Lost Hope: Book 1: The New Star

Chapter 3

Starfur, satisfied that Dandelionkit would be busy for awhile, headed out of her den. She spotted the reddish-brown queen called Phoenixwing, and padded toward her, waving her tail in greeting. She dropped the herbs by her paws, and Phoenixwing lapped them up gratefully.

"Thanks, Starfur," she said. "I feel so heavy and tired."

Starfur's ears perked up with interest. "Really? Can you lay down so I can feel your stomach?" she asked.

"Oh, sure," Phoenixwing sounded surprised, but she didn't protest as she laid down on her side. Starfur pressed a paw to her belly and ran it up and down her stomach, feeling around. At last, she found what she was looking for. She pressed her ear close and heard two extra heartbeats. She took her paw away and Phoenixwing stood up.

"I don't think it's a bellyache," Starfur told her. "It's actually pretty normal for you to feel this way."

"What's wrong with me then?" Phoenixwing asked.

"Nothing," Starfur replied. "You're expecting."

Phoenixwing's eyes widened and flashed with various emotions. Happiness, sadness, guilt. Starfur didn't ask questions though. She said goodbye and turned back to go to her den. But she was stopped by a voice behind her.

      "Hey, Starfur," Honeyflower came up to her, her ears twitching anxiously. "Do you know where Dandelionkit is? He said he was going to help you, but he hasn't come back yet."

      "Oh, yeah," Starfur meowed. "He's in my den." She led Honeyflower inside the medicine den where Dandelionkit had just finished sorting all the herbs.

      "There you are!" Honeyflower said. "I though I told you to be quick."

Dandelionkit shuffled his paws guiltily. "Yeah, well, it took longer than I thought it would," he mumbled.

"Thank you for the help, Dandelionkit, really," Starfur said. "You're welcome here anytime." Dandelionkit looked up at her in surprise and gave her a small smile. Then, he followed his mother out of the den, leaving Starfur alone.

Starfur looked down at the three neat piles he'd left. She looked at each one closely, making sure Dandelionkit had sorted them right. Satisfied, she folded one of them up in large ivy leaf and placed them on a smooth ledge in her herb store. She did the same for the other two.

      When she was done she, her belly growled and she decided to get some fresh-kill. She left her den and padded toward the prey pile. It was stacked high due to the good hunting. She picked out a squirrel near the bottom and started to eat.

      As she gazed around, she spotted a dark warrior standing guard beside the camp entrance, Darkmoon. He met her gaze and she quickly looked away. She knew that ever since they were kits he'd been particularly interested in her, but when she chose the path of a medicine cat, his dreams of having a life together had been shattered. They barely talked anymore. Starfur didn't want it to be that way. They'd been such good friends when they were kits, why couldn't they still be? Just because they couldn't be mates didn't mean they couldn't be friends.

      She sighed. Maybe one day she could make it up to him.