Chapter 2

"Owlkit, what do you want to play?" Amberkit asked.

"Hm..what about moss-ball?"

"Bo-ring!" yawned Amberkit. "We played that yesterday!"

"Yeah!" agreed Dustkit.

Owlkit gritted his teeth. Dustkit always agreed with Amberkit. Amberkit now seemed to officially be the leader of the kits. Even Poppywind's newborn kits, Rosekit, Hawkkit, Rockkit, and Snowkit followed Amberkit around everywhere. Even to the dirtplace.

"Let's play defend the nursery!" said Amberkit. The other kits nodded immediately.

"Okay, Rosekit, take the right side, Snowkit the left, and Dustkit go to the front..." Amberkit's voice faded away as Owlkit got up and went to the medicine cat's den.

"Grayfeather?" Owlkit called.

The sleek gray she-cat poked her head out of her den. "What?" she asked.

"Can you teach me all the herbs?"

Grayfeather responded instantly. "Of course!"

She beckoned with a tail that Owlkit should come in.

Grayfeather touched a pile of small black seeds. "These are poppy seeds. They help a cat sleep."

Owlkit poked at a mound of bright red berries. "What are these?"

Instantly Grayfeather was on him, pulling him away from the berries. "Those are deathberries!" she gasped. "Never, ever, eat those! You'll die!"

Owlkit stared at them with intense curiosity. "Then why are they here?"

Grayfeather replied, "They put a suffering cat out of it's misery."

"Oh."

Suddenly, Owlkit heard a screech. "HAWK!"

"Hawk? What? Where?" Owlkit poked his head out of the nursery. Grayfeather dragged him back into the medicine cat's den. "Be quiet!" she hissed in his ear. "Hawks eat little kits!"

Owlkit heard Amberkit's voice say, "I wanna see the hawk!"

"Shh!" Amberstripe's voice whispered.

"Are all the cats accounted for, besides the hunting patrol?" Pinestar asked.

Owlkit's could hear Amberstripe's frantic shriek. "Owlkit's not in the nursery!"

"He's in the medicine cat's den," Grayfeather replied from behind him.

"Good." Pinestar said. "Everycat, keep inside their dens."

Owlkit peeked out of a crack in the vines. An enormous bird was circling over the camp.

Dustkit's head poked out of the nursery. "Hawk! Cool!"

Then, before anycat could stop her, she padded out of the nursery.

"Dustkit! No!" Amberstripe ran out after her daughter.

The hawk had spotted Duskit; it folded it's wings and zoomed towards her.

"Whoa." Duskit's amber eyes were round with amazement. "Cool!"

"Dustkit! Come back!" Amberstripe almost managed to get to her before the hawk struck.

Almost.

"AH! HELP!" The hawk had grabbed Dustkit, it's sharp talons piercing her still-nursery-soft fur.

"Dustkit!" wailed Amberstripe. She jumped at the hawk, who was now aloft again. "Let go of her, you stinking mange-pelt!"

The hawk took off into the sky.

"NO!" Amberstripe hung onto the hawk, weighing it down.

"Amberstripe! Let go!" Pinestar's gruff mew barked.

Reluctantly, Amberstripe let go.

"Dustkit," whimpered Owlkit.

"Brackenclaw, Mistwing, and Peareye," ordered Pinestar. "Track down the hawk."

Owlkit was numb with shock.

Dustkit's gone!