Warrior Cats: Fallen Leaves

12 Missing Lives

Last Updated: 2016 August 8

This first part happens before the previous chapter.

~~~~

"I don't need any extra cats to come with me to find Birchflower's litter. Besides, over half the Clan is injured. What good would it do if our patrol got attacked?" Russetdawn's cold, emotionless tone made Wheatkit shiver with dread.

What would happen if the CreekClan patrol were attacked and needed backup? Mother and he certainly couldn't come and help. He had scented bad water on her fur and MarshClan, and his sensitive ears heard her tiny soft-growl as she tried to comfort herself, but she had sent him away and the other kits to help their Clanmates. He had chosen Mothwing. He took a fervent glance towards she-cat, slouching to the right of him. Her eyes were wide as if she had been bitten by an adder.

"I don't want to hear it, Russetdawn! Every cat has a story to tell about leaf-bare! There's no need to arouse unnecessary panic!" Hawkstar retorted, pacing anxiously on top of the Fallen Oak. His words sliced a ripple of unease amongst the gathered Clan.

"...I think there already is unnecessary panic. The Clan is just waiting for the right moment to expel it," Mothwing muttered under her breath, squeezing her copper eyes shut. A few heartbeats later, she begged, "But do I really have to come? Look at how injured Mousefern is! I don't want to leave another family member behind again..."

Russetdawn was barely fazed as she cocked her ears at a distant rumble. Curious, Wheatkit scented the air and smelled the damp crisp smell of distant rain. "Yes, Mothwing. You patrol MarshClan territory more than any of us - even me. It will increase the speed and success rate of our search by Thunderpath-lengths."

"That much? O-okay. Thank you," Mothwing meowed, taken aback by the red she-cat's positive comment.

With one nod of her head, Russetdawn faced Hawkstar and the troubled couple started arguing again. Wheatkit couldn't care less about that, so he snuck off towards the back of the warriors den, to recollect his thoughts. "So, due to my off-ser-bations," he murmurmed to himself, glancing at the entwined reeds with sticks, "Pebblekit and Skykit have gone missing in all the chaos. I am such a genius!"

"Ooof course. Just decrease your intellect levels by a substantial amount, and you'll be the best idiotic genius out there," sounded a raspy, teasing mew behind him.

Wheatkit whipped his head around, thinking it was Russetdawn, only to find a unfamiliar cat full on in his face. "WOAH!" he squealed, splatting onto crunchy leaves, "Do have any sense of me-space, your-space, you, you, space-taker?"

"Not that I know of. The other cats don't seem to mind. And don't call me 'space-taker', it is highly offensive," a dark brown tabby she-cat purred. He had yet to familiarize with every one of Clanmates (Wheatkit had stayed with Mother mostly), but his kit-fur quivered with defiance at the she cat's big, big words and rude, rude actions. He'd tell her!

"In your purr-speck-tive... space-taker!"

"Say that again, mouse-brain?"

"Spacetakerspacespaceta-"

Within a few moments, Wheatkit was nudged into the leaf pile again, the she-cat purring with playful delight. Hot hot spreading through him, his vision blurred and cold snapped at his belly. Bustling cats dismissed from the meeting peered in curiously, like a flock of disobedient kits.

It didn't take them long to figure out what happened.

"You got him good there, Hawkfeather!"

"Nicely done!"