Dawnstar's Message

Chapter 25

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CHAPTER 25

The sun was just rising. Dawnstar and his search patrol were scouring the territory for three of Squirrelcloud's five kits, Flamekit, Leafkit, and Stormkit. Squirrelcloud was terrified that her ten-day-old kits had been eaten, stolen, or were dying in the cold. Smokeyes, her mate, was equally freaked out. Skypelt had already organized groups to look for the kits, and Dawnstar had gathered a group made up of Bouncestorm, Fawngaze, Ambershine, and the kits' father Smokeyes. Sunny and Snowy had come as well. They had been searching high and low for most of the night.

The new fallen snow glowed pink in the light of the rising sun. The prophecy snapped into his mind suddenly, as he was sniffing around. The sun had broken the circle. The flame gives false sight... His attention returned when he nearly fell into a snowdrift.

Smokeyes dragged his tail, catching the white powder on his long smoky pelt. His yellow eyes were dull with insomnia, and he tasted the air every few feet, searching the air for the slightest whiff of his kits.

"It's alright, Smokeyes," Dawnstar tried to comfort the sad warrior. "We'll find them."

"And what if we don't?" Smokeyes shouted. "My kits are out there in the cold, and there is almost nothing we can do!!" Smokeyes collapsed pitifully in the snow.

"Of course there is! We can search the whole territory, which we haven't done yet! Now come on." Dawnstar pulled him to his paws. "Let's keep going."

They continued on their way through the morning forest of snow.

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SNOWY'S POV

Snowy blended in perfectly with the white snow. She was about six moons old, the proper age of an apprentice, but had no will to become one. Sunny, her mother, padded through the snow along with the rest of Dawnstar's search patrol.

Sunny was speaking to Ambershine when Snowy saw a flash of ginger through the trees. She decided, on this particular day, to take life by surprise, and followed the bright colors into the forest, away from the group.

After a little while Snowy became impatient: she hadn't caught a glimpse of the orange thing in a long time, according to her attention span. But then, a glimmer of hope: she heard a high squeak-like mewl, and then a deeper voice. They were distant, but audible. She followed the sounds.

Snowy soon came upon an enormous flame-colored tom. He had a small gray kit in his mouth, while a dark brown cat walked beside him holding a tabby kit. A little ginger kit followed slowly behind in the deep snow. Are those Squirrelcloud's kits? Snowy asked herself. I bet they are!

"Where are we going?" The walking Flamekit asked.

"A magical place," replied the bigger tom. "Full of prey, where the sun shines and you'll be nice and warm."

"Really? When will we get there?"

"Oh, really soon, I think. Just past those trees there." He indicated a random tree in the distance. Flamekit loped on faster through the snow.

I better do something! Snowy thought. She bounded faster over the snowbanks until she circled a big clump of ferns. The white she-cat then found herself in front of the cats.

The big fiery tom's eyes widened when he saw Snowy, and a confused look crossed his face for just a moment, but it quickly was replaced with another, calmer expression. He put"Why, hello there. Who do we have here?"