---Chapter Thirteen---

By the time Flamepaw returned with Ravenkit in his mouth, all of the WindClan warriors had made it to the other side. The WindClan leader, Onestar, was the last to cross the stepping stones. He had probably lingered behind in order to make sure every last cat got across. Flamepaw wanted to shake his pelt out to get some of the water that made his fur stick to him off, but he didn't want to upset the kit that dangled in his jaws either. All the WindClan cats had gathered in a small circle further into the forest where the trees and bushes could block out the smoke. Some of them had ruffled fur that was stained with ash and blackened. Others were still coughing from all the smoke they inhaled.

"What are we going to do now?" He heard Sootfur mewing to Brambleclaw. The gray warrior's voice was more sympathetic than vicious.

"Some of these cats need to see a medicine-cat!" Sorreltail pointed out.

"Well they have Barkface, don't they?" Moonpaw spoke up sounding very rude.

"Oh yeah, you think in an emergency like that Barkface carried his whole stash of herbs with him?" Foxpaw spat back at the cream colored tom. "Are you completely mousebrained? Barkface will need help! We should get Cinderpelt and Leafpool."

Flamepaw shot Moonpaw a warning glance as he noticed the apprentice unsheathe his claws as his ice cold eyes narrowed at Foxpaw. There was an eerie silence between the ginger tom and the muscular cream apprentice as the two glared at each other for what seemed like a moon until the joyful shout of a she-cat broke the silence.

"Ravenkit! My kit! He's back!" Mosspelt raced over to Flamepaw who still had the tiny black tom in his mouth. He put the kit down on the ground where his mother could easily pick him up and smother him in several fierce licks.

"Is he okay?" a short-tailed brown tom padded up to the queen, sounding worried.

"I think so, Barkface. He's still breathing at least." Mosspelt replied. Barkface, however, stepped past the queen and titled the kit a certain way and began licking the kit's chest. In no time, the kit coughed up several mouthfuls of the stream water that he had swallowed. Ravenkit looked up at Flamepaw with big, blue eyes as if the tiny kit knew who had saved him.

"You must've swam like a fish out there!" Brambleclaw's purr came from behind him. The tabby warrior sat down next to his apprentice and touched Flamepaw's ear with his nose, too proud to speak. Flamepaw's eyes lit up as he gazed at his mentor, until he realized a second pair of amber eyes were watching him, only these ones were hostile. Moonpaw was sitting in the shadows a little way away. Flamepaw hated how the cream colored tom always held the same displeased expression on his face, but he tried to ignore the unfriendly stare and focus on the beautiful sight of the mother and her kit in front of him. He felt three more tiny, fluffy bodies brush past him as the queen's other three kits came to greet their brother.

"Why'd you get to go for a swim and I didn't?" The light brown tabby tom kit meowed.

"Wasn't it coooldd?" The cautious grey-and-brown tom asked with wide eyes.

"Did you die?" The jumpy lone grey she-kit asked.

Ravenkit looked at his brothers and sister with his head titled to one side and the strangest expression on his face as if he had no clue what they were talking about. All the nearly-black kit did was shrug and then pounce playfully on his sister.

"Strange bunch of kits huh?" Rollingpaw teased, putting the heaviest emphasis on the word 'strange' that he possibly could. Flamepaw noticed that Crowfeather, who also padded up eagerly to watch the kits, narrowed his eyes at the light brown apprentice but said nothing. Ashfoot and Onestar surveyed the group of WindClan cats, making sure everyone was together and safe until they finally padded up to Brambleclaw.

"It seems WindClan once again owes ThunderClan a favor." Onestar mewed.

Brambleclaw flicked his tail. "It was nothing. We had to let you cross the stream, you're whole clan was in trouble!"

Onestar kneaded the ground with one forepaw. "But even so, their must be something we can do to repay you."

Brambleclaw took his gaze off the WindClan leader and looked instead at the group of enemy cats gathered under the forest canopy. "Maybe," He meowed at last. "But right now we must get Cinderpelt and Leafpool. Barkface looks like he could use some help." Flamepaw watched curiously as he saw Crowfeather's ears prick up when Leafpool's name was mentioned. "And we'll have to tell Firestar too."

Onestar looked like he had more to say but closed his mouth, looking defeated. The moorland was basically destroyed. They were in ThunderClan territory now and would have to listen to just wait and see what their next fate was. The WindClan leader hesitated a moment before bowing his head and padding away to talk with Barkface about the clan's condition with Ashfoot padding beside him the whole way.