.:Prologue:.
Silverstar was laying sprawled in her den. Her eyes were dim, and life was not in her favor. She had stopped even trying to struggle. "Ripplingstream?" She mewed in confusion before her voice faltered. The crimson glimmer of her aging pelt seemed to glow an instant before death stole her over.
Sparktail was crouched over her, trying not to show the gruesome grin that was forming on his fox-like face. A plan was forming as well, hidden in the back of his mischievous mind. Frostpetal looked up, her eyes glistening with tears. The young medicine cat looked ashamed of herself. "I don't know what happened. How did she die? She was old, yes, but she was healthy and strong." Frostpetal choked back sobs. "I failed my clan."
Sparktail looked at her forlorn face and didn't try to comfort her. "It is your fault. You should have tried harder." Frostpetal looked shocked, and new tears sprung from her eyes. "You're right!" she whispered. "I've failed my mother. What will I do? Will the pack hate me?"
Sparktail lifted his head. "Run." He said. "They will blame you for her death. Best now to save yourself, then be killed by your own friends, am I right?"
Frostpetal looked hurt, but she was too pained to fight back. "Yes, you're right. I'll run."
Sparktail wanted to make sure she didn't come back. "Run far away. Make a new living."
Frostpetal dipped her head. "Thank you for the advice." She gathered herself up and briefly pressed her nose to her mother's pelt. When she started to slide down to lay beside her one last time, Sparktail hissed, "Run! Now! Before they kill you!" Frostpetal didn't argue. She raced out of the den with a backwards glance at her mother and clan leader.
Sparktail extracted his claws in satisfaction. Silverstar and her mate, Ripplingstream were dead and their daughter Frostpetal was gone. There were only two cats left.
On his way out of Silverstar's old den, he passed a stray deathberry that had rolled away from Silverstar's blackbird. He squashed it with his paw, to destroy the evidence. No one will ever know…When Silverstar had driven out Sparktail's father from the pack, he had vowed to kill her and all her descendents. His plans were working perfectly.
He made his way to the nursery, his footfalls soft and unheard. He passed Frostpetal's empty den on the way. His heart stopped as he heard squeaks and squeals.
Almost racing in, he saw Shiningheart and her brother, Snowstep. The two other kits of Silverstar. He was enraged to see that Shiningheart had just kitted. He had planned to kill the kits while they were still in Shiningheart's womb so that he wouldn't have been heard. Kits would definitely scream if they were killed!
"Sparktail?" Snowstep said, padding forward. "What's the news on our mother?"
"She's dead." He said menacingly. "Like you." He slashed his claws over his throat.
"Wha-?" Snowsteps cry was cut abruptly.
"Snowstep!" Shiningheart cried. "Brother!" She stumbled over, tears sliding down her face. "You're a murderer!" she accused at Sparktail.
"Yeah." Sparktail said in a bored tone. She was easy to kill. She was slow from the pain she had endured from kitting.
The motherless kits wailed and whined, searching blindly for their mother. Sparktail killed them easily too, but something disturbed him…
He had seen three kits when he had entered.
But he had only killed two.
Where was the last kit?