Chapter Four

Lionkit and Heatherkit watched as Whiskertail and Wetwhisker pulled Sunstorm's soaked body out of the river. They lost sight of the rogues and hadn't had time to tell anyone about them yet. The kits had followed the half-swimming, half-drowning Sunstorm along the gorge far enough until the ground went to a bank where they could touch the water. They had run into the dog patrol, but at a very bad time. Sunstorm had fallen in the river with Screech at the same time the dog patrol was leading the dog towards the gorge. When the dog patrol saw the kits there, they realized that they couldn't lead the dogs any closer to them, and had to take action immediately. Deepstar lost a life driving the dog off. Dogs look creepy. I can't wait to fight one!

Heatherkit had yelled that Sunstorm was stuck in the river before anyone came to question why they were there. Wetwhisker and Whiskertail had dove into the water to help the dazed Sunstorm.

Lionkit watched as Wetwhisker began pumping Sunstorm's chest, while some of the other cats were trying to steady Deepstar. It's so cool that leaders get nine lives. I wish I had nine lives. I wonder how many he has left?

"How many lives does Deepstar have left?" he looked up at Thrushnose.

"It's not very polite to ask about that. Besides, Rabbitear is the only one that knows for sure, but I believe he has three or four." Lionkit shrugged. He sniffed the air.

"What's that smell?"

"That smell means that the rain will get worse soon. Sunstorm found a good time to fall in the gorge's river. He would've drowned if it was hardly any higher." Whiskertail added.

Wetwhisker gave a final push which rippled Sunstorm's body with coughing. Water pooled down from his mouth. He sat up, panting, when he finished.

"Thank- Thank you." Sunstorm layed back down.

"How did you fall in? Why did you even come here?" Whiskertail questioned.

"We- I-" Sunstorm began coughing again.

"We snuck out of camp." Lionkit answered, looking down at his paws. Why do I always put people in danger? He started to get angry at himself.

"We wanted to see the sunny rocks." Heatherkit added, as perky as ever. "Can we still go?"

"What? No!" Whiskertail raged, "You are going straight to the nursery. Your mother should have it fully cleaned by now, and I'm sure you're hungry anyways."

It was true, Lionkit was very hungry. Heatherkit just seemed irritated. She's so odd sometimes.

"So, what happened?" Wetwhisker demanded, looking at the kits.

"Some cats tried to take me and Lionkit, but Sunstorm led them here. We pushed them off the gorge, but one dragged Sunstorm with him."

"Well thank StarClan they didn't get you." Whiskertail sighed.

"Cats? From where? Which clan? Why did they want you?" The barrage of questions from the warriors dazed the kits.

"I think Sunstorm called them ... roads? Rags? They said that some cat with a silly name wanted his kits back."

"Rogues?" Wetwhisker repeated.

"Back?" Whiskertail let out fear-scent. What is he so scared of? The rain began to get harder.

"We need to head back to camp before it storms. We can discuss this all later." Wetwhisker began to lead the cats away. Thrushnose and Smoothpaw helped support Deepstar as he tried to walk. Whiskertail helped Sunstorm.

The sky was darkening into night. They were halfway back to camp when they heard a yowl in the distance.

"What was that?" Smoothpaw looked around frantically.

"That was Willowthorn!" Whiskertail abandoned Sunstorm as he raced off towards his daughter.

"Oh, no! We must driven the dog towards them!" Thrushnose realized.

"We need to help them!" Deepstar tried to support himself, but collapsed.

"No. You get to Rabbitear with Thrushnose and the kits, we will go help." Wetwhisker led the remaining cats on Whiskertail's path.

"I hope she's not alone." Smoothpaw added, racing off behind them. Deepstar was trying to struggle free of Thrushnose.

"I need to help them!"

"No! Wetwhisker told you to get to camp!" Deepstar wriggled free and began to follow Wetwhisker's path. Thunder crackled in the distance.

"What was that?" The kits jumped up, looking towards camp.

"That was really close to camp! Deepstar, we should check if everyone there is okay! I think it might of even hit camp!"

"Wha?" Deepstar stopped and turned, then tried to race towards camp. He tripped, but Thrushnose caught him.

"Calm down, Deepstar. It's okay. You can't get your wounds infected." Lionkit realized for the first time that Deepstar was enveloped in blood. He decided to inquire again when he saw distant lightning.

"What happened?"

"That was thunder. It's like sky fire, I guess." Whoa ... Skyfire would be an awesome name!

"Come on, kits, let's get to camp." He tried to support Deepstar, but the stubborn cat pushed against it.

"Just let me help you,"

"I'm fine, thank you." He's a really strong cat. I wanna be like him one day ... if he's a good fighter. Lionkit noticed Thrushnose's ears twitch.

"I think I heard ..."

"What? What's happening?" Deepstar asked. He was distracted by his pain to hear the scream.

"Someone yelled in camp."

"Is there a fire?" Deepstar looked back up.

"Loudkit and Brightkit!" Heatherkit looked at Lionkit.

"And Orangepelt!" He replied. All four cats sped up, but had to keep slowing down for Deepstar.

"What did we do wrong, StarClan?" Thrushnose looked up at the stars with wide eyes. Fear-scent clouded the cats' noses.

"What did I miss now?" Deepstar caught up to them, panting.

"Fox-scent." Thrushnose looked at camp. He looked back up the hill and saw the rest of the dog patrol, and another patrol, on the horizon. I don't remember the dog patrol being that big. He recognized Willowthorn among them. Maybe it's a hunting patrol? Whatever.

Deepstar led the four cats to the entrance. A thick orange body lay in the middle of camp.

"What's that? The fox?" Lionkit was standing beneath Deepstar, gazing into the dark camp. Rain littered the sky and fire swarmed a tree at the edge of camp. There were bits of fire on the ground attached to sticks, slowly fizzling out as they were pelted with water. Lionkit noticed light coming from the fox's pelt.

"Who is-" Thrushnose padded up next to Deepstar, Heatherkit beneath him. Who is what? The fox? Do foxes have names? His attention snapped to a bundle of red and white fur curled up by the fox's muzzle. Who is that? He heard paw steps behind him.

"Out of the way! Moonwake and Smoothpaw are hurt!" Willowthorn pushed the cars out of the way with Moonwake moaning on her back. For some reason, Lionkit couldn't gather himself to look at her leg.

"Smoothpaw?" Feathercloud sprinted over to help Steamclaw and Wetwhisker carry a small body to the medicine den.

"Oh, Smoothpaw! Don't worry! It's okay. You'll be okay." Wetwhisker and Steamclaw looked at each other. But who's on the ground by the fox? He looked back towards the fur bundle. Is that ...

"He- ... He's dead, Feathercloud." Whiskertail trotted up to his dead apprentice trying to bite back a tear.

"No, no. He's fine. Look at him. He's okay. Don't worry, dear, Rabbitear and Quietpaw can help you-"

"He's dead, Feather." Wetwhisker touched his muzzle to his mate's head.

Lionkit and Heatherkit ignored the wailing behind them as they raced up to the fox. Rabbitear was now doing something to the white cat. Strange noises came from it.

"Calm down. Calm down. It's okay. Take long, slow, breaths. There. Quietpaw, please watch him. I have many cats to tend to." Lionkit, Brightkit, and Heatherkit approached the body as Quietpaw wrapped it's neck in cobwebs. The gurgling sound emanating from it made Lionkit cringe.

"Calm down. Calm down. You can't lose it again." Is she talking to herself?

"Loudkit, ... Loudkit killed the fox."

"What?" How did he do that? That's awesome! I knew that was Loudkit! His excitement dampened when he noticed how much pain the kit was in.

"But the fox just barely got his throat. Loudkit stabbed it just too late."

"He stabbed it?" Lionkit shouted.

"Yeah, with a burning stick. Leopardspots told me that that orange stuff if called fire." Brightkit couldn't break his gaze from Loudkit, who had begun squirming.

"He's doing a lot better. I should give him a poppy seed, but … I don't know how he's supposed to eat right now." Quietpaw seemed utterly stumped. She still looked like she was trying to calm herself.

"What happened?" Orangepelt made her way to the front of the crowd, barreling past her mate Whiskertail as she spotted Loudkit. She almost landed on top of Quietpaw.

"He, er, … He tried to kill the fox. He did! He did kill the fox. But it ... still got his throat. Rabbitear thinks he'll live. I'm still too new to this to know what to think." Orangepelt submerged her nose into Loudkit's fur, sobbing. Whiskertail looked like he wanted to do the same, but Orangepelt was in his way. Loudkit began coughing again.

"Please give him breathing room! His throat is very damaged." Quietpaw tried to get in between Orangepelt and Loudkit, but Whiskertail was the only one able to pull her away. She collapsed into him immediately. Lionkit noticed Brightkit slide over and sit next to Loudkit and Quietpaw while he and Heatherkit snuggled up to Orangepelt.

"She said he'll be okay, mama." Heatherkit looked up.

"Quietpaw! How is he doing?" Rabbitear hollered across the clearing.

"Okay, I guess."

"Get help bringing him here. Carefully. He can rest and you can help me take care of this mess!"

"Yes ma'am." Quietpaw bounded up to Whiskertail and began to open her mouth.

"Sure thing." Whiskertail shook off Orangepelt and bent down for Quietpaw to push Loudkit onto his back. The two cats padded off towards the medicine den.

"So what happened to you guys?" Brightkit looked back at Lionkit.

"We were going to the sunny rocks, but Sunstorm caught us. Then these big mean cats tried to take us, but we fought them off." Lionkit puffed out his chest fur.

"You what?" Orangepelt jolted up.

"Sunstorm let the cats to the gorge and we pushed them all off, but he fell, too." Heatherkit answered.

"That's it!" Orangepelt meowed, "You are never leaving the nursery again.¨ She wrapped her tail around her kits and began washing them, oblivious to the downpour of rain and fire on the side of camp. Meows rang out around camp as cats checked wounds and tried to help the medicine cats.

"I don't know what StarClan wants with us, but whatever it is, we need to give it to them." Deepstar was huddled next to the reedbed, staring up at the night sky. The stars were barely visible against the thick pellets of water burning his face.