Mossdapple's Faith

Chapter 8

   "My kits! My kits are gone!"

Bluefur's frantic yowl filled the camp. Panic gripped her as she desperately searched the nursery for any trace of them. She could smell a faint trail through the nursery exit. Adrenaline seized her as she began to follow the trail.

"Bluefur!" Oakheart bolted up to her, plastered with herbs, his eyes wide with fear. More cats followed behind him, sniffing around and pooling into the nursery in search of clues. "What happened?"

"I don't know!" she cried, "The scent trail is faint. They must have snuck out through the dirtplace tunnel." Her heart pounded. "Oakheart, they'll die if they stay out in the cold for too long! They could be dead already!"

"We will find them," he mewed. Just as he was about to dart into the forest, Sunstar stepped in front of him.

"Bluefur," he commanded, "Go towards Sunningrocks. Whitestorm, go with her." He nodded to them. "They may have wanted to find Sunningrocks because of the battle. We will do everything we can to find them. But Oakeheart needs to stay here."

Oakheart's fur bristled. "Those are my kits! There's no way in StarClan I'm staying here."

Sunstar stared at him. "Fine. But return directly to the medicine den when you return to camp."

Oakheart and Bluefur bolted into the forest, calling their kit's names and sniffing every branch for a trace of their scent. The scent trail had been completely washed away by the snow, adding to their despair.

"What if we never find them?" Bluefur cried. "I never should have taken my eyes off them! Not even for a second!"

Oakheart's fear and exhaustion mirrored her own, but he looked at her with determination. "It's not your fault. We will find them."

Bluefur's heart pounded as she searched under every bramble and in every log for her kits. Oakheart never strayed from her side, offering silent support. His presence was soothing amidst the storm of emotions. Whitestorm followed closely behind them in silence, searching just as desperately.

As they neared Sunningrocks, Bluefur's ears pricked as she heard muffled cries. Hope surged through her, propelling her forward. She willed her paws to carry her faster to the source of the sound.

"Mistykit! Stonekit! Mosskit!" she yowled.

"Bluefur!" Mistykit's mewling sounded weak, and was trembling with cold and fear. Relief washed over her. "Mosskit fell into the snow!" she screeched.

Horror engulfed Bluefur as she found her kits. Stonekit and Mistykit were huddled close together, and Mosskit was nowhere to be seen. Oakheart swiftly grabbed Mistykit by the scruff, and Whitestorm took Stonekit. They warmed them by grooming as Bluefur dug at the snow as fast as she could.

"Mosskit! Stay awake! Please. I'll take you to the warmth and safety of the nursery. Just a hold on a little bit longer, my tiny, brave daughter!"

She felt the tiny, cold body of Mosskit and hauled her out of the snow. She was freezing and still.

In a grief-stricken haze, Bluefur slumped to her haunches, the weight of loss almost unbearable. But before she could succumb entirely to despair, Oakheart pushed past, taking Mosskit's lifeless body from her grasp. Before Bluefur could react, he began quickly pumping Mosskit's chest with his paws.

"What are you doing?!" Bluefur screeched.

"We won't give up on her yet," Oakheart whispered through labored breaths. The heartbeats while he performed the compressions felt like moons. "Whitestorm! Go get Featherwhisker!" he called out. Whitestorm dropped Stonekit next to Mistykit and darted through the trees back to the camp.

Just as Bluefur began to lose hope, Mosskit began to cough up fluid, and a feeble gasp escaped her body.

Snow filled Mosskit's eyes and lungs as she tried to cry for help. Her voice was silenced by the suffocating grip of the ice and dirt surrounding her. The weight of the snow pushed her further into the drift, her struggling only serving to quicken her descent. Heaviness tugged at her eyelids, and she fought against the urge to go to sleep. Her ears, paws, and the tip of her tail all ached with sharp, prickling pain. She dared not to yowl in agony, as she knew the snow would rush into her already strained lungs.

Stay still, little one, a soft voice whispered in her ear. Help is on its way.

Mosskit went limp. She wasn't shivering anymore. The pain began to subside, replaced by numbness traveling all over her body.

Don't fall asleep! The voice mewed urgently. You must stay awake.

Pale spots clouded her vision, followed by darkness.

When she opened her eyes, Mosskit found herself in a grassy clearing. The snow was replaced by lush trees hanging overhead and bracken that twitched with prey. The scent of newleaf flooded her senses.

A soft pelt brushed hers. "It's not your time yet, little one," the cat whispered, her voice filled with love and reassurance. She recognized the voice as Snowfur. "Walk with me."

Mosskit walked by the cat's side down a gentle slope. It seemed to never end, until Mosskit realized that the ground beneath her feet had given out to the open sky. They walked on clouds, and broke through them to see the trees high in the sky, their branches swaying back and forth.

"You have a while yet before you join our ranks, small one. But when you open your eyes, nothing will ever be the same again." Snowfur pushed her with her nose. "You know where you belong."

Mosskit continued down the slope and weaved through the branches. She saw her mother and father hovering over her, and her littermates crouched next to her body. Mosskit felt drawn to it, and once she had stepped into it she closed her eyes.

Mosskit woke up to her pelt being licked the wrong way. She flinched, and the sensation of her cold, wet fur plastered against her body overwhelmed her. Muffled voices surrounded her, but she couldn't make out what any of them were saying. She felt pawsteps around her, followed by a warm, damp, grainy sensation all over her body. Dazed and confused, she fell asleep.

Mosskit woke up in the medicine den, the sweet scent of herbs filling her nostrils. Poultices were plastered to her body, making her feel stiff. Across the clearing from her was Tawnyspots, asleep in his nest. An uneaten mouse lay next to him, and Mosskit's belly growled in envy.

Spottedpaw padded into the den, her jaws filled with leaves. "Mosskit!" she mumbled, putting the leaves down in a neat pile. "You're awake!"

"What happened?" The last thing Mosskit remembered was sneaking off with her littermates, trying to find Sunningrocks. Why was she in the medicine den?

"You almost froze to death," Featherwhisker growled, stepping into the clearing. "Do you have any idea how close you came to joining StarClan?"

Mosskit looked down to the ground. "I'm sorry," she muttered. I just wanted to keep Mistykit and Stonekit safe, she thought.

"'Sorry' catches no prey!" he hissed. "All of you could have died, or gotten attacked by a hungry badger."

"I think they learned their lesson, Featherwhisker," Spotted- paw mewed. "Hopefully they're not too terrified to ever leave the camp!"

Featherwhisker murmured something, then turned away to sort herbs.

"You won't do something like that again, will you?" Spotted- paw whispered. "You made us really worried."

"No," Mosskit sighed. "It wasn't even my idea! I just didn't want them to get in trouble."

"You should get some rest." Spottedpaw gave her a quick lick on the ear. "I'll tell Bluefur you woke up."

Medicine cats are amazing, Mosskit thought. No matter what it takes, one day I'll be one, and I'll save someone's life too!