Lilypaw sighed.
She had tried so hard to talk them out of it. But no one, not even the medicine cat's apprentice, could talk ShadowClan warriors out of something they had their hearts set on.
"What's the point?" she had asked. "It won't help us!"
"Ah," the warriors had said. "But they could become our apprentices."
"Stop!" Lilypaw had given one last, desperate, mew.
But it was too late. They were gone, yelling "We'll be back with some ThunderClan kits!"
Sighing once more, Lilypaw's thoughts wandered to her dream. Was it a sign? Perhaps. It was realistic enough. The cats in it seemed almost familiar. . . .
The shadow that had lurked in the darkness hurled itself onto the mother and the kits.
"Go," the mother urged them "Dog!"
But the kits couldn't move. They were paralyzed by fright, staring at the monstrous shadow with a snarling mouth, narrowed eyes. . . .
No, it didn't seem like a sign, more like a memory. But when did that take place? StarClan knows when.
Lilypaw's thought were interrupted by a triumphant shout.
"We've got them! Four of them!"
One kit hung by their scruffs in the jaws of each of the four triumphant warriors.
The poor things. thought Lilypaw sympathetically as the kits looked around the strange camp.
"I want mama," declared one of the kits bravely. "Where is she?"
"Gone," replied Prickleface simply.
"She's not gone. Where's she hiding?"
"Over there," said Acorntail evilly, gesturing down a hole that had been dug the day before.
Suddenly, Lilypaw knew what was going to happen before it did. The kits sprinted over to the hole, with one kit with blank eyes holding another's tail.
"Moonpelt?" they called into the hole. Then the warriors came up behind the kits and shoved them down the hole.
The hole was shallow enough to permit a full-grown cat to get out, but not enough so that kits could get out. Eventually, the kits realized that there was no one down there except themselves and started yowling "Moonpelt!" very loudly.
Quickly one of the warriors stuck a large piece of driftwood that pretty much muffled the sound but still allowed light and air in.
Lilypaw raced towards her mentor. "How could you let this happen? Those poor kits!"
"It's for the best," mewed Rosewhisker.
"For the best?" mewed Lilypaw disgustedly. "Kidnapping and torturing kits, 'For the best'?"
"Dear, I do know it's not, but I have no say in the matter. We cannot stop them,"
Lily remembered the voice she'd heard after her nightmare.
Follow your heart.
Lilypaw's heart seemed to be saying, I can't just watch.
Lilypaw made her decision. She ran towards the kits.
