Why is this so short.
"And then Firestar killed Tigerstar. The Dark Forest was defeated!"
Lightningkit stared in awe at Pouncetail as he wove a story about the great battle between the Clans and dead cats from long ago.
"Unfortunately, a tree fell on Firestar and he lost his last life..." Pouncetail murmured. "He was ThunderClan leader for my entire life. He was even there when I was hit by a monster. I remember he told me everything would be all right."
Dapplenose ran her tail over his spine.
"What happened after that?" Shellkit jumped to her paws.
The grey elder blinked down at the she-kit. "Well, little one, Firestar's spirit went to StarClan. But StarClan was already waiting for him."
Lightningkit tipped his head, tucking his tail closer around his paws as he listened to the elders' story.
"They had already come down from the stars to help with the fighting, right?" Rainkit interrupted. Lightningkit rolled his eyes. Let them tell the story, mouse brain.
"That's right," Pouncetail purred. "They gave Bramblestar his nine lives right there in the hollow."
Lightningkit frowned, puzzled. "But I thought you said this happened only three moons before we were born. How come ThunderClan has a new leader already? It must take ages to die nine times!"
Pouncetail's gaze clouded. "Well..." He trailed off an exchanged a look with Dapplenose. She swung her broad head towards the kits and looked down at them.
"You see," she began, settling deeper into her nest, "six moons ago, ThunderClan woke up one day and Bramblestar was gone."
"Gone?" Rainkit interrupted again. "Where'd he go?"
The elder shook her head. "No cat knows. But his mate, Squirrelflight, and her sister went looking for him the next day. They haven't been seen since."
The three kits stared for a few seconds, then Shellkit began to purr. She pounced on Rainkit. "I'm going to make you disappear!" she teased.
Rainkit shrieked and went running out of the den. Shellkit pelted after him eagerly, Lightningkit trotting behind her.
His brother scampered down the short hill to the river and hid in some reeds. Lightningkit shook his head. She'll find you in there.
And find him she did. Lightningkit sat down in the dirt and watched as Shellkit dragged a yowling Rainkit out of the reed bed. Flipping him over, she planted both forepaws on his chest and declared triumphantly, "I win!"
"Yeah, yeah," Rainkit muttered, squirming. "Now get off!"
Lightningkit's tongue stopped mid-lick on his paw. A shadow had caught the corner of his eye. "Shellkit..." he warned.
She looked up and glared at him.
Then, suddenly: "Heron!" Petalfur was running full-tilt towards her kits. "Shellkit! Rainkit!" she shrieked.
Lightningkit just stared as a huge bird with a long neck and legs swooped down and landed next to his siblings. The two kits shrunk into the dirt, trying to make themselves invisible.
But Shellkit's fear got the best of her. She yowled and darted toward the reeds, moving as fast as she could.
The heron was faster. It planted a huge clawed foot right in her path, bent its long neck down, grabbed her scruff, and was lifting off just as Petalfur reached it.
"Shellkit!" their mother howled again, already elbow-deep in the river. She crouched and sprang, reaching up with her claws to catch the great bird. But it was too high.
Lightningkit became aware of trembling fur pressed to his. He looked; Rainkit had pelted over and was now shaking into his brother's shoulder.
Shellkit's yowls faded away as the heron grew smaller in the sky.
Petalfur was pacing back and forth in the shallows of the river, Mothwing doggedly following her on shore. The rest of the Clan just stared in shock.
So did Lightningkit. "...What just happened?" he asked, breaking the silence.
Every head in the Clan turned towards him. Even Petalfur stopped pacing. She paused a few heartbeats, then padded over, wrapping her tail around her sons.
"Go back to the nursery, kits," she muttered, giving them a nudge with her nose.
"But—" Rainkit protested, ears drooping.
"Now." Though it was meant to be harsh, she could barely manage a whisper. Lightningkit stood up and started walking slowly away until Rainkit fell in beside him. Neither of them said anything.
"Oh, you poor kits!" Mossyfoot was on them right away as they entered the nursery. "Come lay down in your nest, there's a good kit."
Lightningkit covered his eyes with his paws, trying to block out his thoughts. He felt a cat in front of him and looked up.
"Hi," Cloudkit said warmly. She stood over him, bent slightly in his direction. Even though she was only a half-moon older than him, she always acted like she was already leader.
He sat up. "Why's everyone treating me like a little kit?" he wondered. "I'm too old for that."
Cloudkit exchanged a glance with her sister, Palekit, then moved to sit next to him, pressing her fur to his. "You must be feeling awful—"
"About what?" Lightningkit demanded.
"Shellkit..." Palekit began, but her sister shot her a look.
"What about her? She's coming back, isn't she?" Lightningkit looked from one she-kit to the other as they both stared at him. "What? She's... she's coming back, right?"
Cloudkit ran her tail along his spine. "Oh, Lightningkit..."
He just looked at his paws. Shellkit was gone? Where'd she go? He didn't know. But he did know she wasn't coming back.
"Cloudkit, Palekit." Mossyfoot was standing over them. "Let Lightningkit sleep. He's had a long day, and it's nearly sunset."
Before he could protest, he was being herded further into his nest. Rainkit lay in its very centre, curled up so tight he looked half as big as he normally did. Lightningkit settled in next to him, facing the den wall, and squeezed his eyes shut.
He felt Rainkit's still-shaking pelt next to him, and in that moment realized that he'd never again have his sister's fur brushing against his other side. His paws went over his face again.
Instead of focusing on his thoughts, Lightningkit swivelled his ears behind him. He heard Mossyfoot putting her kits to bed for the night. After a while, she moved to the back of the nursery, where she began to discuss in hushed whispers with Mosspelt and Duskfur. Though the two she-cats didn't have any kits, they were always there to help any queens that needed it, or to watch kits while their mothers were away.
"What's Mistystar going to do?" Mosspelt muttered. "First all these cats disappearing, then Shellkit..."
"She must find out where our Clanmates have been disappearing to!" That was Duskfur. "Reedwhisker was her son, for StarClan's sake!"
"I went to see her this morning," Mosspelt told the other queen. "She didn't look too well. I think she's got whitecough."
"In greenleaf?" Mossyfoot sounded surprised. Though Lightningkit didn't know what whitecough was, he could guess that it didn't happen in greenleaf a lot.
"Yes, and it may be getting worse." Mossypelt's mew was grim. "She's not as young as she used to be.
"RiverClan hadn't been in a fight before the battle with the Dark Forest in a while. A couple of their warriors tore away her lives. I overheard Mothwing say she's only got three left."
Lightningkit's ears shot up. Three? What would RiverClan do without Mistystar?