Another Life: Alaepool's Heart

Creekclaw's POV:

        Creekclaw woke to a piercing cry come from the nursery. He ssprang to his paws, his neck fur bristling. 
        "It's only Cactusshine." Blazeheart meowed from her mossy nest. "She can't find her kits. Nt anywhere in camp, so she says." 
        "Washedkit and Blearykit? They're missing?"
        "Well, Lakestripe woke up this morning and Washedkit wasn't there. Blearykit wasn't in the nursery either, and when lakestripe went to Cactusshine she said she couldn't find them." Blazeheart explained.
        Those two kits were both impatiently waiting to become apprentices, but they were only five moons old.  Creekclaw pushed his way out of the warriors' den to see Cactusshine standing outside the nursery, Brokenheart stroking his long tail along her shoulder.
        Brokenheart was licking her ears, while soothing her and trying to calm down. "They can't be far away," he comforted her. "Remember, they're smart, and they wouldn't go off like this if something wasn't wrong.
        "You're right, I just hope that they're okay." Cactusshine meowed fretfully. "I hope they're not hurt."
        As Creekclaw made his way over to the clearing, another yowl rose from behind him. He turned to see Willowfoot bounding from the apprentices' den.
        "Cloudypaw and Dappledpaw haven't seen them either," she panted. "I don't think they're in camp, in fact I don't think they wanted to leave. Last night before I fell asleep, I could hear Blearykit and Washedkit on their way to the Dirtplace."
        Creekclaw stood there, thinking, for moments until he looked at the sun. It was barely above the tree tops, so they must've left before the crack of dawn. What could the kits have been lured out by? A battle just took place, and they knew it. Washedkit also got caught in the nets, so she should've been scared to go out again.
        "What happened?" Oneclaw asked Cactusshine.
        The white she-cat's eyes were wide with distress, "I went to the dirtplace last night, I was so tired, I felt numb. So I didn't notice until just this morning that they were gone."
        "We've searched the whole camp." Willowfoot added, flicking her tail. "I guess we'll need patrols to go out and search for them."
        "Well, you aren't going as soon as Amberbreeze came up and opened her mouth. "You have four kits to look after."
        "Well, Oatfur and Flowerstem are with them." his mother mewed. "And besides, I want to help look for the kits." 
        "Yes, but-" Brokenheart got interrupted by Brindlestar dashing over.
        "What's going on?"
        Willowfoot explained, before she'd finished. Creekclaw spotted Barkleaf emerging from the entrance, at the head of the returning dawn patrol. Oneclaw, Lilyflower and Duckeyes were with him.
        Brindlestar beckoned them  over, calling out to them. "Did you guys see Washedkit and Blearykit out there? Or any scents or traces of them? Any weird new scents?"
         "Yes, we found rogue scents, not just any rogues, the Exiled." Barkleaf meowed grimly. "Why- is something wrong?"
        "Cactusshine's kits are gone! Why didn't you follow the trail?" Birdbuzz asked in alarm.
        "For Starclan's sake! I thought that they would've left our territory. "I didn't think that it was safe, because I recognized those scents well enough to know who they were."
        "Well, it's obvious what happened," Brindlestar spoke, concern in her voice, "this could have gone two ways: One, they were taken by rogues and lured out; or two, I think that the Unwanteds are possibly the ones who took them out and gave them to the Exiled." The Unwanteds? What sort of name was that? 
        "But surely the Unwanteds would take pity for kits?" Willowfoot sounded outraged. "The Exiled wouldn't hurt kits."
        "Brindlestar, I think we can get them back. We need to make sure they're safe." Amberbreeze interrupted the conversation.
        "I agree." Barkleaf meowed, taking a pace forward to stand besides the cream and orange she-cat. "We should at least try to get these kits back." The kits were in danger if they got captured by the Exiled. Who knew if they would give mercy. 
        "I'll join." he stepped up. "I think that these kits lives are in danger."

        They were crossing the river to the other side, the sun turning the river a scarlet tone. Barkleaf, Dappledpaw and Oneclaw all volunteered to come onto the patrol to search for the missing kits. Any scents of the Exileds were washed away, because the last traces led to the river, and then ended. Sunningrocks were shining in the setting sun's dimming light.
        They swiftly crossed up to the Twoleg bride near Windclan territory, encountering no one on the way. When they crossed and got to Four Trees, where at the edge of them, Windclan's territory would start, was fresh scent markers and new scents of a patrol. Yet there was no signs of any cats.
        Darkness was gathering by the time they reached the edge of Windclan territory closest to the Thunderpath. Clouds had filled the sky, covering the moon. They walked through the wheat outside the barn. Dappledpaw peered through the doors, while Creekclaw sniffed the air. No new scents, and no recognizable ones. Across the way, was a small forest, and a Twolegplace.
        "Maybe there? Rogues and loners sometimes hang out in the alley ways." Barkleaf suggested, making a gesture with his tail. 
        "Worth a shot." Oneclaw shrugged.
        "Barkleaf? When will me and Cloudypaw make our journey to the Moonstone?" Dappledpaw meowed after moments of silence.
        Barkleaf flattened his ears. "We'll have to ask Brindlestar."
        They got to a fence, a tall, spindly one. He flattened himself to the ground and crept under the fence. Creekclaw followed the tom, Dappledpaw right after. His pelt prickled once he entered the strange, Twoleg territory. Oneclaw finally came out of under the fence, joining his Clanmates.
        There were tiny yowls and screeches coming from a thin pathway. It sounded like Washedkit and Blearykit, but they weren't having fun. When the patrol reached the abandoned alley, Washedkit and Blearykit were hidden behind the tails of four rogues. On platforms above, four more were standing there. They were terribly outnumbered, and they were too far to run back to camp for backup.
        A light gray she-cat had a menacing look on her face, and smirked. 
        "Aw, how precious, you came for your kits, didn't you?"  a tortoiseshell tom rolled his eyes, taking a pace forward.
        The light gray she-cat laughed, disappearing into the darkness. But he could still hear the thunder of her laugh. The six cats from the platforms jumped down, claws extended in anger. Dappledpaw's eyes flickered with fear, the rogues glossy pelts gleaming in the dimmed sunlight. Creekclaw could also see the Exiled, Snow and Reed, and some other cats he didn't recognize. Oneclaw and Barkleaf looked like they recognized them too.
        He wasn't sure what was happening anymore. The four cats that were hiding this kits earlier were now gone into the darkness, but he could hear the thunder of their laughing. He and the rest of the patrol could get surprise attacked and be too hurt to get back to the territories.
        A dark shape ran across the wall. It was Snow, one of the cats that were meeting with Owlwing and Coldtail.
        "Oh, you want these kits?" Snow's face softened sarcastically, and his tail flicked. "Well you won't get them without a fight!"
        Oneclaw and Barkleaf shared a furious look, and Creekclaw could feel Dappledpaw shivering. A lilac she-cat leapt down from the thin wall, and landed loftily in front of them.
        "Rogues! Attack!" she meowed.
        Her claws felt like thorns, and her eyes were filled with sudden anger. The kits were taken away over the wall by a white and yellow tom. The other rogues jumped down, and unsheathed their claws. Snow was staring at him, as if he recognized him. Creekclaw found himself pinned by the shoulders, on the ground under the lilac she-cat.
        Dappledpaw was fighting an enormous dark brown tom, his strong frame no match against the brown tom's bulky build. The lilac she-cat's foul stench filled his nostrils, and her claws dug into his ruffled fur. He couldn't distinguish who the she-cat was, but he took the guess that she was part of the Exiled's gang.
        "Us rogues didn't think that you would come for your kits." she hissed.
        "I'm surprise they even showed up." Another cat appeared over his head, and spat onto his eyelid. The she-cat had one yellow and one green eye, both eyes filled with anger. From what he could see, she had a yellow and white pelt.
        "I am too." The gray she-cat snickered, digging her claws deeper into his fur.
        He glared at the she-cat, and clawed her muzzle. 
        "Feisty, eh?" She mocked with a mrrow of laughter. 
        She broke off at the sound of heavy footsteps coming closer. Creekclaw's heart started to pound. He scrambled  out from under the rogue's grip, going to grab Washedkit and take cover. He could see Dappledpaw and Barkleaf making their ways to Blearykit, taking cover as well.
        He pulled his tail into the crevice, covering Washedkit's eyes. Creekclaw heard an outraged hiss from the rogues, "Come on! We need to get out of here! No, leave the kits!" before they vanished into the darkness. 
        The footsteps were growing quieter and the patrol with the kits managed to wriggle out of a cramped hole barely big enough to contain them. 
        "What happened to you kits?" Oneclaw demanded, "Your mother and father have been worried sick."
        "Well, me and Blearykit were going to make dirt, and then we saw Coldtail and Owlwing. We thought nothing of it until they came up to us and grabbed us by our scruffs." Washedkit squeaked. "They told us that we weren't allowed to tell, and we were going on an adventure."
        "And after that?" Oneclaw asked.
        "We got taken by the smelly rogues." Blearykit meowed for his sister.
        "Well, never mind that, at least you're safe."
        "We really want to see Mallowkit, Brirarkit, Heatherkit and Pricklekit again. We promised we'd explore the apprentices' den together."
        "No! That was you!" Washedkit protested. "I told Heatherkit and Briarkit that we could go see Leafstripe and listen to her stories."
       "Well, we'll get you back as soon as we can. We should find somewhere safe to rest." Barkleaf interrupted.
        "True. Washedkit and Blearykit look asleep on their paws though, so we'll have to find somewhere close. And our wounds, we can't have them getting infected. I know that Lakestripe says marigold and cobweb are best, but I'm not medicine cat." Oneclaw  flicked his tail, beckoning for every cat to carefully leave the alley way. He leaned down for Washedkit to climb onto his shoulders, and headed quietly for the entrance.
        Creekclaw swept his tail around Washedkit's shivering body, and made sure she was still steadily sitting on his back.
        Once they got to the fence, they crawled underneath it. Barkleaf and Dappledpaw were last. Oneclaw stopped at a hollowed out tree log.
        "Do you think this will do?" he asked. Creekclaw sniffed at the log, a strong stench of dew filling his nose. A couple tail lengths away, as a full sized tree, was moss.