A/N: Just to let you guys know, this may be the last chapter for a while. I'm beginning to lose motivation to write this story (reviews would help!), and I don't know what to do with the characters anymore. I also have a ton of schoolwork to do so I have less time to write.
Disclaimer: I don't own Warriors.
Birchpaw
"So, Spottedcloud's been taking care of you all this time?" Birchpaw asked. He'd gotten over the initial shock of seeing Mosspaw still alive and healthy, but now he was sitting across from her in the den, sharing a mouse with the dappled apprentice.
Mosspaw nodded. "It's thanks to her that I'm still alive. I'd have never been able to handle the cough on my own."
Birchpaw took another bite of the mouse. "What kind of cough was it?"
"Spottedcloud said it was kitten-cough," Mosspaw replied, looking down at her paws. "I guess I'm still too young to be an apprentice. I'm only four moons old, I think."
"Something like that," Spottedcloud meowed, coming into the den with a few herbs in her jaws. "We have no idea where you and Darkpaw came from, though."
Mosspaw shrugged. "I guess it's better that way," she mewed quietly. "I don't know why our parents would abandon us in the snow."
Birchpaw shuddered slightly. He couldn't imagine life without Ashpetal. His father, Thrushwing, barely glanced at his kits, but it was Ashpetal who had raised Birchpaw and Swallowpaw for two whole moons, making sure that they were prepared for being an apprentice and later a warrior. Swallowpaw might even become a queen one day.
For a moment, Birchpaw wondered what it would be like to have kits, but he pushed the thought away. He'd be able to have kits when he became a warrior, but not any sooner.
He looked over at Mosspaw. She was sitting next to Spottedcloud now, watching intently as the tortoiseshell warrior chewed leaves into a pulp and then spat them onto a larger, wide leaf, mixing them in with a few crushed berries.
Birchpaw ignored them, for the most part. He finished off the mouse, then realized that he was feeling a bit disappointed. He'd expected Spottedcloud's secret to be something important. Sure, Mosspaw was a loner now and Hazelstar would be furious if she knew that one of her warriors was sneaking out to help the former apprentice, but Mosspaw wasn't all that exciting. She wasn't even a threat to the Clan.
"Did you hear that?" Mosspaw was looking outside, eyes wide and ears pricked. "I thought I heard something outside."
"Stay here," Spottedcloud warned, getting up. "I'll go look. One of the warriors might have followed us here."
Mosspaw looked scared at this; she retreated farther to the back of the den, eyes wide with fear. She pressed herself against the den wall as though she were trying to blend in, but Birchpaw could still see her mottled fur clearly against the dry brown soil.
A few moments later, Spottedcloud called down to them. "Come up here! You won't believe what I've found." She sounded worried, so Birchpaw flicked his tail to Mosspaw, signalling for her to follow him. After a few moments, she did, and the two of them emerged from the den.
Birchpaw's eyes widened as he saw Spottedcloud standing close to three kits. They were huddled together, staring up at the tortoiseshell warrior with wide eyes. One of them, a dark tortoiseshell, was curled up on the ground, unmoving.
"Can you help us?" One of them mewed. It was a dark silver she-kit; her blue eyes were wide and pleading. "Our brother is sick." She flicked her tail in the direction of the tortoiseshell kit. Birchpaw could faintly hear the tom kit's rasping breaths.
The final kit, a light brown tabby tom, pressed closer to his sister, his fur fluffed out against the chilly air.
"My brother was a tortoiseshell," Spottedcloud murmured, half to herself. "He died after about a moon. He grew terribly ill and eventually stopped breathing altogether. My mother was devastated." She returned her attention to the kits. "How old are you?"
"Our mum said we're a moon old," the silver kit mewed. "Have you seen her?"
Mosspaw was standing beside Spottedcloud now. She crouched down and looked at the kits, her amber eyes glowing with sympathy. "What's her name?"
"M-Marta," the brown tabby replied. "We were out playing, and a huge brown tabby came by and said that we belonged to him… she tried to stop him, but he attacked her. She told us to run, and we did, but we got lost and… now we're here."
Spottedcloud's eyes narrowed slightly. "She sounds like a kittypet to me."
"Swallowpaw and Hazelstar were attacked by a brown tabby," Birchpaw offered, remembering what his sister had told him. "Is it the same one?"
"Mum said his name was Hawk," the silver kit mewed shakily. "She said that he was in charge of the alleys and that he stole kits from their parents and forced them to fight for him…" She trailed off and pressed closer to her siblings as though their warmth would protect her.
"We'd better get you back to FallenClan," Spottedcloud murmured. "Can one of you walk by yourself?"
The silver kit stepped forwards to answer, but Mosspaw interrupted before the kit could speak. "What are your names?"
"My name is Kestrel," the brown tabby kit offered. "My brother's name is Thorn, and my sister is Lake."
"We're bringing you to FallenClan," Spottedcloud repeated, and picked up Thorn by his scruff. "Birchpaw, do you think you could carry Lake? Kestrel, you'll have to walk on your own."
"But there are three of you," Kestrel mewed, sounding confused.
"I can't come with them," Mosspaw explained. "I was banished from the camp."
Kestrel looked like he was about to protest, but he nodded and followed Birchpaw and Spottedcloud back to camp.
Lake was about half Birchpaw's size, and it was hard for him to carry her, but he forced himself to manage. The small kit was shaking, but he couldn't tell whether it was from fear or cold.
"Are you okay?" He mewed, trying not to drop her.
"F-fine," Lake replied, but she closed her eyes and didn't say anything else. She was obviously hungry and tired, but Birchpaw wasn't sure if FallenClan was the best place for her to live. What if she was banished like Mosspaw was? Birchpaw shuddered at the thought of the small silver kit alone in the cold.
When they entered camp, Birchpaw was aware of many cats watching him. A few of them let out cries of shock when they saw the kits.
"What's this?" Frostflight yowled, fluffing out her fur. "Where did these kits come from?"
"This is the same thing that happened with Scorchfrost, Mosspaw, and Darkpaw," Softfeather meowed. "Where did you find these kits, Spottedcloud?"
Spottedcloud put Thorn down for a moment so she could speak. "They were hiding near an abandoned fox den out in the forest."
Frostflight opened her jaws to say something, but before she could, a loud yowl sounded from the camp entrance.
"What is the meaning of this?" Hazelstar growled, dropping a mouse on the ground and coming to stand beside the kits. Sootblaze and Nightstream came up hesitantly behind her.
Hazelstar looked at Spottedcloud with narrowed eyes. "Where did these kits come from? Is it just a coincidence that one of them is tortoiseshell like you, or that the brown one looks like your mother?"
Spottedcloud flinched, but she met Hazelstar's gaze evenly. "They aren't mine," she hissed. "Their mother is a kittypet."
Hazelstar's eyes widened and she looked down at the kits. Birchpaw set Lake down next to her siblings; she immediately scurried over to huddle up next to them.
"Is this true?" Hazelstar growled. "Was your mother a kittypet, little kits, or was she someone else?"
Kestrel nodded. "She's not our mother," he mewed, looking up at Spottedcloud. "She found us and brought us here."
Hazelstar looked at Birchpaw. "Can you confirm this?"
Birchpaw nodded. "I was out hunting with Spottedcloud when we found the kits. She's telling the truth."
Hazelstar sighed and closed her eyes. For a moment she looked older and more tired. "We'll take them in," she meowed wearily. "Ashpetal, can you nurse them?"
The gray queen nodded and stood up, coming over to the kits. "I have some milk left."
"That's settled then," Hazelstar meowed. She said nothing else as she retreated to her den. Birchpaw noticed that her ginger-and-white tabby fur was matted and dirty, but he didn't point it out.
When the kits were settled, Birchpaw went over to Swallowpaw. His sister was curled up in her own nest, since there was no room for her in Ashpetal's nest with the kits there. Swallowpaw twitched in her sleep and her jaws parted slightly in a silent yowl. It was obvious that she was dreaming.
"Wake up," Birchpaw muttered, prodding her flank with a paw. At once, Swallowpaw's eyes fluttered open and she looked up at him with wide eyes.
"I was having a dream," she murmured shakily. "I saw… a lake… it was red with blood…" She closed her eyes again, trembling slightly. Birchpaw sighed and pressed closer to her, being careful not to disturb her wounds.
"I know who attacked you," he said after a while, recalling what Lake had told him. "His name is Hawk. He trains kits to fight for him."
Swallowpaw raised her head, looking troubled. "I saw a hawk in my dreams," she mewed, sounding weaker than before. "And…"
"Save your strength," Birchpaw murmured, pressing his nose to her ear. "You need to rest. We'll talk more in the morning."
Swallowpaw nodded weakly. Soon she was sleeping again, her flank rising and falling steadily. Birchpaw quietly stood up and went over to Spottedcloud, who was sitting in her nest.
"You know about herbs, right?" He asked. Spottedcloud started and glared at him, flicking her tail at Sootblaze, who was sitting nearby. The gray tabby's ears were pricked as though she'd overheard them, but she was just watching Scorchfrost.
"Be quiet," Spottedcloud warned. Birchpaw nodded, and after a few heartbeats Spottedcloud sighed. "I can't heal your sister," she meowed gently. "Hazelstar won't allow it. I'm sorry, Birchpaw, but Swallowpaw has to heal on her own."
"But what if you snuck some herbs in?" Birchpaw pressed. "I could give them to her secretly. No cat would ever have to know."
"Do you want me to risk Mosspaw's life?" growled Spottedcloud, glaring at him through narrowed golden eyes. "If I give you herbs and Hazelstar finds out, she'll want to know where you got them. She'll suspect me right away. She doesn't trust me already, and Mosspaw's so close to being able to return. Please, Birchpaw. I can't do this."
She turned away from him and curled up in her nest, her eyes closed. Birchpaw wanted to insist that she give him the herbs, but decided against it. Swallowpaw might heal by herself – at least, that was what he hoped.
When Birchpaw fell asleep, he was shocked to see that he woke up in a grassy clearing. A brown tabby she-cat sat in the middle of the clearing, her bright green eyes intently fixed on Birchpaw.
"Welcome back, Birchpaw," she mewed. Birchpaw recognized her as the StarClan cat he had seen before, but he was shocked to see her again. He'd dismissed her former appearance as a dream, nothing more.
Birchpaw's eyes widened and he took a step back. "You're not real," he mewed, shaking his head. "I must be dreaming again."
The brown tabby's eyes narrowed for a heartbeat, but then she relaxed. "We were afraid this would happen," she murmured, half to herself.
"Why did you summon me?" Birchpaw asked, still suspicious. "I thought StarClan only sent dreams to leaders."
"We also walk in the dreams of other cats – special cats like yourself." The brown tabby rose to her paws and came closer to Birchpaw. "You can see through the lies," she explained. "You know that Hazelstar's treatment of Mosspaw was unfair, and that the kits you brought to FallenClan do not deserve to be there."
Birchpaw nodded, but he was still confused. Was he really that important?
"There are others we've sent dreams to," the StarClan cat continued. "I'm sure you'll be able to figure it out."
Birchpaw narrowed his eyes in concentration. "Swallowpaw?"
"Correct," the she-cat purred, sitting down next to Birchpaw. "Can you think of any others?"
"Spottedcloud," Birchpaw replied. "And… Rippleclaw?"
"We have sent dreams to Spottedcloud, but not Rippleclaw." The she-cat's gaze darkened. "Rippleclaw would not betray Hazelstar, not when he believes we don't exist." She hesitated, but then continued. "You'll understand soon enough."
"What do you mean?" Birchpaw felt that there was something else the StarClan cat wasn't telling him.
"Blood will be spilled twice before the day is done," the she-cat warned. The scene around them started to fade, and Birchpaw began to panic, rising to his paws. As he glanced around, he saw flashes. He could see Hazelstar standing in front of the Clan, her eyes gleaming with determination and anger. Then he saw a heap of dappled fur lying on the forest floor, but he couldn't make out who it was.
Fear coursed through him as he realized the StarClan cat was no longer standing beside him. However, a few moments later, he felt her warm breath against his ear. "Find the other cats, Birchpaw," she whispered. "It is your destiny to be with them."
Then the dream faded entirely and Birchpaw was blinking his eyes open in the bright dawn light.
