*Foxstar's P.O.V*

"Did you find anything?" Ashberry asked hopefully when I returned to the patrol. I placed the small tuft of Nightkit's fur down in front of them.

"I found this on the log," I explained. "I," I hesitated. "I think Nightkit fell into the lake."

"No." Shadestripe shook his head furiously. "We can't just give up on her." he growled.

"Don't you remember what happened with Foxstar? He disappeared and they found traces of fox and his blood. WindClan gave up on him because they thought he was dead. He was perfectly fine. What about Redstripe and Sunnysky? All the Clans thought they had drowned and gave up on them but they still found a way to come home." Brackenpelt hissed.

"We aren't WindClan. I'm not going to give up so easily." Blossomstem added.

"I won't either. But her scent is already gone. We'll have to try and pick it up tomorrow." I sighed. It hurt to just go back to camp, when there was a chance that my daughter was still out there, but one glance at my patrol and I knew they were exhausted. Fernpaw could barely stay on her paws. Sadly, we padded back to camp.

"Did you find her?" Foxstar asked hopefully when we returned.

"I found this, on the log we use to go to gatherings. It's a tuft of her fur. I think she may have fallen into the lake." I said dreadfully. Foxstar closed his eyes, and nodded slowly.

"I am terribly sorry, Blazestrike. I know how much it hurts to lose a kit." he mewed.

"I know nothing of your pain, Foxstar." I told him. "You lost your littermates to sickness, your adoptive mother died in battle, You grew up thinking your best friend was lost forever, you lost Cinderpaw in a battle against your true littermates, one that she wasn't supposed to fight, you lost Thistlepaw and Redfire in the fire and had to watch my sister die before your eyes without there being anything that you could have done. There is no other pain that could compare to yours." I mewed.

"Nightkit is with Sandpaw right now, watching over you." Foxstar told me.

"I know. I just wish she could have made it to an apprentice." I sighed.

"Blazestrike!" I heard Breezefeather call. I have to tell her the bad news.

"I'll just leave the two of you to talk." Foxstar dipped his head and padded into the nursery. Probably going to see Icestorm, Boltkit, Bumblekit and Brightkit.

"You didn't find her, did you?" Breezefeather asked.

"No, we didn't." I sighed. "What gave it away?

"The disappointment on your patrol's faces when you returned to camp." she mewed.

"I did find something." I tell her. "But you aren't going to like it." I said uneasily.

"Blazestrike, please." she mews. "I need to know."

"I followed her scent over the WindClan border," I started. "It lead to the log that we use for the gathering. In the middle of the log, I found a small tuft of her fur. Her scent trail ended there as if," I paused. "As if she had fallen into the lake."

"We've lost her, haven't we?" Breezefeather mewed sadly.

"I'm afraid so." I sighed.

"Nightkit is gone?" Sagekit squeaked. I hadn't even noticed that she had been listening.

"I'm sorry, Sagekit." Brightkit said, licking her shoulder gently. "I don't know what I would do if I ever lost Boltkit or Bumblekit." she mewed.

"She'll never be a warrior." Sagekit said sadly.

"No, but she'll always be watching over you. It isn't goodbye, Nightkit will always be with us." I told her.

"I'm going to go lie down." Sagekit said softly. I watched as she padded into the nursery.

"I'll go with her." Breezefeather sighed, bounding after the small kit.

"Is Nightkit really gone?" Brightkit asked.

"Yes. Nightkit is gone." I told her. "And she isn't coming back."

*Foxstar's P.O.V*

"I feel bad," Icestorm mewed. "Foxstar, look at him over there. He is depressed. I know what it is like to lose a kit." she muttered. I turned to where she was looking, just outside the warriors den, Blazestrike was laying with his head in his paws. He had been laying there like that since his patrol had returned. Redstripe had taken over the patrols for the rest of the day.

"Nightkit would have been a wonderful warrior," I sighed.

"There isn't anything we would do. Even a RiverClan cat wouldn't be able to retrieve her body. The lake is too deep, you know that Foxstar." she mewed.

"Yes. I just wish that it didn't happen like this." I shook my head sadly.

"ThunderClan have suffered too many deaths," Icestorm agreed.

"Do you think StarClan is punishing us?" I asked uneasily.

"For what?" Icestorm retorted. "ThunderClan have done nothing wrong."

"I think I'll go and speak to Whitebird, see if she has gotten a sign." I sighed, padding out of the nursery and into the medicine cat den where the white she-cat was sorting herbs. I could tell she was probably just as upset as her sister, Breezefeather. Nightkit was her kin.

"How can I help you, Foxstar?" Whitebird asked.

"I was wondering if you had gotten any signs from StarClan." I asked her.

"None at all." she shook her head.

"Is is possible that StarClan is punishing ThunderClan for something? It's just ThunderClan haven't had the best luck. We've lost a lot of cats." I mewed.

"No." she said confidently.

"Are you sure? It's just that all of the deaths that have been happening," my voice trailed off.

"No." she repeated. "StarClan have not been punishing us." she shook her head.

"Okay." I mewed in relief. If there was anyone who would know, it would be Whitebird.

"Foxstar, you'll be the first to know if I receive anything." Whitebird mewed.

"Thank you, Whitebird. Your mother and father would be proud of the wonderful medicine cat you have become." I dipped my head.

"I haven't seen them in StarClan." Whitebird sighed. "Do you really think so?" she asked.

"Of course. I played with your mother and father as kits and trained with them as apprentices. I have fought side-by-side with them in battle, I know they are proud of you."

"Thank, Foxstar." Whitebird purred before going back to sorting her herbs. I left her in peace and stepped out into the clearing.

"Foxstar, I bring news from ShadowClan." Stormcloud mewed.

"ShadowClan?" I frowned.

"Yes. I met a ShadowClan patrol while checking the borders." he explained.

"What is the news?" I asked.

"Flamestar has lost his last life. Tigerstripe is to be the new leader." he told me. I searched his face for sadness, but there was nothing.

"How do you feel about your father joining StarClan?" I asked the warrior.

"I had no loyalty to him. Kin or not." Stormcloud shrugged.

"Surely you must be sad, he was your father after all?" I prompted.

"He broke the warrior code, by mating with my mother. Sunnysky and me are against the warrior code. An abomination. I care nothing for him, or for ShadowClan. I passed on this information in case you saw it as an opportunity to get more territory. They are busy mourning for Flamestar, and are without a leader." Stormcloud told me before padding into the warriors den.

"What's happened to him?" Icestorm muttered. I hadn't noticed she had been standing beside me.

"I don't know." I sighed.

"He isn't the innocent, little kit who used to sit by the camp entrance day by day waiting for Redstripe and Sunnysky to return." Icestorm mewed.

"No. Stormcloud has changed. He isn't the apprentice who used to love racing me back to camp after our training sessions. Or the apprentice who stood by my side when I was accused of killing Berrypelt. Or the apprentice who requested to stay an apprentice so he could train along-side his sister when she returned. He's turned into a cold, heartless warrior. He doesn't seem to care about anything." I sighed.

"What are we going to do?" Icestorm asked.

"Do you really blame him?" I asked her. "I promised him he could mentor Nightkit when she was ready. And now she is gone. He's losing everyone, the only family he has left is Sunnysky."

"I will speak to Sunnysky about him." Icestorm mewed, licking my cheek.

"I need your help deciding mentors for kits." I told her.

"Which kits?" Icestorm asked.

"Icestorm, who do you think should mentor Boltkit, Bumblekit and Brightkit? They'll be apprentices soon." I asked her.

"Well, Boltkit can never sit still so he'll need a mentor who has a lot of patience. The warrior with the most patience is Ashberry." Icestorm mewed. "Bumblekit, he is really shy and needs a warrior that stays calm, Cloudwhisper would be the best mentor for him Brightkit is really energetic, since Cedarleaf is the most energetic warrior in the camp, he'll be able to keep up with her. Are those good enough suggestions?" Icestorm asked.

"Those are perfect." I purred, licking her ears. "I'll have a word with them later." I told her. This apprentice ceremony will be a good distraction to get the Clan's mind off of Nightkit's passing.