The Lost One

Chapter Two

Starlight couldn't stop thinking of what Stream had said. Who was this kit? What was its name? She had to ask. And what, just what was the meaning of the other secret?

"Hey, Starlight! The ice is thick enough to play score the stone! Want to join us?" Blaze's excited mew interrupted her thoughts. Normally, she was up to the challenge. But she was not done investigating. "I don't have time-"

"But you always do have time! Why not now?"

"I have to collect borage! We're low on borage!" she said hurriedly.

"Isn't borage really hard to find in Winter?" even Blaze knew some herbs. He looked questionably at her.

"I just want to find some!"

"Can I come with you then?" Blaze mewed excitedly.

"Two young cats away from home have lots of attraction to foxes and badgers and I'm sure Leaf wouldn't want to stay here alone."

Blaze looked pleadingly at her and then miserably walked away. Starlight called after him, "But in Spring, you can come!"

"It's okay. I'll stay here."

Starlight trotted carefully, looking out for sneaky Leaf and Blaze hiding anywhere. She was the oldest–being born a month earlier–so she knew her siblings' sneakiness. She entered the forest and doubled back, finding Stream's scent. But then, she realized Stream wouldn't tell her the other secret; and she probably went out hunting so she wouldn't find her! She decided to find the lost kit and come back. She ran back into camp and quickly gathered some useful herbs. Marigold for infections, juniper berries for stomach ache, and some others. She packed moss and some sticks to build shelter, and wrapped them into a leaf bundle. She then tied it over her back and sharpened her claws just in case for predators. She covered herself with mud to cover her scent and set off to find the kit. After a while, she was heading into unclaimed lands. She recognized the Loudtrail, but not anything beyond. She saw some forest and decided to camp there.

I just need to cross the Loudtrail now, she thought.

She was mixed with determination, fear, excitement, and loneliness. She ran as fast as she could across the Loudtrail, and by the time she arrived at the lush, green, forest it was sunset. She built a little wall in a tree root and wiggled in. She patted some moss down and laid down.

She was sleeping away when a screeching yowl of pain woke her up. She emerged, finding a battle of two rogues against one sand colored startled cat, about one month older than her.

Her instinct was to run, but her mind told her to help the startled cat. She leaped in, claws out, onto one crimson colored rogue. The tom yowled in surprise and shook himself. Starlight bounced off, and the crimson tom cornered her to the tree.

"Now what do you do? Kill me? You shouldn't have even helped. Now we have to claim two lives instead of one." the tom laughed.

"No," Starlight mewed bravely, "I won't but if you come closer, I will attack you!"

The tom laughed again and swiped her with his paw. She landed against a tree and slowly stood up. The crimson tom took that moment to corner her against a cliff overlooking a lake. Strangely, she felt calmer. The lake seemed to be calling her name. Starlight, water. Starlight. Water. She jumped without thinking. The crimson tom yowled with triumph and Starlight was losing hope with every second she fell. She flailed as a gush of water grew taller and lifted her up. She realized that she was controlling the water and she commanded it to lift her up. She surprised the tom, again, and the water surrounded him. "Stay there until you've learned." she dismissed the fight with a flick of her tail. Tired, she collapsed and saw a cat standing over her.

Starlight woke up on moss. She realized she was back in her makeshift den. She didn't want to move until a voice said, "Are you okay?" That was enough to make her jump up. It was that sand colored cat again!

"What are you doing here?" she hissed.

"Woah! I'm not going to hurt you! You saved my life!" the sand colored cat meowed, "By the way, I'm Sable. Also, how did you control the water?"

"I actually don't know..."

"Well, it's okay! Are you hungry? I caught a squirrel!"

"Can I call you nuthead? You caught a squirrel, meows way too much-"

"That's not true!" Sable protested.

Starlight continued on "like a squirrel chittering, and-"

"Oh fine! I'm starting to regret this."

"Don't regret it, nuthead!" Starlight teased.

He pretended not to hear, but glared at her.

"Anyways, what are you doing here? You're barely older than a kit!"

"What are you doing here?" Starlight grumbled.

"You are so annoying."

"Thank you." Starlight took the statement as a compliment.

The tree shook, and Sable's eyes widened in fear. "They're here."