Froststar's Destiny

Chapter Twenty-three

Frostwind was left troubled after hearing about Amberfrost's plan. She knew all along that the bubbly fire orange she-cat was not an avid supporter of Stonestar, but they had seen the tragic battle against Sunstar when Silverlight had rebelled. Frostwind wasn't keen on going through that again.

She surprisingly found herself in the company of Lightningstrike, who was the former mate of Silverlight. "I retired a while back," he announced.

Frostwind gave him a look. "I thought you died a while back."

"I never die," Lightningstrike meowed automatically. "Although sometimes I wish I could. You know my mate was... But you do, of course. You were there. Just a wee little kitty."

Frostwind stuck out her tongue. "I don't have the memory of a goldfish, okay. Yes I was there. I know your mate is Silverlight."

"She was perfect, you know. A brilliant mother and mate. I don't know though... She went a little crazy towards the end. She was obsessed with becoming leader after she was deputy. She sustained a light injury to the head, so she had a second litter to take up that time that she couldn't do anything taxing to her body. I'm pretty sure kitting was taxing but the medicine cats didn't think so so that's what she did. She loved them, she really did, and it was Blossomleaf dying that set her off. She went into a rampage and almost killed Honeyleaf if you remember."

"If I remember?" Frostwind said, outraged. "I was there! I saw it with my own two eyes!" Her anger ebbed away, leaving regret. "I'm sorry I said that," she mumbled.

Lightningstrike grinned. "Mood swings," he noted. "The rumors are true, aren't they? We are going to hear some pattering of tiny paws soon?"

"Only elders say these things! Retire!" Frostwind yelped. The last thing she needed was Lightningstrike spreading false rumors about her around the Clan. Not that they were false, but... Just in case they were.

Lightningstrike laughed good-naturedly and he walked away, surprisingly to the elders' den. She looked a little shocked and he noticed.

"I am an elder," he said with a choked laugh. "I retired not that long after Silverlight went berserk, didn't you know?"

Frostwind blushed bashfully. Was she that unaware with things that went on in the Clan? "If you recall, I thought you died," she pointed out mildly.

"Oh, how nice. You must pass me every day," Lightningstrike meowed teasingly.

"Hey! I've got other things on my mind!" Frostwind protested.

Lightningstrike laughed again. "Of course you do. You don't have time for an old elder like me."

Frostwind flushed. "It's not that! It's..." She paused, because it was exactly that.

"It's fine. Even my own kits have no time for me anymore. Some of them are dead too. Riverfall, Mistypool, Stormwind, Blossomleaf... Ironically, all of my daughters," Lightningstrike meowed, although his tone wasn't jovial. "Your kits are going to be my grandchildren, you know. They're my kin."

"Oh!" Frostwind had almost forgotten that Lightningstrike was Skyfeather's father! "Oh, right!" Why was she so forgetful nowadays? The kits, she thought wryly.

"I'll see them when they come, and you'll see me around," Lightningstrike winked. "I've fathered many, but yours will be my first. I caught Mistypool flirting with Yellowtail a lot, but then they both died. Alas, the pity." He sighed. "We haven't many cats around nowadays. New kits are always a blessing, though. Maybe that Hickorypaw might mentor one of them."

"She'll be a warrior then," Frostwind mused. Yes, she would like Hickorypaw to mentor one of her kits. Surely Stonestar would see that his kin got apprentices.