Disclaimer: Spottedmoth123 does not own Warriors.

fanfic1892~ Thank you! :)

DarkstormShadowClan~ You're welcome, and thank you so much! You will find out the kits names in the next chapter.

Lightningstripe~ I almost jumped out of my seat when I read this review- it was the point that I was trying to get across! I'm not going to say if he did/is going to or didn't, but you will find out in this chapter.

Guest~ Why thank you.

There ACTUALLY isn't any gore in this chapter (don't worry there will be in the next!), but I will warn you that a cat dies and if you are a fan of any of the Sacrificed, then you must prepare yourself. And now, without further hesitation, here is chapter eight!


Dovewing ran through former ThunderClan territory with the herbs clutched in her jaws, Toadstep limping behind her. As they splashed through the river, the cries began to grow louder, and Dovewing recognized the voice as Mosspelt's. She finally reached the peak of the hill, rushing forward.

Mosspelt turned, her eyes glazed with fear and shock. Lionblaze and Cinderheart lay on the ground in a heap.

"What happened?" Toadstep demanded, his eyes blazing.

Mosspelt shuddered, gazing up at the tom with fear-filled eyes.

Dovewing winced, realizing that her Clanmate was blaming the former RiverClan queen. "Toadstep, I'm sure Mosspelt would never touch them-"

"I said, what happened!" Toadstep shouted over her, roaring with anger.

"I-It was the shrew! I think it was poisoned!" Mosspelt whimpered, pressing close to her kits.

Shock overwhelmed Dovewing, remembering Lionblaze's words to her: "The shrew didn't seem to see me." She rushed over to her Clanmates, setting the herbs beside her.

Relief flooded through her as she saw that Lionblaze's flank was rising and falling rapidly, but grief nearly toppled her as she saw that Cinderheart's body was deathly still. She turned, meeting Toadstep's gaze. Do you think you could scrape out a den to sleep in? We cannot risk moving Lionblaze, nor the kits."

Toadstep dipped his head. "I will manage."

Mosspelt rose to her paws as well, leaving the kits wreathing in their nest. "I will help you. The kits nursed recently and shouldn't need me for a while."

Toadstep dipped his head gratefully, and the two turned to a small hill beside them. "Here looks good," he began to dig into the soft earth.

Dovewing padded over to the kits, covering them with soft moss to keep them warm. The tiny black-and-tortoiseshell she-kit squeaked pitifully, squirming towards her warmth. "No, no, little one," she chided, tucking the kit back in before turning and padding back over to Cinderheart and Lionblaze. She nudged Cinderheart's body off of Lionblaze, wincing at how limp the she-cat was.

She then positioned Lionblaze's body until he was in a more comfortable position; she was thankful for the long grass of WindClan territory, that cushioned the golden tom. She turned to look at the herbs, uneasiness pricking in her pelt.

What herbs do I use? I know simple remedies for battle wounds, but Cinderheart was the expert...

Suddenly Cinderpelt's scent writhed around her, soft as a summer breeze. "Use yarrow to make them sick..." the StarClan cat whispered in her ear. A warm breeze caused a bundle of herbs to blow towards her and Dovewing grabbed them.

Dovewing chewed them into a pulp before spitting it out and pushing it into Lionblaze's mouth. For a moment she worried that it wouldn't work as the tom as unconscious, but after a minute his body seized up and a fountain of vomit erupted from his mouth. Gratitude for Cinderpelt overwhelmed her as the former Medicine cat swept the vomit away and wiped Lionblaze's mouth.

"Now feed him Juniper berries and he will be fine," Cinderpelt meowed, resting her tail-tip on Dovewing's shoulder.

The grey queen obeyed, relief overcoming her as her Clanmate relaxed. "Thank you," she meowed, turning to face Cinderpelt, but the mysterious she-cat was already gone. She then began to groom Lionblaze's fur, cleaning out the grit and dirt until it returned to its former self, a glowing ray of sunshine.

"Are you sure you can manage the rest by yourself?"

Dovewing turned as she overheard Mosspelt; the queen was facing Toadstep, mud caking her pretty pelt.

Toadstep blinked. "We're nearly done, I'll be fine," he promised.

Mosspelt dipped her head gratefully, turning and padding across the moor and down to the river. Dovewing ran after her, her growing belly swinging below her. The tortoiseshell queen was splashing in the water, letting out quiet laughs of happiness.

"You really do like water," Dovewing commented in amusement, stepping forward and allowing the current to flow around her forepaws, cleaning out dirt and blood.

Mosspelt opened her eyes, turning to her. "All RiverClan cats do," she purred, her gaze saddening. "Sometimes I really miss my Clanmates," she admitted, sighing. "I feel like an outsider here- you, Lionblaze, and Toadstep are all of ThunderClan. I don't even know the condition of any of my Clanmates."

Guilt welled inside Dovewing. "You are our Clanmate now, Mosspelt. And... And I have some sad news about two of your Clanmates," she paused.

Mosspelt's gaze hardened. "Tell me," she whispered.

Dovewing touched her tail-tip to the she-cat's shoulder in comfort. "Pouncetail got stuck under a branch during the fire, and Petalfur stayed with him. Toadstep and I found their bodies and buried them."

The former RiverClan queen let out a quiet yowl of grief, striking the water with an angry paw and sending a spray of water up into the air.

Dovewing stepped forward, pressing against the she-cat in comfort. "Let's get cleaned off," she meowed softly, crouching down and allowing the water to flow through her thin fur. Mosspelt did the same, her eyes still watering.

After a few moments of silence, Mosspelt cleared her throat. "Well, thank you for burying them," she meowed softly, stepping out of the water.

The two she-cats clambered up onto a large rock, letting the setting sun dry out their pelts. Mosspelt gazed down at the water, her eyes remorseful. Suddenly she flashed out a paw, scooping a flopping silver fish out of the eater. She caught it in her jaws, killing it gracefully.

"Great catch!" Dovewing praised, her stomach rumbling at the sight of fresh kill.

Mosspelt blinked. "Thank you," she glanced down at the grey she-cat's stomach. "You should have it- I have already eaten, and we should save the rest of the rabbit for Lionblaze when he wakes up; rabbit keeps longer than fish."

Dovewing dipped her head. "I will share it with Toadstep, thank you." She rose to her paws, shaking out her now dry pelt. "We should be heading back."

Mosspelt dipped her head in agreement, standing and gripping the fish in her jaws. The two she-cats padded back to camp just as stars began to appear in the sky. Mosspelt padded forward and set the fish beside the remains of the rabbit before settling beside her kits, purring.

"Dovewing, Mosspelt, you're back," Toadstep trotted over to Dovewing, his eyes glowing. Dirt smeared his pelt and a tiny nick was newly carved in his left ear.

The grey queen touched noses with him, licking his cheek. "What happened to your ear?"

The black-and-white tom blinked. "A rock fell and hit me," he meowed. "It's nothing!" He added quickly as Dovewing began to fret over him.

"Can I come see the den?" Dovewing questioned after finally agreeing that his ear would be fine.

"Of course," Toadstep made her close her eyes before guiding her over to the foot of the hollow with his tail. "Okay, open."

Dovewing opened her eyes, gasping with shock. "It's... It's amazing, Toadstep!" The tom had dug deep into the hillside, carving a cozy nesting place into the side. Though not very wide, the roof was way up, nearly two cats high, and there were four nests already gathered inside, one slightly bigger than the others; Dovewing guessed that this would be Mosspelt's. There were even two tiny indents in the center of the den, one lined with pebbles and filled with water; the pebbles prevented the water from soaking into the dirt ground. The other hollow held the herbs that Jayfeather had given her, some fronds of grass protecting them from the wind that ran across the territory.

Toadstep purred as Dovewing glanced around in awe. "I waited for you to get back so that we can all settle in."

"Thank you," Dovewing meowed, still amazed. She pushed her say back out of the den, padding over to Mosspelt.

The tortoiseshell looked up, her eyes glowing. "Is it time to go into the den?"

Dovewing dipped her head and Mosspelt stood up. Each she-cat picked up a kit, Toadstep coming over and picking up the remaining two. The three cats entered the den, and Mosspelt sank into her nest gratefully. The four kits were placed by her side, where they began to suckle instantly.

Dovewing purred in amusement, though it faltered as her gaze found Lionblaze's nest. She turned to Toadstep, her eyes dull. "Has he woken up?"

Toadstep shook his head. "Hasn't so much as blinked an eyelid. I'll go bring him in here."

Dovewing opened her mouth to protest but the tom was already gone back out onto the moor. She ran out after him, picking up the rabbit remains and fish. She followed Lionblaze back into the den, setting the fresh-kill down on the ground. Toadstep shrugged Lionblaze off of his shoulders and into his nest, where he lay still. The black-and-white tom backtracked and grunted, shoving a boulder into place, blocking the entrance to the den.

He then flopped into his own nest, pain and exhaustion filling his eyes. Dovewing rushed forward, fear overwhelming her. She put a cool pad to his head, withdrawing her paw briskly. "You're burning up!"

Cinderpelt, what do I do?

The deceased she-cat's scent surrounded her at once. "I will guide you," she whispered.

Dovewing turned and grasped a small piece of moss, soaking it in the pool of water in the center of the den before turning back and placing it on Toadstep's infected wound; it was swollen and pulsating, oozing both blood and puss. She let the water flow over the wound, washing away the disgusting coating. She tossed the moss to the side, turning to the herbs.

"You need to treat the swelling now," Cinderpelt instructed, appearing beside her in a solid form.

Mosspelt shrieked in surprise at the sight of the dead she-cat, cowering in her nest.

Cinderpelt turned to the former RiverClan cat, laughing quietly. "Hello, Mosspelt. It has been a while." She then turned back to Dovewing, blinking. "You need stinging nettle, it has green seeds."

Dovewing searched the pile of herbs, finally spotting the plant.

"Chew it and apply it to the wound."

The grey she-cat bit down on the herb, nearly spitting it out at the horrible taste, chewing it into a soft pulp. She then spat it onto her paw, smearing it onto Toadstep's wound.

"No no, like this," Cinderpelt rubbed her paw gently on the wound, allowing the herb to soak in. "Now you need lavender. I don't see any here so how about you go look out on the moor?"

Dovewing dipped her head, somewhat reluctantly, padding away and shoving the boulder to the side until a hole opened up just big enough for her to squeeze through. Her eyes scanned the darkness, slowly adjusting to the light. Suddenly she spotted a bush growing a few tail-lengths away; bright purple berries hung from it in juicy clumps. She trotted over, grabbing a cluster in her jaws; she made sure not to bite any, not wanted to waste any of the precious juice. She looked around for lavender but when she saw none, ducked back inside the den and shoved the boulder back into place.

Cinderpelt looked up, suddenly jumping to her paws and knocking the berries out of her mouth. "Those are deathberries!" She screeched, smashing them under a furious paw and causing Mosspelt's kits to turn their tiny heads toward the commotion.

Dovewing jumped back, startled, blinking rapidly.

Surely they can't be that bad if Jayfeather had them in his den...?

Cinderpelt seemed to calm a bit once the berries were trodden completely into the dirt. "Death-Deathberries can kill a cat if eaten," she gasped out, out of breath.

Dovewing's fur rose in horror, though she forced herself to stay quiet.

Is Jayfeather going to kill himself?

The ground began to spin before Dovewing and Cinderpelt blinked sympathetically. "How about you get some rest. I'll take care of Toadstep," she meowed.

The grey queen was too tired and shocked to argue and instead padded over to her nest, which lay between Mosspelt's and Toadstep's. Her gaze flitted over to Lionblaze's sleeping form, letting out a loud sigh. The tom was resting peacefully, thank StarClan, but Dovewing still felt a twinge of uneasiness.

Am I, a she-cat one moon from kitting, the only thing that is protecting these cats, one ill, one injured, and one nursing kits, from the horror that BloodClan has bestowed upon us?


Mystery POV: earlier that day-

He had imagined the look in Dovewing's eyes when he refused to give her the Deathberries; she was shocked, of course, at the aspect of him killing himself. This was, of course, ridiculous, as this was completely out of proportion; it was not his death he was plotting, and had been for the past three days. No, he was too important for that.

He shuffled around his den, nosing in the small crevices until he found what he was looking for; a small scrap of fur so old that dust clung to it like flies to a cobweb.

Was he conceited for thinking that? No, not at all. It was true, after all. He must carry out this plan or ThunderClan was most certainly doomed. Of course, there were always the sacrificed.

He scoffed, dropping the fur onto the leaf where the Deathberries were already waiting before curling the sides of the leaf up and clutching it in his mouth.

The Sacrificed couldn't do anything. Even if two did make it out, they'd be beyond exhausted and basically useless. He had done his best to read all of the ThunderClan cats' minds, though he had struggled due to their distance. Toadstep had been thinking about Dovewing and her unborn kits, much to his dry amusement. Dovewing must be blind to not realize the tom's feelings for her. Dovewing, meanwhile, had been stressing over Petalfur and Pouncetail. The most peculiar, however, had been Lionblaze and Cinderheart; he hadn't picked up anything from either cat.

The tom pushed his way out of the den, pushing away the grief that choked him momentarily.

I will be back. This is not good-bye.

Just as he was about to exit camp, a thought struck him and he backtracked, picking his way up onto the TallLedge. He stood tall, puffing out his chest and raising his head to the sky. A feeling that he had not felt since he was a kit flowed through him.

Suddenly a scent wreathed around him and a pale white she-cat appeared beside him, her green eyes glowing with wisdom. "It is time to go, my love," she whispered in his ear.

The tom shook himself, jumping down from the ledge. He ran out of the camp, not bothering to look back. He would never return.


Did you like the extra scene? I think it's quite obvious whose POV it is but I will keep it secret in case anyone doesn't know.

Review and I will update faster!

-SplashXx

P.S. Sorry to any Cinderheart fans, I actually didn't have her did in the original plot of this story but I changed this for reasons that I cannot say without ruining the plot.