Five moons later, my clan was as strong as ever.
Stripedkit and Shinekit became Stripedpaw and Shinepaw. They believed Icestorm was their birthmother, and no one challenged it. Icestorm loved those kits to the ends of the world. Darkfire became Shinepaw's mentor, while Stripedpaw was given to Icestorm.
Meanwhile, Darkfire, Icestorm, Redtail, Crowwing, and I all became the age of official warriors. That meant that the clan was now official.
Speaking of Redtail and Crowwing, they never returned from their mission to find a way to speak with StarClan. Because of Redtail not being here, Shinekit died of greencough during leaf-bare.
Stripedpaw and Icestorm also found a group of loners on patrol one day. They were hanging around inside our borders, hunting and playing. There were five cats in total. Icestorm managed to lure them into the camp, where Darkfire convinced them to stay in WingClan. We now have Sunstripe, Dapplefur, Spottedtail, Jadepaw, and Brookpaw.
Darkfire was surrounded by all the warriors, telling everyone what to do.
"Sunstripe, Spottedtail, and Icestorm. You guys take the border patrol while Dapplefur can take the apprentices out hunting for the day."
"Wait, Darkfire," I said, jumping down from the Boulder. "I'd like to go with Dapplefur and the apprentices. I need to get out more."
"Sure thing, Doublewing."
And so, I walked out of camp with Dapplefur by my side, and the apprentices behind us.
An hour later, we had gathered up enough prey to feed our clan for a moon. But what suprised Dapplefur and I was how much prey Jadepaw had caught. When the tom first came to the clan, he hadn't even known anything about hunting. Now, he was one of the best hunters!
"Okay, Dapplefur, let's gather up the prey in groups," I said with my mouth full of rabbit. "You and Jadepaw stay here until Stripedpaw, Brookpaw, and I return from putting the first bunch of prey onto the fresh-kill pile."
Dapplefur nodded. "Sure thing, Doublewing."
Stripedpaw and Brookpaw were both struggling with the amount of prey they were given to carry, while my neck horribly ached with every step I took. The rabbit was too fat for its own good; too slow to run away from even Brookpaw, the slowest of the apprentices.
The nearer we got to camp, the more Brookpaw moaned and grumbled, until finally, she dropped everything and let out a cry.
"It's too heavy!" she grumbled.
I dropped my load, as did Stripedpaw.
"Stop whining!" Stripedpaw snapped, trying his best to hide his exaughtion. "I knew that this one wasn't cut out for clan life!"
"I am!" retorted Brookpaw.
"Oh yeah? Did you see me whine and grumble the entire time?"
"Shut up!" I growled at both of them. "Arguing isn't going to make anything better!"
Brookpaw narrowed her eyes at me, seething. "But I'm still a great warrior, right Doublewing?"
I sighed, knowing my answer woulld hurt Brookpaw. "No offence, I have to agree with Stripedpaw. You really aren't cut out for clan life.'
"What about Dapple, or Sun, or Spot? Huh? Are they cut out for clan life?"
"That's different. They were already warrior age when they came. They knew how to hunt and fight."
Brookpaw let out a cry of angst. "That's it, I quit!" she screamed. Brookpaw took off running through the forest.
"Do we go after her?" Stripedpaw asked.
"No," I answered, sadness welling in my heart. Brookpaw would have made a good medicine cat, at the least. "She as made her choice. She has to stick with it."
"What do we do about the prey?"
I glanced at the three shrews and five mice that Brookpaw brought with her.
"We'll pick it up later," I mewed.
"Okay."
We continued on our path through the forest, stopping ever so often so Stripedpaw could catch his breath. By sundown, we had reached camp. Immediately, Icestorm and Spottedtail came to our side to take the prey to the fresh-kill pile.
"Thanks," Stripedpaw breathed to Icestorm, who started licking the burrs off his pelt.
"No problem."
Suddenly, a scream shot through the forest, making every cat look toward the direction it came from.
"Dapplefur and Jadepaw," I whispered.
Darkfire immediately rushed to action: "Icestorm and Sunstripe, you two go from the left flank. Spottedtail and me will go through the right. Doublewing and Stripedtail will stay here to protect camp. Go!"
The cats dispersed, heading toward their destinations. Only Stripedpaw and I still stood in shock.
"Why can't I go with them?" he asked defiantly.
"We need to protect the camp from whatever's out there."
"Fine!"
So we stood there, pacing, for the next couple minutes, every single moment lasting a million seasons.
"What if a fox got them," suggested Stripedpaw. "or they got attacked by a giant fish!"
"Do you even know what a fish is?" I asked him.
"Well, no, but I bet that it eats cats!"
"Stripedpaw?"
"Yes, Doublewing?"
"Shut up."
"Okay."
Eventually, night came, and it got too dark to see beyond a fox-length in front of you.
"Doublewing?" asked Stripedpaw. Again.
"Yes, Stripedpaw?"
"Can you tell me about my mother?"
"Um, well, ah," I spluttered. "S-sure. Why n-not?"
"Why are you stuttering?" he asked.
"Well, you see, the thing is that...you can ask her when she comes back!" There, now I didn't have to tell the kid about how he was born.
"Okay. Hey, Doublewing?"
"What is it this time?"
"Is that them coming now?"
"What?" I looked toward the camp entrance, and saw Icestorm and Spottedtail coming with a cat on their back. Sunstrike and Darkfire were behind them, helping a smaller cat to walk.
"There you are!" I snapped. "We've been waiting forever! What took you so long?"
"Doa." Darkfire tried to say.
"What?" Stripedpaw asked.
"He means to say 'dog'. There was one ravaging the pile of prey you guys collected. It also kicked Darkfire in the face. That's why his jaw is messed up." Sunstripe's voice was tired.
"Who else is injured?" I asked.
"Dapplefur is probably dead, Jadpaw's ankle is wrenched, Darkfire's jaw has been kicked, and the rest of us have scratches all over us." Icestorm looked like she could collapse at any moment.
Stripedpaw was next to speak: "It's hopeless! Without Redtail, no one can get healed! No one knows the herbs except for her!"
"Don't worry about that," Icestorm mewed as she and Spottedtail dropped Dapplefur onto the ground.
Spottedtail inspected Dapplefur closely. "I have some knowledge of basic herbs," she said softly. "I need some cobwebs and dock."
Darkfire and Sunstripe rushed out of camp as soon as Spottedtail said what she needed.
"Do you think Dapplefur and Jadepaw will be okay?" asked Icestorm.
"Jadepaw just needs some comfrey root and poppy seeds, but Dapplefur might be a bigger problem," Spottedtail said, eyes glazed over with worry.
"Don't worry," I said. "Dapplefur is one of the strongest cats I know. She could be the clan's next deputy."
"Speaking of deputies, we still need to get you your nine lives," Icestorm said.
I had long since given up hope that Redtail would ever come back to WingClan, but I never let anyone know. I bluffed to Icestorm that Redtail would come.
Icestorm just ignored me and walked away, trying to ignore the pain of her scratches.
I walked over to Spottedtail instead.
"What did happen to Dapplefur?" I asked.
"She was ravaged by the dog." She pointed to a nasty bruise on Dapplefur's lower belly. "Here's where the dog kicked her. And here's where the dog gripped her." She pointed to a bloody gash on Dapplefur's back. "The dog swung her side to side until he decided to go after Jadepaw instead."
Come on, Redtail, I thought. You need to come back so you can help Dapplefur.