooded throughout herself. It seemed nothing could ruin the day.
Icekit quickly ran towards the nursery to tell Sweetkit the news, nearly tripping over Lightningpaw's tail as she ran.
Sweetkit had just started to exit the nursery, before Icekit crashed into her. "Crystalpelt's getting better!" Icekit squealed, leaped off Sweetkit daintily.
It took a moment for Sweetkit to process the message for a moment, but Icekit gleefully watched as Sweetkit visually lightened up.
"Really?" Sweetkit said slowly, almost in a disbelieving tone. It was hard to believe that after four days of getting worse, her mother's health would suddenly improve.
"Yeah!" Icekit said, jumping up, her tail weaving around her leg anxiously. Sweetkit bounced away without another word, heading straight towards the medicine den.
Icekit felt like melting into a puddle of joy. Soon her mother would be back in their nest, reading stories to them, and grooming their fur, while telling them what untidy kits they were.
Icekit hesitated at the last part, but shrugged it off easily. Riverkit was nearby, in the corner of the nursery, clearing eavesdropping on their conversation, and cast a scornful look at Icekit.
Icekit quickly turned away and out of the nursery, she was not having that conversation today.
Icekit lifted her tail up high, self consciously, and caught some of the elders who were in the clearing, mutter away about the kits, or maybe even Icekit herself, for looking so happy when their den was just destroyed.
Icekit then remembered the gathering. She quickly scanned the clearing. Silverpaw still wasn't back yet, and now she was starting to worry.
Had something happened? Or maybe not much time had passed at all, and she was just feeling the effect of anxiety.
Icekit blinked a couple times, trying to calm herself. Just then, Ambergaze bustled past, nearly smacking Icekit in the face with her tail as she sauntered by.
Icekit struggled for a moment, tipping backwards a bit, before properly righting herself with her tail.
Icekit cursed under her breath. Ambergaze was never her favourite cat, and she was sure that Icekit wasn't hers, either.
Icekit straightened up, and turned over in the direction Ambergaze was going. She saw a large group cats, who were collecting fibres from the river reeds, and certain grasses that Icekit saw when she was out with her littermates.
Ambergaze was barking orders to the others, collecting mosses and ferns, and fronds of all sorts.
Icekit was aware that the elder's den had been destroyed during the attack, but she didn't think it was that bad. But, still, the warriors kept gossiping about how Treestar was ordering everyone to completely rebuild the elders den.
Icekit even heard the elders telling each other about how they should collect as much materials as they could, if Leafbare brought more of those snow foxes...
Icekit scurried over, bouncing on her toes, head raised high. "Could I help?" Icekit asked, trying to keep her voice steady like a warrior and not like a kit.
Ambergaze ignored her, and no one else seemed to notice either. Suddenly, a small pelt brushed hers. Sweetkit was there, her black and white pelt shining in the sunlight.
Snowkit was behind her, a shy look on her face, trying not to catch so much attention. "We can help!" Sweetkit squealed loudly, and Treestar looked over from the warriors crowding around her.
Ambergaze scoffed. "You aren't seriously considering this, are you?" she asked sarcastically, her bushy tail pacing back and forth behind her.
Treestar narrowed her eyes, gently, and turned back to the kits. Icekit noticed then, that the clearing was almost silent, and that her sisters were trying to back her up.
"I don't see why not." Treestar said, a hint of playfulness in her tone. Ambergaze narrowed her eyes, which seemed to drill through Icekit, examining every fleck and flaw on her pelt.
"A kit patrol." Goldwing chimed in, a purr rumbling in the back of her throat. "A good idea, Treestar." Icekit smiled graciously, and nearly jumped up with excitement.
An order from Treestar was pretty big for a kit, but being sorted into her own little patrol, was a different story.
Foxfoot stepped forwards, his russet pelt brushing against his mate, Goldwing's. He nodded in agreement, and the rest of the warriors who were there smiled and nodded to each other.
"Alright, then it's settled. You three kits can be one patrol... Snowkit, you weave together those reeds and ferns, and Icekit and Sweetkit will provide those for you." Treestar hesitated. "But don't go out of camp, I know how you kits are like."
Icekit raised her head defiantly. All kits have dreams of going out of camp, and Treestar was no exception. But it was hard to imagine little Treekit misbehaving, as the future Treestar tipped her head regally at her.
Sweetkit seemed ready to climb to the moon, and even Snowkit seemed ready for anything.
Treestar turned away, and so did the rest of the clan, going back to the duties they were doing. Icekit sprang away, searching around the camp for the finest, strongest reeds and ferns for their little scrap of a den wall.
Sweetkit ran over to a clump of tall grasses by the edge of camp, and started to push her nose through the plants.
Snowkit was learning how to weave with Seedpaw, who was helping out too. Icekit pushed her muzzle through some cattails growing steadily by the steam, that looked kind of like that stuff twolegs ate...
Icekit tore free some of the reeds, collecting only the thickest stems and strongest, (and hardest to pull out) reeds.
Icekit quickly trotted over to Snowkit,who had mastered the basic weave, with a small patch of den wall at her paws.
Icekit dropped the reeds neatly in a pile, quite proud of what she managed to scrounge up from the camp.
Sweetkit came over, with wide ferns that had neat curls and tendrils, that spread out in every direction.
Snowkit gave a quick respectful nod, and picked up the plants, and started to weave. Icekit watched in awe, as Snowkit swiftly wrapped the reeds over one another, and patched it in with ferns, in quick, neat loops.
Snowkit's a pretty fast learner Icekit thought in amazement. Either that, or Seedpaw's a pretty good teacher. Seedpaw was beside Snowkit, whispering advice and cheering her on, his eyes shining.
Seedpaw was pretty scrawny, in Icekit's opinion, for he was almost the same size as Snowkit. But he was clearly strong, and had the same warm glow in his eyes like Sweetkit's, although it still had that signature shine from his mother, Nightcloud.
Nightcloud had went to Starclan, when Icekit was born, or around that time, because Crystalpelt wouldn't tell her exactly when.
From her knowledge, she knew that Crystalpelt and Nightcloud were both friends, and Nightcloud was one of the few who accepted Crystalpelt into the clan when she was still a kittypet...
"Icekit, hurry up!" Snowkit's mew interrupted her thoughts. Icekit shook back into reality, and dashed away, feeling slightly embarrassed.
Sweetkit had already returned with her second batch of ferns, and Snowkit was running low on reeds.
She must've looked rather goofy, just sitting there, staring out into space. Icekit buried her nose into the reeds and took a whiff.
The reeds had a sharp tangy scent to it, which was bitter and soothing at the same time. Icekit could've stayed there all day, but there was work to do.
Icekit tore viciously at the reeds, only a few of them parted with the earth, the rest stretched out stubbornly to Icekit's pull.
Icekit set the reeds she had managed to pull out by the side of the stream, and, determined to come back with a full load, decided to pull the rest of the reeds out.
Icekit tugged, and tugged. One or two stems finally ripped, but there was still a reed there... Icekit pulled harder, exposing the entire reed out to the sunlight.
Suddenly, Snowkit had barreled into her, knocking Icekit back, and at the same time, letting go of the firm reed...
"What was that for?!" Icekit yowled, pushing her sister off her back. Snowkit panted hard, her eyes filled with worry."
"Icekit, did you eat any of that?" Snowkit asked, her mew faltering halfway through her sentence.
"What do you mean, I- I didn't swallow this reed, or anything..." Icekit cut short, Snowkit's relieved sigh rang out through the air. Icekit flinched. Was there something wrong?
"Icekit, those weren't reeds." Snowkit said slowly. "That was nightshade." her mew cracked slightly, the worry in her eyes growing grave.
Icekit felt like Strongstar himself had come down from Starclan, and punched her in the face.
Icekit knew, from the nursery tales she had heard, about how deadly nightshade was. It claimed the life of many, many warriors, and was basically almost the only threat the island they were living upon gave to them.
It gave warriors a slow, painful, agonizing death, and there was no cure, for it would happen too fast.
Icekit remembered suddenly, that her father's father, Gingerfur, had died from these berries, almost right after his first apprentice had been given to him.
Now that Icekit could get a clear look, the supposed 'reed' she was tugging so hard on, had tiny black berries on them, and she could've easily eaten one and not notice.
Icekit felt her head wanting to explode, knowing about how close she was to nearly dying the death that Gingerfur had.
"Whu-Why would there be a nightshade plant in the camp?!" Icekit practically yowled, getting the attention of a few cats. Snowkit shook her head, eyeing the plant with worry.
"I'd better show Dapplefang these berries..." Snowkit said slowly, carefully ripping a part of the stem off.
But merely moments after Snowkit disappeared through the medicine den, she let out a pitiful wail.
Icekit's heart gave a fearful leap, and dashed over, anxious and worried. Had Snowkit accidentally eaten a berry? No,
But before Icekit could reach the den, Snowkit burst out, looking far more bedraggled then she could ever imagine her sister could be.
"Icekit, it's terrible.." Snowkit choked out, the nightshade plant dropped from her jaws a long way back.
Snowkit's eyes were glazed with terror, and Icekit held her breath, waiting for the news. Although she wished she hadn't, and nearly shrank down in fear.
"Crystalpelt has greencough."
And then Icekit could truly feel the ground disappear underneath her.