Challenge: Lonely

"Dustytail!" an echoing voice asked. The brown she-cat couldn't focus anymore. She could hear the sound of her newborn kits giving weak, pitiful meows and felt them crawling next to her. The nursery was a blur in her half lidded eyes. A gray blob that she assumed was the medicine cat Stoneshade was standing in front of her, blocking a ginger blob.

"Sparkclaw?" the queen muttered. She made a feeble aatempt to lift her head, but the slightest shift sent terrible ripples of pain through her belly. All she could do is groan in agony.

"It's her time to go, Sparkclaw. StarClan in reaching out for her. Dustytail has served the clan for many moons, and she has given us three new kits." Stoneshade spoke in his calm voice even though Sparkclaw was hissing in his face.

Sparkclaw spat in fury with his fur bristling. He and Dustytail had been mates shortly after their warrior ceremonies. This was their second litter together, after much of Dustlytail's insisting. Their only kit from that litter, a ginger tabby she-cat named Sunstripe, was Stoneshade's apprentice. She stood next to her father and tried to calm him down. "She's bleed to terribly now, and we've done what we could." Her voice was soft, tinged with fear. "I'm sorry, Sparkclaw."

The ginger tom looked down at his daughter with soft amber eyes. "I don't blame you, Sunstripe." His head whipped up and her glared at Stoneshade with eyes that resembled fire. "It's this old, pathetic excuse of a medicine cat that won't do anything to save your mother! He-" The ginger tom was cut off at the stop of Dustytail's chest heaving up and down. One last shaky breath echoed off the walls before dead silence filled the space.

"Dustytail..." Sparkclaw let out hoarsely. His legs suddenly gave out beneath him and he fell to the ground, letting out mournful cries. Stoneshade hung his head solemnly. Sunstripe slowly approached her mother's body and pressed her nose to her fur.

As she painfully tore herself away, she let out a horrified gasp. "Stoneshade, the kits aren't moving!"

Stoneshde was quick to whip around and crouch down to the kits. "Are they... dead? Did Dustytail take them with her?" Each work was painful to say. She whispered to him hoping her father didn't hear.

They gray tom didn't respond and the silence became suffocating. "... The brown tabby she-cat is still breathing, albeit weakly. Leafface can nurse her, she needs to be fed soon."

Sunstripe's ears pricked up, glad not all of her siblings are gone. "Did you hear that, Sparkclaw? The tabby she-cat is still here." she tried to say in a cheerful voice."She even kind of looks like Dustytail, maybe she's have her eyes too?"

Sparkclaw stood up and turned to walk out of the nursery.

"Sparkclaw, what about your daughter? Aren't you going to name her?" She tried to follow her father until he made a sudden stop.

Without turning he replied. "No... I don't have a daughter." He continued to walk away and went to the warrior den.

Sunstripe flattened her ears, hurt by his words. "Stoneshade, her name is Dustykit. Make sure Leafface knows what to do." she meowed and made her way to the medicine cat den. Her tail dragged behind her and she collapsed in her nest. She curled in to a tight ball, trying to block out the concerned meows of her clan mates.

Stoneshade was take back slightly, but did as he was told. He picked up the kit by her scruff and went to the elder's den, where Leafface was waiting with her three kits, Crowkit, Grasskit, and Heatherkit.

8 moons later

"Sparkclaw, can I go on a hunting patrol with you? Nightfang said it was ok." Dustypaw asked politely, hoping he was in a good mood foe once in her life.

Sparkclaw groaned and shook his head. "No, you 'paw." Sparkclaw refused to refer to Dustypaw as her name, as it brought up to many memories. "Please stop trying to go on patrols with me."

Dustypaw frowned. "Is it that bad that a cat want's to spend time with her father?" The she-cat always figured that Sparkclaw was her father, as they were the only two in the clan to have amber eyes.

Sparkclaw whipped around. "How many times must you be told? I'm not your father. I don't have a family." He turned around ready to dash out of the camp, but before he did, he looked over his shoulder. "... Not anymore." he added then left her in the clearing.

Sunstripe's head poked out of the medicine cat den. She shook her head and sighed. Ever since Dustytail died, Sparkclaw ignored both his daughters. When Stoneshade died of old age he didn't go to the medicine cat den anymore. Even when he was injured in battle, he would limp to his nest, hoping he could sleep off the pain.

"If only herbs could heal everything..." she muttered under her breath.

"Sunstripe, where do you want the juniper berries?" Crowpaw, her apprentice suddenly asked.

"In the corner." Sunstripe replied indifferently, as she was watching her kin. Heatherpaw and Grasspaw started mocking Dustypaw. It has almost become a routine. "I'm sorry, Dustypaw." she whispered. "I know you're strong. You'll see, you're going to do so much better than them."

"From this moment on, you will be known as Dustyfire!" Shadedstar yowled.

"Dustyfire! Dustyfire! Dustyfire!" the clan chanted.

Dustyfire gazed down at the clan. A pang of sadness hit her when she remembered Sparkclaw wouldn't be there. The last time she saw him was three moons ago. He left, claiming he was going to check the boarders, but he never came back. What she did notice was Sunstripe, who seemed to be cheering louder than any other cat.

When the cheers died down she stood at the entrance, starting her silent vigil.

"Grasspaw, go to sleep now, we're going to go herb collecting tomorrow." Sunstripe ordered. Her apprentice nodded and went to curl up in his nest. Sunstripe sneaked her way to Dustyfire and sat down next to her. Dustyfire's eyes widened, but she didn't say a word.

Sunstripe purred warmly. "You don't have to be alone. Our parents may be gone, but I'm still here."

In that moment Dustyfire knew. She wasn't lonely, her kin was there for her.