"Sunningrocks is under attack!"
Bluefur woke with a start, instinctively pulling her kits closer. Goldenflower's yowl rang clear through the camp, and Bluefur heard the scramble of patrols being put together and sent off.
"What's going on?" Mistykit mumbled, yawning.
"Nothing, little one, go back to sleep," Bluefur whispered.
Where was Oakheart?
Would Sunstar send him on one of the patrols?
No! He couldn't!
Bluefur pushed the thought from her mind. He must be out hunting. He'd be home soon. He had to be.
"Worried about Sunningrocks?" White-eye asked. Her kits, Mousekit and Runningkit, were stirring at her belly.
"Is there going to be a battle?" Runningkit squeaked, looking up at his mother.
White-eye ignored him. "It's natural to be nervous. I'm sure Oakheart will be alright."
"Do you think Sunstar sent him?" Bluefur fretted.
"He might have. It would show where his loyalties lie. You could always ask."
"Oakheart's loyalties lie here!" Bluefur's fur bristled.
White-eye blinked. "Of course."
"Can we fight in the battle?" Stonekit was wriggling out of the nest and batting Mistykit's ears. She covered them with her paws.
"Get off," she mumbled, nuzzling into Bluefur.
"I'm a RiverClan warrior trying to take Sunningrocks!"
Mistykit raised her head. "No way!"
Stonekit launched himself at her, toppling into Bluefur. She let out a soft hiss of warning and Mistykit chased Stonekit out of the den. She shook her head fondly. They seemed to have recovered from learning about their father's origin Clan a moon earlier. Mosskit was still laying at her belly, her bright blue eyes gazing up at Bluefur.
"Is Oakheart going to be okay?" she asked, concern filling her voice.
"Oakheart's fine, my dear," Bluefur assured her. "Oakheart will be just fine."
The day dragged on while Bluefur waited for Oakheart to return home. She hadn't seen him since sunhigh, and the sun was beginning to drop below the trees.
Stonekit and Mistykit had returned to the den. "Where's Oakheart?" Mistykit asked.
"He'll be home soon," Bluefur promised. But she was wondering how much longer it would be.
She wriggled out of the nest and sat in front of the nursery entrance. It was cold and somber, with few cats standing around muttering to each other.
Finally, cats began to trickle in through the camp entrance. She saw Whitestorm and Thistleclaw, followed by Adderfang and Tigerclaw, and finally Oakheart behind them. All the cats had mild injuries, except for one.
Oakheart.
Bluefur launched herself towards her mate.
"What in the name of StarClan happened to you?" Bluefur stared at his wounds. He had deep gashes down his sides and on his shoulders, and a torn ear. Bluefur began licking him fiercely.
Oakheart's eyes were hollow. "I'll tell you later," he mumbled.
"Who did this to you? I'll shred them-"
"Bluefur, I'm fine. I just need to see Featherwhisker."
"We showed those fish-faces!" Thistleclaw announced. "Sunningrocks belongs to ThunderClan!"
Yowls of approval rang through the Clan. Bluefur walked to the medicine den with Oakheart, letting him lean against her.
"I want to help!"
A tiny mew sounded from behind them. Bluefur looked back to see Mosskit, who was marching towards them.
"Go back to the nursery, Mosskit," Bluefur warned.
"What happened to Oakheart?" Horror filled Mosskit's eyes. "He needs herbs!" She hurried into the medicine den. Bluefur sighed, following her in, and laid Oakheart down in a patch of moss.
"We have to go back to the nursery now," Bluefur coaxed, laying her tail on Mosskit's shoulder. "Oakheart needs to rest."
"I don't want to go to the nursery! I want to help Oakheart!"
"Featherwhisker will help Oakheart," Bluefur mewed, frustration pricking at her paws. "Let's go."
Mosskit protested, but Bluefur grabbed her by the scruff and took her back to the nursery.
"I just want to help," Mosskit sighed. "I want Oakheart to get better."
"He will get better soon," Bluefur soothed. "Featherwhisker knows what he's doing."
"What happened to Oakheart?" Stonekit's eyes were wide with concern.
"I told you to stay here, mouse-brain," Mistykit muttered to her sister.
Bluefur sighed. "Oakheart was hurt defending Sunningrocks. He'll be okay. All of you need to rest."
"I wanna see Oakheart!" Mistykit protested.
"You can later!" Bluefur snapped. "Now do as I say and go to sleep!"
Mistykit's ears flattened to her head. She laid down, followed by Stonekit and Mosskit. They didn't say another word. Guilt pricked at Bluefur for being so stern, but she couldn't help her frustration. She was worried about Oakheart.
What had happened that he didn't tell her?
Bluefur struggled to fall asleep. She tossed and turned all night. When she finally slept, her dreams were filled with the cries of injured cats and darkness that never ended.
"Wake up, beautiful."
Bluefur turned her head to see Oakheart. His fur was plastered with chewed-up herbs. Relief flooded through her.
He laid down next to her, a purr rumbling in his throat. "I missed you. It's lonely in there, sleeping next to Tawnyspots."
"I missed you too." She nuzzled his cheek. "What happened at Sunningrocks?"
Oakheart sighed. "RiverClan isn't too happy with me leaving them. Ottersplash and Crookedstar tore me up."
Bluefur stared at him. "Crookedstar did that to you?"
Oakheart nodded, his gaze clouding. "He's a formidable fighter. He was furious I left, and I guess he took it out on me today."
Bluefur pressed against her mate. "I'm so sorry."
"He looked at me with so much sadness, but it turned to fury and he attacked me. Whitestorm helped me fight him off." His voice cracked. "I miss him, Bluefur. He was my best friend."
Bluefur's heart ached for her mate. She had lost her sister, but she knew she was in StarClan. It must be so hard for Oakheart, knowing that his brother is still at the other side of the river.
She knew nothing she said could make it better. She licked his ear and rested her head on his paws, finally falling asleep.
In the night, she felt movement next to her.
Must be Oakheart going back to the medicine den, she thought.
"Mosskit! Wake up!"
Mosskit woke to a paw being jabbed in her side and Mistykit whispering to her. She opened her eyes, and Stonekit was sitting by the entrance of the nursery.
"We're going to go on a patrol to Sunningrocks. You need to come!"
"To Sunningrocks?" Mosskit mewed groggily. "But we can't leave the camp until we're apprentices."
"We're sick of not being allowed to do anything. We need to prove we can defend our Clan!" Stonekit hissed. "Come on!"
Realizing that whether she joined or not that her littermates would go, she stood up and peered anxiously outside of the nursery entrance. "Let's sneak out through the dirtplace tunnel," Mistykit suggested. "If we go through the gorse tunnel, someone might see us."
"How do you know about the dirtplace tunnel?" Stonekit bounced past her and snuck around the nursery to dirtplace.
Mistykit followed him. "I heard Willowpaw and Redpaw talking about it."
Mosskit glanced in every direction before following. "I can't believe we're leaving the camp!" Stonekit mewed excitedly.
"Shh!" Mistykit hissed.
They rushed out the bush that covered the dirtplace. Stonekit gazed up at the trees. "Wow! It's big out here!"
Cold pricked at Mosskit's fur. "I don't like this," she whispered. "I want to go back to the nursery!"
"Don't be a 'fraidy cat!" Mistykit nudged her. "There's so much forest to see! It looks like it goes on forever."
"Let's go this way," Stonekit suggested, leading them forward.
They padded through the snow, and found the bottom of the ravine. Stonekit scrambled up first. "It's easy!" he encouraged. "You guys look like pebbles from up here."
"I want to see!" Mistykit pounced up next to them. Mosskit cautiously followed, struggling a bit more to climb up. They all made it up to the top and began walking through the snowy bracken,
"How long do you think it will take to get to Sunningrocks?" Mistykit mewed. Mosskit wondered the same thing. Her paws felt like ice blocks, and the wind was so cold it hurt. "I think we should go home," she muttered, shivering.
"I'm sure we're getting close! Stonekit encouraged.
Suddenly, Mosskit's paw's gave out under her. She fell into a deep pile of snow.
"Help!"