Chapter 3

Lionblaze stepped out of the warriors den, blinking his eyes repeatedly as he tried to blink the sleep from his eyes. Suddenly, his heart filled up with sadness, like a puddle, as he remembered Hollyleaf; his sister. She had died saving Ivypool from Hawkfrost, and now walked with StarClan.
'Why did you have to die? You could've lived happily in ThunderClan with me and Jayfeather.' He thought. Suddenly, a burst of yellow light opened up in front of his eyes, to reveal a black cat.
"It couldn't be . . ." His words were cut off as the black cat; Hollyleaf, stepped out of the light, and stood in front of him. Filling with joy, he dashed up to her, nuzzling her starlight-scented pelt.
"Come on, let's go see Jayfeather! He can see you, right?" He chimed. Hollyleaf nodded, her smile filling up all the empty words she never said. As Lionblaze and Hollyleaf stepped into the medicine cat den, they found Jayfeather sorting herbs, muttering under his breath. Then, he turned his piercing blind gaze towards his littermates.
'Hard to believe he's blind.' Lionblaze thought.
"Hollyleaf?" Jayfeather asked warily.
"Yes, it's me." Hollyleaf meowed. Jayfeather padded up to her, hiding any joy he could have been feeling.
"It's been a while." He meowed.
"It has." She said. "But I cannot stay long, for I have something to tell you, my dear brothers." Lionblaze stared at Jayfeaher, who kept his strong, blind stare to his sister.
"Do not grieve for me, or any other cat that walks with our ancestors, for we are not apart from you." Her meow was full of love and honesty.
"We are not apart from you; we are always with you, and watching over you." With those words, Hollyleaf began to fade, the dirt floor showing between her now transparent paws.
"No, Hollyleaf! Don't go!" Lionblaze begged, and Hollyleaf smiled at him.

"I am watching over you." And with that, his sister vanished. Whimpering, Lionblaze plopped back onto his haunches.
"Get up." Jayfeather said. His gray tabby brother nudged him to his paws, replacing Lionblaze's grief with confidence. Jayfeather's eyes shone with happiness.
"We have to live with those words in our mind at all times." He breathed. Lionblaze nodded.
'Wait for me Hollyleaf, until the day comes when I too will walk with you.'

Lionblaze paced outside the nursery, tapping on the soft earthy floor with his paws in worry. Cinderheart was giving birth to his kits, and he couldn't help but fear that something might go wrong. Suddenly, Jayfeather popped his blind blue head outside the bracken nursery, mewing to Lionblaze.
"We're finished, you can come in now." Heart filled with joy and excitement, Lionblaze dashed in, to see his mate; Cinderheart, with three tiny bundles of fur suckling in the curve of her belly. Overwhelmed with pride, he approached his newborn children, nuzzling Cinderheart.
"How many kits?" He asked lovingly. Cinderheart looked up at him, her blue eyes filled with love. We have two toms and a she-kit. Lionblaze looked at the three kits, the she-kit was a silver tabby with pale blue eyes, and the two toms were dark gray and black; like Hollyleaf.
'If Hollyleaf was alive, she could see how beautiful they are.' The thought pierced his heart like a claw, but he had no regrets. He had beautiful kits and a mate, what more could he ask for?
"What are you going to name them?" Lionblaze asked. Cinderheart paused, as though thinking.
"If it's okay with you, I'd like to name the she-kit Shimmerkit, because it has a glowing pelt!" Cinderheart chuckled within her words, and continued.
"I want to name the tom," She pointed at the dark gray tom. "Dustkit." She looked back towards Lionblaze.
"You can name the last one." She chimed. Lionblaze nodded, and pondered in his mind. He wanted it to be something to recognize Hollyleaf, and yet something that suited the tiny tom-kit.
"I think Blackkit." He concluded, feeling proud. Crouching down towards the kit, Lionblaze welcomed the three little kits.
"Welcome to ThunderClan my little kits." He mewed. The kit's kept suckling, anonymous to Lionblaze.
'See, Hollyleaf? Everything's fine in ThunderClan, don't worry.'