Chapter Twenty
Revealed
Nightstar's Den
"Nightstar?" Shadowstar asked lightly.
"Come in." Shadowfur and Heatherkit pad into the semi-dark den. Tigerheart is sitting next to Nightstar's nest.
"I have something I need to say, Nightstar" said the Kit.
"What is it?"
"Cloudstar came to me recently with a Prophecy."
"What did he say?" asked the gray and white Medicine Cat.
"Darkness is to come, look to the stars for shelter."
"Do you know what that means?" asked the CloudClan Leader.
"No."
"I will find out what I can." Tigerheart pads out of the den. Heatherkit follows Tigerheart.
"What brings you here, Shadowfur?" Shadowfur puts Glowkit down.
"Do you remember my sister Morningglow?"
"Yes."
"And that she was killed by a Human two moons ago?"
"Yes what a devastating loss indeed."
"Glowkit is her only surviving son."
"Why did you hide him from the Clan?"
"Because Morningglow asked me to protect him and hide him until she told me otherwise."
"I see." Shadowfur hangs his head as he speaks again.
"I'm sorry."
"No, it's fine."
"Can Moonshadow nurse him for me?"
"Yes, call her to my den." Shadowfur pads outside Nightstar's den. Moonshadow is lying outside the Nursery in the camp clearing with Firekit and Tinykit running circles around her.
"Moonshadow, can you come up here to Nightstar's den, please?" Moonshadow nods her head, stands, stretches, and then she bounds up the rocky steps to Nightstar's den. Shadowfur and Moonshadow pad into Nightstar's den. Nightstar has moved to the center of her den where Glowkit is and has started nursing him.
"What do you need, Nightstar?" asked Moonshadow.
"I need you to nurse a very malnourished Kit for me."
"Who though?"
"My nephew Glowkit."
"Sure." Moonshadow gently lifts the malnourished Kit from Nightstar's belly and pads out of the den. Shadowfur shifts uneasily from paw to paw.
"Are you finally going to tell me what happened to your sister?"
"It's complicated…"
"I can't help you feel better if I don't know the truth."
"That's true…"
"So what happened?"
"It was during a border patrol. Morningglow found a helpless Human child in Drowning River. So naturally, she went to help him."
"What happened?"
"Morningglow and I helped guide the child back to the shallow waters of Drowning River."
"And after that?"
"We led him up to one of the Human Houses where we figured he lived; the man that lived there came to the door and was not very friendly."
"What did he do?"
"He went into the house with the child…"
"That doesn't sound so bad."
"He came back out with a shotgun in hand and started shooting at us. We tried to get away, but something else happened…"
"And that was what?"
"Nobody knew she was expecting Kits. She was shot in her right hindleg. I dragged her to safety for the time being. She gave birth to two Kits a tom and a she-cat."
"What were their names?"
"She named the tom Glowkit and the she-cat Gleamkit."
"What happened to Gleamkit?"
"A Human took her in and I brought Glowkit back to the Clan after burying Morningglow."
"Thank you for finally telling me everything." Shadowfur nods his head and leaves the den. Nightstar returns to her nest curls up and goes to sleep.