Chapter 2

Leafkit woke up to a sharp smell of blood. She looked all around, and finally saw Rockkit trying to pull Shadowkit out of some thorns at the entrance of the nursery. "Berrywhisker!" Rockkit called out. "Come quick!" He added. A couple of heartbeats later, Berrywhisker was rushing toward Shadowkit. "What happened?!" She asked anxiously. "She was stuck here when I woke up! Somehow she was still sleeping, so I tried to wake her up!" Rockkit yowled. "She won't wake up! Is she dead?!" He added. "No, she is breathing, maybe she is unconscious." Berrywhisker mewed. Leafkit looked around the den and saw that the queens and the rest of the kits had all moved outside. Berrywhisker looked towards Leafkit "Oh Leafkit you are awake! Could you and Rockkit ," she said, and she looked at Rockkit, then added " go and get some warriors?". "Yes Berrywhisker." Rockkit mumbled as he shot out the nursery with Leafkit right behind him.

Leafkit rushed to some warriors she had seen, as Rockkit went over to Redstar. "Berrywhisker needs your help!" She yowled at a couple of warriors stretching out on the sky rocks. "She is at the nursery!" Leafkit added. One heartbeat later, everyone in the camp was heading towards the nursery to see what all the commotion was about. "Bloodclaw and Raventail, get Shadowkit out of the thorns." Leafkit heard Berrywhisker ordering the two muscular warriors. Then, she mumbled something to Birdsong, but Leafkit couldn't hear the words. She went closer to the nursery, but the moment she saw her sister's limp body, with bloody fur, and as many thorns as bees in a hive, she wanted to run toward her, and help her, but Leafkit knew that there was nothing she could do. Leafkit padded over to where her sister lay, now untangled from the thorns. "Leafkit, Rockkit, and Swiftkit," Berrywhisker said, looking at a shadowy corner of the nursery. "Could you please go play with the other kits? I don't want you to get in anyone's way." She added. Slowly, from the shadows emerged Swiftkit, his orange fur, gleaming where the sun's rays were. He began to pad over to Rockkit and Leafkit to leave, when he burst off in a coughing fit, wheezing at every breath he took. Berrywhisker looked over to Swiftkit, her eyes glowing with sorrow and fury. Leafkit wondered as she went to Violetwing, Lilyshade, and Firejump, why was Berrywhisker angry?

Leafkit curled up in her nest trying to fall asleep, but her thoughts kept on tracing back to three sunrises ago, when Shadowkit had been tangled in the thorns and Swiftkit had caught Whitecough. The den felt so empty with two of her siblings away, even though there were five more kits and three queens. Swiftkit had only become worse, and Shadowkit was still not waking up. Would this be when her siblings died?! Leafkit asked herself, terrified that the answer would be yes. At least she knew that if they did die, they would be in the paws of her warrior ancestors. Several times a day, Leafkit would check up on her littermates, hoping they would get better. Leafkit snapped out of her thoughts only when she heard the terrified screech of her mother, "What do you mean he has Greencough?!" Her mother was yowling at Berrywhisker. "I'm sorry, I tried my best, I really did, but his fate is in the paws of Starclan." Berrywhisker murmured in reply. Leafkit wondered who they were talking about, until it hit her. They were talking about Swiftkit! How would Leafkit live without her brother, or even both her sister and brother! Leafkit started begging Starclan to let her littermates live. About a couple of heartbeats later, Leafkit heard the soft voice of a cat she did not recognize, "One will lay to rest, and the shadow's powers will be twice as strong." The voice echoed in Leafkit's mind, as she saw a silver she-cat with stars in her pelt, slowly padding away towards the medicine den. Leafkit had received a message from Starclan! She felt sorrow and grief for the life that would be lost, but at the same time happiness that not both of them would die.

Leafkit stumbled up from her nest, and raced to Berrywhisker's den. As Leafkit saw that Berrywhisker was still awake, she thanked Starclan, and stood to a halt before Berrywhisker. "What are you doing up so late?" The medicine cat's voice was full of worry. "Starclan sent me a message." Leafkit replied softly, wondering if Berrywhisker would feel hurt that Starclan had sent a kit a message, instead of the medicine cat, but instead there was eagerness, and a glint of hope in her voice, "What did they say?" Berrywhisker turned to look at the white she-cat. "One will lay to rest, and the shadows powers will be twice as strong." Her voice trembling as she copied the silver she-cats words. "Oh my!" Was the only thing Berrywhisker said. "She might be the cat in the prophecy!" She then added. "No, she MUST be the cat in the prophecy." Berrywhisker corrected herself. "The whole clan depends on it." She mumbled loudly enough that Leafkit could hear her voice. "You must speak of this to no one!" The yellow medicine cat said firmly, before she went back to organizing herbs. Leafkit padded away to the nursery, waiting for the news to settle in.