Disclaimer: I do not own Warriors or Hetalia.

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To say the least, Maplelight was terrified. Here she was, in the middle of a severe storm, the nursery having been flooded, and two kits with her. The wind was certainly against her, as her fur buffeted in its fury. It was hard to keep the two kits' scruffs in her locked jaws. Usually, no more than one kit could be carried that way, but there seemed to be no other choice.

Shadekit and Ivykit mewled piteously in complaint of the stinging rain that attacked the three cats. Maplelight fought the urge to stop and soothe them, since she knew doing so could very well mean the death of the two young ones.

She was moving in a blind state, her eyes partially closed in futile defense from the elements. But even with the limited sight, she spotted a hollow tree that still stood firmly against the storm.

'Thank you, StarClan!' she exclaimed silently as she quickly hurried inside and set the kits on the dry ground. The tree seemed to have also kept the space inside it from getting even a little damp, much to Maplelight's appreciation.

After licking the kits so that they'd be as dry as possible, she set to caring for her own pelt. It didn't take all too long, and she settled on her side, allowing the kits to snuggle into her slightly moist fur. The queen purred as to calm herself and comfort the kits as they contently suckled from her.

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Morning soon came, and the storm had calmed into a gentle breeze and sprinkling of rain. Deeming it now safe enough to exit the makeshift den, Maplelight nudged the kits outside and was soon leading them through the forest.

"Wow! It's so big out here!" Ivykit mewed in awe. Her kit-blue eyes taking in as much as possible. Shadekit agreed with her sister.

"Now, kits, we need to get back to camp. I can only imagine how worried Poppycurl must be." Maplelight meowed.

The two kits obediently followed her, but they didn't stop conversing about every new thing they saw. That included asking Maplelight a great deal of questions, which she didn't mind answering.

"Ew! What's that smell?!" Shadekit suddenly asked.

"What is it, Maplelight?" Ivykit questioned.

Pausing, Maplelight took a sniff at the air. She recognized it easily.

"Dawnstorm? Is that you?" she called in her default volume.

With a rustle of a small bush, said she-cat appeared. Her hazel eyes were full of both irritation and relief.

"Yes, it's me. Do you know how long it took me to find your scent in this weather?! I've even checked the old badger sets! Poppycurl's panicking because she couldn't find her kits, and Cloudscar and Braveheart are convinced you ended up like Dustfang!" Dawnstorm meowed.

"Dustfang? What happened to him?" Maplelight asked with concern.

Dawnstorm's tail and ears dropped in sadness, "He drowned."

Maplelight gave a quiet gasp, and sympathy flooded her, "Oh, Dawnstorm, I'm so sorry. And your mother died only four seasons ago, too."

"It's fine. He hunts with StarClan now, he'll be alright. As of now, we've gotta get back." The tabby mewed, turning to lead the way.

Ivykit and Shadekit did not hesitate like Maplelight, as they were eager to follow the aunt that they'd only seen once before. After a few heartbeats, the quiet she-cat started moving.

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"MAPLELIGHT!"

As soon as they had returned, Poppycurl gathered her kits and started licking them frantically with happiness. As for Maplelight, she received a strong greeting from her mate and brother.

"I thought you were dead! Are you hurt?! Did you fall or anything?!" Braveheart asked, being the protective brother he always had been.

"You didn't get attacked by anything, right?! How about the kits, are they okay?!" asked Cloudscar.

"I'm fine, I'm fine. No, nothing bad happened, and the kits are okay." Maplelight assured them. She had to admit, the attention was kind of nice. But she knew the two would get over-bearing soon, if not calmed.

Stonestar, who had been standing near Poppycurl, padded up to Dawnstorm and Maplelight. The tabby she-cat bowed her head slightly in respect, but her ears were also pinned back a bit. She'd never actually liked the gray leader a whole lot.

"You both did very good. Maplelight, you showed strength to keep those kits safe," he praised, "I can understand why Longstar gave you such virtues."

He then turned to Dawnstorm, who looked as though she'd rather be somewhere else.

"And Dawnstorm; you truly are quite a stubborn, but determined cat. Though it may not mean much to you, coming from me, I know that you are a good-hearted warrior and worthy clanmate." Stonestar meowed.

The gray tom then gave one last glance, before returning to his mate's side.

"Well, that was pleasant. Wasn't it, Dawnstorm?" Maplelight mewed happily. She did enjoy it when some cat noticed her, much more when she was praised. However, no reply came.

"Dawnstorm?" the soft-spoken she-cat noticed that her friend was silent.

Dawnstorm's ears were bright red with embarrassment. The sight was quite amusing, actually.

Another thing to notice, Braveheart and Cloudscar had disappeared. It was likely that, after seeing she was okay, they'd gone off to tend to their duties.

"Dawnstorm! Cloudscar just told me the whole thing about finding Maplelight and Stonestar saying good stuff about you! Not to be unexpected of my lovely mate, of course!" meowed a much too loud Passionpatch. He padded up to them, completely oblivious to the she-cat's mood.

Maplelight knew what was coming and quickly excused herself before making a quick escape. She did not want to be present for Dawnstorm's outbursts of embarrassment. The tabby's attitude was like a raging storm, hence her name.

"You mouse-brain! You're louder than a newborn fox cub!" she heard Dawnstorm growl. The apologies of her mate were heard faintly through her raging.

Maplelight rolled her eyes; knowing that Dawnstorm would be calmed by a bit of grooming from Passionpatch soon enough.

Poppycurl suddenly ran in front of her, with Ivykit and Shadekit scrambling to catch up.

"Thank you so much, Maplelight! I don't know how in Silverpelt you did it, but I sure am happy you did!" the over-joyed tabby mewed with gratitude.

Maplelight was about to reply when Stonestar's call for a meeting rang out over the camp.

"Oh, I guess we should have expected that," Poppycurl meowed, "Come on then! You too, kits! It looks like you get to join!"

Maplelight sighed quietly; tired already from the day she'd endured. But, never-the-less, she followed the fellow queen and the two very excited she-kits. She already had an idea as to what the meeting was about.

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A/N: Woo! That took a while! Sorry for the late update, guys. I hope this chapter makes it up to you.

Yes, Dustfang is dead. Though I didn't say so earlier, he was Poppycurl and Dawnstorm's father.

I have a lot planned for Poppycurl's kits. *evil laughter*

Anyway, it's Spring Break! YAY! I can't wait for Easter!

On a last note, I will be updating "Survival" soon! With extra time, thanks to the break, it'll be up in no time!