Chapter Fourteen

Echopaw lay quietly in the shade with Ashpaw and Rainypaw. She had enjoyed a long day of training with her mentor, and her siblings had been chosen to go on a quite prosperous hunting patrol. Now that they were done, they were gossiping the rest of the day away.

"Yeah, Jayleaf showed me a really cool hunting trick!" Ashpaw began to demonstrate, sinking his claws into the earth beneath him. "See, if you dig your claws into the moss, then when you jump for a mouse, you get good traction. It really works!"

"Really?" Echopaw inquired. "Nice!"

"Uh-huh!" Ashpaw puffed out his chest. "I'm going to be the best warrior ever!"

"Don't hold your breath." Rainypaw butted in. "I'm pretty sure that I've already taken that spot. Remember, I caught a crow and a giant rabbit today!"

"Yeah, well, I'm going to be the best fighter!" Echopaw began to slowly lick a forepaw, sweeping it over her ears in long swipes. "Briarsong says that I'm getting really good!"

"Well, I still think-" Ashpaw began, but he was interrupted by an excited mew.

"You guys! Violetbud's had her kits!" Sunshade pranced excitedly up to the group. "Two toms and a she-kit! Come see!"

"Aww, they must be so cute!" Rainypaw gushed. "Ooh, I can't wait to see them!"

"Yeah, but I won't spoil everything for you." Sunshade mewed. "Go see for yourself!"

The three apprentices leapt to their feet and followed the golden warrior to the nursery. Cloudleap, Violetbud's mate, was stationed next to the small opening that served as the only entrance to the den.

"Only one cat at a time." Cloudleap looked down at the apprentices.

"Oh, okay." Echopaw nodded in understanding. A queen was always protective of her kits. Then, turning to her siblings, she asked, "who wants to go first?"

"Oh, you can." Ashpaw mewed. "We'll wait outside for you."

Echopaw looked to her sister, who nodded in agreement. "Go ahead."

Dipping her head, Echopaw looked to Cloudleap, who stepped aside and motioned for her to slip through the narrow opening to the nursery.

"Hello, Echopaw." Jadestone mewed, her kits for once sitting neatly next to her, instead of bouncing around and scaring away all of the prey in the forest. "Have you come to see the new kits?"

"Yep." Echopaw smiled, then looked to where Violetbud lay, her tail curled around three small bundles of fur. All of the kits held their mother and father's appearances. There was one small black-and-white kit that was a bit adventurous, and he stumbled as he struggled to climb on top of his littermates. "They're adorable!"

"Aren't they?" Violetbud mewed in a tired tone. "Cloudleap and I have already named them." She gestured with her muzzle to a white she-kit with a black stripe on her back. "She's Hazekit," She mewed, then nodded toward the other two. "The white tom-kit with black dapples is called Lionkit, and the other one is Marshkit." Her voice was proud as she tucked her tail even tighter around her new family.

Echopaw purred. "Oh, those are such great names!"

"Thank you." Violetbud nudged Hazekit, who was straying over toward Jadestone's kits, who looked like full-grown warriors in comparison to the tiny she-kit, and pushed her closer to her belly. She began to gently groom the black-and-white she-kit.

Cloudleap poked his thick-furred head into the nursery. "Echopaw, I think your friends here are getting pretty antsy."

"Oh, yeah!" Echopaw mewed. "Coming!"

"Let all cats around gather beneath the Greatstone for a Clan meeting!" Oakstar proclaimed.

The ThunderClan cats pricked their ears as their leader summoned them together, and quickly gathered up into a large semi-circle beneath the boulder where the leader was standing.

The moon was rising into the crisp night sky, like a glowing fish leaping out of the horizon. It had only been a quarter-moon since the battle, and Owlfang had recently disappeared. Lizardclaw had been in an extra surly mood lately, and Echopaw assumed it was because now he had no cat to grump with.

Oakstar raised his head to the light of Silverpelt. "Well, we'll begin with the simpler matter. I'm sure that all of you have been alerted to the fact that Owlfang has not been seen since he went out on a lone hunting trip two sunrises ago."

All around, cats mewed worriedly in hushed voices.

Silencing the whispers with a flick of his tail, the leader went on. "Three of our Clan's best trackers, Blackstripe, and Hollypelt, as well as my deputy, Beetlewhisker, volunteered to search for him, but a heavy storm broke out, and the scent washed away near the ShadowClan border. There was no blood where they lost track of him, nor any other sign of a fight, but my senior warriors and I have come to the conclusion that the Tribe we fought at the gathering must have ambushed Owlfang." Oakstar bowed his head. "We must assume that he has left us."

A cold growl came from a grey tabby at the back of the crowd, and Lizardclaw spoke. "No. If you think that Owlfang would let himself be killed in a fight, then you are a Clan of fools." He jumped up onto the Highrock, and planted his feet onto the moss-strewn stone. "Owlfang has done what you cowards would never dream of doing. And I fully support his decision."

Oakstar's eyes narrowed. He hissed, fur bristling. "And just what do you think you're doing?"

"I am doing what should have been done a while back," Lizardclaw retorted. Then he turned to face an empty clearing behind the leader's rock. "Come on out. Let's show them."

Echopaw quivered as a dozen cats poured out from the leafy underbrush. She recognized one of them as the tom that had fought beside the apprentice in the battle. Echopaw had assumed that the tom was the apprentice's mentor, but apparently the only connection that the two had was the fact that they were on the same side in battle. The others were all well-muscled and fierce-looking, just like him. A silver she-cat spoke, her claws unsheathed and shining dimly in the cold light of the moon.

"Well, look at what we have here." The cat's mew was sharp, and had a cold edge to it. "A bunch of weak little kits, just waiting to be slain!" The sickly voice seemed to be the only sound that dared to echo through the night.

"Oakstar?" Stormtail looked up at his leader.

Echopaw stared at Oakstar as he opened his jaws to speak, then closed them again. Finally, the leader found something to say. But it was not what she had been expecting. "Frost? Mother?"