Chapter Six

Stormfrost was surprised at the calm that followed the attack from Fallenstar and his rouges. It was now nearing summer, nearly four moons after the attack when Stormfrost walked toward the humanplace, hunting with Cloudpaw. Cloudpaw was following closely though his gaze kept shifting from his paws to his mentor. Finally Stormfrost stopped.

"What's the matter Cloudpaw?"

"Um…nothing" Cloudpaw muttered.

Stormfrost fixed his apprentice with a stern gaze. Cloudpaw looked sheepish. "Come on Cloudpaw, you know I'm smarter then a mousebrained kit."

"The scars" Cloudpaw murmured.

Stormfrost sighed. A lot of cats had said that or thought it. Fallenstar had struck his face and now he had three scars going diagonally across his face and muzzle. Though the scars had grown over with white fur it left white streaks across his face making them still noticeable. Amberheart had promised she didn't care and Runningfoot had gotten over the surprise. Risingstar simply said StarClan was reminding him of the price it would take to protect the clan. Greypool said he was lucky Fallenstar's claws hadn't struck his eye or he would have been blind. Still cats like Thornheart and some of the kits still remarked about it.

"Cloudpaw" Stormfrost meowed sternly. "I'm not a different cat. It's been nearly five moons, you shouldn't be that surprised."

"I know" Cloudpaw meowed. "I'm sorry."

"Oh, I just remembered" Stormfrost meowed. "Risingstar would like to speak with you when we get back to camp, you and Leopardpaw. Why don't you run back and tell Leopardpaw. I'll finish hunting and be back soon."

"Alright" Cloudpaw meowed eagerly, his old pep coming back to him.

The white tom streaked off through the green foliage. Stormfrost watched his apprentice go with a mix of pride and amusement. Risingstar had announced that it was time for their warrior ceremonies. Stormfrost continued along his path to humanplace and paused at the fences. There was a sudden series of hisses and Stormfrost was thrown off his paws. reacting on instinct the warrior unsheathed his claws only to see two kits had pounced him.

"What in the name of StarClan?" Stormfrost demanded. "What are kits doing this far into ThunderClan territory?"

"What are you doing at our home?" growled a black and white tom kit.

"We don't like evil wildcats" growled the she-kit, a little golden brown kit.

"Stop" meowed a voice thick with amusement. "Let the poor tom up. Is that anyway to treat kin?"

Sheba and Patch appeared, trotting down the path together toward their kits. Each parent took a kit and detached it from Stormfrost. The ThunderClan deputy stood up and shook his fur and looked surprised. He hadn't been to humanplace in moons so naturally he was surprised to see Sheba's kits grown so large already. The two put down their kits.

"Peach, Shadow, this is one of my brothers, Stormfrost" Patch meowed, nodding to Stormfrost. "He's a wildcat and if you must know wildcats aren't evil."

"Your kits are this old already?" Stormfrost purred, touching noses with Patch and Sheba.

"Yes" Sheba purred proudly. "Oh dear…"

The two had spotted the white lines crossing Stormfrost's face. The bigger tom shifted his weight from paw to paw uneasily. "It's nothing" he assured them. "An old wound, it's healed over now, just scars."

"Is Runningfoot alright?" Patch asked.

"Yes" Stormfrost meowed reassuringly. "He's at camp with his apprentice. I was coming to make sure everything was calm here."

"It is" Sheba said, relaxing a bit. "Peach and Shadow are about to get their first homes but they are unwilling to go, or at least Peach is. She's…"

"Are you really a wildcat?" Peach asked, her little golden head turned up to look at him.

"You don't get scars like mine from being a kittypet" Stormfrost meowed with a hint of a purr. "You're Peach?"

"Yes" Peach said. "Mama says the twolegs will change my name when I get a home. Is that true?"

"I don't know" Stormfrost admitted. "I ran off before I got a home. I ran off with Runningfoot before any human could try to make us their pet. That's how I ended up here."

"What about Oakkit?" Patch interrupted.

Stormfrost hesitated now. "He hates me" Stormfrost meowed bluntly. "He thinks I didn't protect the clan enough and his littermate died when rouges attacked. He thinks I have something against him because I won't take him as my apprentice."

"Oh" Patch meowed, looking sympathetic. "I hope he gets a good mentor."

"I don't know" Stormfrost meowed darkly. "He's been coughing for a few days now. Breezecloud, his second adoptive mother, took him to Greyfoot to be looked over. The clan fears it may be greencough. That's part of why I'm here."

"What can we do?" Sheba asked.

"I need catmint" Stormfrost explained. "Greyfoot asked me to find some incase what Oakkit has develops into greencough. So he can have a sock ready incase more cats get sick."

"My twoleg grows that" Sheba said. "We'll bring you some. Wait here."

Sheba vanished over her fence. Stormfrost turned back to the two kits and examined them with a careful eye. Peach was similar to Sheba, slender, graceful and her fur was a lush golden brown. Shadow had a slender frame and was slightly small for his age. Eager amber eyes similar to his father's burned through the black marks around his eyes.

"Congratulations" Stormfrost murmured to Patch. "I'll be sure to show you my kits when they are apprentices."

Patch pricked his ears. "What did you say?"

"Amberheart is in the nursery with my kits" Stormfrost meowed proudly. "The kits will be born in the summer."

"Congratulations" Patch purred, butting his brother's shoulder with his head. "Here comes Sheba."

The golden she-cat bounded toward them with several stalks of catnip in her jaws. Stormfrost took the herbs and thanked them, taking a last look at the family of four and feeling a deep happiness in his belly and turned to the forest again. For now everything was calm and peaceful. Fallenstar's attacks had fallen back and ThunderClan was left to rebuild. They were all safe and kits were becoming apprentices. The four clans were at a time of peace to fight against Fallenstar together. For now everything was alright.

Ok people this is the end of book 2. I know its short and I know the end isn't all that good but I promise good things in the last book, The Final Battle