Chapter 13

They both stood still for a few heartbeats noses buried it each other's fur. There was so much Lightningpaw wanted to ask right then. How did the fox find them? Why was Silentbreeze here? How did Specklepaw find him? How could she be alive? Lightningpaw didn't care right now. He drank in Specklepaw's sweet scent. StarClan must have been merciful this time.

"Lightningpaw your ear!" exclaimed Specklepaw.

"What is it?" Lightningpaw asked.

"Your ear, Lightningpaw; you only have one ear," Specklepaw meowed.

"What?" Lightningpaw meowed shocked. He dashed to one side of the stream and peered at his reflection. Even though blood trickled into one eye he could still make out himself but one side of his head was lacking something. He gazed at his ruined ear, or what was left of it. It was only a jagged bloody edge now. He suddenly became aware of an immense amount of pain throbbing from what was left of his ear. He backed away from the river wincing.

Specklepaw got up shakily and shook herself dry flinging cold water droplets everywhere. "Come on we need to get back to camp and tell everyone what happened," she meowed. "And what is Silentbreeze doing here?"

Lightningpaw looked to where Silentbreeze was laying, her jaws were dropped in shock and her eyes were clouded in disbelief.

"Come on Silentbreeze we will help you take the kits back to camp," meowed Lightningpaw.

"B-but what about the blizzard?" she meowed shakily.

"Don't worry it's over now," meowed Specklepaw reassuringly picking up a gray kit with darker ears and tail by the scruff. The kit gave a feeble mewl of protest as it flailed its tiny moss-soft paws around.

"Wait," Silentbreeze meowed suddenly with an edge to her voice. "You mustn't tell anyone these are my kits you got that?"

"Why?" Lightningpaw asked, he couldn't understand Silentbreeze's sudden fierceness.

"Because, say that we had found them abandoned and that all of my kits were killed by the fox that attacked us," she snarled baring her teeth.

"Why shouldn't we? Why should we lie to our clan-mates?" Specklepaw meowed.

"You should if you know what is good for me and my kits," Silentbreeze retorted.

"Fine," Lightningpaw meowed, suddenly too tired to argue any longer, and the flaring pain in what was left of his ear was killing him. "Let's just get back to camp," he meowed as he picked up a tawny tabby kit.

Silentbreeze flicked her ear and picked up her last kit which was pure black. "Come on I know the way out," she meowed her voice muffled by the kit's scruff. Silentbreeze entered a tunnel on the far side of the cave. Specklepaw and Lightningpaw followed. In the darkness they could only feel the brushing of their whiskers on either side of the cave and could only hear the pitiful mewls of the kits, until finally they reached the surface. It was in a different location than where Lightningpaw entered. He thankfully drank in the scents of the forest tiered of the cold damp scent of the caves.

But are there tunnels running all along our territory? thought Lightningpaw.

From there the trio quickly made their way back to camp, trotting briskly through the thick covering of snow that lay upon everything, once outside the thorn tunnel Silentbreeze halted them.

"Remember you are not to say anything of these kits being my kits," she growled low enough so that no one in camp could hear.

Lightningpaw and Specklepaw nodded to show that they heard but they did so reluctantly.

Silentbreeze flicked her ear and disappeared inside the thorn tunnel. Lightningpaw and Specklepaw followed. Immediately they were greeted by a chorus of yowls of relief and shock.

"Lightningpaw what happened to you?" exclaimed Frosteyes frantically licking the dried blood off his injured ear, "You need to see Tornfur right away!"

"Whose kits are those?" asked Milkfur bounding up to them.

"Wow! What happened to your ear?" meowed Stormkit tumbling up to him. "Were you in a battle? Was there lots of blood?"

Soon Lightningpaw, Specklepaw, and Silentbreeze were surrounded by nearly all the clan all pestering them with their own questions.

"Calm down everyone!" yowled Moonstar. "Lightningpaw please go with Tornfur to the medicine den. Sedgeflower, Milkfur, help Silentbreeze take the kits to the nursery."

Lightningpaw's kit was plucked from his jaws by Milkfur who then made her way to the nursery. Lightningpaw was whisked away by Tornfur who quickly lay him down on a nest of moss and started cleaning his wound.

"So what happened?" Tornfur rasped between licks.

"A fox," Lightningpaw mumbled, he just realized how beaten he felt, and the heat of battle was leaving him now he just felt sore all over.

Tornfur grunted in interest but did not ask Lightningpaw any more questions. Battle-weary, sleep crashed over him like a wave of blackness.