CHAPTER 12

The camp was oddly quiet when the patrol returned. The Clan was scattered about camp huddling in small groups, whispering and whimpering to one another. The only cat that came to greet her was Fernstar. Featherwind looked at her with grief.

"I'm sorry I couldn't stop them. There were too many..." Fernstar only rested her tail on her shoulder and gave her a small nod with the smallest of smiles before turning away to her deputy. Featherwind's ears drooped immediately. I wish she would have made me do apprentice work... This is the worst punishment! I let her down! Featherwind started to the warriors den why she heard mewling come from the nursery. Then she remembered. The kits are here! She padded over to the nursery and poked her head in.

"Can I come in Blizzardheart?"

"Of course, Featherwind." Came the response and she slipped inside. The white she-cat was curled around six kits. Two, of which where Foxkit and Ashkit. One was golden with bold brown stripes, a she-cat, another was cream with a blue-gray face, a tom. They seemed the same age. She leaned forwards and sniffed then. She gasped.

"Those two are Bluefeather's and Sunwing's kits!" Blizzardheart's light blue eyes lit up as she watched her. Featherwind looked at the other two. The she-kit was sleek black with streaks of silver and silver paws. Her brother was white with black paws except for his left fore paw. It was ginger. She didn't recognize the parents' scent. Featherwind purred.

"Aren't they just beautiful?" Blizzardheart smiled. "They finally stopped whimpering and when to sleep." With her tail she pointed to the black and silver she-cat and the white tom with black and ginger paws. "Those two are almost old enough to be apprenticed. This one is Twilightkit." She pointed to the she-cat. "And that one is Soulkit." Her tail fell beside the tom. "At least, that's what they told me." She smiled. Featherwind switched her gaze towards Bluefeather's and Sunwing's kits.

"What are their names?" She asked. Blizzardheart shrugged.

"I couldn't tell. They are too young to understand." Featherwind stared at her.

"So, what are they going to be called?"

"I think Fernstar was going to name them." Featherwind nodded then flicked her tail in farewell and exited the den. She looked up. Fernstar had jumped onto the High Ledge and was calling a meeting. She walked up and sat down. She felt fur brush her side. She smiled and looked up at Skullclaw. He blinked at her with his one, good, green eye and smiled. Featherwind looked up at Fernstar.

"You should all very well know that MoonClan and rouge cats have become allies and driven out FireClan." Furious howls and snarls filled the cave. "Featherwind, you ran into FireClan to warn them and helped save the kits." Heads turned to stare at her.

"It was mostly Skullclaw and Dovepaw. The rouges where dumping them into the stream and they rescued them."

"Cats drowning kits? That's absurd!" Ambersong stood up. Her eyes where filled with anger. She was clearing remembering how her son died. Fernstar nodded

"I agree. It's cruel and wrong. Featherwind, we still thank you. They will be brilliant additions to the Clan."

"Oh, so now we're taking in FireClan cats? First traitors, then rouges, now cats from our neighborhood Clan? What's next? Kittypets?" Hawksight's eyes were blazing and his fur was spiked as he stood up challengingly.

"BreezeClan will take what it can get right now!" Fernstar snapped fiercely and Hawksight growled. "Twilightkit's and Soulkit's parents are Mistheart and Ashfleck. They are five moons. The other two, kits to Bluefeather and Sunwing I have decided to name Bluekit and Sunkit in their honor. They are only a moon. Poor Sunwing was killed in battle. We don't know about the others." The Clan began to murmur amongst themselves. Featherwind looked at her paws. Grief and angry surged through her light lightening, clenched her heart. She felt Skullclaw's fur pressed against hers and she looked up at him. He was watching her with sorrow filled eyes.

"We must all be ready for another attack by MoonClan. They will bring their rouge allies and we will be outnumbered just like FireClan, but we will not flee! This is our home and I intend to keep it!" Yowls of approval rose around the cave, echoing strongly off the walls.

"Swiftrain, we need prey. Lots. We will store it in camp for as long as we can. Stay as far away from MoonClan's and FireClan's borders. We must assume that MoonClan will be using FireClan's land now, so don't cross the stream if possible." The tom nodded and start called to the four apprentices.

"Time to prove your hunting skills." He eyes showed no excitement. He was serious. If they didn't get enough prey, it would affect the entire Clan. The four she-cats nodded. They all seemed to understand what would happen if they failed. Fernstar continued.

"I will lead a border patrol with my strongest warriors. We must patrol the borders constantly! We must show MoonClan that we mean business. We will have posts as well. A warrior will be assigned to a spot and must stay there, on guard and if MoonClan or rouges are spotted, they must report back immediately. We can't afford to take any chances." Fernstar's tail was lashing strongly and bushed out. "I'll take Oakfur, Hawksight, Featherwind, Ambersong, Streamspark, and Skullclaw, are you fit in case of battle? If your eyes healed enough?"

"Can you even fight with one eye?" Hawksight sneered.

"Shut up!" Featherwind whipped her head around to face him. Hawksight looked taken back.

"I'll be fine, thanks Fernstar." Skullclaw smiled.

"Good." Fernstar leaped from the High Cliff and signaled for her patrol to gather around her. Swiftrain lead his hunting patrol out of camp first and Fernstar slipped after him. Featherwind sighed. What was going to happen to them? BreezeClan had become prisoners in their own territory.

At the border, Featherwind scented the air MoonClan hadn't been here for a while. Fernstar ordered the patrol to mark it very thoroughly all along the MoonClan border. Featherwind kept glancing to the side over the border, expecting Vicious cats to leap out across the border.

I'm glad their territory is just a huge meadow. It makes it so much easier to see them coming. Fernstar halted when they reached the Stream. Featherwind looked over into the Fishpond. There were some fish near the bottom, but none where close enough to the surface to scoop out. The leader looked over her patrol.

"Let's take the Stepping Stones."

"Are you crazy, Fernstar?" Oakfur challenged. "The Stepping Stone are way back towards camp! Past camp even! Why don't we just jump?"

"Not all of us are fit enough to jump, Oakfur. Neither can we jump as far as Featherwind." Featherwind ducked her head with embarrassment.

"Well, we don't have time to go all the way back and up here again!"

"Um, Fernstar." Streamspark stepped up. "I know where the stream is more narrow and shallow. It's just a ways down there." She waved her tail upstream, away from the MoonClan border.

"Fine. Streamspark, lead the way please." The blue-gray she-cat glowed and led the patrol towards the narrow part of the stream.

Streamspark was right, Featherwind noted. The stream was much narrower here, and shallow. But it also made the water move much more quickly. She flinched. Would they all still make it? She wondered. Streamspark was the first to go. She took a running jump and landed in the water, a tail length from the shore. Featherwind drew in a sharp gasp. Not all BreezeClan cats could swim! Streamspark strongly wadded out of the water, puffing with effort. Hawksight went next, he charged forwards and leaped. Featherwind smiled to herself. He jumped wrong. He didn't lift his forepaws first and it made him have to slow down to crouch and aim at the edge and he splashed into the water. He kicked out and thrashed in the water, trying to get to shore. Streamspark reached and helped drag him out of the water. Once out, he shoved her aside and shook out his fur angrily. Ambersong, Oakfur, Skullclaw, and Fernstar all went next and all got at least a bit wet. Featherwind waited to go last. She crouched at the edge of the stream, not wanting to take a running jump.

"She'll never make it that way." Oakfur snickered and Hawksight was scowling at her, but she paid no attention to them.

"Shush!" Skullclaw hissed at Oakfur and the brown and black tom snarled in his direction. Skullclaw rolled his eyes and looked back at Featherwind. She lifted her paws and sprang, kicking up sand as she flew into the sky. She reached out with her forepaws and landed silently on the grass beside them. She looked back. There was still a good tail length behind her till the shore. Featherwind shone inside when Hawksight made an unintentional squeak noise. Ambersong was watching her. Her brilliant amber gaze shone with pride. Oakfur was scowling. Skullclaw gave her a nudge of the shoulder and he looked up at him. He was smiling and looked quite impressed. She purred. Fernstar swept her tail around her patrol and they all headed back upstream.

Once they had finished the MoonClan border, the patrol made a right turn and where immediately at the FireClan border. There was a gasp from the back of the patrol and Featherwind looked away from the territory. Dead cats lay around the pine trees and the undergrowth was ripped and torn up. It looked like a TigerClan and LionClan had a battle! Their ancient Big Cat ancestors. Scarlet was spattered across the ground. It reeked of death and blood. Featherwind saw Oakfur screw up his face.

"Great StarClan! I knew FireClan stank, but they smell even worse dead!" Hawksight chuckled.

"Shut up! Just, shut up!" Streamspark snapped, lashing her tail.