Chapter 4

Chapter 4

 Jayfeather felt droplets of blood slowing travelling down his cheek, but right now he was almost completely oblivious to it. All his senses were on fire. Sharp as thorns he felt Bluekit's anger and frustration pierce him as she sped out of camp, and at first he mirrored those feelings. But they were replaced with concern and worry for the kit as Lionstar began to order out patrols to bring her back, Dovewing's emotions hitting him like a wave. She was clearly annoyed with her kit, but the anxiety to make sure she was okay overpowered that feeling by far. Naturally, Bumblestripe was trying to calm his mate, though Jayfeather could tell that the striped tom was as worried as she was.

"Jayfeather? Are you okay?" Briarlight's voice interuppted his thoughts.

"What? Yes I'm fine." He murmured weakly, not really concentrating on the warrior.

"No you're not. And don't bother saying otherwise either. Now get back to your den and let me have a look at you." She snapped, sounding more like Leafpool than herself.

"Fine, fine." He growled, following her, but added under his breath; "Keep your fur on..."

"Actually, Briarlight, I'd like a word with Jayfeather first." Bumblestripe's voice came from behind them.

"What? Oh, okay then." Briarlight mewed, and left the two toms alone in the den.

"So, what do you want?" Jayfeather asked, though he'd already guessed it.

"To know what's up with my kit, and what did you do to her - that's what I want!" Bumblestripe snarled, his voice had a threatening undercurrent which made Jayfeather's fur bristle.

"I haven't done anything to her!"

"Oh yes you have! Ever since you didn't help Mountainkit and let her try and help she's been moping around like a dead shrew! If it weren't for you, then she'd be happy!"

"She had to try!" Jayfeather hissed, finding himself repeating Yellowfang's words.

"No she didn't, you did! Some medicine cat you make if you can't be bothered enough to treat your own patients and let kits try instead!"

"How dare-"

"I can dare as much as I like - but at least I do something about it." Bumblestripe interuppted him with a hasty hiss.

"Do you think I didn't let her try without a reason?"

"Well, you see, well... Yes!" Bumblestripe muttered doubtfully, but firmed his resolve with a growl and a contemptious flick of his striped tail.

"Listen, please, I have not done anything to Bluekit. Nor do I intened to," Jayfeather snapped, for carrying on with a sigh, "But can't you see that she needs support? Her siblings are ignoring her, which they can do - they're just kits, they don't know any better - but her parents are too. You've barely spoken to her since Mountainkit died, and she's been in turmoil. I tried speaking to her, but she won't listen - she just lashes out at me. Bluekit's broken hearted, and she needs you to fix her up." His last sentence was barely more than a whisper, Jayfeather felt compassion for Bluekit. It wasn't her fault, she just needed to open her eyes a little, and so did her father.

"I-I-" Bumblestripe stammered, before hastily running out of the den yowling; "Where's that patrol? I'm joining it!"

Jayfeather sighed. Some cats just needed to be told the right thing to get them going. 

Leopardkit's pacing was beginning to annoy Jayfeather. The young kit had been padding back and forth ever since Bumblestripe and the patrol had left the camp, even Beekit - whom in Jayfeather's opinion was the most cheerful of cats - was getting a little anxious.

Dovewing had made no attempt to hush them, she'd been sitting close by to him so she could tell him if she'd heard Bluekit. But Dovewing couldn't hear Bluekit, even after scanning the territory twice over. Jayfeather was finding the she-cat's muttering more and more irritating. And it didn't help that the rain was slowly starting to pour down, making his ear tips twitch every time a droplet hit them.

After what seemed like a moon, the patrol trudged in with their fur plastered to their bodies and their tails drooping. Leopardkit was about to call after them to see if they'd seen his sister, but Dovewing had hushed him before he had the chance. It was clear by their mood that no cat had seen her.

The patrol all seemed unanamously glum, except for Hollyleaf who looked extremely worried. Jayfeather thought it was probably because she thought that she shouldn't have gone out in that weather when she was expecting kits. But even though he'd tried to tell her not to, Hollyleaf had wanted to go for Dovewing. The two she-cats had become unexpectedly good friends.

"What's wrong?" He asked his sister as he padded up to her.

"I think, if she was, well she'd be drowning, but I'm beginning to think that..." Hollyleaf trailed off uncertainly.

"Tell me!" Jayfeather demanded, his sightless eyes blazing.

"I think she might be in the tunnels."

Jayfeather froze.

Everything fell into place. Dovewing couldn't hear her because she couldn't hear underground, nobody could find her because they wouldn't think she was there and she would be drowned because the rain was-

"We've go to find her!" He hissed, before running over to Lionstar who was trying to console Bumblestripe.

"Hollyleaf thinks she could be in the tunnels!" He growled at him.

It took a while for Lionstar to register this, but he got to it faster than everyone else who had seemed to have heard him.

"Then we must find her now before the rain gets any heavier!" He cried, leaping to his paws.

But yowls of uncertainty came from the other cats in the hollow.

"How could she be? They're deep in our territory and no cat would be mousebrained enough to go in there!" Thornclaw mewed loudly.

"She's a kit! Of course she'd be mousebrained enough!" Cloudtail snorted.

"We must rescue her!" Rosepetal cried, as if nobody had thought of doing that before her.

"She got herself into this mess - she can get herself out of it." Purdy muttered from beside Jayfeather, and under normal circumstances, Jayfeather would have agreed with him.

"What are we waiting for? Let's get her now!" Leopardkit's shreiked sounded loudest of them all, conveying his dismay more sharply than the rest of them who were just worrying aimlessly.

"Silence." Lionstar roared, and silence followed his words instantly.

"Right. Hollyleaf, Dovewing, Cinderheart, Brackenfur and I will go and see if we can rescue her. No other cat is to try and go off on their own little expedition - understand?" He mewed, sending a threatening glare at Bumblestripe as if he knew that the young warrior was planning to try and rescue Bluekit.

Murmurs of agreement ascended, and Lionstar nodded at his clanmates, then set off on the patrol to rescue Bluekit.

Worry for Hollyleaf lurched in Jayfeather's belly as he watched her leave camp, her belly swollen with her unborn kits. Was it really wise for her to leave now?