Chapter Twelve: Grieving Each Other

"Dreamstar, I-"

"Talk to my deputy."

"Dreamstar-"

"I'm sorry, but I really can't be bothered right now!"

"IT'S ME, CALICOFUR!"

"Oh. Then just go away."

Sighing, the calico medicine cat stepped into the den to find her leader and friend curled up in a ball, back facing her.

"What's wrong?" She asked gently. "Is Windstar all right?"

"Oh, him?" Dreamstar spat the word with contempt. "He's just fine. You could ask about your old pal formerly known as Dreamcloud..."

Calicofur sat down next to the she-cat. "Well?"

"First," Dreamstar said in a soft voice. "He brings Swift and Blizzard. Then, he accused all three of us of murder. Then, we finish the relationship off."

Calicofur's head was spinning, and after only three sentences. Windstar and Dreamstar...?

Over? That couldn't be possible! If they were over, then she'd never have a chance at getting over her own depression! If they were over, what miracles COULD happen?

"You two are... over?" She croaked in shock.

"What do you think?"

Dreamstar closed her eyes. "Leave me alone, I want to sleep."

Calicofur darted nervously out of the den, but returned with some poppy seeds. "Um, these will calm your nerves a bit-"

"Leave me alone, Calicofur!"

"Sorry!"

As she ran out, the medicine cat collided with Palelegs. "Oh, I wouldn't go in there if I was you. She's kind of cranky."

"Cranky?" Palelegs asked skeptically. "Seriously?"

"Actually," Calicofur corrected herself. "I'd phrase it more like 'distraught' now that I think about it... but, yes, essentially, she just needs to sleep."

"All right..." Palelegs muttered, then looked up. "Want to see the kits? They're one moon old today."

Calicofur froze. Her son... one moon old...

"Of course!"

Her heart literally seemed to swell when she saw Nightkit tumbling around on wobbly paws with his adopted sister. Was this what she would have had if she had kept him...?

No. She mustn't think that.

"They're beautiful, Palelegs," Calicofur whispered. "Stripedkit looks just like Thornclaw."

"She does, doesn't she?" Palelegs murmured. Love shone in her eyes for Nightkit as if he was her own; Dreamstar had trained the queen well. "Oh, come up here, little ones!"

The kits halted at her voice, and came scrambling up as fast as their short legs would take them.

"Yes, Mother?" Nightkit asked, looking up at her.

"This is Calicofur, the medicine cat," Palelegs purred. "She is probably the kindest cat in the Clan, and one of the wisest. You both must treat her with great respect, for she speaks with StarClan and heals us all."

"You're very pretty," Stripedkit told Calicofur shyly, gazing up with eyes still milky blue. Nightkit, meanwhile, stared, as if trying to remember something.

He couldn't...

Fortunately, it must have been nothing, for the kit finally mewed, "I've heard stories about you helping Dreamstar a lot when she was a warrior."

"I'm going to be a warrior as brave as her!" Stripedkit exclaimed. Those words touched Calicofur's heart-Dreamstar could use a boost...

"Yes, I am friends with Dreamstar," She purred, then stood, beckoning with her tail. "Now, why don't you come with me?"

Along with the help of their confused mother, the kits stumbled towards Highledge. When it came time to bound, Calicofur carefully picked Nightkit up, and Palelegs did the same with her daughter.

"Dreamstar," Calicofur called, gently setting her son down. "You have some visitors..."

Maybe it was something in Calicofur's tone that prevented Dreamstar from being harsh. Wearily, she sat up and asked tiredly, "Who?"

Gently, Calicofur nudged Nightkit and Stripedkit forward. "It's hight time these kits met their leader."

Dreamstar's amber eyes lit up; despite her wild nature, she adored kits. "Calicofur!" She exclaimed. "Are these Palelegs's?"

"Yes," Palelegs meowed, padding into view. Her eyes showed concern for her former mentor. "How are you feeling, Dreamstar? No offense, but you don't look... well."

She didn't. Her fur was ungroomed, eyes glazed, nose a bit runny, and muscles slack. The young leader looked almost like a recipient of whitecough.

"I'm fine," Dreamstar murmured, giving her fur a few quick embarrassed swipes of the tongue to smooth it. She then crouched so that she was eye to eye with the kits. "Nice to meet you. What are your names, may I ask?"

"I'm Nightkit," the little tom mewed, puffing out his chest. "And this is Stripedkit." His sister looked up hesitantly.

"What a handsome tom," Dreamstar purred, touching noses with each. "And a pretty little she-cat!"

She straightened. "They're fine kits. You should be proud, Palelegs."

Her eyes shot towards Calicofur as she said this.

xxx

Windstar sat down, sinking his claws into the ground. He really wasn't liking this. Not at all. Why had he even...?

"Windstar-"

"Don't bother me right now, Littlecloud."

"But Windstar, we have discovered something major," the medicine cat meowed.

"Which is?" He sighed.

"We have suspicions that Swift of SwiftPack killed Toadeye."

Rage burned in Windstar.

"Look, Littlecloud," He growled, standing. "Please stop accusing the wolves. They're more loyal than we thought."

Littlecloud's eyes widened, then he laughed. "Let me guess? She told you that everything was fine and that I had been lying? A mix-up, perhaps?"

Windstar fixed him with a glare.

"Come now, Windstar," Littlecloud reasoned, an edge of desperation coming to his voice. "What cat would trust that wolf?"

Windstar walked straight past him, and then crouched down at the entrance of his den, eyes fixed on something only he could see. "I would."

"Bu-"

"Be quiet, Littlecloud. I lost the thing that mattered most to me. And I'm never getting that back."

xxx

"This is just wonderful," Yellowfang growled, standing and walking towards where Feathertail stood. The younger silver tabby cocked her head.

"What's wrong?" She asked. "You look pretty serious."

"It is pretty serious," Yellowfang admitted. "Sun and Snow have-"

"Oh, no!" Spottedleaf cried, overhearing and padding towards them. "Don't tell me that they-"

"What?" Bluestar cried. The one time she finally felt safe about a prophecy, THEY had to go and mess it up...

"Just explain it to me," Feathertail sighed.

"Sun and Snow are no longer together," Yellowfang whispered. Three pairs of eyes, one amber and two blue, widened.

"What does this mean?" Feathertail asked.

Bluestar looked up at the StarClan sky, eyes like ice.

"It means... all hope is lost."

xxx

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