Mossdapple's Faith

Chapter 25

   The medicine cats stayed up all night, brainstorming treatment options and searching for catmint, but came back empty pawed. By sunrise, Featherwhisker was coughing too.

Cricketkit, Tinykit, and Softkit were getting worse and worse. Mossdapple knew what was coming for them. Grief stabbed her heart as she approached Dappletail.

"What is it?" Dappletail mewed, her voice flat. She laid with her head resting on the moss, not bothering to lift it to face Mossdapple.

Mossdapple stared at the queen. Heaviness weighed at her paws and eyelids, but not nearly as much as it tugged on her heart.

"It's time to say goodbye," she choked.

Dappletail looked at Mossdapple. "No," she whispered.

"They'll be joining StarClan soon," Mossdapple whispered. "There's nothing more we can do."

"No!" Dappletail wailed. Cricketkit didn't even stir. Only the faint rising and falling of their chests indicated their liveliness.

"I'll give you some time alone," Mossdapple dipped her head and left the medicine clearing. Even from outside she could hear Dappletail's cries. Runningwind ran past Mossdapple and went inside.

But even the crying couldn't drown out the sound of more coughing from the nursery.

Mossdapple's paws carried her over to the kits, awake but staring at the wall. Their mother, Brindleface, gazed at them with great sadness.

"They're sick, aren't they?" she whispered.

Mossdapple said nothing, but nodded. A sob escaped Brindleface.

Brindleface took Sandkit and left her at Willowpelt's belly, who was asleep with Graykit. She then took Duskkit and walked past Mossdapple towards the medicine den. Mossdapple took Maplekit and entered the medicine clearing.

Dappletail was laying, exhausted and grief struck, with Runningwind. He feebly licked her head. At their paws lay the dead kit.

Brindleface paused at the entrance upon seeing the broken family.

"Your nest is by the stream," Mossdapple pushed.

Brindleface looked away and laid down in the nest. Mossdapple placed the sickly kit by her belly.

"Are they going to die, too?" Brindleface whimpered.

"I don't know," Mossdapple lied. She suspected they both knew the truth. They had no medicine to treat them.

Mossdapple left the den after Dappletail, who was carrying a limp Cricketkit. She laid them in the clearing as the Clan watched, grief hanging over the camp like a heavy cloud.

An idea sparked in Mossdapple's mind.

Before she could think about it, her paws carried her away from the camp, through the forest, and across the river. At first she walked, but then she ran, faster than she ever had before. She entered the RiverClan camp for the first time, following the scent of fish and cats. It reminded her slightly of her father.

"I need to speak to Mudfur!" she called, aware of all the cat's eyes on her. They held back growls in their throats, their claws digging into the dirt. Mossdapple didn't care.

"Mudfur!"

"What brings you into my camp unannounced?"

Mossdapple looked up at the massive tom in front of her. She recognized her kin, Crookedstar. Behind the wall of protectiveness in his gaze there was warmth.