Warriors: Forest of Secrets - Book Three (Completed)

Chapter Twenty

Waterlily grabbed a small pile of herbs she had gathered earlier that day and set them a few tail-lengths away from the herb store. Just a few more pieces needed to be picked apart, then it would be ready. She suddenly pricked her ears and lifted her head. Fear swelled in her throat, and her ears flattened. Something was wrong. She raced out into the den and saw Fireheart pelting towards her. He stopped just a whisker away and panted hard before speaking.

"It's Graystripe and Silverstream." He meowed, still trying to catch his breath. "Follow me." He pelted back up the ravine and out of the gorse tunnel. Waterlily dropped her herbs and raced after him just a tail-length behind. She struggled to keep up, but kept going until he finally stopped just at the border of RiverClan and ThunderClan. Waterlily saw a pregnant she-cat laying on her side, and breathing heavily. She looked up at Fireheart, her eyes wide with confusion.

"Please help her." It was Graystripe who pleaded. He fixed his  gaze on her; his eyes filled with worry and plead.

Waterlily softly nodded, then looked down at the she-cat. Her belly was swollen and pain struct through her and her belly rippled. The powerful rippling down her body had ebbed away into weak spasms. She had stopped wailing. Waterlily quickly went to her side and sniffed the silver queen. 

"Fireheart!" Growled a tom. 

Fireheart laid his ears flat and looked back. It was a dark tabby tom. Tigerclaw. Waterlily looked up at her heart began racing, but Fireheart shook his head and fixed his eyes back on the suffering queen. Lots of blood began pouring out her and a small bundle spilled out. Waterlily quickly grabbed it then put in front of Fireheart. "Lick it clean." She ordered, then went back and said some reassuring words to the silver she-cat. "It's okay, Silverstream. You're almost done."

Silverstream's sides rippled again and she let out a loud yowl in pain. Tigerclaw then came down from the rock and was standing in the mouth of the gully with a look of thunder on his face. "That's a RiverClan cat," he hissed. "Will one of you tell me what's going on?"

Waterlily, nor Fireheart responded. She kept her gaze and attention to Silverstream. Finally another kit slipped out. "You've done it!" She praised. She picked the kit up and dropped it in front of Tigerclaw. 

Tigerclaw lifted his paw and hissed in exasperation. "What am I, am a medicine cat?"

"You have a tongue, don't you?" Waterlily hissed back, her eyes blazing like wildfire. "Make yourself useful and lick the kit clean." She ordered. 

The dark tabby bowed his huge head and began to lick the second kit, reluctantly. 

Waterlily looked up at Graystripe with sorrow in her eyes. "I have no herbs with me. I'm afraid I don't have much time."

Graystripe rose to his paws. "What do you mean, no time?" He growled.

"She isn't doing well, Graystripe... I'm sorry, but you-"

"No! Just try!" He hissed, "Save her. What herb do you need?"

Waterlily couldn't look at the long-haired tom. "It's chervil. It's found in snakerocks. We are far from it." She confessed.

"What does it look like?" Graystripe demanded.

Before Waterlily was able to respond, Silverstream's body gave a massive shudder. Her head fell back, her paws jerked, and she was still. Waterlily gasped and pressed her ear against SIlverstream's flank. She didn't want to believe the she-cat was dead, but she couldn't hide the facts. Silverstream stopped breathing. Waterlily looked up at Graystripe with sympathy in her eyes. 

"No!" Graystripe yowled. "No, Silverstream!" He wailed, putting his nose down onto her flank. 

"I'm sorry." Waterlily whispered. She closed her eyes tightly, and bowed her head. Fireheart then padded beside her and nudged her comfortingly. 

"The kits are safe." Fireheart meowed, trying to sound positive.

"This is my fault." She murmured, looking down at the pretty silver she-cat.

The rocks were still echoing to Graystripe's dreadful wailing. Tigerclaw appeared, scrambling past the other cats, and reached out a massive paw to cuff the gray warrior behind the ear. "Stop that moaning."

Graystripe stopped and fell silent, but kept his head low. He would be mourning for moons. Waterlily thought.

Tigerclaw glared around at all of them. "Now will some cat tell me what's going on? Graystripe, do you know this RiverClan cat?"

Graystripe looked up. His eyes had gone dull and cold, like pebbles. "I loved her," He whispered.

"What—these are your kits?" Tigerclaw seemed stunned.

"Mine and Silverstream's." A faint spark of defiance kindled in Graystripe. "I know what you'll say, Tigerclaw. Don't bother. I don't care." He turned back to Silverstream, pressing his nose against her fur and murmuring softly to her.

The ThunderClan deputy scoffed, but didn't say anything more.

Waterlily took a kit in her mouth padded closer to Tigerclaw and Fireheart. "We must get going back to camp. These kits won't last long without some milk."

"You really think we're going to raise two half-clan cats?" Tigerclaw growled.

Waterlily dropped the kit gently in between her forepaws then looked up and glared at Tigerclaw. "We are not letting the kits die, Tigerclaw. No one is that fox hearted, not even you." She picked the small kit again and trekked back through Sunningrocks and back to camp.

Fireheart picked up the other kit and followed her in silence. Graystripe stayed behind, still in silence over the dead she-cat he had once loved more than anything. Tigerclaw glanced at him, then padded after them with narrowed eyes.

Once they got back into camp, almost every cat knew what had happened and how Graystripe betrayed his own Clan. Bluestar greeted them politely, though Waterlily knew she was disappointed in Graystripe and what he had done.

Waterlily let Bluestar handle it from there. She padded over to the medicine den to gather some herbs for the two kits once they get settled into their nests. She had doubts if the Clan would accept them, but they had to. They were Graystripe's kits no matter who the mother was.