Chapter 4
Smokewhisker's smile instantly vanished when he heard those four words being yowled from the camp's entrance. He looked away from Ashkit to look at Blossomtuft, "I'll go see if Froststar wants me to go battle Riverclan." Blossomtuft nodded as the tom turned away and walked out of the nursery. Ashkit followed her father to the entrance of the nursery and stopped to see what was going on.
A large muscular tom ran to the overhanging branch, Froststar sitting on top. "Beetlescar, where is Riverclan invading from?" She demanded. The tom shook as he spoke, "They're coming through from the Greenleaf Twoleg place."
Lightpaw padded up to Beetlescar and led him to the medicine den as Froststar and her deputy, Oaktail chose the warriors to go fight Riverclan.
"Smokewhisker, Emberlight, Gorseclaw, Thisltefur, Whitefoot, Clawpelt, Badgerface, Darkstrike, and Longpaw. The rest of you stay here and protect the camp." She called out, both her and Oaktail jumped down from the overhanging branch when she finished.
Ashkit watched as the patrol vanished through the bramble entrance. She looked back to Blossomtuft lying down in her nest. "Why is Riverclan attacking us?" The gray she-kit asked as she walked over to the Shadowclan queen.
"They are trying to get more territory; they've been like that for moons, but don't worry my kit lay down and eat." Ashkit did as she was told and padded over to Blossomtuft.
Ashkit popped awake as she heard the sound of cats fighting coming from outside of the nursery. She stood up slowly and stalked to the entrance of the nursery to see what was happening. She looked outside and saw some of the warriors that were still in the camp fighting. Then a foul stench hit her nose, it smelled like fish and salt.
'It must be Riverclan!' The kit thought to herself. Ashkit was tempted to help the warriors even though she was just a kit and didn't know any battle moves at all, but before she decide whether to go or not and large black and grey tom ran into the nursery.
Blossomtuft yawn and looked around she almost jumped out of her fur when she saw the large tom, "Wolffrost, what are you doing in here?" She hissed as she glared at him.
"I'm here to make sure you two don't get your pelts clawed off." He replied before picking up Ashkit and moving her away from the nursery's entrance.
"Are you alright?" She asked, calmly herself down. The tom nodded yes as he put the kit down beside the queen. Wolffrost sauntered back to the nursery's entrance and looked out into the camp.
"Riverclan retreat!" A loud voice yowled from outside. Wolffrost ran out of the nursery to help chase out the remaining Riverclan warriors.
"Can I go out and help them?" Ashkit inquired from the tortoiseshell queen. "No, you're too little to go out in the snow." She told the small she-kit.
"Can I just look then?" The gray tabby kit asked, hoping the queen will say yes and let her go outside. "Fine, but stay inside." The tortoiseshell sighed and licked the kit on the ears before she ran off.
Ashkit stop at the entrance and looked out into the camp. The clan was gathering around the entrance of the camp, it looked like they were helping injured cats. She saw that Froststar was limping to her den and two small toms were walking beside her to support her, both of them had deep claw and bite wounds over their bodies.
Then the she-kit saw a dark brown tom carrying a limp gray tabby in his jaws. She looked back at Blossomtuft to check if she was looking her way, she wasn't. Ashkit turned back to the camp and ran out to the dark brown tom. The tom stopped in the middle of the camp and dropped the limp tabby.
"Ashkit I'm sorry, I couldn't save him" He mumbled under his breath right before he walked over to the medicine den where Berryleaf and Lightpaw were treating wounds. Her heart dropped when she saw the body. It was her father, Smokewhisker.
The she-kit buried herself in the limp toms frozen fur as Blossomtuft walked out of the nursery. The queen ran over to Ashkit and the limp warrior once she saw them both laying the middle of Shadowclan's camp.
"Ashkit are you alright?" The she-cat asked in a fearful voice. The gray kit looked up to Blossomtuft as a loud yowl came from the overhanging branch.
"Let all cats old enough to catch a frog gather here beneath the Branch for a clan meeting!" Ashkit and Blossomtuft looked toward the Branch to see Oaktail the clan's deputy while the rest of Shadowclan sat around the overhanging branch.
"The battle against Riverclan was hard, and because of them we lost one of our most loyal warriors, Smokewhisker!" He hissed in anger as a ginger she-cat spoke, "Where is Froststar?"
"She is in her den; Coalstar took one of her lives" He told the clan, "We must get Riverclan back for this!" A small jet black tom spat, the clan yowled in agreement.
"Yes. But for now we will sit vigil for Smokewhisker. End of clan meeting!"