Lightkit

A paw jabbed into his side.

"Ow!" He hissed in pain and lifted his head. It was still dark but he could see the outline of Aspenkits' face.

"What'd you wake me for?" He protested angrily.

"Mom just left us with Nightwhisper to go on a walk with Dad." Aspenkit mewed. Now Icekit began to stir.

"Why should I care?" Lightkit whined and shut his eyes.

"Dad sounded weird. They were going after something!" She meowed to him and sat in front of him.

"They are not. Go back to sleep, Aspenkit." Nightwhisper meowed sharply. Aspenkit sighed in response and waited for the queen to settle back down in her nest.

"We have to go after them! This could be important!" Aspenkit continued. At this point, Lightkit was annoyed by her persistence. He heard shuffling from Nightwhisper's nest.

"Aspenkit, enough!" Nightwhisper snapped. "Get your nose out of your father's business- that's between him and your mother!" The queen grabbed her by the scruff and set her in the nest beside her.

With no more sound coming from Aspenkit, Lightkit settled back into his nest beside Icekit and fell back asleep.

LINE LINE LINE LINE LINE LINE LINE LINE LINE LINE LINE LINE LINE LINE LINE LINE LINE LINE LINE LINE Morning arrived quietly. Lightkit woke up to a nearly empty den. Icekit was the only one remaining in the nursery besides him.

She blinked awake when he stood up and stretched.

"Where is everyone?" he asked. Icekit shrugged and followed him out of the den. The camp was eerily quiet. They found Redsky, Blossomwish, and Nightwhisper were sitting in the middle of the camp.

Lightkit was padding quickly towards Redsky until he saw the expression on her face. His paws slowed until he reached her. She slowly looked at him and seemed to take a moment to recognize him.

"What's happening?" He mewed curiously. Redsky only licked the top of the head.

"Your mother will explain."

Lightkit did not like the cold feeling that was creeping into the pit of his belly. He wanted to ask where his mother was but decided to keep quiet.

After a long time of waiting of silence Lightpaw heard the scraping of paws against the camp walls.

His mother appeared over the wall and her eyes seemed to be lifeless. Her fur was a mess and her tail was dragging on the ground behind her. Aspenkit and Olivekit came behind her, just in front of Larkblossom.

Aspenkit didn't even look up at Lightkit when he approached her.

"What happened?" He asked, but he really didn't want to know the answer.

"Dad was murdered." She replied quietly.

"All cats old enough to climb the camp walls join me for a clan meeting!" Littlestar yowled from the StoneBranch. The cats trickled into the clearing from their respective dens. Lightkit huddled close to Aspenkit and even Olivekit until Fawntail gathered them, herding them towards the back of the crowd.

"I have terrible news to report: Kindlestrike has been murdered by Jayfrost."

Lightkit's heart sank as the crowd went into an enraged roar. He looked at his sisters- Aspenkit seemed crushed, and Olivekit was utterly heartbroken. Fawntail was in no better condition. Icekit sat with them, but she only looked at them with pity.

"We have to find Jayfrost!" Sunpelt snarled. Several other warriors agreed with him.

"No one tried capturing him?" Littlestar asked and looked down to Blossomwish and Redsky.

"He attacked us with no warning, Littlestar." Fawntail mewed softly. "He was already..gone by the time they arrived with Larkblossom. She chased after him, but…"

Lightkit could hear the heartbreak in his mother's words.

"I'll start a patrol to send to FireClan. They may know where Jayfrost is." Swiftwind meowed from under the StoneBranch. Lightkit flattened his ears in confusion. Why would she do that to her own son?

Littlestar also seemed surprised but nodded anyways.

"Warriors who wish to join the patrol should talk to Swiftwind. Meeting dismissed."

Fawntail got up and made her way to Swiftwind. Lightkit stared after her until he felt a soft nudge on his shoulder. Larkblossom was looking kindly down at him.

"You need to watch over your sisters now for your mother. We'll be back as soon as possible, alright?" She said and didn't wait for an answer before heading towards his mother.

He turned to his sisters who were already staring at him expectantly. What am I supposed to do? I've never been in charge of anything!

"Maybe you both should go rest; you were awake before me and must be tired." Lighkit suggested. He was relieved when they both nodded and headed towards the nursery.

Icekit stayed with him, and her dark eyes were filled with sorrow.

"I wish you could talk." Lightkit mewed wistfully. "I don't really know what I'm doing."

The white she-kit shrugged in reply and touched her nose to his forehead. Lightkit smiled a little at her kind gesture.

"Thank you."

Icekit

The metallic smell of blood bombarded her nose. Icekit opened her eyes and was surprised to find herself in the forest- please don't be a nightmare.

She saw Lightkit, Olivekit, and Aspenkit's father with his mate Fawntail walking in the forest side by side. Icekit sighed and followed despite the nagging feeling in her belly.

The pair of mates was whispering sweet nothings to each other with their tails twined together.

What is this? Is this even a dream and why am I here?

Suddenly, Kindlestrike stopped walking and pricked his ears. Fawntail kept paused and looked at him in confusion. The metallic smell burned in her nose again.

"Jayfrost! What are you doing here?" Icekit screwed up her eyes and ran towards them. A large light gold-furred tom had stepped out of the shadows. He looked at Kindlestrike with a gaze a hunter would look at its prey.

Icekit shook her head- she knew what was to come but had no power to stop it. She closed her eyes- she had no desire to see another murder.

"Jayfrost get away-"

Icekit jerked out of her sleep. Lightkit was up and stretching in the otherwise empty den.

"Where is everyone?" Lightkit asked her when he looked at her. She shrugged and decided to follow after him into the camp. Her heart was heavy when she saw that his close friend Redsky was sitting in the camp with the other queen and new warrior.

She stayed behind as the tom-kit walked up the warrior and talk to her. She watched the she-cat pull him close. That made her wonder how the gang was doing. It had only a short time that she was still away, but it still worried her.

The scent of death filled her nostrils. Icekit flattened her ears and stared at Lightkit's mother as she entered the camp with others trailing after her.

"All cats old enough to climb the camp walls join me for a clan meeting!" Littlestar yowled from the ledge right outside what looked like his den. Several cats gathered under him to hear his words.

"I have terrible news to report: Kindlestrike has been murdered by Jayfrost." The leader announced.

The crowd roared angrily.

"We have to find Jayfrost!" Sunpelt snarled. Several other cats agreed with him.

"No one tried capturing him?" Littlestar asked and looked down to Blossomwish and Redsky.

"He attacked us with no warning, Littlestar." Fawntail mewed softly. "He was already...gone by the time they arrived with Larkblossom. She chased after him, but…"

Icekit saw Lighkits' tail droop.

"I'll start a patrol to send to FireClan. They may know where Jayfrost is." A black and white she-cat meowed from under the leader's ledge. Icekit figured that she was the second in command.

"Warriors who wish to join the patrol should talk to Swiftwind. Meeting dismissed." The leader ended the meeting and the cats disbanded into little groups. Icekit watched Lightkit, Olivekit, and Aspenkit huddle together when Larkblossom paused to talk to Lightkit. Icekit padded over to Lightkit's side after the she-cat was just leaving them.

"Maybe you both should go rest; you were awake before me and must be tired." Lighkit suggested to his sisters. They nodded wearily and headed towards the nursery without a word. Lightkit looked at Icekit with a tired look.

Icekit felt really bad for the tom. He had a lot on his paws and he seemed very confused.

"I wish you could talk." Lightkit mewed wistfully to her. "I don't really know what I'm doing." Icekit shrugged in the best way of communication she could and then touched her nose to his forehead. The tom smiled at her.

"Thank you." He meowed. She nodded, the tom reminding her of Blaze.