It had been a month since the kits were born, when all of a sudden, Manzanitapaw came rushing out of the nursery.
"The kits are gone!" Manzanita caught the attention of everyone.
"You lost my kits?!" Duskpaw slashed Manzanitapaw's leg.
"Yes, I left the den for fifteen minutes, and they were gone," the nine year old rubbed the bleeding scratch.
"We have to send out a search patrol!" Redpaw put out boldy.
"That's for Pinestar to decide!" Dawnpaw reminded her fellow apprentice.
"You think Pinestar would do anything else?" Duskpaw defended her mate with a hiss.
Dawnpaw looked hurt that her sister said that.
"We have to tell her!" Sparrowtail yowled out.
"No need, I already heard," Pinestar had just walked out of the leader's den, her brown tail swishing.
A few cats nodded respectfully. But they didn't even need to organize a patrol, because the kits came bursting into the camp.
"Kits! Where is Moonkit?" Redpaw looked frantically for his silver son.
"He. He. He," Flamekit stuttered breathlessly.
"Spit it out!" Duskpaw lightly whacked Flamekit's ear.
"Moonkit's trapped in Frozen Cave!" Gustkit finished for her brother.
The clan cats gasped. Frozen Cave was a dark cave where the light never reached, it was underground, and it always had snow and ice in it.
"Redpaw! Sandfur! Come with me to Frozen Cave!" Pinestar and the patrol rushed out of camp.
The whole clan was pacing impatiently until they heard Pinestar's yowl thirty minutes later. Sandfur was behind her, carrying little Moonkit. Sparrowtail's heart twisted as soon as she saw little Moonkit. Moonkit as shivering badly, all of his fur seemed frozen, especially his front left paw and his hind right paw which had turned a bluish color, his right eye was swollen and ice encrusted, and his whiskers were frozen stiff. Duskpaw immediately followed them to the medicine den. A few minutes later Sparrowtail heard the battle cry of Duskpaw and the pained shreak of Manzanitapaw. Sparrowtail also heard Frostclaw hiss at Duskpaw. Duskpaw rushed out of the medicine den, seeting mad, and sped over to the apprentices den.
"What was that all about?" Sparrowtail muttered to herself walking over to the apprentice's den.
Duskpaw looked up and saw her.
"Go away!" Duskpaw snarled as if all of Tigerclan was inside of her.
"No! Why did you attack Manzanitapaw? She took care of your kits whan you couldn't!" Sparrowtail unsheathed her claws and glared at her apprentice.
"She also lost them!" Duskpaw wasn't intimidated.
"The kits are back now. Why are you really mad?" Sparrowtail raised her eyebrow suspiciously.
"You really want to know?" Duskpaw dug her claws into the mossy ground.
"Yeah, I do," Sparrowtail tried to match Duskpaw's icy tone.
"She said that they were going to have to amputate two of his paws and he's going to be blind in his right eye," Duskpaw looked away.
Sparrowtail's heart just about stopped. Without those things, he might never be a real warrior. Moonkit was the runt of the litter, and always trying to prove that he was as strong as his litter mates. Often commenting that he was going to be the greatest warrior the clan has ever seen, besides being ambitious, he was also the sweetest of the litter.
"Oh StarClan! Why Moonkit!" Sparrowtail wailed in her head.
Her thoughts were broken by a small snore. Sparrowtail looked down, Duskpaw had fallen asleep. Sparrowtail let out a shuddered sigh and went over to the medicine den.
"May I come in?" Sparrowtail poked her head in.
"Yes, of course," Frostclaw turned to her.
Redpaw went out as soon as she came in. His head was turned down, you could tell he had been crying. She cocked her head sympathetically. Redpaw payed no mind to her.
"Hello, Moonkit. How are you?" Sparrowtail gently scratched his silky back.
"I'm not going to be a warrior," Moonkit sighed softly.
"Don't worry, we'll find a use for you," Sparrowtail stroked his silver striped cheek.
"How? I cant be a warrior, and Frostclaw already has an apprentice," Moonkit hissed and pressed his muzzle in his paws.
All of a sudden, his brothers and sister came parading in.
"We're sorry Moonkit!" Gustkit began licking her little brother.
"It's all my fault!" Sunkit joined his siter, Gustkit, in licking Moonkit.
Flamekit simply sniffed loudly and joined in the licking party. Sparrowtail sighed and left the den. What was going to happen to Moonkit?
Hi! Any suggestions on what to do with Moonkit? I still don't know! And I don't want to kill him or send him to the elders den!