-gaspeth- Could it be? Blazey is back from hiatus? No way!!!! Yup, I'm back! I finally got the computer back, and in celebration, I thought I'd type up two or three chapters to fill you guys in. Enjoy! =)

Chapter 18

The next night, it snowed, coming down in heavy drifts upon the ThunderClan camp. Kits and apprentices squealed with delight as they played in the white wonderland, completely oblivious to the cold. Emberclaw sat in the entrance to the nursery, Squirreltail and Brightheart on either side of her.

"I'm worried," Brightheart fretted as she watched the young cats frolicking in th snow. "What if one of them falls and gets hurt?"

"Don't worry about it, Brightheart," Emberclaw mewed, reassuringly placing her tail on Brightheart's shoulder. "They'll all be just fine."

"Have you seen Thornclaw?" she murmured suddenly. "He's been gone since about sunhigh, I think. I hope he's not caught in this snowdrift. It would be simply impossible to navigate."

Emberclaw had not forgotten about Thornclaw and his trek to Barley and Ravenpaw's barn. She too, was very worried about him, and prayed to StarClan that he would return safely with Ravenpaw. But she could not tell Brightheart this, or she would surely go to Firestar. So, instead, she lied, "No, I haven't seen him. He's probably out hunting or something like that. I'm sure he'll be home before moonhigh."

"That's a long time," Squirreltail commented, glancing meaningfully at her sister, who simply shrugged.

"It's hard to tell north from south when everything's covered in white."

Squirreltail nodded absently, turning her attention toward the camp entrance as Brambleclaw padded in, his tail high in the air and his ears pricked.

He caught sight of his mate a moment later, and beckoned her over with a flick of his tail. Squirreltail looked toward Emberclaw and Brightheart for approval.

"Oh, go on," Emberclaw mewed. Brightheart nodded in agreement.

"Thanks!" Squirreltail called over her shoulder as she bounded away.

Brightheart sighed. "They're so happy together," she murmured. "I wish Cloudtail and I were like that."

"Aren't you already?" Emberclaw asked, picturing her white-furred cousin and Brightheart strolling through the forest, tails intertwined, purring to a made-up rhythm.

"He hardly ever goes hunting with me now," Brightheart replied dejectedly, hanging her head. "And he doesn't sleep next to me as often. In fact, he hardly ever comes in before moonhigh." Brightheart glanced sideways at Emberclaw. "Did I do something wrong?"

"No," Emberclaw meowed firmly, pressing her muzzle into her friend's shoulder. "He's just a bit spirited is all. He's probably out hunting for his Clan whenever you're looking for him. Maybe you should just try to tag along on his hunting trips more often."

"B-but," Brightheart stammered. "What if he f-found…someone else?"

"Brightheart!" Emberclaw gasped. "Cloudtail loves you! He wouldn't do that to you!"

"You're right," Brightheart sniffed, raising her head once again as Cloudtail entered the clearing, a plump mouse hanging from his jaws. "I'll go see if I can eat with him. Thanks, Emberclaw!" Brightheart licked Emberclaw's ear happily before bounding away to join her mate.

Emberclaw sat alone for a long while after that, her heart aching for someone she could truly love. Someone like….No. She wouldn't make herself think his name. He may not even want to show up after what she had said to him back at the barn. She couldn't risk getting her hopes up if he was unwilling to forgive her.

Eventually, it warmed up and a heavy rain began to fall, washing away most of the snow, and freezing the rest. Grumpy, wet kits and apprentices slid back into their dens to sleep.

"I can't believe it!" Talonkit cried. "The first snowfall of the season, and it doesn't even stay overnight. What a bunch of mouse dung!"

"Talonkit!" Emberclaw cried in shock. "Never use that term!"

"Well, I'm glad it's over," Gingerkit mewed as she licked her icy fur. "My pelt was turning to ice!"

"You're such a…" Talonkit started, only to be cut off by a reproachful glance from Nightkit. "Sorry," he muttered, his tail drooping.

"You had all better get to bed," Emberclaw instructed. "I don't want you to be tired tomorrow morning. Someone special may be coming over to visit."

"Who?" Barleykit cried, bouncing from paw to paw eagerly. "Who, who who? Is it Ravenpaw?"

Emberclaw sighed. "I don't know," she replied forlornly. "Maybe. Now that the snow's cleared away, there's a better chance, but you never do know…"

"Oh," Barleykit muttered, turning and padding over to the nest, where his littermates were already piled on top of each other, half-asleep. He curled up beside Talonkit and closed his eyes, shivering with cold. Emberclaw padded out into the rain, scanning the camp clearing. No one else was out. Quietly, she made her way into the medicine den, where Leafpool was busy sorting herbs.

"Oh!" Leafpool cried when she saw her sister. "Hey there, Emberclaw! What are you doing in here? Wouldn't you much rather be inside the nursery, away from all this rain?"

"I came to get some more moss," Emberclaw replied, licking her paw and drawing it over her muzzle and ears. "My kits are getting cold."

"Oh," Leafpool mewed. Let me get that for you." She wandered silently to the back of the den and began clumping together bits of moss.

"Where's Cinderpelt?" Emberclaw asked, her gaze sweeping the empty den.

"Oh." Leafpool was suddenly particularly engaged in her work. "She's…out. Gathering herbs, I presume. I'm sure she'll be back before long."

"Is she with Ashfur?" Emberclaw prompted. Leafpool's head shot up, and she whipped around to face her sister.

"You know?" she whispered. Emberclaw simply nodded. "You haven't told anyone, have you?" Emberclaw shook her head this time. "Do you plan on it?" Another head shake.

"Relax," Emberclaw meowed. "Can I get my moss before my kits freeze their pelts off?"

"Right," Leafpool mewed, gathering up the rest of the moss and rolling a ball of it across the den to Emberclaw, who grabbed it in her teeth and left without a word of farewell. Emberclaw returned to the nursery hurriedly, where she then tore apart the moss and wove it around her now-sleeping kits. Then, she settled down behind them, so that they were all snuggled inside the curve of her belly, and fell asleep.

"Kite," a voice cried. "Kite, where are you? Kite?"

Emberclaw opened her eyes and looked up. She was in a field that didn't look like anywhere she'd ever been, but it somehow felt very familiar. Just ahead of her was a lump of wood and bricks and shattered glass.

"Kite?" the voice sounded again, this time from underneath the pile of debris.

"Who's there?" Emberclaw demanded, rising warily to her paws.

"Kite," the voice moaned, this time coming from behind her. Kite whipped around to find a broken, battered body lying before her. Kite rushed to the cat's side and leaned toward it. The face felt familiar, but its muzzle was so smashed up that she couldn't tell. The cat's pelt was spattered with blood and covered in rubble, so it was impossible to tell what its true color was.

"I'm here," Emberclaw mewed. "Who are you?"

"Kite," the cat moaned again, coughing up blood. "Kite, help me."

"Odin!" Emberclaw screeched, suddenly recognizing the voice. She gaped in horror as she examined her friend's broken, beaten body. "What happened? Who could have done this to you?"

"Kite," Odin moaned. "It was you. You left me. Pumpkin left me. You could have saved her. You could have brought her back. You could have…" Odin coughed up more blood, and Emberclaw jumped back a tail length.

"I…I didn't mean to," she mewed. "I didn't mean to leave. I-I had to, Odin. Y-you've got to understand! I…"

"Kite," another voice wailed. Emberclaw whipped around again, to find a cat's head sticking out of the rubble. Emberclaw dashed to the cat's side and tried desperately to dig it out of the rubble.

"I'm sorry," Kite mewed. "I'm so, so, so sorry! I…I don't know who you are, but I'm really, really s-sorry!"
"Kite," the voice moaned.

"Ravenpaw?" Emberclaw mewed back. "Ravenpaw! Oh, Ravenpaw, please don't go! Please don't die! I'm so sorry!" She tried desperately to dig his body out of the rubble, but the heavy debris pile wouldn't budge a whisker length.

"Emberclaw?" a third voice meowed from above her. Emberclaw looked up, but couldn't see anything except a cloudy, pale sky. "Emberclaw, wake up! Come on, get up!"

"Kite," Ravenpaw and Odin moaned together.

"No!" Emberclaw screeched, flailing her paws in terror as her eyes snapped open. Cinderpelt was standing above her, looking rather concerned.

"A-Are you OK?" Cinderpelt asked. "I…Barleykit and Snowkit came to me and complained that you were squealing in your sleep, and I came to check on you. I… I think you should g-get up now."

Emberclaw sat up and looked around her once again. She was back in the nursery. Just outside, the pale leafbare sunlight was shining down on the icy ground outside, where her kits squealed and slid along the ground with the apprentices.

"Oh," Emberclaw mewed, shaking her pelt. "I…I guess I was just having a bad dream. A bad…terrible dream…. And what about you? Where were you and Ashfur last night?"

Cinderpelt glanced apprehensively at Emberclaw. "D-did you notice?" she gestured to her belly, which was now back to its normal size.

"You already had your kits?" Emberclaw gasped softly. "W-Well, w-where did they go?"

"I took them to ShadowClan," she admitted, shamefaced. "Littlecloud promised he'd find a queen to nurse them. I just couldn't bring myself to tell Firestar about them."

"How many were there?" Emberclaw asked. "What are their names?"

"Well," Cinderpelt replied. "There was just one of them. I named her Heartpaw. She has Ashfur's face, and her fur is like mine. It's very long for a newborn kit, though. She's very beautiful, and I truly do wish that I didn't have to give her up."

"I'm very sorry for your loss," Emberclaw meowed, licking Cinderpelt's shoulder reassuringly. "I hope Littlecloud gave her to a kind, deserving mother."

"I'm sure he did," Cinderpelt replied. "He's a good friend of mine. He knows how much I care for kits, even if he doesn't know she's my own."

"Well…"

"Emberclaw!" a familiar call cut the she-cat off before she could continue speaking, and Thornclaw bounded into the clearing. Emberclaw kept her eyes trained on the camp entrance, hoping to see Ravenpaw's sleek figure following. He did not show.

"Thornclaw?" Cinderpelt looked up. "I'll leave you two alone," she meowed, turning and darting away.

"Where's Ravenpaw?" Emberclaw hissed eagerly.

"He…" Thornclaw started. "Oh, you're going to hate me for this!"

"Spit it out," Emberclaw ordered. "Where is he?"

"See, we were about to reach the ThunderClan border," Thornclaw started again. "When Ravenpaw slipped on the ice and fell into the Thunderpath. Then, a monster came by and tried to swerve out of the way, but it spun and its back paws crushed him! He was alive, but I didn't have the herbs to save him. I came back to get Cinderpelt, but she just left, so…"

"What?" Emberclaw cried. "He…he got hit by a monster?"

"What?" Cinderpelt echoed, her mouth full of various herbs. "Where is he? I saw your face and assumed you needed something, so I…"

"He's still by the Thunderpath," Thornclaw replied. Come on!"

"Who's by the Thunderpath?" Firestar demanded, padding up behind Cinderpelt and Thornclaw.

"Ravenpaw," Emberclaw replied. "There's no time to explain. You need to get Graystripe, Brambleclaw, Squirreltail, Leafpool, and Mousefur and bring them to Ravenpaw. Cinderpelt, get all the herbs you can carry and come with us. We'll be by the Thunderpath. Come on!" Before Firestar could say anything, Emberclaw flicked her tail, and she, Cinderpelt, and Thornclaw darted off into the icy forest.