Once Treepaw, Echopaw, and Twilightstar got back to camp, the sun was starting to set. Twilightstar leaped onto the Moonlit-Stone. "Will all cats above the age of six moons gather beneath the Moonlit-Stone for a clan meeting!" Twilightstar yowled.
Once all the cats were gathered, Twilightstar began. "It is time to name the cats who will be going to the gathering tomorrow. Ivymist, Endlessheart, Greenpaw, Treepaw, Whitepaw, Echopaw, Pebblepaw, and all warriors will go to the gathering." Twilightstar said the quick announcement, then the cats walked back to their dens.
"Echopaw, you sleepyhead! You slept right through the meeting!" Treepaw said as he prodded Echopaw in the side. "Okay, Okay. I'm getting up." Echopaw said as she got up and stretched her muscles, then padded out into the camp with Treepaw. "Um, Echopaw. There is something I need to tell you. Treefrost died last night. There was nothing Ivymist could do to help him." Treepaw said. "Oh." Echopaw said, grief thick like mud in her voice. "Twilightstar said we didn't have to do anything today, but I thought you might want to go walk with me. Oh, but first you should go get some chamomile. I already got some." Treepaw said. Echopaw walked off, her tail drooping and her head down.
Once Echopaw got back, she looked a little bit more cheerful. "Come on, Treepaw, let's go to the stream!" Echopaw said, a little bit of her cheerfulness back, "I'll race you!" She said, already running off. "Hey, that's not fair!" Echopaw yelled as he ran after her.
Treepaw enjoyed running through the Earthclan's sandy territory, feeling the wind going through his pelt. Once they got to the forest, however, Echopaw slowed down to a walk. "That was fun." Echopaw said as the stream came into view. I'm glad the old Echopaw is back. I missed it. Treepaw thought
"Look at the stream! It's even more beautiful than when I saw it on my trip around our territory!"Echopaw yelled, bouncing over to the stream. "I'm glad you're cheerful again." Treepaw murmured happily under his breath." But why after Treefrost's death? "Let's go back now. I'm tired." Echopaw said.
Once they were almost back to camp, they found a kit. It wasn't moving, which was a little bit unsettling for Treepaw. The black and white striped kit didn't stir when Treepaw prodded it in the side. "Let's take it back to camp." Treepaw said, grabbing it by the scruff.
Once Echopaw and Treepaw got back to camp, they ran into the medicine cat's den. Echopaw explained to Ivymist what had happened while Treepaw set down the kit, "We found it by a tree. It wasn't moving, so we brought it back to camp."
"Okay. Endlessheart, Greenpaw, over here. Watch." Ivymist said, putting her paw on the kit's chest, then started gently massaging it. "Greenpaw get me some of that cough stuff." Ivymist said, pointing with her tail to a pile of herbs. Greenpaw grabbed it and set it next to Ivymist. She picked out some yarrow and shoved it into the kit's mouth. The kit swallowed it, then promptly started vomiting. When the kit was done, it opened its eyes. It started patting around it.
"Can it... see?" Echopaw asked, cautiously. "I Don't think so. Hello, kit. Walk over to the edge of the den." Ivymist said. The kit didn't do so much as lift a whisker. "Did it hear you?" Treepaw asked.
"I don't know. I hope for its sake it can smell." Ivymist said, "Now, who wants to name it?" Ivymist finished. "I will." Echopaw said, "Just not right now."
Treepaw and Echopaw left the den, and then Echopaw sat down. "You okay?" Treepaw asked. "No." Echopaw said, suddenly sounding grief-stricken as she walked over to the apprentice's den. Treepaw started to follow, but Morningflight stopped him, "This is harder on her than it is for you. It's a lot to deal with, if you know what I mean." Morningflight said. "Yeah, I know. I just wish I could do something." Treepaw replied.
"Will all cats who are going to the gathering gather beneath the Moonlit-Stone for a clan meeting!" Twilightstar yowled. Cats began walking over to the Moonlit-Stone. "Go get your sister." Morningflight said as she walked over to the stone, too.
Once Treepaw got to the den, he walked in. "Echopaw, it's time to go to the gathering." Treepaw said. "I don't want to go." Echopaw said. I guess I'll stay too, then. Treepaw thought. "You sure?" Treepaw asked. Echopaw nodded. "Okay. I'll stay, too. I just have to tell Twilightstar." Treepaw said. "Endlessheart, too." Echopaw said as she curled up and Treepaw left.
"Twilightstar!" Treepaw yowled to get his leader's attention. "Yes, Treepaw?" He answered. "Echopaw wants to stay, and i'm going to stay with her. I'm not sure, but i think she wants Endlessheart to stay, too." Treepaw said. "Okay." Twilightstar said. Treepaw walked off to get Endlessheart.
"Echopaw wants to stay, and i think she wants you to stay, too." Treepaw explained once he found Endlessheart. "Okay. Did Morningflight talk to you? She was supposed to." Endlessheart said. "Yeah." Treepaw said. "Okay. I've been watching Echopaw for a while. I've noticed that this is way more difficult for her than it is for us. I'm not sure how Morningflight didn't know that." Endlessheart said.
Once they got back to the den, Echopaw was sleeping, so Treepaw decided it was okay to ask Endlessheart a sensitive question. "How do you.. er... feel about your name?" Treepaw asked. I should not have asked that. Treepaw thought. "I don't know. I think that Twilightstar was really creative when he said 'and his endless heart.' At the time i wasn't sure what that meant, but now I think if means i should somehow guard Echopaw." Endlessheart said, "Echopaw just really isn't strong enough to deal with all of this." Endlessheart finished, putting his tail on Echopaw, who shifted in her nest. "Blazekit." Echopaw murmured, then curled up again. "Echopaw likes naming cats." Treepaw said. "Maybe she will have kits someday. That is, if she thinks she can handle the constant threat of them somehow dying." Endlessheart answered. "It's always hard when a mother loses her kits. She could also become leader." Treepaw answered. "No, Twilightstar got his nine lives just before we were born, and he's still on his first life." Endlessheart said. Endlessheart and Treepaw sat silently for a few minutes. Echopaw stirred, then sat up. "You guys are awesome." She said. "Blazekit fits." Treepaw said.
The cats who had gone to the gathering were coming back. "Come on, guys. We need to go tell Ivymist." Endlessheart said, getting up.
Once the cats were all gathered in the den, Ivymist asked Echopaw to tell them what she had named the kit. "Blazekit." She said simply. "Okay. We have no cats in the nursery now, which is a serious problem." Ivymist said. "There is a cat in Rainclan who should be in the nursery, but they all died of the same thing i have, just, obviously, worse." Endlessheart said. "How do you know?" Greenpaw piped up. "I just do." Endlessheart said, now looking like he wished he had kept his mouth shut. "Well, let's go now. We have nothing better to be doing." Greenpaw said. "No, Greenpaw. Will go tomorrow, and right now i want all of you to sleep here. I am going to go tell Twilightstar."
"Guys, wake up." Ivymist said, "We are going to go now." "Yes!" Echopaw shouted happily.
Once the cats go to Rainclan's border, they waited for Rainclan dawn patrol, as they had left long before a normal dawn patrol. Sure enough, a Rainclan patrol appeared. "What are you doing by our border?" One of the cats challenged. "We need to speak with Willowstar." Ivymist said. "Oh. Come with us then, we were just finishing our patrol." The cat who had challenged them said, leading them in the direction towards what Treepaw could only guess was Rainclan's camp. "I'm Vinepelt." The cat said.
Once they got to Rainclan's camp, cats started looking at the group with glares that didn't seem very welcoming. "Willowstar! Some Earthclan cats wish to speak with you!" Vinepelt yelled. "Okay. Come, then." Willowstar answered. "Go on, guys. In that cave." Vinepelt said, pointing to a cave.
Once all the cats were in the den, Endlessheart started coughing. "Willowstar, I need feverfew and some wet moss." Ivymist said, then turned to Endlessheart, "Are you okay?" She asked him as Willowstar walked out. Treepaw picked up his fear-scent as he walked away. "Yeah." He said between coughs, "I just don't think Willowstar thinks i will be." He said finished. Once willowstar got back, Ivymist gave it to Endlessheart, who promptly stopped coughing. Treepaw noticed he looked really embarrassed.
"Why are you guys here?" Willowstar asked. "We found a kit on our territory that was blind and death. We have no nursing queens, and we were wondering if you had any." Ivymist said. "We do. One of our queen's kits all died. Dawnsight!" Willowstar yelled as he walked out of the cave.
Willowstar came back with a yellowy-orange she-cat. "Dawnsight, these Earthclan cats need a nursing queen. Please consider going with them." Willowstar asked. "'No warrior may neglect a kit in pain or in danger, even if that kit is from a different clan.' Yes, i will. I will also stay in their clan permanently. Also, this kit is in danger, and it's from a different clan. If i don't help it, it will die." Dawnsight said. "Thank you. You may want to know that this kit is blind and deaf." Ivymist said. "It's a kit. I will always help a kit." Dawnsight said. "Let's go, then." Ivymist said.
Once the cats got back to Earthclan's camp, Greenpaw showed Dawnsight where the nursery was while Ivymist carried Blazekit to the nursery. "Will all cats gather beneath the Moonlit-Stone for a clan meeting!" Twilightstar yowled. Treepaw saw Dawnsight carrying Blazekit out with her, setting it by her paws.
Once all the cats had gathered, Twilightstar began. "Yesterday, Echopaw and Treepaw found a kit, which Echopaw named Blazekit. Dawnsight of Rainclan has come to take care of it, and, as I understand it, be a permanent part of our clan. Also, Treefrost died." Twilightstar said, closing the meeting.
Blazekit it actually an almost-red cat. Sorry.