Chapter 3:

Asuna dug into the ground, placing the deathberry seeds inside before covering the hole up. She and Alderheart had been in ShadowClan for a few days, and the deathberry treatment still didn't seem to be working. To make matters worse, Tigerstar had no idea that they were continuing with the treatment, although he didn't specifically forbid them from doing so, either.

"So much for not being prisoners." Alderheart muttered as he looked around the den. Outside, Scorchfur and Cloverfoot were keeping watch, Tigerstar assigning two warriors to watch the den at all times. Asuna was even surprised at the action. "He can't really think we want to escape, does he?"

"It seems that way." Asuna said with a sigh. "He isn't the same cat I remember at all." Alderheart looked through Puddleshine's herb storage and noticed that some of the herbs were going back.

"Help me clear some of the old herbs out?" The she-cat nodded and began picking out the dried out herbs.

"What are you both doing?" Cloverfoot ran inside the den. "Do you need those herbs?" She asked.

"We're just clearing out the old ones for Puddleshine. He hasn't been here in so long, after all." Asuna meowed.

"How do I not know you're lying?" The ShadowClan warrior continued to question. "You could destroy our whole Clan if he dies."

"Which is exactly why we're trying to help him! Just because we're not Clanmates doesn't mean we're not friends." Alderheart retorted.

"What's going on?" Scorchfur now entered the den, his gaze looking over at Cloverfoot.

"They said that they were sorting herbs, but I don't trust them." The tom's daughter told him. Scorchfur shook his head.

"You don't have to worry. Asuna's trustworthy enough." He assured her. "She took care of your mother and sister while you were with the rogues." Asuna smiled at the tom's praise. She was glad that he didn't forget. "I would try and convince Tigerstar that they don't need to be watched, but I don't want to be questioning his orders."

"It's okay, Scorchfur. Thank you for trusting me. It means a lot." The cream she-cat meowed.

"Just make sure Puddleshine gets better."

"We're trying our best." Alderheart replied. "Your thyme stock is running low. You'll also need more watermint, borage, nettles…" He was stopped by a flick of Cloverfoot's tail.

"We're warriors, you know. It's not our job to be collecting herbs."

"I'll go with them when I get the chance, Alderheart." Asuna meowed.

"Now would be a good time, actually, Asuna." The tom said. "I'll be fine in here. It'd be good for us to split up on duties. That way we can focus on Puddleshine without worry."

"Okay. Scorchfur, can you escort me to Tigerstar?" The tom nodded and led the she-cat outside of the medicine den. They walked across the clearing towards the leader, Tigerstar supervising the Clan.

"Asuna wanted to speak with you." The dark gray tom told him before leaving.

"Is something wrong with Puddleshine?" He asked, the she-cat shaking her head. "What is it, Asuna?"

"Alderheart and I were going through Puddleshine's herbs and found that some were going bad. I was wondering if it'd be alright for me to go out and pick some to replenish his storage."

"Yeah, that'd be a good idea. Thanks for checking it all out for him." He meowed. "Do you need me to send out another warrior to help you?" Asuna swiped a paw down, causing the tom to chuckle. "Right, your storage power. Just come back safe, okay?" The she-cat turned around and made her way to the camp exit. "Asuna, wait." She turned back and walked over to the leader.

"Yes?"

"I'm sorry for taking you and Alderheart in with us. Without a medicine cat here, there's not much we can do if something bad happens."

"You could've just asked me in the first place. You didn't need to threaten Alderheart and I. You know I'd help, Tigerstar." She told him. "Did you actually mean it when you said that we'd be punished if Puddleshine dies?" He shook his head. "Then why say something like that?"

"How else am I supposed to react when I learned that you're feeding our medicine cat deathberries?" He asked. "We're still friends, Asuna. I'd never hurt you unless it was necessary." He looked at her slyly. "Did you really mean it when you said you'd take as much lives from me as you could to protect Alderheart?" She shook her head.

"I'd be hurting Dovewing and your kits if I did that…but I'd fight my hardest to give Alderheart a chance to escape if it came to it." She answered. "I'm glad you actually still care about our friendship."

"Why wouldn't I? You've done so much for this Clan back then, and for me. It's really impossible to hate a cat like you." Tigerstar's gaze became serious. "If you think that deathberries will help Puddleshine, then I trust you. I know you'd never do anything to harm him."

"Thank you, Tigerstar." Asuna mewed with a smile. "I should get going to pick out those herbs now."

"Yeah. Be careful out there, Asuna."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Lucina leapt across the forest floor towards the unsuspecting mouse. With a swift bite to the neck, she killed the prey. The she-cat had gone out on a hunting patrol with Lionblaze and Brackenfur.

"Nice catch, Lucina." Lionblaze commented. "Y'know, for being Twolegs, a lot of you cats from different worlds are quick on your paws."

"I'm sure it comes with being used to this form." She replied after dropping her mouse. "Still…I'm in awe that I'm experiencing this. Being a cat is something I would never in a million years expect to happen to me."

"We all said the same thing when Lelouch first came to ThunderClan." Brackenfur stated. "Well, not the same thing, but the fact that there's a warrior in our Clan that's actually a Twoleg. It's strange, yet interesting at the same time."

"I can imagine the shock. Did it take you all a while to believe him?" Lionblaze shook his head. "Really?"

"Our leader at the time, Firestar, knew that Lelouch was part of a prophecy. He told us that he was sent to help the Clans, but even before that we took him in with open paws." The golden tabby tom meowed. "After that, whenever we see cats from different worlds, we don't question it."

"But don't you think that trust might someday put you in danger?" Lucina asked. "What if some cat lies about being from a different world and brings about chaos?"

"Usually they have some easy signs to tell that they aren't Clan cats, like your tiara or anything that Noctis is wearing." Brackenfur answered. "If there's nothing, then usually Bramblestar or one of the medicine cats would receive some sort of sign from StarClan."

"Or in the case of every cat except for Lelouch: Spottedleaf." Lionblaze added. "I still don't understand how you all can speak with her."

"Don't you speak with StarClan in your dreams? When I spoke to her with the others, we were all asleep at the time."

"Usually that's the case…but none of us are able to speak with her." Brackenfur stated. "During the battle with the Dark Forest, she had died a second time in protecting Sandstorm, Firestar's mate. She's the first case we've ever known of a StarClan warrior dying."

"After that, we all assumed she disappeared, until Lelouch told us he could speak with her." Lionblaze stated. "My guess is that she's a second StarClan for cats not from this world."

"I didn't know her story was so sad." Lucina mewed. "I'm not sure what I must do next to help the Clans, but I must try my best for her."

"I'm sure you will, Lucina. You have a heroic aura to you, a bit more than some of the others, actually." Lionblaze said. "We should—." The tom stopped when he heard a nearby yowl.

"Hey! Is anybody nearby? We need to speak with Bramblestar!" The voice called out.

"We should go check that out." Picking up their prey, the three cats followed the voice. As they walked, they could taste SkyClan's scent in the air. When they reached the border, they saw that it was Hawkwing, along with Violetshine, Sagenose, and Macgyver. They were all surprised to see Finleap with them.

"Finleap? What are you doing with them?" Brackenfur asked.

"We don't mean to interrupt your hunting." Hawkwing apologized. "Do you mind taking us to your camp?"

"Not at all. Just follow us." Lionblaze turned around and began guiding the SkyClan cats to camp.

When they arrived, Lucina dropped off her prey in the fresh-kill pile. She looked over at Finleap as he and the SkyClan cats were approached by Bramblestar. I didn't even notice that Finleap was missing. I wonder why he was with SkyClan.

"Hey, Lucina." The she-cat turned around and saw that it was Noctis. "What happened with Finleap?"

"I'm not sure. Lionblaze, Brackenfur, and I were out hunting and we heard Hawkwing call for someone to escort them here. We saw Finleap with them at the time."

"Had a feeling he went missing. Twigbranch said something before about his sister being sick, so my guess is that he wanted to make sure he was okay."

"If that's the case, I hope he doesn't get into too much trouble." She meowed. "Noctis...has Spottedleaf talked to you ever since we last saw her?"

"Me? No. Has she talked to you?" Lucina shook her head. "You worried?"

"It's not that I'm worried. I just don't like having to anticipate when the Clans are going to be in danger. She said our quest here wasn't complete, but so far the only problem that's occurred is Alderheart and Asuna going to ShadowClan."

"Yeah, I get what you mean. I wish everything would just happen so we can save the Clans already." The tom looked over at the fresh-kill pile. "I'll take the mouse you just caught, if you don't mind."

"Not at all. I hope it's to your liking."

"You and me both. I'm starving." Noctis picked up the mouse and rested near the warriors' den.

"Noctis, can you come over here for a second?" Bramblestar meowed as the tom was going to take the first bite of his mouse. He let out a sigh and walked over to him. He saw that Twigbranch was there as well. "Did you know anything about Finleap leaving?"

"No. I knew that Reedclaw was sick, that's all." Noctis meowed.

"Alright." The leader looked over at the gray she-cat. "Twigbranch, you'll help Finleap clean out the elder's den for the next moon. You should've said something when you noticed." Noctis could see the sadness in the she-cat's eyes. He gave Violetshine and Hawkwing a nod as a way of greeting them before he headed back to his prey. He saw that Lucina was now there as well, a thrush between her paws.

"I hope you don't mind."

"You're good." He meowed as he rested down and took a bite of his mouse. "Yeah, it's great, Lucina." She let out a smile.

"I'm happy to hear that." She said as she picked some of the feathers off of her prey. "What did Bramblestar need you for?"

"He was wondering if I knew about Finleap leaving. Twigbranch, Finleap, and I are pretty much associated with each other at this point, so I don't blame him." He told her. "At least they didn't get in too much trouble. Cleaning out the elder's den for a month isn't so bad."

"Yes, but that also means less training for Flypaw and Snappaw." Lucina reminded him.

"Right, didn't think about that." The tom realized. As the two continued eating, Noctis noticed a sudden look of worry in Lucina's eyes. "What's up?"

"I was just thinking about Alderheart and Asuna. I hope that Puddleshine is at least feeling somewhat better."

"That makes two of us."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"Alderheart! Asuna! Come quick!" Cloverfoot called from the entrance. Asuna was checking over Puddleshine, while Alderheart had fallen asleep. She made her way out of the den and looked over at the she-cat.

"What's wrong?" She asked.

"It's Shadowkit. "Something's…" Knowing that one of Dovewing's kits was in trouble was more than enough for her to rush towards the nursery.

"Asuna, thank StarClan you're here. Where's Alderheart?" Tigerstar asked.

"He's been working hard, so I let him rest while I looked over Puddleshine." She answered. "Where's Shadowkit?"

"Over here." Asuna walked over to where Dovewing was and saw that the convulsing body of the gray tabby. "I'll need one cat to help me hold him down. Dovewing, can you hold his head for us?" The she-cat did as instructed, Tigerstar helping Asuna. "It'll be better if you hold his shoulders down." She informed the leader. He nodded and moved his paws over to the kit's shoulders. "Cloverfoot, I'll need thyme. The fresher, the better." The she-cat nodded and headed over to the medicine den. Asuna looked down at the kit, and then over at Dovewing and Tigerstar. "Is he sick? Does he have a cough? A fever? Dovewing shook her head.

"This has happened before." Tigerstar stated.

"It has? No sickness whatsoever?" Asuna asked in surprise.

"Shadowkit's had visions before. They always end up occurring with seizures like the one he's going through now." Concern filled her green gaze. "I thought that they'd be getting better, but I'm not so sure anymore." Asuna noticed the kit's tremors begin to ease. She let out a sigh of relief when she felt his breath touch her coat.

"He'll be okay. I'm giving him thyme to ease his shock, but I'm not sure how to alleviate his seizures." She meowed. "You should also try and cool him down as well." Cloverfoot returned with the thyme, giving it to Asuna. She placed it in front of Dovewing. "When he's stabilized, chew up some of this and give it to him."

"And make sure he swallows it, right?" Dovewing meowed. "Puddleshine gave him some thyme before."

"Right. I really wish there was something I could do, but I can only ease the shock that he'll go through." From the entrance to the nursery, Alderheart ran inside.

"What happened? Is everything okay?" He asked.

"Asuna has everything under control." The ShadowClan leader told him.

"Shadowkit was having a seizure." Asuna mewed. "Dovewing told me that they come when he has visions. There's no way I can stop them if there's no medical reason for them."

"You should've woke me up, at least to help." The tom told her.

"You deserve rest as well. I'd only wake you if I knew I needed help, Alderheart." Asuna looked over and saw that Shadowkit's eyes slowly began to open. Dovewing began to lick his head to warm him. "Hi, Shadowkit. Are you feeling okay?"

"I'm alright." He assured them as he got to his paws. "I had another vision." He said, looking over at Tigerstar. Dovewing began to chew up the thyme leaves and brought her face close to the kit.

"Eat this. It'll make you feel better."

"Not until I tell you about my vision." The tom meowed, avoiding the herbs. Tigerstar looked over at Cloverfoot.

"Can you go check on the kits?" He asked. She nodded and left the den. "You both should leave as well."

"Wait…can they stay?" Shadowkit wondered, looking over at Alderheart and Asuna. "They're both medicine cats, so they might have an idea about my vision."

"I think we should let them." Dovewing meowed. Tigerstar nodded his head.

"Okay. What did you see, Shadowkit?"

"I was in RiverClan territory. It was raining a lot, too. I was in the marshes there, and the rain just got worse and worse. The sky was pitch black, and I couldn't see a thing." The kit's body began to tremble. "The rain began to get so high that my whole body was in the water. After that, it filled my nose, and then filled my mouth. I couldn't breathe at all…and then…everything faded to black." He looked over at Asuna. "Do you know what it means, Asuna?"

"I wish I could tell you I did, Shadowkit." Asuna meowed, but inside she knew what it meant. It sounds like he might die…but why would he be given such a horrid vision? She looked over at Alderheart. "Alderheart, what do you think?"

"It's probably just a nightmare from the seizure he had." He stated.

"Right, that's all it was, Shadowkit." Dovewing meowed, giving his ear a lick. "It was just a nightmare. Nothing to be afraid of."

"But…it felt like it was real." He told her.

"Just eat the thyme and get some rest. You'll feel better soon." The dark ginger tom assured him.

"My head hurts, too."

"I'll go fetch some poppy seeds." He meowed before leaving. As she watched Dovewing care for her kit, Asuna felt Tigerstar tap her on the shoulder with his tail.

"Can we talk?" She nodded, Tigerstar giving Shadowkit a comforting lick before leaving the den with the she-cat. "It's about the vision Shadowkit had. Do you think it was just a nightmare?" Asuna shook her head.

"If he's had visions before, it has to be something more than that. I just didn't want to scare Dovewing, or you for that matter." She let out a sigh. "Still…why would he be given a vision of his own death?"

"Do you think it could mean something else?" He asked.

"I'd hope so. It might be figurative and he represents something bigger, like a Clan or something."

"How sure are you of that?" She shook her head.

"I can't be entirely sure, Tigerstar. I'm sorry."

"Is he destined to drown like my brother, Flametail? Would StarClan make me live through something like that again?" Alderheart left the medicine den and saw the two talking. He ignored them, but quickened his pace to give Shadowkit the poppy seeds. Once he was done, he joined the two.

"Alderheart, you don't think his vision was a nightmare, right?" Asuna asked, the tom shaking his head.

"Whatever Shadowkit saw, it's something that needs to be avoided. It's almost like Lucina's visions that she had, but instead…"

"Shadowkit's seeing his own death." Tigerstar muttered.

"It can mean something else entirely. We just can't be sure." Alderheart assured him.

"Yeah…" Tigerstar turned towards the nursery. "Thank you both for your help. Get some rest." The two made their way back to the medicine den, Alderheart resting down on his nest.

"Do you think you can go back to sleep?" The she-cat asked.

"I don't know. What Shadowkit saw could mean multiple things, I just hope his death isn't what the vision meant."

"You and me both."

Days had passed ever since Shadowkit's vision. During that time, Asuna was happy to see the deathberry treatment slowly beginning to show progress. However, during that time, there was more trouble between ShadowClan and SkyClan. A ShadowClan hunting patrol returned injured by SkyClan warriors due to the territory dispute the two Clans had.

"Does that feel better?" Asuna asked Grassheart as she applied a goldenrod poultice to her wound.

"Yes. Thank you, Asuna." She let out a sigh. "Those SkyClan cats are vicious."

"I can tell." The cream she-cat looked around the medicine den and saw the other injured cats who were a part of the patrol. As much as she wanted to point out that trespassing was their fault, Asuna just tended to their wounds. "Blazepaw, did Alderheart check on you?"

"No." The young tom meowed.

"Your wounds are pretty deep, Grassheart. I'll need you to stay in here for a bit so Alderheart and I can watch over you." Asuna told her before motioning the apprentice over with her tail. Her hazel eyes glowed, the apprentice looking at her in awe.

"Whoa! What's going on with your eyes?"

"I'm checking over you for wounds. I see a few scratches, but they don't seem too deep." She meowed. "The only wound that needs to be looked at is the cut on your ear." She walked over to the storage and took out a small piece of goldenrod. She began to chew it up and then applied it to his ear. "Does that hurt?"

"Nope. It feels nice, actually." He told her. "So...is that thing with your eyes what Tigerstar told me about before?"

"He told you about me?" She asked as she walked over to the storage for some cobwebs.

"Yeah. Back at my old home in the city, he told me about how you weren't from here and that you had awesome powers!"

"I don't know if awesome is the right word to describe them." Asuna meowed as she began to apply the cobwebs to his injured ear. "So, do you enjoy living in ShadowClan now, Blazepaw?"

"Yup! I do miss everyone back home, but being a warrior is great!" He stated.

"Just don't get too reckless now, okay?" She told him once she was done. "There, all patched up."

"Great! Thanks, Asuna!" The tom ran out of the den, the she-cat letting out a sigh.

"Does he remind you of Kirito?" Alderheart said with a small laugh as he was looking over Strikestone.

"Definitely. I've never seen a cat so excited before." She replied. "I hope he and Suguha are doing okay."

"I'm sure they're fine." The tom assured her. "The same can be said for you, Strikestone. No deep wounds at all. Just some bleeding, but the poultice I applied should prevent infection."

"Thank you, Alderheart." The tom meowed before leaving the den. Alderheart unwrapped the borage leaf holding the deathberries and tore some of the flesh away, giving it to Puddleshine.

"You both don't know how grateful I am, really." The ShadowClan medicine cat told them before eating the piece of the toxic fruit. "I'd be dead if it wasn't for the idea you both came up with."

"We're just relieved it worked." Asuna said. "Your fever's still there, but it's slowly going away. Give it a few more days and once it's gone it's just rest from then on." I'm so glad that Puddleshine's feeling better…but still, the dispute between ShadowClan and SkyClan can possibly escalate further. I really hope it doesn't get worse.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Lelouch made his way back to camp alongside Molewhisker, Brightheart, and Hollytuft after going out on border patrol. They found no traces of WindClan, SkyClan, or ShadowClan on their territory, which was always a relief. He walked over to the nursery to see check up on Ivypool, Foxkit, and Swiftkit. When he saw them, he noticed that Ivypool and Foxkit were sleeping, but he saw no sign of Swiftkit. Maybe she's playing hide-and-seek. He thought, looking around the den. He checked all around, but the kit's scent was faint.

"Swiftkit? Swiftkit where are you?" He called out, causing Ivypool to wake up.

"Lelouch, what's wrong?"

"It's Swiftkit. I don't know where she is!"

"What?!" Worry filled the she-cat's blue eyes. "This is my fault. I shouldn't have fell asleep!"

"I should've been paying closer attention as well." Daisy apologized.

"You both don't worry. I'll go look for her." Lelouch ran out of the den and quickly looked around.

"Father, what's wrong?" Nightheart ran when she saw how worried he was.

"Have you seen your sister?" He asked, the she-cat shaking her head.

"The last time I saw her, she was asleep with Foxkit and mother." She told him. "Is she missing?" The tom nodded. "Oh no! She has to be here somewhere!"

"Do you know where Kirito is? He might be able to track her."

"He's out hunting with some of the others." She informed him. "I can ask Suguha and Lucina to help us." Nightheart ran over to the warriors' den and quickly explained to them what was going on. Once she did, the three she-cats ran over to the tom.

"She can't be far…I hope." The tom meowed.

"What happened?" Molewhisker wondered as he watched the cats group together.

"Swiftkit's missing. We could use any help we can." Nightheart told him.

"Do you want me to find some others who can help?" He asked, Lelouch shaking his head.

"I don't want to cause everyone to worry." The violet-eyed tom replied. "Let's just go and look for her." He led the group to the camp exit, Squirrelflight looking at them with curiosity.

"Where are you all going?" She asked.

"Swiftkit's missing." Lelouch stated. "Please don't tell Bramblestar. I don't want the whole Clan worrying unless we can't find her."

"Are you sure? We'd all be more than willing to look for her, Lelouch." The deputy told him.

"I'm sure. Swiftkit was probably bound to wander into the forest one of these days."

"Okay, but the moment you feel you can't find her, please come back to camp." He gave her a nod before he made his way into the forest with the others.

"We should split up to cover more ground. Nightheart, you and Molewhisker check near SkyClan. Lucina and Suguha, check near our border with WindClan." The cats all left, Lelouch letting out a sigh. She has to be around here.

"Lelouch!" He turned and saw that it was Ivypool.

"What are you doing here?"

"She's our daughter. I'm not going to let you look for her alone." She meowed. "Daisy's looking after Foxkit, don't worry."

"Good. I asked the others to look around our borders with other Clans, leaving us with the middle of our territory." He told her, the she-cat simply replying with a nod before they began to look.

"Swiftkit? Where are you? Lelouch and I are worried about you!" Ivypool called out as the two walked through the forest. As they were walking, Lelouch stopped and tasted the air, Ivypool doing the same. The two both looked at each other when they realized that they were on the right track, the kit's scent getting stronger.

"Swiftkit? We're not mad at you. Please come out!" Lelouch meowed as they continued walking.

"Mom? Dad? I'm over here!" They heard the kit call out. They passed through a few more rows of trees before they found the small kit looking up at the Ancient Oak. "This tree is huge!"

"What are you doing out here wandering by yourself?" Ivypool questioned the kit.

"I thought dad said you both weren't mad at me!"

"It's hard not to be when you're here alone." Lelouch stated. "We were both so worried about you. What if something happened?"

"I've learned lots of hunting and battle skills already!" She assured them.

"That's no reason to leave camp, Swiftkit." Her mother told her. "I know you can't wait to become an apprentice, but for now you have to wait a few moons."

"Okay…" Her parents pressed close to her.

"Please don't leave the den anymore, Swiftkit. The last thing I need is to find out that you're lost." Lelouch meowed.

"You don't have to worry about that, dad. Look." The kit walked over to a nearby trail of leaves. "See? I've been placing leaves behind me ever since I left camp so I'd know how to get back. I made sure to clear the other leaves out of the way, too." The kit's parents looked over at the trail before looking at each other.

"We were too worried to notice." The tom said, letting out a sigh.

"Think of it this way: She's showing signs of her father's intelligence." Ivypool meowed with a laugh.

"If it decided to show by her sneaking out of camp, I hope you become a warrior soon." The kit let out a big smile. "C'mon, we should go look for the others so they know you're alright."

Over by the lake, Nightheart and Molewhisker looked around, hoping that there would be some sign of where Swiftkit was.

"We haven't caught her scent around here at all!" Nightheart wailed. "Swiftkit, please come out! We're worried sick about you!" She called out, but there was no sound or movement around the two. Nightheart collapsed onto the grass, her head in her paws. "I should've been watching her knowing how tired mother was!" Molewhisker walked over to the she-cat and placed his tail on her shoulder.

"Her wandering off isn't your fault, Nightheart. She's a kit, so it's normal for her to want to explore." He assured her. "You were the same way when you were her age."

"Yes, but I never made it past the camp exit. Mother and the others always watched over me. I just wish I did the same for my sister."

"Blaming yourself isn't going to help find her. Besides, it's possible that the others found her. Knowing that she wasn't around here is a good thing. It means she didn't wander into the lake, or towards SkyClan."

"I guess you're right." She wiped her tears away from her violet eyes before getting to her paws. "I'm sorry for crying, Molewhisker."

"Seriously? Your sister is missing. Crying isn't something you should be apologizing for." He assured her. "We'll find her Nightheart, I promise."

The violet-eyed she-cat let out a smile. "You're very sweet, Molewhisker. Thank you." A blush formed on the tom's face as the she-cat pressed closer to him. She looked over at him and noticed the embarrassed look on his face, causing her to become flustered. "I-I'm sorry for getting too close!"

"N-No, it's fine, Nightheart." He stammered. "Thanks for the compliment. It means a lot coming from you." Nightheart's violet eyes gazed over at the brown and cream tom. "Nightheart, do—."

"Nightheart! Molewhisker!" The she-cat stopped when she heard her father call out for them both.

"What were you saying, Molewhisker?" The she-cat asked. The tom shook his head.

"It's nothing. We should probably see why Lelouch is calling us." The two turned back towards the forest and followed the tom's scent. A spark of relief hit Nightheart when she noticed Swiftkit's scent mingling as well.

"He found her!" Nightheart broke into a run, the tom chasing after her. When they reached them, they saw that Ivypool was with him as well, the kit riding on Lelouch's back. "Swiftkit!" Nightheart gave her sister a lick to the ear. "I was so worried about you! I thought something bad happened!"

"I'm sorry, Nightheart. I wanted to get back before dad returned, but I stayed out too long." The kit apologized.

"All I care about is that you're safe." She meowed before looking over at Ivypool. "Mother, I didn't know you were with father."

"I followed you all out of camp. Your father was in such a rush that I couldn't join you all in time." She explained. "At least you were somewhat close by still. We were hoping you didn't search through all of this side of ThunderClan territory."

"So, where was this little one anyway?" Molewhisker asked, touching noses with the kit.

"By the Ancient Oak. The shock of the size of it stopped her exploration." Lelouch told him. "The surprising part is that she created a trail of leaves to find her way back to camp."

"Really? You're such a smart kit, Swiftkit." Nightheart commented with a laugh.

"Thanks, and you know what else I got from this? One long badger ride from dad!" She pressed into her dad's coat.

"Don't get used to it. The next time this happens I'll make you walk back to camp." He told her, causing Swiftkit to pout. "We still have to tell Suguha and Lucina. I hope they didn't get too far."

Lucina and Suguha reached ThunderClan's border stream with WindClan, the two catching no trace of the missing kit.

"You don't think she fell into the stream, do you?" Suguha mewed with worry.

"I'm positive. Swiftkit definitely knows better than that." Lucina assured her. "Still, I hope nothing bad happened to her."

"She must be so scared being all alone. Hopefully this is the last time she does something like this. Nightheart was so worried when she told us to help. For her sake, we need to look harder." The blue-gray she-cat nodded.

"You both are really close. She's lucky to have a friend like you, Suguha."

"I'm not the only one close to her. You've been close with Nightheart ever since you came to ThunderClan, Lucina." The black she-cat meowed. "You both even act similar, too. I might actually be a bit jealous." She joked with a small laugh.

"Well try not to. Nightheart appreciates you so much. You've spent time with her longer, after all." Lucina stated. "Let's go back into the forest and look around one more time before reporting back to the others." The two turned back towards ThunderClan's camp and scouted the area meticulously. As they were searching, Lucina noticed Suguha suddenly stop. "Suguha? Is everything okay?"

"It's nothing. We should be searching for Swiftkit."

"We might not be able to do a sufficient job if something's bothering you. Besides, we haven't scented her yet, either. It can be safe to say that she hasn't been here." The she-cat assured her. "What's bothering you?"

"Leaving this world." She meowed. "Spottedleaf told us that our final mission was going to happen soon, but I don't know if I could take leaving Nightheart and the others. We've grown so close to each other after being here for so long."

"It must be especially difficult for you, Asuna, and Kirito. You've been here the longest."

"Don't you feel that way too, Lucina? I know you haven't been here as long as me, but you have to somewhat feel the same way." She nodded.

"I do. Nightheart's been so sweet ever since I came to this world. I just hope she doesn't hurt too much when we leave."

"Lucina! Suguha! Hello?" The two looked at each other in surprise.

"Was that…Swiftkit?" The black she-cat wondered, the kit's scent as strong as ever now.

"I'm sure of it. Let's go, Suguha!" The two followed the scent until they reached the others who went out looking for the kit. "Oh, you're with the others already."

"Mother and father found her. Thank StarClan she wasn't too far." Nightheart meowed.

"She was over by the Ancient Oak." Lelouch informed the two before looking over at the kit. "Swiftkit, tell Lucina and Suguha that you're sorry."

"Sorry you two. I hope you weren't too worried…although you didn't need to be."

"Swiftkit…" Ivypool meowed. "Please don't tell me you inherited my stubbornness. Mixing that with your father's intelligence is a bad combination."

"She made a path of leaves to lead her back to camp when she was ready to leave." Molewhisker told the two she-cats.

"Well that is smart, but please try to think of how much your actions may affect others, Swiftkit." Lucina meowed.

"Okay…" Ivypool gave the kit a lick to the ear.

"It's normal for kits to be excited, but please let this be the last time, Swiftkit. We were all worried, and so were the others back at camp, especially Foxkit."

"Oh…" There was sadness in the kit's voice. "Can we go back home now? I want to say sorry to him." Lelouch gave her a comforting lick to the ear.

"Yeah. I'm sure he'll appreciate that."