Dovewing POV
The snow's crunch beneath their paws made a horridly loud noise. The weight of the kits in Dovewing's mouth slowed her down, and she trailed behind Ivypool. The fur on her cheeks was moist from the few tears she had let drop.
Tonight, she had felt a source of magic that she hadn't felt in a long time. It was a magic she had once felt with Bumblestripe, but now that he seemed to be permanently ignoring her, she doubted that they would ever find the love they had shared again.
But with Tigerheart, the magic had been awakened, and the love that had sunk to the bottom of her heart reignited. She had felt the serene meaning of passion in his eyes. She wanted so badly to find that magic again, to keep Tigerheart all to herself, and yet he belonged to another she-cat, a she-cat that was her sister.
Could she find the passion in Bumblestripe again? Was there still a chance for her to have happiness in ThunderClan? Or was he lost to her forever?
The first light of day was emerging from behind the mountaintops. They would have to hurry along if they wanted to make it back to the nursery while the clan was asleep. But Dovewing's limbs didn't seem to have the strength left in them to hurry along.
At last they reached the entrance to the stone hollow. Ivypool peaked her head through the bramble arch, and signaled that the coast was clear. They silently padded through the camp entrance, slinking towards the nursery.
"And where are you coming from?" a voice drawled.
Dovewing turned slowly to see the source of the voice, meeting Leafpool's suspicious amber gaze. She would've swallowed nervously, but she held two kit scruffs between her jaws.
Ivypool had lowered Beekit down on the ground so that she could speak. "Oh, Leafpool! We just went to, uh... to..." Her eyes darted around, as if trying to find a valid reason to have left camp with the three young kits in the middle of the night.
Dovewing abruptly thought of a lie, and set her kits down as well. "The kits wandered off into the woods, so we went find them!" she said, talking fast as if to quicken Leafpool's satisfaction.
Leafpool tilted her head to the side. "Why did you not ask for help to find them?" she asked. "It's dangerous for the kits to be out alone, esspecially at night. The more warriors looking for them, the faster they would be found."
"We, uh- We just assumed that they had not gone far, and didn't want to stir up trouble!" Ivypool mewed defensively, adding a seemingly forced laugh.
"Well, that was foolish," Leafpool said sternly. Dovewing and Ivypool stared at her in silence for a few seconds, awaiting another question, but Leafpool just said, "I'm glad you found them at least." The suspicion had not faded from her eyes.
Dovewing let out a quiet breath of relief. Thank StarClan she believed us! she thought. She smiled gratefully at Leafpool, who looked ragged and tired. Her tail drooped, and her pelt was notably dirty, as if she hadn't had time to groom it.
"Are you alright, Leafpool?" Dovewing inquired, her forehead furrowing in concern. Leafpool sighed hoarsely.
"I'm alright, thank you. It's just that the sickness is getting so bad in camp. I pretty sure Brackenfur and Spiderleg have greencough. I've searched our entire territory time and time again, but their doesn't seem to be one more tiny bit of catmint left. There's nothing I can do..." the pale brown tabby medicine cat trailed off. She looked waisted.
"We're so sorry, Leafpool," Ivypool told her.
"Yes, and we wish you luck for finding catmint!" Dovewing added. Leafpool nodded in acknowledgment, and then turned away from them.
Dovewing turned around to start back towards the nursery, ready to sleep for a moon.
Dovewing was awakened shortly after dawn by a commotion of many loud voices. Brightheart was stirring beside her. She peaked her head out of the nursery entrance to see cats crowding into the medicine den.
"What in StarClan is going on?!" Brightheart exclaimed, squeezing out beside her. "How come everyone is over by Leafpool's den?"
"I'll go see," Dovewing told her. "You stay with the kits!"
The pale gray queen shouldered her way through the mass of ThunderClan cats to see what was causing the uprising.
"Why?" Rosepetal was sobbing. "Why my father?"
Cloudpelt was standing stock still, frozen in despair. Cinderheart and Poppyfrost were weeping and pressing against each other.
Each lying still in their nests as if they were simply asleep, were Spiderleg, Snowkit, and Brackenfur. The scent of illness and death was thick in the air. Leafpool was crouched in the corner, tears streaming silently down her cheeks.
Dovewing rushed over to the medicine cat, wrapping her tail around her shoulders comfortingly. "Oh, Leafpool, I'm so sorry!" she whispered.
"I tried to help them, but they needed Catmint! All I could do was fetch soaked moss!" Leafpool cried, resting her chin on her paws. "It's all my fault! If I had just... just acted sooner-"
"You did everything you could, Leafpool! More cats would've died if it hadn't been for you!" Dovewing encouraged, hoping that she was saying the right things. Leafpool didn't reply, but continued to cry without a sound.
Dovewing realized that all of the wailing and shouting was not helping Leafpool's state, so she strutted to the den entrance, and yowled to get everyone's attention. The crowd was promptly quieted. "Cats of ThunderClan!" she called out. "It is true that Brackenfur, Spiderleg, and Snowkit are dead. But the day must continue! You must leave Leafpool now, to attend to the sick and perform her clan duties. Tonight we will mourn those lost!"
With little objection, the cats cleared away, leaving the medicine cat empty of lively activity. Lilypaw coughed, and Dovewing responded by grabbing a tuft of moss, and then squeezing it into the weak apprentice's mouth.
"Would you like me to help you prepare the bodies?" Dovewing asked Leafpool softly. Leafpool nodded without looking at her.
"Yes, Dovewing, that would be very helpful," Leafpool confirmed, before setting to work.
"Alright, I will, but first I have to... I have to tell Brightheart," Dovewing said, realizing the difficult task she had ahead of her. She walked slowly to the nursery, not knowing how to break the news to Brightheart.
Daisy ran ahead of her, and disappeared into the nursery. Dovewing didn't hear exactly what the cream she-cat said, but she could guess when Brightheart cried, "Must I lose my brother and my kit on the same day?! Why must StarClan claim so many young lives before it is their time?!"
Dovewing stopped, and stared sadly down at the ground. She would go back soon to comfort her grandmother, but for now, she had to return to the medicine den to help Leafpool.
Once back in the den, she found Leafpool rubbing Snowkit's tiny white body with fresh ferns. Jayfeather was doing the same to Brackenfur. "Will you show me what to do?" she asked, stepping up beside the medicine cat.
"Yes," he agreed solemnly. "First, you groom the cat's fur until it's clean and shining, and then you rub bracken or another strong-smelling herb over their body so that they smell like earth instead of death."
"Okay," Dovewing mewed, picking up a clump of ferns and placing them next to Spiderleg's body. She leaned her head down to begin licking his fur.
It felt strange to be grooming Spiderleg, as she had no relation to him. There was no heat coming off his skin, and the scent of sickness clogged her nose and made her feel as though she might vomit. But she endured the unpleasantness, imagining how inappropriate it would be for her to throw up on Spiderleg's dead body.
Once Spiderleg's short, dark pelt was clean and glossy, Dovewing grasped the ferns between her teeth and rubbed it over his muscles. Once she was finished, Jayfeather padded over to survey her work.
"Good," he praised. "Thank you so much, Dovewing."
Not knowing what to say to ease the atmosphere, Dovewing simply nodded, accepting his means of gratitude, and left the den with a feeling of gloom. When she reached the nursery, Brightheart was curled up in the corner staring into space. Cloudpelt was sitting about a half of a tail-length away from her, looking up, examining the sky. The kits were nowhere to be seen, and Dovewing guessed that Daisy had taken them out to play to give the grieving couple some peace.
Dovewing, still speechless, did not enter the nursery, but instead decided to see about the kits. Daisy was sitting on a rock at the base of the stone hollow, watching Dewkit, Amberkit, Beekit, Applekit, and Beaverkit all play with a pigeon feather in the snow.
Dovewing chose a relatively large rock beside Daisy's, scraped the snow off of it, and lighted down onto it. "How are you, Daisy?" Dovewing asked the older queen as she licked a paw and drew it over her forehead.
"I'm well, I suppose," Daisy replied, watching the five kits tussling with a warm gaze. "I'm just so worried about the clan. Prey is running short, greencough is running wild through the ranks, and ShadowClan seems to be about to pounce on us and tear our tails off."
Dovewing nodded in solemn agreement. "Hopefully we can pull ourselves together soon. New-leaf will be here before we know it, and then our lives will go on as usual," she assured Daisy, trying to mentally convince herself that the words were truthful.
"I sure hope so," Daisy murmured, flicking her tail.
Dovewing watched Dewkit and Amberkit squabbling over the feather, seemingly oblivious to the fact that their brother had just left their world. Her gaze flitted to her own kits, smaller and a bit less lively, but still having the bounce in their step that signified their innocence and naivete.
"Okay, I'll be a fox, and you be rabbits!" Beaverkit ordered.
"Okay!" Beekit and Applekit agreed in unison. Beaverkit crouched down and growled mockingly. Beekit and Applekit screeched in pretend fear, darting away as fast as their stubby legs to carry them through the snow.
Applekit tripped on a stone and landed on her belly, and Beekit toppled over her, followed by Beaverkit, who landed atop his siblings, leaving them in a giggling heap of brown and gray fur.
Dovewing purred in amusement. She wished that her kits' lives could always stay like this; joyful and simple.
What should she do about their knowledge of their father? Lie to them until they were old enough to understand? Or never tell them? Or perhaps tell them right away? Would they even understand?
I just wish that these kits belonged to Bumblestripe! Dovewing thought regretfully. I love him, not Tigerheart, and that's all that matters. Why can't everyone just realize that?
Bumblestripe strode across the camp, purposefully not making eye contact with her, heading for the medicine cat den, most likely to see the bodies of Spiderleg, Snowkit, and Brackenfur.
I love you! she wanted to scream. But she knew he wouldn't believe her. If only there was a way to prove to him that she loved him!
She missed him. She missed his touch, his smile, his laugh. She missed the magic.