Chapter 11

Swirlstem stared at the water, frozen with shock and grief. She felt as if icy claws were digging into her fur, and she didn’t want to move from her position.

How could this happen?

Curlstar had lost a life just last night, and now she had disappeared under the water, with no air to breathe. Leaders have nine lives to sacrifice for their Clan, but Curlstar’s case… Swirlstem squeezed her eyes shut. How could this happen?

“Swirlstem.” A pelt brushed her side. Swirlstem scented Spiralpaw beside her and she leaned down and licked the silver-and-white tabby’s ears without opening her eyes.

“We have to go.” That was Cinderlight’s voice. Pebbles crunched as the light brown warrior padded up to her. Her voice quivered as she added, “There’s no way to reach her now.”

There must be! Swirlstem wanted to wail like a kit. She wanted to dive into the lake herself to fish her sister out, but her muscles wouldn’t obey her.

“I’m sorry,” Cinderlight murmured, and Swirlstem realized she must have said the words out loud. The older warrior rested her tail tip gently on her shoulder.

Swirlstem dipped her head and took a deep breath. Spiralpaw pressed against her. “You have to be strong for everyone,” the apprentice whispered.

“Let’s get back to camp and tell everyone what happened,” Swirlstem meowed. She glanced at Quailkit and Flickerkit, who were huddling against each other at Blacksky’s paws. “Are you hurt?” she asked them.

“No,” Quailkit squeaked.

“We’re fine!” Flickerkit added.

“You’d better get checked anyway,” Blacksky meowed firmly. “Who knows what kind of trouble you two might have gotten into when we weren’t watching?”

“Yes, let Silverstripe check you and you can tell us the whole story,” Swirlstem agreed. “Rubykit, too, when she wakes up.”

Spiralpaw leaned down and gently gripped Rubykit’s scruff, lifting her up. Suddenly the kit’s body jerked and Spiralpaw jumped back with a startled yelp, dropping her onto the pebbles.

Rubykit coughed out water and tried to sit up, trembling. “Where am I?” she mewled groggily, reaching out with her small paws as if she could grab something that would help her.

Spiralpaw padded forward and picked her up again. “We’re getting you back to camp to Silverstripe,” she muttered around the fur. “And you’d better tell the truth when you explain yourselves, because whatever you three did just cost Curlstar a life!”

 

Flickerkit yelped again as Silverstripe nosed her fur, leaping out of the WindClan medicine cat’s reach.

“Let me check you over,” the silver tabby meowed patiently.

“No!” Flickerkit squeaked. “I’m fine! Where’s Sparkwing?”

“Your mother’s outside the den, waiting for you to let Silverstripe check you,” Swirlstem told her sternly but gently. “Quailkit’s already done—if you just stay still for one heartbeat you can go out with him!”

Grumbling under her breath, Flickerkit stalked back toward Silverstripe.

Kits! Swirlstem thought, amused.

There was a flash of dark gray and white, and Quailkit bounded over to his sister. “Hurry up,” he mewed. “Sparkwing’s waiting.”

“Why don’t you just go by yourself?” Flickerkit asked.

“I’m waiting for you to come!” Quailkit replied. “So hurry up!”

“You’re right, you’re fine,” Silverstripe told Flickerkit. “Next time, don’t get into so much trouble!”

“Yay!” Flickerkit squealed, heading towards the den entrance. “Let’s go!”

“Hey, not so fast,” Swirlstem called. “Come back over here! You still haven’t explained yourselves! Why did you go out into the forest?” Her paws itched for the two kits to spill their story. Why did Curlstar have to die?

The two kits let out growls of annoyance and stomped back. “Fiiiiiine,” Flickerkit hissed.

Silverstripe padded back to Rubykit, who was lying curled up in a nest shaking uncontrollably. Swirlstem pricked her ears with worry. The little kit must have been really frightened.

“I’ve given her thyme for shock,” Silverstripe meowed, gently stroking Rubykit’s side with her tail. “She should calm down soon.”

Swirlstem turned back to Flickerkit and Quailkit. “So what happened?” she demanded. “Spit it out.”

“We went out into the forest,” Quailkit answered.

“Well, why did you go into the forest?” Swirlstem pressed.

Flickerkit nudged her brother away. “We were following Rubykit,” she explained. “We saw her sneak out, so we thought we’d follow along to see where she was going.”

Swirlstem blinked in surprise. This started with Rubykit? “Did you talk with her?” she asked. “Did she tell you why she was going out?”

“No,” Quailkit mewled. “We were following her and then suddenly we got lost and then we hid in a bush and then we waited and waited and then you guys found us and then—”

A small squeak from Rubykit interrupted him and all four cats turned to her. The red kit was struggling to her paws, still trembling. “I-I t-thought I heard something,” she meowed weakly. “It felt like it was calling me.”

A calling. Swirlstem remembered the day when she and Spiralpaw had the vision of drowning in the lake and her heart beat faster. “And?” she prompted, leaning forward.

Rubykit seemed to find the strength to sit up straighter. “And…it called me to the lake. And then when I looked down at my reflection, it wasn’t me in the water.”

Swirlstem’s chest ached and she realized she was holding her breath. She let it out and waited for Rubykit to go on.

“It wasn’t me,” the red she-kit repeated. “It—it was…a pale ginger tabby. Her amber eyes looked like they were glowing, and she looked straight at me. And then she walked further into the water, and I tried to follow her, but the waves washed me to where I couldn’t reach the bottom. It—it…”

There was awkward silence as she took in a shuddering breath. “I-it was Ambercloud!” she finally blurted.

 

Swirlstem whirled around yet again as Crystalpaw stumbled on the tree-bridge. “Are you alright?” she called.

“I’m fine,” Crystalpaw replied shakily.

“Don’t fall in the lake and drown before you get your warrior name!” Spiralpaw, who was behind her sister, joked, which only made Crystalpaw look even more scared.

“Come on,” Swirlstem meowed, padding along the trunk of the tree. “You won’t fall.” She leaped down onto the ground at the other end.

Crystalpaw and Spiralpaw leaped down after her. “This is going to be your first Gathering!” Crystalpaw meowed excitedly. “You missed your first two because of the journey, and now you’re finally going with me!”

Spiralpaw only nodded. Swirlstem knew that the silver-and-white tabby was thinking about the events that had happened earlier today. After Rubykit had confessed she’d seen Ambercloud, Swirlstem had asked her if she knew who she was, and the young kit had stammered and trembled a bit more before falling asleep again.

She’s never even met Ambercloud before, Swirlstem thought as she followed her Clan toward the clearing on the island where the Gathering was held. She’s probably only heard of her. She must be the next medicine cat, or else Curlstar—

She froze at the thought of her sister. No cat had seen any sign of the ThunderClan leader since she’d drowned. Oh, StarClan, please bring her back.

 

Swirlstem paused again, gazing out at the lake. The water was dark, reflecting the night sky, and the stars looked like little pieces of StarClan floating on the lake’s surface. She had barely listened to the Gathering, her mind still on Curlstar, but at the end Spiralpaw and Crystalpaw had chattered about how boring it had been, so Swirlstem guessed it was unimportant.

Now the two littermates were padding beside her, their heads down and their paw steps heavy. Spiralpaw looked up when Swirlstem stopped. “Come on,” she meowed.

Swirlstem turned and fell in beside her again. “I wish Curlstar was here,” she breathed.

Spiralpaw met her eyes, and Swirlstem was surprised at the determination and hope blazing in the bright blue depths. “She will return,” the silver-and-white she-cat murmured. “She has to.”

Swirlstem blinked and concentrated on putting one paw in front of the other. She was exhausted, and she knew Spiralpaw and Crystalpaw were, too. Too much has happened today.

Suddenly ThunderClan scent hit her nose. They were at the border. She splashed through the stream and pulled herself out on the other side. She was barely focusing on anything until a piercing yowl split the air.

Swirlstem’s head shot up and she glanced around. That had been Cinderlight, who was walking closest to the lake. Swirlstem bounded toward the light brown she-cat.

Her breath caught in her throat as she spotted a dark shape lying next to Cinderlight. Could that be…

“Curlstar!” Spiralpaw yowled, flying past her toward the leader.

Swirlstem skidded to a halt beside her sister. She leaned down and pressed her nose against her soaked fur. She’s breathing!

The whole group was gathered around them now with shocked and joyful expressions.

“It’s her!” Berrypelt exclaimed.

“Is she alright?” Leafclaw asked anxiously.

“Is she breathing?” Ambersky meowed.

“What—”

Stemfall’s question was cut off as Curlstar suddenly coughed. Swirlstem’s heart soared as she coughed again and scrambled to her paws. Water dripped down from her fur, and her yellow eyes were wide.

“Curlstar,” Swirlstem whispered, pressing herself against her sister’s wet fur.

Curlstar licked her ear and stepped forward to address the Clan. “I’m sorry for what happened today,” she began. “I’ll explain the whole story when we get back to camp, but I’ll just say now that…I drowned in the lake, and StarClan brought me back to you.”

“Did you lose a life?” someone whispered. Swirlstem couldn’t tell who it was in the darkness.

Curlstar dipped her head. “Yes.”

Swirlstem padded beside her as they made their way home, too full of happiness to speak. As they neared the camp, there was suddenly a shriek in the distance. Swirlstem strained her ears, trying to hear more, but silence fell upon the forest again. She turned and continued walking.

Huh. I wonder what that was.