Faded Secret

By: ShinnyGlaceon

"FIRE!" Jinxkit froze, her terror causing her to shake and bristle.

"Jinxkit we have to go!" wailed Shadowkit, her eyes wide as owls as she glanced outside the nursery. All Jinxkit could hear was the over whelming snap and crackle of flames near her, the heat wave causing her to sweat.

Frostshade darted trough the entrance to the nursery, her eyes searching for her beloved kits, her startled motions sending nests flying. Jinxkit ran towards Frostshade with Shadowkit and Oatkit on her tail, her fright getting the best of her. She had never been in a fire before.

She only knew what they were from elders tales. "We need to leave now!" Frostshade shuddered, frantically pushing Jinxkit and her littermates toward potential safety.

Jinxkit looked over at Oatkit, his fur sticking out, making him look twice his size. When Jinxkit bursted into camp, she wasn't suprised to see cats whipping around, frantic to get away from the flames.

She spotted Honeykink herding Crowkit and Flamekit out of the camp, both the kits startled out of their pelts. Jinxkit normally would have felt satisfaction at their terrified faces, but this was no time to do such a thing.

Sunspot and Moonstar were at the entrance, herding cats out of camp as fast as they could. "Moonstar! We have to be careful! The entrance to the camp is making us go closer to the fire!" wailed Sliverfang as she hurtled towards the entrance, while assisting a reluctant Pantherleap, Mapletail sluggishly following behind.

"Great Starclan, I'm so stiff! I haven't been rushed in ages." Mapletail grumbled, her tail dragging in the ashes behind her.

Moonstar dipped her head and whispered something to Sunspot. Jinxkit wondered if the other clans had the same problem as them. Not that she cared. Pfft! Those mangy flea balls could suffer all they want. Jinxkit continued to tell herself that, but deep down, she really did care.

It made her feel queasy. At this point, the camp was completely aflame. Bracken was crackling and shriveling up in the heat, mossy nests were smoking up in thick clouds. She could hear Oatkit coughing beside her and she nuzzled his side. Be strong.

"It's okay Oatkit. We will get out of this together." Jinxkit calmed down her senses and took a deep breath. She needed to stay calm.

"How are you not freaking out!" Shadowkit scowled, her neck fur bristled and her claws sliding in and out with impatience as they were brought outside the camp to wait for everyone to exit safely. To be honest, Jinxkit was scared. Jinxkit ignored her question and soothed Oatkit as he whimpered, facing the entrance in wait of our mother.

Jinxkit suddenly whipped around to the sound of a tree falling, the trunk cracking and timbering down. Wails erupted around her as the tree thumped to the ground, blocking their exit away from the flames.

Moonstar and Sunspot raced out of the camp, Eclispemoon balanced between them. Frostshade followed behind, assisting a limping Peppersprint. Oatkit leaped towards Frostshade, his crys being drowned out by the howling and snapping of the flames and cats.

"We're trapped!" yowled Hawkpaw as she curled close to her mother Honeykink. Crowkit and Flamekit shuddered near her. "Back into camp!" bellowed Sunspot. As all the cats raced into camp they heard another tree lumber towards the ground. Junxkit tried to find exactly where the tree was.

It sounded deafeningly close. A thought jolted into her mind and she looked up. As if in slow motion, the black and flaming tree fell to the ground before she could cry out, cutting off a chunk of their clan.

She heard the terrified gasps of the other cats as they desperately tried to get at their clanmates, clawing away at the wide trunk. She noticed right away the cats that were no longer there. Eclipsemoon had fallen behind and was no longer on this side of the tree.

She noticed Crowkit and Flamekit sobbing in the fur of Littleflame. Honeykink and Hawkpaw were nowhere to be found. "Sliverfang!" Patchfog howled, desperately trying to be heard. Jinxkit was also curious about the safety of her clanmates, but Patchfog's reply was awnsered by silence.

"We have to go." Moonstar meowed to Patchfog, pressing the distressed tom away from the wreckage.

"She was carrying my kits!" Patchfog protests pushing away Moonstar. The shocked gasps could be heard through out their clanmates, even over the snapping fire. Moonstar sighed and lay a tail on Patchfog's shoulder.

"Her and your kits will be loved and taken care for in Starclan. Sliverfang will take good care of them." Moonstar soothed. Patchfog's fur smoothed out and he sighed. "We have to move on." Patchfog turned around to face Moonstar, his eyes full of sadness.

"Lets go." He meowed, pushing past Moonstar and Sunspot into the camp. Jinxkit followed behind Oatkit and Shadowkit, her mind foggy. Smoke billowed throughout the camp as the fire continued to blaze on. Panic was thick in the air and the camp was tense as they quickly tried to find a safe exit.

"Over here!" Jaggedtooth yelled, pushing away burnt bracken. "Get the kits out first!" Peppersprint shouted, picking up Oatkit beside her. Jinxkit raced alongside Shadowkit as they followed Frostshade who had Crowkit in her jaws.

Jinxkit felt envious that her own mother hadn't picked her up instead, but in this case, she just wanted out. Clambering over the dead branches on her stumpy legs, she fell on her nose, causing it to wrinkle. "Yuck! Dirt!" she complained, standing up and pawing the dirt off her muzzle.

"Get moving!" Oliveflower hissed, prodding Jinxkit in the back. Obeyingly, she moved, catching up to Flamekit who was the tail of the pack as they traveled through a safe patch behind the Elders den. She could tell where her mother was leading them. Into the underground tunnels.

She had seen her mother take this route before and when she had asked her where she was going, she told her about the tunnels. Almost abruptly, before Littleflame could follow after the pack of Oliveflower, Grasstorm, Peppersprint and Pantherleap, branches began falling and crashing to the ground as they burnt off a tree. Jaggedtooth let out a warning cry as the cats spilt up and scattered.

Jinxkit peered through the bushes. She could see Sunspot dashing out of the entrance to the camp, her pelt aflame as she howled in pain. She watched as a flaming branch fell onto a panicked Mottleflight. In a tight corner, Moonstar spat at the flames as they tried to reach out and burn her.

"Go!" Moonstar yowled as the burning foliage collapsed on her. Jinxkit almost burst out crying as she watched her clanmates suffer. Frostshade looked back at Moonstar and nodded. At the rear of the fleeing clanmates she heard Littleflame hiss as he flung paws wildly at the bracken closing the entrance. "It's blocked now!" Littleflame snarled, tail lashing.

"Just keep moving forward!" Pantherleap rasped as he grunted, trying to pull himself along through the tight enclosure of the untouched bracken. Jinxkit continued to tread beside Frostshade. She tried to suck in a deep breath of air, but all she got was a wisp of smoke.

She coughed and walked closer to Frostshade. "Frostshade, I can't breathe..." She felt Frostshade nuzzle her head affectionately and give her a reassuring pat on the back with her tail. "I knew this would happen..." Jinxkit muttered to Shadowkit, flicking her ears. Shadowkit glared at her, but realization crossed her face. They continued to crouch low in the bushes, just out skirting the fire line.

"We're getting close!" Frostshade called back to her other clanmates. Jinxkit saw Oliveflower nod in acknowledgement and she turned her head around to tell the others. In the distance she herd a yowl, as if a wolf was howling for its pack. Must be Moonstar..

They must still be alive! But she saw Moonstar get smothered by the burning leaves. What are the other clans like now?!

"Down!" snapped Frostshade, almost tossing Crowkit, Flamekit, Oatkit and Shadowkit into the dark hole that is the tunnels. It must have been the panic and terror that was in Frostshades voice that brought her back to reality. Her kits lives were in danger

. Jinxkit leaped in after them and pushed them farther down so the other cats could enter. Frostshade was behind her in an instant and Jinxkit felt so proud of her mothers courage. Her mother must feel the same for her.

They paused at the entrance to the tunnel and examined their wounds. "How do you know were your going?" Peppersprint questioned, a sceptical look on her face. "My mentor showed me these when I was training." Frostshde replied turning down another tunnel.

"He showed me were some kits were found and the best places to invade other territories. He showed me a great place for shelter. He thought something like this would happen."

They turned down another tunnel way and came to a fork in the path. At this point, even the flames couldn't illuminate the path. It was just thick darkness and Jinxkit had to follow the sound of the other cats treading paws to be able to know where she is going.

"Now which way!" Peppersprint growled. Jinxkit could hear the forest above them burning. She could feel Peppersprint's nervousness but she trusted her mother."Straight." Frostshade replied, leading her clanmates down the small space.

Frostshade then led them towards an open cave, a small waterfall flowing out of the wall. As they rushed in, mice squealed and sped away into rock crevices. On the wall, next the waterfall, there was a rock ledge.

Crowkit and Flamekit squealed in delight as they darted towards the stream, drinking up as much water as they could handle. Jinxkit spotted some moss in a corner and sniffed at it. It smelled stale but it would work. "Well it looks like this was prepared." Grasstorm complimented, padding over to the moss pile and beggining to set up nests.

"I'll admit, I used to come down her all the time and play with Finchfeather." Frostshade meowed sheepishly. Littleflame purred and nudged Frostshade.

"The joys of being a 'paw' ." Jinxkit thought about her father and mother playing, pretending they were leaders of a clan, practicing fighting all here in this cave. Eventually they must have abandoned the cave when her and her littermates were born.

"Lets get some rest kits." Oliveflower meowed in a soothing tone. Jinxkit meowed her thanks to Grasstorm as he fixed up a nest for her and her brother and sister. Once it was completed, she curled up beside Oatkit and Shadowkit.

She could still hear the crackling flames above, but she knew that they were safe from the fire. For now. "We best get some hunting done." She heard Littleflame meow. She could almost imagine Grasstorm nodding.

"I'll stay here and watch the kits. I will wake them up once you are back with fresh-kill." Pantherleap rasped. Jinxkit opened her eyes to see Pantherleap lie down near Crowkit and Flamekit. "I'll stay too." Oliveflower meowed, cuddling near Pantherleap.

She spotted Frostshade nodding her head as she led the remaining cats towards a prime prey area.

"We will be back soon!" Peppersprint purred, taking up the rear. Jinxkit lay her head back down and closed her eyes. So much stuff has happened in such a short amount of time. She felt Oatkit whimper beside her and she nudged him with her muzzle.

Oatkit opened his eyes and all she could see in them was pure fear. "Oh Oatkit..." Jinxkit murmured, licking his head soothingly.

"I want Finchfeather back..." he shuddered and a tear fell onto the ground. They had survived a terrible disaster.

They had lost so many. At this point everyone knew that the clans could become no more. Starclan might say in a situation like this, find the way towards the prophecy.

Jinxkit knew that's not what Oatkit, or anyone, need most.

She murmured to Oatkit to close his eyes and he did so.

What they need most is hope.

Authors Note

Thank you sooo much guys for all the awesome support! :) uhhh I feel really bad for not updating for like 2 months...School was busy with exams and my summer is always jam packed. Then there was the fact that I wrote the story, lost the paper and had to re-write it...

I want to thanks all My Reviewers!:

Supernova750, Thia Superstar, Rainheart of Snowclan, Lakota1172, Lilysplash, Punpkinfur, and SnowyDawn17!

I'm new at this so I have no idea how to figure out who is following and favouriting. :P derp. SOO if you are favouriting or following, I thank you aswell and I wish the best out of this chapter! Im gonna try to get up another chapter, but I have hockey camp all this week xD Yay.. anyway, Enjoy :)

~I do not own The series of the Warrior Cats in any way. Only a book written by a fan, for fans.~