Skyfeather had stayed up all night wondering how Cherrynose and Spottedpaw were coming along and praying to StarClan to bring them home safely. Knowing Midnightstar, he wouldn't be too happy to let the rescued cats leave safely.

But eventually, sunrise came, and mentor and apprentice were nowhere to be found. Skyfeather got to her paws, dreary with lack of sleep, and ran her tongue over each of her three kits in turn. They mewled quietly before cuddling closer together and sleeping more.

Skyfeather cast a nod at Frostfur before leaving the nursery and padding across the clearing to the warriors' den. Maybe the two had returned unsuccessfully when she wasn't looking.

But as Skyfeather ducked her head into the den, Cherrynose wasn't there.

Sighing in worry, she stretched in the rising sunlight and yawned deeply. She realized that the best thing to do right now was sleep; Cloverpaw would have to wait.

"Skyfeather, what are you doing up so early?" Stormstar meowed, padding up to his mate from the leader's den.

Skyfeather yawed once more. "I was checking…" her voice trailed off as she remembered that Stormstar didn't know that Cherrynose and Spottedpaw had gone overnight. "Never mind. I'm going to go sleep. I had a horrible night. Didn't sleep a wink."

Stormstar nodded. "I've been worried too," he meowed softly. "You never know what Midnightstar is going to do next."

Skyfeather nodded and padded wearily toward the brambled nursery. Her kits were still sleeping inside, along with Frostfur. But as Skyfeather entered the den, the white queen awakened.

"Skyfeather?" she muttered through a yawn. "You were outside?"

Skyfeather snorted. "Just for three seconds," she replied. "I wanted to see if the rest of the Clan was awake yet."

"Why?"

Skyfeather shrugged. "I don't know."

Frostfur nodded. "I'll watch Oceankit, Talonkit, and Rainkit again if you want to train with Cloverpaw," she mewed.

Skyfeather yawned. "I'm actually going to give Cloverpaw a break and stay in the nursery today," she answered. "But thank you."

Frostfur nodded and rested her head on her paws once more for a small nap. Skyfeather followed suit and was eventually able to sleep.

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

When Cherrynose and Spottedpaw made it back to the camp, the sun was high in the sky. Skyfeather winked open her eyes at the smell of Cherrynose and Spottedpaw's scents and got to her paws.

"Where are you going?" Rainkit mewled eagerly. Skyfeather realized that they must've been awake for some time.

"I'm going to go see Cherrynose," Skyfeather replied. "You three stay here with Frostfur."

Rainkit "hmphed." "I want to leave the nursery today," he exclaimed. "Can I please go see the camp today?"

Skyfeather considered Rainkit's whim. "All right, but not now," she meowed eventually. "I have to go see Cherrynose." Without waiting for a reply, Skyfeather padded out of the nursery, her tail drooping in the sandy dust. She still hadn't gotten enough sleep, and her nap had been filled with fitful dreams of Cherrynose and Spottedpaw and her kit, Wolfkit.

"Tawnyspot!" a yowl sounded from near the warriors' den. Skyfeather's ears pricked at the sound. She breathed in deeply and sure enough, Tawnyspot's scent was in the gentle wind.

"Tawnyspot," she breathed to herself, relief surging through her veins. Eagerly, she bounded across the clearing and halted abruptly as Cherrynose and Spottedpaw burst through the fern entrance.

"Skyfeather," Cherrynose gasped. "We got Tawnyspot and Wolfkit! They're here!"

Skyfeather felt like she was going to collapse in relief and pride. Without saying anything, she pelted through the ferns, along with Silverwing, Bluetail, Hawkpaw, and Bravepaw. Cherrynose and Spottedpaw took the lead.

The RainClan cats bounded through the dense undergrowth, running along with the wind. Skyfeather was surprised what adrenaline could do to her when she was tired.

Soon after, Cherrynose and Spottedpaw halted beside a lump of rising-and-falling tawny tortoiseshell-tabby fur. Four tiny kits were huddled close to it, suckling fervidly. One of the kits broke away and gazed up at Skyfeather intently. His fur was slicked back with disease and his golden eyes were dull. His fur was dappled grey with a brown speck every so often.

Wolfkit.

The small grey kit tipped his head to one side. "Are you…Skyfeather?"

Skyfeather's eyes brimmed with joy at the sound of her fourth son's voice. She wanted to scoop him up and wash him until his fur fell off, but she instead replied with a simple, "Yes…"

Wolfkit took a step forward. "Tawnyspot told me about you when she could talk," he mewed. Skyfeather wanted to fall over at the mere sight of him speaking. "You're my…mother, right?"

Skyfeather let out a sigh of relief. "Yes," she replied.

Awkwardly, Wolfkit padded up to his mother and touched noses with her.

"Oh, Wolfkit!" Skyfeather gasped suddenly, scooping up her son by the scruff. She tossed him playfully to the ground and ran her tongue all over his pelt.

Wolfkit coughed and laughed a high-pitched laugh. "Get off! Stop!" he yowled in delight.

Skyfeather backed away. "Wolfkit, I'm sorry I couldn't save you," she mewed.

Wolfkit giggled and pressed his muzzle against Skyfeather's silver flank. "I love you, Mom," he muttered.

Skyfeather silently rejoiced with her son until Bravepaw prodded her with a forepaw. "Skyfeather," she mewed softly. "Skyfeather, Tawnyspot's asking for you."

Skyfeather glanced at her son. "I'll be right back," she murmured. Reluctant to leave her son's side, she padded over to Tawnyspot. She let out a small gasp when she saw the queen. Her eyes were crusted and barely open, and her fur was clumpy and matted.

"Tawnyspot, what did they do to you?" she mumbled to herself before leaning down and crouching over Tawnyspot.

"Sky…feather…" Tawnyspot croaked.

"No, don't talk," Skyfeather interrupted. "We need to get you to Icepool. Hawkpaw, go and tell Icepool to prepare some herbs for Tawnyspot and her kits. Silverwing, Bluetail, help me bring Tawnyspot back to camp. Cherrynose, you take two of her kits. Spottedpaw, take the third. Bravepaw." Skyfeather paused and glanced at the brown apprentice, shy under the pressure. "Please be careful and take Wolfkit. I think he's diseased as well."

Bravepaw nodded, unusual determination gleaming in her eyes. "I'll be careful, Skyfeather," she mewed before gathering up Wolfkit.

Skyfeather leaned down and helped Tawnyspot to her paws. Silverwing and Bluetail ran around to her other side and helped limp her to the RainClan camp.

Sunhigh had come as the cats made it back to the RainClan camp. Skyfeather, Silverwing, and Bluetail brought Tawnyspot to Icepool's den and set her down gently in the unoccupied nest outside Icepool's separate den. The four kits were already there, huddling together for warmth and support. Icepool was crouched over them, hushing them with soft words.

"Skyfeather," the white medicine cat breathed as she padded up to him. "Wolfkit! He's here, with Tawnyspot's kits! They're—"

"I know, Icepool," Skyfeather interrupted. She opened her mouth to say more, but Wolfkit rushed up to his mother and shoved himself into her side. Skyfeather reassuringly wrapped a paw around his shoulders.

"I'm afraid to say that they all have whitecough, and I think Tawnyspot's the same by the looks of her. Skyfeather, I need an apprentice!"

"You may have my apprentice until these cats are cured," a deep voice meowed from the opening of the den. Skyfeather turned around to see Stormstar and Mothpaw padding through the entrance. Mothpaw was once the deputy, or Second, of Coal Pack, second in command to Spottedpaw. They had become exceptional friends since their joining of RainClan.

Mothpaw trotted up to Icepool. "What do you need, Icepool?" she meowed.

Icepool didn't hesitate. "Juniper berries. Do you know where to find them?"

Mothpaw nodded. "I've spotted them while training with Stormstar," she meowed before turning around and whisking out of the fern tunnel and disappearing from sight.

As Icepool rushed over to inspect Tawnyspot, Skyfeather smelled another scent drifting through the fern tunnel. She glanced up at Stormstar, realized the scent.

"I told them they could meet their brother," Stormstar confessed.

"Stormstar—" Skyfeather started incredulously, but Rainkit already burst through the entrance, followed by Talonkit and Oceankit.

Rainkit halted in front of Wolfkit and sniffed scornfully. "He smells like MidnightClan," he hissed.

Skyfeather clicked her tongue. "Rainkit, he's your brother, whether he smells like MidnightClan or not. Now treat him with some respect."

Rainkit glanced from his mother to Wolfkit, who was staring at her grey paws. Eventually Rainkit tiptoed forward and touched noses with Wolfkit. Talonkit mimicked his brother and backed away quickly.

Last, Oceankit padded confidently up to Wolfkit. "Mother told us you were taken by Midnightstar," he meowed, taking the authority of being born first. "I'm very sorry and welcome you, brother."

Wolfkit touched noses with Oceankit and went back to huddle next to Skyfeather.

"Wolfkit," Skyfeather meowed, "don't you want to meet your father?"

Wolfkit blinked at his mother. "Is it Stormstar?" he asked. Skyfeather nodded. "You mean my father is the leader of RainClan?" Skyfeather nodded with an added purr.

Cautiously, Wolfkit padded up to Stormstar. The dark grey leader dipped his head down and rested his head on top of Wolfkit's. The small grey kit mewled wordlessly and pounced at his father, laughing excitedly. Stormstar laughed light-heartedly and played with his son for a moment or two.

"Skyfeather!" Icepool hissed from beside Tawnyspot. Skyfeather was jerked into reality and trotted over to Icepool. "Look at this."

Skyfeather leaned down and examined a wound on Tawnyspot's right shoulder. "It looks like an infection, but from what?"

"Rats," a small voice whimpered from the nest where Tawnyspot's kits were huddled.

Skyfeather stared at them. "What did you say?"

The tiny she-kit, a bracken-coloured tortoiseshell, scuffled her paws around for a moment and mewed one single word: "Rats."

Skyfeather padded gently up to the kit. "What's your name little one?"

The she-kit hesitated and mewed, "N…Nettlekit."

Skyfeather was impressed with the kit's ability to speak. She was probably born only a couple moons ago.

"Okay, Nettlekit," Skyfeather mewed warmly. "You mean your mother was bitten by a rat?"

Nettlekit nodded.

Skyfeather nodded brusquely and turned to Icepool. "It's a rat bite infection," she declared. "What helps infected rat bites again?"

Just then, Mothpaw came bursting through the entrance and dropped some pale purple berries next to Tawnyspot's nest. Icepool quickly instructed her to get some burdock root from beside the sugar river. The brown-and-black apprentice nodded curtly and stalked off through the ferns.

"I take it it's burdock root," Silverwing muttered from beside Stormstar.

The leader turned to Silverwing and Bluetail, waiting patiently by the entrance. "Would you two take Oceankit, Talonkit, and Rainkit back to Frostfur?" he ordered. "They shouldn't be outside the nursery for too long."

The two warriors nodded and herded the kits out of the medicine cat's den. Stormstar turned to Icepool and Skyfeather. "Proceed."

"Skyfeather, can you tell Tawnyspot's kits and Wolfkit to eat one berry each?" Icepool asked anxiously. "They don't taste so good, so prepare for complaints."

Skyfeather nodded and gathered up four juniper berries from the pile Mothpaw had collected. She brought them over to the kits and dropped them in front of them. "Eat up," she mewed. "They taste good."

Wolfkit and Nettlekit didn't hesitate before lapping up the berries. They each let out mewls from the taste, scrunching up their muzzles. The other two toms however didn't move from where they were hunched.

"Come on, you two," Skyfeather mewed, lifting one amber-coloured tom to his paws. "What are your names?"

"Emberkit and Pinekit," Nettlekit mewed happily. Skyfeather could tell that her son and Nettlekit would be fine whether they ate the proper herbs or not. It was Emberkit and Pinekit that would need some help.

"Thank you, Nettlekit," she meowed and watched as the two toms licked up the berries. When they were all finished eating, she sat down and rasped her tongue over every one of them.

"Sky…"

Skyfeather glanced upward from Pinekit's brown tortoiseshell pelt. Tawnyspot…

"Skyfeather?"

Without hesitation, Skyfeather got to her paws and rushed over to Tawnyspot's side. A sudden yowl sounded from the main clearing, causing Stormstar to disappear, but Skyfeather wasn't going to leave Tawnyspot's side, not now.

"Skyfeather," Tawnyspot rasped again.

"I'm here," Skyfeather breathed, relief at the sound of Tawnyspot's voice filling her with joy.

"Are they…all right?" Tawnyspot croaked. Skyfeather assumed that "they" meant her kits.

"Yes, of course," Skyfeather replied. "They're perfectly fine. They'll be okay, Tawnyspot."

Tawnyspot sighed in relief. "And Wolfkit?"

"He's fine too," Skyfeather answered. "They're all going to be okay."

Tawnyspot's eyes seemed to gleam for a moment before returning to their dull state. "At least some cat will survive Midnightstar's awful rule."

Realization of Tawnyspot's words flooded through Skyfeather. "No, Tawnyspot, don't think like that!" she mewed. "You're going to survive too! Icepool will save you!"

Almost as if for reassurance, Skyfeather cast a side-long glance at Icepool. He only preoccupied himself with chewing up the excess juniper berries and feeding them to Tawnyspot.

When the tortoiseshell queen was through eating, Skyfeather pressed her nose to the matted fur. "Don't worry, Tawnyspot," she whispered. "You'll live."

Another yowl sounded from the clearing, followed by numerous hisses. Skyfeather looked up and trotted out of the medicine cat's den. Outside, the whole of RainClan was gathered around the entrance to the camp.

Skyfeather squeezed her way through the warriors and apprentices, making her way to the front of the crowd. The smell of EmberClan, MidnightClan, and LightClan filled her nose…along with…kittypets?

Stormstar was seated patiently in front of ten cats—all of them looking rather menacing compared to the small RainClan cats. To Skyfeather's surprise, she recognized one of the she-cats with a MidnightClan scent…

And it hit her.

Creamfur!

"What do you all want?" the outraged voice of Whitefang hissed from the crowd. Skyfeather looked opposite Stormstar to see the former loner hissing at the newcomers.

"Hush, Whitefang," Stormstar ordered. "These are friends."

"Friends?" Whitefang scoffed. "She's from MidnightClan!"

Skyfeather glanced at Creamfur, and the two locked eyes for a short moment. It was at that moment when Skyfeather realized that Creamfur was a true friend, and had had the very same dream as her.