Chapter 28

Sun filtered through the nursery's thatched roof. It dappled the ground, lighting up the grasses and ferns that made up the floor. Smoketail shifted slightly in the far corner. A small protest accompanied the movement from one of her kits, Skykit. Ashwinter opened her eyes. Honeymallow emitted soft snores from her left.

Ashwinter rolled onto her side. Sunlight warmed her swollen belly. She closed her eyes once more and relished the moment of solitude. Truth be told, being cooped up in the nursery with two litters of kits, soon to be three, was getting to be rather tedious. Burtail had announced she was expecting three kits of her own—Dustrise had been particularly proud. Ashwinter, however, eventually began to envy her mate. He got to hunt, to fight, and to patrol boarders, while she was stuck lolling about all day in the stuffy den with two other queens and seven kits. It was going to be too crowded.

A rustle of the reeds at the entrance drew her attention. Dustrise appeared carrying a pair of mice. He let them fall to the ground in front of her.

"Hi," he mewed.

"Hi," she answered.

"I thought you might be a bit hungry. So they're both for you…I thought I'd stop in before I left for patrol."

Patrol. The word made a pang of longing shoot through her stomach.

"Thanks," she replied after a moment, "but you can have one—I'm not that hungry."

It was a lie he saw right through.

"I already ate. Besides you need to eat more than usual now…it's obvious you're hungry."

Ashwinter reframed from rolling her eyes. So maybe she was hungry. That didn't mean anything—she could eat as much or as little as she pleased. She hooked the mice on her claws and pulled them towards her.

"Fine. Thanks," she mumbled.

Dustrise drew his tongue over her ear. "You're welcome."

Ashwinter licked him back. "Have fun on your patrol…"

"I'll try my hardest," he grinned.

She shook her slightly in amusement.

" Be careful!" she called as he left. He flicked his tail in acknowledgement.

"You know, he's a grown warrior…he can look after himself just fine," Honeymallow yawned.

Her companion was quiet for a moment.

" I know," she sighed, "but these are dangerous times. We all need to be careful."

Honeymallow nodded in agreement.

"That doesn't mean you need to worry now. It could get a lot more dangerous out there than it already is."

"I knew that too. But I can't help but worry."

Honeymallow rolled over onto her back. Her kits, Yarrowkit and Ivykit, scrambled back next to her for extra warmth.

"I can't help but feel I need to be there with him. Just in case."

"In case of what?" Honeymallow inquired.

Ashwinter shook her head. "I don't know."

"Trust me, he'll be fine. He's not going alone anyway; there will be others there too. Dustrise is a grown, mature warrior. He can look after himself," she pointed out again.

Ashwinter gazed out the nursery entrance. "I hope you're right…"

Dustrise slunk through the undergrowth along the river, following Russetclaw closely. His companion poked his head out through the reeds long enough to scour the banks for rivals. Dustrise scented the air quickly just in case.

"So, what's up between you and Honeymallow?" he asked in an attempt to make friendly conversation.

Russetclaw huffed quietly. "Well, I love her but I don't know how she feels about me."

"Why don't you tell her how you feel?"

Russetclaw whipped around to face his clanmate.

"Are you insane?"

"No. A bit mad, yes. But insane? No."

Russetclaw fixed his gaze on the ground. "I just don't want to ruin my chances with her."

Dustrise paused as his clanmate turned and continued moving.

"If you tell her how is it going to break what you have?" he asked and began walking after Russetclaw.

"If I tell her she could completely reject me. I don't want to run that risk," Russetclaw replied.

"Honeymallow wouldn't do that…"Dustrise began, trying to comfort his companion.

Russetclaw's eyes flashed with anger.

"Wouldn't she? After what she went through? She's stuck in the nursery for a reason, Dustrise! She has those kits to look after when she didn't even want them. They shouldn't be here! What makes you think she would just be okay with having another tom lusting after her? Even if he is from a clan, it doesn't matter! She's obviously traumatized and I don't want to make it worse!" Russetclaw hissed.

Dustrise was taken aback. "How could you say something like that? You know, she might feel alone, and yes she's traumatized, but that doesn't mean she doesn't need you! Honeymallow knows the difference between a mindless, loveless killer and sensible warrior, and she's gracious enough to accept help, even if it's the least you offer!"

Russetclaw didn't reply-he only focused on something out of Dustrise's line of sight. His eyes shook in their sockets and his breathing slowed.

"Russetclaw…?" Dustrise ventured.

Russetclaw flicked his tail for silence. "There's something out there."

Dustrise crouched down and peered out of the bracken. He scented the air again, but still caught nothing.

"I don't see anything…" he whispered.

Russetclaw opened his mouth to reply but was cut short when a wily brown body slammed into him. Dustrise didn't think about throwing himself at the attacker—he just did it with a screech of fury. Before he knew it numerous cats—WindClan warriors—surrounded them. Russetclaw and Dustrise fought back against the raid party with all their strength, but it wasn't enough. It was too unfair a fight, having an entire WindClan party against two RiverClan warriors. Dustrise prayed to StarClan that the rest of his patrol could hear the fight. He prayed they would come to their aid.

Suddenly a large paw appeared out of no where and swiped claws across his muzzle. Dustrise hissed and wasted no time blinking the blood out of his eyes. He pounced on his attacker and drew his hind claws down the other cat's belly. The WindClan warrior yowled and managed to jump away. They circled eachother while they recovered. Dustrise noticed Russetclaw having a hard time with three opposing warriors. He prepared himself to jump in and even the odds, but his own attacker had apparently recovered from Dustrise's weaker attack and launched himself at the dark tabby. The warrior weighed more than he looked. The attack threw Dustrise down the slope and onto the stone riverbank, winding him. The WindClan tom swiftly followed him to the water. Dustrise tried to scramble up in time to meet the tom, but WindClan warriors have speed on their side. The tom barreled into Dustrise again before he had a chance to even think about fleeing to the water. He was knocked back onto his side, sharp rocks tore into his skin. In one final act to triumph over his opponent, the tom slammed his paw down onto Dustrise's head, banging it against a particularly large rock and knocking him out cold. Just before his vision faded, Dustrise saw Burnpelt, Bluefire and Darkflower burst out of the foliage and knew his prayers had been answered.