Warriors: Setting Sun: Returning Sky #2

Chapter 10

Mudpaw trudged alongside Burntsun, his paws aching with numbness. They were heading to RiverClan. Why not ShadowClan first, it's obviously them! He saw the glittering frozen river through the dying reeds.

Squirrelstar pushed through the reeds, her tail flicking. She simply walked across the frozen ice, her fur flat. "We'll wait here," she meowed.

The rest of the cats walked across the ice, then stood on the other side, waiting for a patrol to pass. Mudpaw almost fell over, his whiskers and fur feeling like they'd freeze off. It's too cold, I'm going to turn into ice. 

"What's ThunderClan doing doing here?" A voice asked. 

Tidepool, Mistyfoot, and Lighttail were in a patrol. They padded towards the ThunderClan cats, their tails lashing.

"Care to explain why you're on our territory?" Mistyfoot hissed, flattening her ears.

"Calm down. If Squirrelstar is here then it must be important," Lighttail insisted. 

"You were ThunderClan once, of course you'd let them through," Mistyfoot snorted, her claws digging into the snow. 

"Mouse-dung. Lighttail has a point," Tidepool sighed. "Why is ThunderClan's leader here?" He asked, flicking his tail.

"We need to go to your camp, to speak directly to Flowerstar," Squirrelstar informed, lifting her chin.

"What is so important to speak about? Do you want our prey?" Tidepool asked, his ears flattening.

Mudpaw narrowed his eyes, his claws unsheathing. Just let us through, you flea-pelts!

"We must speak to Flowerstar," Squirrelstar demanded. "This is very important. We have a dying kit."

"Fine then. But it better be as important as that," Mistyfoot sighed. The RiverClan cats surrounded the ThunderClan patrol as they headed to the RiverClan camp.

Lighttail was next to Mudpaw. The small, pale tom looked at him. "What's happening in ThunderClan?" He asked.

Mudpaw narrowed his eyes. "Why do you care? You left ThunderClan, and you're in RiverClan now. Make up your mind. Unless you can't decide where your loyalty lies, fish-eater?" He taunted, whiskers twitching.

Lighttail flattened his ears. "At least tell me about my daughter," he growled, snout wrinkling.

"She's expecting kits. And she's in the nursery with a sick queen," Mudpaw informed. "Do you want her living in RiverClan with you?" He asked with slight hostility.

"No! I'm just worried about her, you mouse-brain! She's my daughter, what were you expecting me to feel?" Lighttail hissed, lashing his tail. "My close family is mostly gone. My brother, mother, father, and mate are dead."

"I don't really care about your life story," Mudpaw groaned. 

"We're related, you know. But I guess you don't care, ri-"

"You two, shut up," Tidepool sighed. 

Burntsun flicked his tail to Mudpaw. "Quiet down, please."

Mudpaw lashed his tail but didn't respond. They all walked in a freezing silence until they reached the camp. When they entered, Mudpaw could see RiverClan cats turning towards them, their fur bristling. Some cast friendly looks. Some of the warriors looked thin. Looks like they're starving too.

"Squirrelstar, what is the meaning of this?" A tortoiseshell she-cat slipped through dense reeds that covered a large gap in between two big looks. Flowerstar.