Jayfeather bolted to the Nursery, yelling orders as he went.
"Ferncloud, take another cat with you and search around the Nursery! Dustpelt, round up some warriors and check for any scents that might have a trail! Lionblaze, get some help and… I don't know, just do something!"
He burst through the Nursery entrance and took a wild look around. There was no sign of a fight, but there was a hole in the corner of the den with some dark gray fur caught in the branches. There was a heap of leaves and grass to try to conceal the hole, but the job was poorly done in obvious haste.
Jayfeather wanted to cry, and his heart sank. He knew Sootkit was gone, and he didn't know if he'd ever see the bright-eyed kit again.
Dustpelt's voice from behind made him jump.
"We found traces of a scent," Dustpelt's eyes darkened with sadness and sympathy when Jayfeather looked at him hopefully, "but it was concealed with mud. I'm sorry, I know Sootkit meant a lot to you."
"More than you know," Jayfeather mumbled as he fought back wails of grief. "Thank you, Dustpelt. Is there any way to track the mud scent?"
"No. It ended quite abruptly at the edge of the camp, as if they rubbed it off. There was a large supply of mud on some ferns nearby, too. I'm sorry, we tried everything we could." Dustpelt apologized over and over.
"It's all right. I know the whole Clan tried as hard as they could," Jayfeather said. He knew Dustpelt might be getting suspicious about why he cared so much, so he added, "I just saw great potential in him. It's such a tragic loss for the Clan. There's still a chance he'll be found; after all, the Gathering is tomorrow, and I'm sure Bramblestar will address it with the other Clans." Dustpelt nodded and left to create a search party to look for the little kit.
"Oh, Jayfeather, what will I do without him?" Cinderheart sobbed into his shoulder fur.
"It'll be okay; we'll find him." He licked the top of her head comfortingly to try to calm her down. "It's not the first time a kit's been stolen, and other kits in the past have been returned safely."
"But what if he isn't found? What if he grows up in another Clan like Mistystar and Stonefur, and then we meet in battle someday, and then the moment after he slices my throat, we lock eyes and he recognizes me, and I recognize him, just before my eyes close for the last time?" Cinderheart's in a panic now, and Jayfeather takes her to the medicine den.
"Calm down. That won't happen. Here, eat these," he pushes some chamomile and lavender stems toward the she-cat. She eats them without thinking about it, and Jayfeather settles her into a nest to let her rest.
"They'll find him."
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Dustpelt's search party came back after dawn; they'd been out so long that they did the dawn patrol on their way back. They had found nothing but a tuft of gray fur and a kit's footprint in some dried mud. Unfortunately, it was directly in the center of the territory, so they didn't have any hint as to which Clan stole the kit. Whoever it was, they were very clever.
Jayfeather had kept the bit of fur found on the branches in the Nursery as a keepsake incase he never saw Sootkit again. It was a sad thought that Cinderheart had brought to his mind, but what if Sootkit did end up like Mistystar and Stonefur-nearly killing their own mother? What if he grew up and forgot Jayfeather, his own secret father? He could never live with himself if all the love and memories they shared were lost forever, never to be reminisced.
Jayfeather had escaped to the herb store after the news arrived to weep. He felt hopeless and lost, much like Sootkit, wherever he was now. He only came out to eat at sunhigh, and he was fully planning on going back after, but Cinderheart had stopped him.
"No more weeping. You need to deal with this like everyone else is. I know he meant a lot to you, but he did to me too. Please, just give it a little time before you jump to the conclusion that he's gone forever. The Gathering is tonight, and I'm sure some clues will come from that." Cinderheart's tail swept over his back, and then she was gone, slipping out the entrance to camp without a care…
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Jayfeather waited as Bramblestar rounded up the cats going to the Gathering, and every cat going looked anxious to see how the night turned out, while every cat not going looked disappointed while they asked their friends to tell them everything when they got back.
Bramblestar lead the cats through the fern tunnel and into the forest. Every cat was extra alert for any signs of the missing Sootkit, but no one found anything by the time they reached the fallen tree-bridge.
Jayfeather crossed second after Bramblestar. The rest of the Clan followed after, with the new deputy, Cloudtail, crossing last. All the cats poured into the clearing, and Jayfeather saw many of his clanmates shoot hostile glares at the other cats; the other three Clans had already arrived.
Bramblestar leaped onto the branch where Firestar used to sit and nodded to Blackstar to start the Gathering.
The white tom yowled to let every cat know the Gathering was starting. The clearing fell silent as Blackstar shared some small news about ShadowClan. They'd had a litter of three kits born during the night a quarter moon ago; Jayfeather was sure they thought it was a good omen to have kits born to their Clan during the time of shadows.
Then Mistystar reported spotting a fox on their territory and that it had crossed onto ShadowClan territory. Blackstar nodded to acknowledge their information, and Mistystar finished her report quickly.
Onestar went next. He reported nothing out of the ordinary, and ended with, "Prey is running well," as all Clan leaders did when they had nothing else to report.
Finally, it came to Bramblestar's turn. He stepped forward slightly and raised his head proudly.
"ThunderClan has suffered a tragic loss. Our leader, Firestar, lost his last life less than a half moon ago. He was a noble and respected leader, and I know I won't ever forget him." Cats from all Clans in the crowd began to murmur Firestar's name loudly, and then quieter, and quieter, until the murmurs ended.
"We've also had a litter of kits born to us. Cinderheart delivered two beautiful kit's a little less than a moon ago. They're developing quickly, and they'll make fine young apprentices when they're older. But recently, one of the kits has gone missing; however, I don't believe 'missing' is the right word. I think 'kitnapped' is a better word." Yowls of protest came from the other Clans as what Bramblestar was saying sunk in.
"Why would any of us want a ThunderClan kit!"
"We have our own kits! We don't need yours!"
"If it's Cinderheart's kit, why would any cat want it?" Brackenfur bristled at the cat who had said this, and was ready to leap on him when Sorreltail calmed him down and led him away.
"I'm not saying anyone in this clearing took him, I'm just saying we found scent trails covered by mud scent in the camp, large amounts of mud on the edge of the fern tunnel, and a kit's paw print where the scent trail ended. I want Sootkit back, and I want him now." The leaders stared at Bramblestar and hissed with fury.
"You're the newest leader of a Clan, and you dare to come here an accuse us of stealing a kit from your Clan! You're a mouse-brain," Blackstar spat.
"Now now, everyone calm down!" The clearing quieted with Mistystar's yowl of disapproval. "Bramblestar, I know you're angry-"
"Furious," Bramblestar corrected.
"-but this isn't the right way to go about things."
"Then how do I go about finding who stole the kit, hmm, Mistystar the Wise?" Bramblestar mocked her tone. "There is no other way. I just want to let everyone know, we will find out where he's gone, and then we'll invade without any warning. Just watch out." Bramblestar glared at the cats in the clearing.
"Mark my words, there will be revenge."