Chapter 7

"Mama?" a tiny voice squeaked.

Nightcloud opened one eye, barely awake. The queen had been in ThunderClan for a few days now, and her kits had just opened their eyes and started speaking. Hearing their little voices still surprised the black she-cat.

"Yes?" she asked, her eyes focusing on her tabby kit.

"Don't feel good," Streamkit sniffled, her voice breaking off with a loud cough.

At once the she-cat leaped to her paws, touching her nose to Streamkit's head. She recoiled at the feel of hot, sweaty fur. "You're burning up!"

"Cold," the tabby kit wailed, shivering. "Very cold."

Nightcloud felt a tremor of fear pulsing through her body. It was only early leaf-bare. If Streamkit got sick now, how could she survive the even colder weather to come? Glancing at her other two kits, the queen sighed with relief when she saw Eaglekit and Swallowkit sound asleep, the breathing slow and deep. They were okay.

Grabbing Streamkit by her scruff, the queen rushed out of the nursery. A blast of chilly early-morning air hit the mother and the kit, causing Streamkit to let out a pitiful wail. "Really cold!"

Nightcloud hurried to the medicine cats' den, noticing the camp was hauntingly empty. It was still too early for the Clan to be up and busy with their duties. Leafpool and Jayfeather would surely still be curled up in their nests.

Pushing through the lichen curtain that sheltered the medicine den from wind, the queen set Streamkit down on the soft, sandy earth. "Jayfeather! Leafpool! Help me, please!"

The light brown tabby she-cat's amber eyes flew opened, surprised to be awakened that early. Jayfeather woke up more slowly, stretching luxuriously before answering the distress call. "Nightcloud?" he asked. "What are you doing here?"

"It's Streamkit!" the queen cried. "Her pelt's burning up, but she's freezing and coughing."

The blind gray tom yawned and shook his pelt quickly, trying to wake himself enough to examine the kit. He stepped out of his mossy nest and padded closer to the sick kit, bending his head down to touch her fur.

"Cold!" Streamkit cried miserably. "Want warm!"

Jayfeather flicked his tail unhappily. "She has a fever," he growled impatiently.

The kit burst out in slew of coughs that shook her body violently. Leafpool heaved herself out of the nest, her eyes fixated on the kit. "It sounds like whitecough," she meowed.

"Please help her!" Nightcloud begged.

"Of course," the gray medicine cat meowed. "Put her in one of the spare nests." He pointed to a row of soft mossy nests in the far corner of the den.

The queen nodded and lifted her daughter gently, carrying her over to the nests. She set Streamkit down and sat beside her, wrapping a thick black tail around the tiny tabby.

Leafpool, who did not so much as look at Nightcloud, turned to her herb store. "Do we have feverfew, Jayfeather?"

"I don't think so," he mewed. "We have coltsfoot and catmint. That should work until we get some."

The brown tabby nodded brusquely, turning toward the den's exit. "I'll go and fetch some from the herb garden." She quickly left, not stopping to say anything to the worried mother.

Jayfeather sighed and flicked his tail with annoyance. "She's just upset, you know," he muttered.

"Why?" Nightcloud asked. "I haven't done anything to her."

The tom padded up to her and Streamkit, his jaws full of sweet-smelling herbs. "She still loves Crowfeather," he mewed, setting the herbs down. "She never stopped."

Nightcloud narrowed her eyes, feeling uncomfortable. "He never loved me. Sometimes I wish he'd never asked me to be his mate."

"Then you wouldn't have had Breezepelt," Jayfeather reasoned, tearing the leaves into small bites for the kit.

"He was a traitor," the queen mewed quietly. "Don't you hate him? Don't you hate me?"

Streamkit pushed the herbs away when the medicine cat shoved them her way. "Yucky!"

Jayfeather shook his head. "Yummy. These will make you feel all better. If you eat them, you'll be playing with your brother and sister in no time."

The kit stared at the medicine cat with a disbelieving look in her eyes, but she slowly began to chew the crunchy herbs.

The gray tom turned back to Nightcloud. "Breezepelt turned on the Clans during the great battle. He helped the Dark Forest kill innocent cats. I don't like him, but you're his mother. You're supposed to love your kits no matter how they screw up."

"I do love him," the queen whispered.

"And to answer your other question," Jayfeather continued, "no, I don't hate you. You're right- Crowfeather should never have been your mate. He still loved my mother. It wasn't fair to you or Breezepelt. I know he wasn't a good father."

Streamkit sat up in her nest. "Yucky things all gone!" she announced.

"Good," the medicine cat replied. "Now you lay down and take a nice long nap."

"Not tired!" the kit argued.

Jayfeather shrugged. "You will be."

Nightcloud glanced down at her little daughter. "Can I stay with her?"

"You have other kits to tend to."

"But they aren't sick," she persisted. "I really should stay with Streamkit."

The medicine cat shook his head. "Eaglekit and Swallowkit need you, too. They'll be wondering where you are."

The queen sighed, knowing he was right. "I'll be back to see her in a little while," she meowed as she stood up to leave."

"I'll be expecting you."

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath High Ledge for a Clan meeting," Bramblestar called from his spot on the ledge.

Nightcloud poked her head out of the nursery, watching her new Clanmates congregate in the center of the camp. The sun was just beginning to set, and the round moon was already almost as bright. He must be announcing the cats going to the Gathering tonight, she thought as she sat down just outside her den, close enough to Eaglekit and Swallowkit to hear them if they cried out.

The dark brown tabby leader waited patiently as his Clan gathered. "Tonight will be an important Gathering. I plan on confronting Onestar on his treatment of Nightcloud. Any leader who would force an innocent Clan mate out and let her be nearly killed is acting outside the Warrior Code and this should not be tolerated."

The black she-cat squeezed her green eyes shut, wishing Bramblestar would just keep silent about the events of the past moon. It was over and done with, right?

"Nightcloud, I don't think it would be a good idea for you to attend this Gathering," the leader continued. "I don't want anyone to act hostile toward you."

"I understand, Bramblestar," she meowed respectfully. "I have a sick kit to attend too, anyway."

The leader dipped his head in reply. "And I'm sure she'll make a full recovery." He turned back to the cluster of eager ThunderClan cats waiting to hear who was attending the Gathering. "I'll be taking Brackenfur, Squirrelflight, Leafpool, Brightheart, Spiderleg, Mousewhisker, Cinderheart, Lionblaze, Ivypool, Hollypaw, Graystripe, and Sandstorm."

The chosen cats nodded enthusiastically. Squirrelflight leaped up onto the High Ledge to stand beside her mate. "Let's show WindClan they can't abuse their queens!"