Chapter 2    
Clover-blaze heard the stick splinter as the pain coursed through her body, a small mew came from behind her. “A she-cat!” Moth-paw placed a russet she-cat with a black tail beside her. The kit began to suckle hungrily Clover-blaze looked at the kit and realized her eyes were already open, she gazed into the kits golden eyes purring in joy. She heard Fox-hear hiss at Light-pelt as she worked her way around him. “Fox-heart, could wewe go and fetch me some water?” Clover-blaze spit between her clenched teeth. She felt the pressure of his claws retract from her nest, and heard him pad out of the nursery. Pain shot up her spine as her body was raked with another contraction “A tom!” Moth-paw set a tawny tabby beside her. Light-pelt licked soothingly at Clover-blazes head. Hot white pain popped behind her eyes and her body felt on fire. Her legs jerked wildly as she felt the inayofuata kit slide from her, then right after it another one sending shots of pain up her body making her shiver. “A she-cat and a tom!” Scar-face placed a kit in front of Moth-paw. Moth-paw licked its grey pelt the wrong way and placed beside it others then Scar-face placed a tiny patched kit inayofuata to her, his pelt was wet and warm against her fluffy fur. Sedge-frost whimpered as Clover-blaze howled in pain, the stick crunched in her jaws. “Two She-cats!” Moth-paw handed a brown and tawny kit to Light-pelt and she took a white kit between her paws and licked swiftly. “One more! I think” Announced Scar-face as his paws worked over Clover-blazes body, his face clenched in concentration. Clover-blazed clamped down on the stick between her teeth and it crumbled to the ground. A small mew carried through the air and Scar-face placed a grey kit beside Clover-blaze. As the pain faded Clover-blaze watched her kits suckle peacefully. She heard a rustle and Fox-heart walked into the nursery holding the biggest piece of dripping moss Clover-blaze had ever seen. “Come help me name our kits.” She meowed, a purr rising in her throat. She watched as Fox-heart padded over cautiously, watching her warily. Scar-face’s eyes twinkled as he looked at her his head tilted to one side. “Five she-cats and two toms.” He announced breathless. Clover-blaze looked at the russet she-cat running her tail over the kits small body. “Can we name this one Poppy-kit?” she asked. Fox-heart nodded. “We can name her anything wewe like.” He purred. His whiskers twitched, Clover-blaze looked at him with her big golden eyes as upendo stirred inside her, making her body shake. Fox-heart reached inside the nest and stroked the tawny tabby tom. “Bracken-kit,” then his paw moved to the smallest kit. “Patch-kit.” He murmured, Fox-heart watched Clover-blaze carefully as she nodded, moving her tail to the brown and tawny she-cat. “Hazel-kit,” Then she moved her tail to the white she-cat beside her. “And Snow-kit.” Her voice trembled with sorrow. Fox-heart stroked the last kits, a grey kobe shell she-cat then the other grey kobe shell kit beside her. “Moss-kit,” He meowed looking to the kit inayofuata to her “And Blossom-kit. Seven kits!” He bounced up and down excitedly; he raced out of the den, crashing through the brambles. Clover-blaze got painfully to her feet and stuck her head out of the brambles, she watched as Fox-heart padded side kwa side with Fern-star to High-branch and called the clan together. “We have good news! We welcome Fox-heart and Clover-blaze’s kits, Moss-kit, Bracken-kit, Hazel-kit, Poppy-kit, Snow-kit, Blossom-kit and Patch-kit into Leaf-clan!” The mass of Cats erupted into cheers of joy. Clover-blaze stepped out of the nursery, Sedge-frost stuck her head out of the nursery. “I’ll look after the kits.” She purred. Clover-blaze made her way towards Highbranch, Fox-heart watched her with joy glowing strongly in his eyes. When Clover-blaze reached him he licked her head. Suddenly he purred a deep throaty purr. “Looks like wewe were followed.” Clover-blaze looked over shoulder; Poppy-kit was being carried kwa her big sister, Heather-paw. Clover-blaze purred and padded mbele to meet her kit. Fox-heart followed closely keeping his tail on her flank. Clover-blaze stooped down and picked up Poppy-kit and padded up to Highbranch and dug her claws in the side, hauling herself up she stood beside Ash-star and put Poppy-kit down in between Fox-heart and herself. The kit looked out at the clan, raising her head she gazed definitely out at the crowd she swiped her paw through the air, claws extended, and hissed. “A little warrior already!” Fern-star yowled, raising her head she yowled Clover-blazes name. The clan sat in silence for few heartbeats, and then yowls of joy and congratulations rang out around the grassy clearing, Poppy-kit crawled underneath Clover-blaze her golden eyes peering out from underneath her belly. “It’s okay little one. Never be afraid, as long as I’m here wewe will always be safe.” Poppy-kit nodded her head, and her jaws opened wide and her pink tongue stuck out as she yawned. “Time for sleep little one, time for sleep.” Clover-blaze took the kit kwa her scruff and carried her across the camp. Sedge-frost shook her head when they padded into the nursery, Poppy-kit snoring peacefully. “Some warrior.” Clover-blaze laid down beside her kits, purring softly Fox-heart padded into the den, lying down in the nest inayofuata to her he closed his eyes. Clover-blaze looked one last time at her kits, and closed her eyes.
* * * *
“Are wewe sure they are okay?” Clover-blaze asked anxiously. “If they’re noses begin to turn pale then bring them inside, if not then their fine.” Sedge-frost informed her. Clover-blaze nodded, looking closely at her kits noses, seeing they were rosy pink she let out a puff of air. After a quarter moon of caring for the kits snow had come, making the air frigid and cold. Now she looked back on that first few days. Fox-heart constantly brought the kits little pieces of fresh kill and played with them, teaching them little hunting moves and play fighting with them. Clover-blaze watched them closely, and she realized only having two sons in a litter of seven had taken an impact on Fox-heart, he spent as much time with Bracken-kit and Patch-kit as he could. He snuck in little visits when the girls were asleep. Making sure that he made up with them later. Fern-star and Clover-blaze had gotten closer, Fern-star had kitted 4 sunrises ago, and she had four kits three she-cats, Sun-kit whose pelt was golden and Sorrel-kit a grayish-brown striped tabby she-cat, and Rose-kit a dark ginger she-cat with a long bushy black striped tail and one tom Thistle-kit, his blackish-brown pelt spiked up every which way. Her nest was constantly full, tails and paws stuck out of the nest every night. And to add to the already full nursery Light-pelt had moved in, expecting Wolf-stripe’s kits. Poppy-kit had broken her leg she was unconscious for three moonrises, Thistle-kit and Fox-heart kwa her side each night, comforting her as she wailed in fear. When she was allowed to come outside again Thistle-kit and Fox-heart were right kwa her side keeping their tails on her shoulders each time she took a shaky step. “Clover-blaze! Clover-blaze!” Clover-blaze’s head whipped around, Patch-kit her smallest kit, had fallen into a bank of snow, and coming up to his ears he trembled and mewed desperately. Hazel-kit cried out her name over and over. She rushed over and plucked Patch-kit out of the snow. Shaking clumps of snow off the small bundle she placed him on a firmer patch. Clover-blaze watched as Poppy-kit stumbled and cried out. Clover-blaze rushed to her kit, Fox-heart had also seen the fall and was sprinting across the camp to his kits side. “Poppy-kit! Are wewe hurt? Are wewe okay?” Thistle-kit asked. Clover-blaze nudged her kit anxiously, Fox-heart lapped at Poppy-kits pelt and Thistle-kit looked at her worriedly. “I’m fine.” She panted, she tried to get to her paws but her leg crumpled underneath her. Clover-blaze picked her up kwa her scruff, gently carrying her to the nursery. “You need to rest.” She murmured setting Poppy-kit down in their nest. “Come here little ones, wewe all need to sleep.” All seven kits bundled into the nursery. “Come lay down here,” Hazel-kit pulled on Snow-kits tail keeping her from taking the spot closest to the middle, Bracken-kit pushed Moss-kit out of the nest, making the small grey she-cat tumble backwards out of the nest, she rolled sideways and bumped into the ledge where Light-pelt slept, rattling the looses stones, and disturbing the russet queen. “Hazel-kit we don’t pull tails, Bracken kit just because wewe are the biggest doesn’t mean wewe can push your sisters around. Moss-kit Snow-kit come here, wewe lay here inayofuata to me, and Blossom-kit leave Sun-kit’s tail alone. Now isn’t that better? Don’t squish Poppy-kits leg!” Sedge-frost shook her grey head. “Blossom-kit what did I just say?” “You’ve got your paws very full don’t you?” Sedge-frost pulled Dusk-kit back from the ledge where they made their den, Dusk-kit wailed “But, mom! I want to go to the medicine cat pango and watch Moth-paw.” Sedge-frost shushed her and Clover-blaze shrugged her shoulder pulling Blossom-kit into the nest, letting her settle deeper into Clover-blaze’s fur, manyoya before continuing. “You get used to having so many kits around once you’ve had big litters like mine, my first litter there was eight of them.” Sedge-frost let out a small mrrow of laughter, being careful not to disturb her kits, which were just about as big as Clover-blazes older kits, but not quite ready to be apprentices. Clover-blaze felt one of the kits wriggle out from underneath the heap of kits. Snow-kits white head popped out from behind Hazel-kits back legs. Her big blue eyes, cloudy from sleep, looked around the nursery. “Where’s Fox-heart? I want to play with him!” Clover-blaze placed her tail over Snow-kits mouth as Poppy-kit began to stir. “He’s out on patrol; he won’t be back for a while yet,” Sun-kit, who had woken up from her short nap was grooming her golden pelt with one big blue eye looking towards Clover-blazes nest, then looked at Fern-star her grey patched fur, manyoya rising and falling with every heavy breath. Clover-blaze looked at Sun-kit, beckoning to the kit with her tail. “Maybe if wewe ask Tiger-paw politely he’ll take wewe to the training hollow, but make sure it’s okay with Fern-star first, and if wewe are really nice Sun-kit will come with you!” Clover-blaze whispered, trying to keep her face straight as Snow-kits eyes got bigger and bigger. Snow-kit nodded furiously waving her tail to Sun-kit who tiptoed her way around Thistle-kit, keeping well away from him so that she wouldn’t wake him. The kits dashed out of the nursery, tiny tails waving in the air. Light-pelt groaned rolling onto her back she looked at Clover-blaze, her eyes twinkling. Light-pelt sat up in her nest shaking bits of moss from her pelt, she bent down to lick her belly, which was beginning to make her look like a monster paw. “You handled that so well, I don’t know how I’m going to be able to do that, considering this is my first time having kits and their due any siku now. I know Wolf-stripe will be a wonderful father, he loves keeping kits company.” Clover-blaze looked at Light-pelt reassuringly, lifting her head she opened her mouth to reply when a yowl came from outside the pango “Tawny-paw and Night-paw are missing!” Light-pelt stood up and padded to the gap in the wall; she stuck her head out and pulled it back in. Sedge-frost leaped of her ledge, scattering her nest moss everywhere, the kits squealed in protest. Clover-blaze stood up, Dusk-kit rolling over in her sleep, she padded out of the den, the sun blazed down on her. There was a crowd gathered around Heather-paw, Shadow-foot stood tense beside her, half of him in front of her. Fox-heart looked around worriedly, then back at Heather-paw. “Come on, Heather-paw.” Fox-heart was trying to sound encouraging; Clover-blaze could hear the desperation in his voice. “Tell us what the matter is.” Heather-paws amber eyes flicked to Clover-blaze who gave a tiny nod to her daughter. Shadow-foot leaned down and whispered. “Tell them what wewe just told me, I won’t let anyone harm you.” She nodded and he shielded her even zaidi wrapping his tail around her hunches and moved her closer to him, he gazed out at the other cats, his eyes daring them to come any closer. “It’s Night-paw,” she mewed. “He . . .” She hesitated, this time with a glance at Vole-pelt, Rush-tail, and Willow-whisper and then went on: “He was really angry that Fern-star wouldn’t make him a warrior. Last night he got all us apprentices together in the den. He alisema we’d never be warriors unless we did something so brave that Fern-star couldn’t go on ignoring us anymore.” She paused again, and Shadow-foot murmured, “Go on.” “He alisema we ought to find out who has been prowling around Adderrocks,” mewed Heather-paw, her voice shaking. “He alisema wewe didn’t seem bothered about finding our enemy. He wanted to us to go to Adderrocks, because that’s where most of the fur, manyoya has been found. Night-paw thought we might pick up a trail.” “What a panya, kipanya –brained Idea!” Larch-thistle burst out. “And what did the rest of the apprentices think about this?” Fox-heart, shooting a warning glances at Larch-thistle. “We didn’t know. We want to be warriors, but we all knew we shouldn’t do something like that without orders, and without at least one warrior with us. In the end, only Night-paw and Tawny-paw went.” “Did wewe see them when wewe were in the clearing?” Fox-heart demanded, turning to the Cats on dawn patrol, Raven-wing, Beetle-claw, Claw-face and Acorn-fall. Beginning to look even zaidi worried, Sedge-frost pushed forward. “What else did he say?” she asked. Heather-paw twisted her paw in the soft grass. “He alisema Beetle-claw wouldn’t notice a Twoleg monster roaring through camp,” Heather-paw mumbled. “He and Tawny-paw sneaked out through the ferns behind the elder’s den.” “When was this?” Fox-heart demanded. “I’m not sure – a few heartbeats after dawn.” Heather-paw’s voice rose as if she were about to nyota wailing like a tiny kit. Clover-blaze pushed mbele standing on the other side of her daughter she wrapped her tail around the small cream she-cat, Shadow-foot gazing at the crowd, daring anyone to harm the small cat au criticize her. “I didn’t know what to do. I knew it was wrong, but I didn’t want to give them away. Only, I’ve been feeling worse and worse, and so when I saw Shadow-foot, I went to tell him.” Heather-paw gave the grey tabby warrior a grateful glance, and he presses his muzzle against her speckled cream flank, Clover-blaze looked at the warrior keeping a watchful eye on him as Fox-heart rounded up warriors to look for the apprentices. “Claw-face, Olive-nose go to the Lake-clan border, look for anything there, a whiff of scent au a piece of fur, Acorn-fall, Grey-feather, Flint-fang, go to the Ice-clan border look for things there, Bright-sky will lead a patrol to the Moon-clan border, and . . .” Clover-blaze stood up. “I would like to go to Adderrocks,” She meowed, Larch-thistle stepped up quickly “I’m coming,” He meowed fiercely “Tawny-paw is out there. If anything’s hurt her, I’ll . . . I’ll shred it!” Wolf-stripe stepped mbele “I would like to go as well, Sedge-frost is my aunt, Tawny-paw is my kin, and I would like to make sure she is ok.” One last cat stepped forward, her head bent low. “I would like to go also, it was my fault, I should have spoken up for her, and I was blinded kwa my own aching to be a warrior.” Willow-whisper looked a Fox-heart, her big greens eyes swam with sorrow and regret. Fox-heart’s eyes widened, taking a moment to decide. “Are wewe sure?” he asked, his eyes never wavering from Clover-blaze’s. She nodded. “Positive,” Larch-thistle dipped his head echoing “Positive.” Wolf-stripe stayed silent, dipping his head to onyesha he was not changing his mind. Fox-heart dipped his head, looking around the cluster of cats, Clover-blaze watched as his tail made two quick flicks at two warriors submerged in the crowd. “Raven-wing, Holly-frost, I want wewe ilitumwa outside the nursery until Clover-blaze returns, and Dapple-tail, wewe watch the kits, make sure they are safe, stay inside the nursery at all times.” Dapple-tail nodded; flicking her tail she led the rest of her security team towards the nursery. Fox-heart dispatched the tafuta parties and lead Clover-blaze to the gorse tunnel. “May Star-clan go with you.” In the end Clover-blaze, Wolf-stripe, Fox-heart, Larch-thistle, and Willow-whisper went out on the dangerous patrol to the moyo to the territory.

As they neared Adderrocks, a stump loomed up in front of them. Springing up easily onto it Clover-blaze saw the crumpled form of a small black body, lying deathly still in the middle of a pile of churned up leaves, and a few yards beyond it, Tawny-paw lay just as still, her eyes half closed and her beige kobe shell body crumpled into a ball, her tail bent and broken lay stuck out from her body. “Tawny-paw!” Screeched Larch-thistle, throwing himself across the clearing he charged towards her small beige body. Wolf-stripe sprang up onto the stump beside her, Fox-heart close behind. “Oh, no,” he whispered. Clover-blaze watched as Fox-heart tensed, waiting. But nothing stirred. Feeling as if her legs didn’t belong to her, she sprang down and stumbled her way across the clearing to Night-paw. The apprentice lay on his side, his legs splayed out, one crooked and awkward. His night black fur, manyoya was torn, his white chest which he always kept snow white was drenched in his own blood, and his body was covered with dreadful wounds, ripped kwa teeth far bigger than any cat’s. His jaws were still parted in a snarl, and his eyes glared at nothing. He was dead, and Clover-blaze could see he died fighting. “Great Star-clan, what did this to him?” She whispered. For far longer than she could remember, Clover-blaze had always heard stories about things that could do this to a cat, and she had been afraid, and now, as she looked down at Night-paws mutilated body, it was far worse than she could have imagined. Night-paw had been slaughtered like prey. The hunters in the forest had become the hunted. Something had happened in the forest, the balance of life had changed, and for a moment Clover-blaze felt the ground beneath her paws shift. This was her home, she hadn’t seen it like this, and she honestly had never been outside the camp walls.
Fox-heart and Willow-whisper stared down at Night-paw’s body, too stunned too reply. “What a waste,” Fox-heart murmured aloud. “If only Ash-star had made them warriors. If only they had been able to –,” He was interrupted kwa a screech from Larch-thistle. “Fox-heart! Fox-heart! Tawny-paw isn’t dead!” Fox-heart spun around and sprinted across the clearing to crouch beside Tawny-paw, Clover-blaze close behind. Her beige kobe shell fur, which she had always kept so neatly groomed, was spiky with drying blood. On one side of her face the fur, manyoya was torn away, and there was blood where her eye should have been. One ear was shredded, and there were huge claw marks scored across her muzzle. Clover-blaze heard a choking sound behind her as Willow-whisper came up behind her. “No . . .” The silver warrior whispered. “Oh, Star-clan, No!” Willow-whisper stumbled away, Clover-blaze watched as the warrior crouched and pushed her nose deep into Night-paws bloody and torn fur. At first Clover-blaze thought Larch-thistle was wrong and that Tawny-paw must be dead, until she saw the faint rise and fall of her breathing, and blood bubbling at her nose. “Fetch Scar-face, now!” Fox-heart ordered. Wolf-stripe dashed off while Clover-blaze went on looking down at Tawny-paws mutilated body. Shivers of fear ran through her, and she suddenly doubted her choice to come to the forest. Fox-heart leaned towards her and whispered in her ear. “As long as I live, as long as I breathe, nothing will harm you, wewe will be salama with me, always.” Clover-blaze nodded, watching Larch-thistle curl himself around Tawny-paw and began licking her torn beige fur. “Don’t die Tawny-paw,” he begged. “I’m here now. Scar-face is coming. Hold on just a bit longer.” One of Tawny-paw’s ears twitched under Larch-thistles gentle tongue. Her remaining eye opened a slit and closed again. Fox-heart leaned close to the apprentice; Clover-blaze listened as he spoke gently into her ear. “Tawny-paw, Tawny-paw can wewe tell me what did this to you?” Tawny-paw’s eye opened wider and she fixed her cloudy gaze on Clover-blaze. A thin wailing came from Tawny-paw, which gradually formed into words. Clover-blaze felt her blood chill as she made out what the battered apprentice was trying to say. "Blood will Kill the Clan."