After the cats returned Frostflower removed the stingers from their bee stings and chewed up blackberry leaves into a pulp to rub on the wounds.

Nutkit had been with her the whole time watching intensely while his siblings played in the clearing.

"Can I help?" He chriped as Frostflower spat the pulp onto a large oak leaf.

The calico didn't see why he couldn't, in fact, he might just be good at it.

"Okay Nutkit, just let me show you what to do." She motioned the kit to come closer, "alright,  lightly dip your paw into the pulp."

He wrinkled his muzzle. "Do I have to?"

"Not if you want to help!"

"Oh alright."

The little tom got some of the chewed leaves on his paw.

"Very good! Now just gently rub it there." She gestured to the sting on Lynxbite's back.

"Make sure your claws are sheathed. I don't want to be scratched!" The tom added in.

Nutkit rubbed the paste on the wound. Lynxbite's fur flattened.

"Good job! I'll get some damp moss for you to wipe your paws on."

Frostflower turned to see the silhouette of Marigoldwish standing in the entrance.

"Thanks for watching the kits, I'm feeling better and more rested so-" she paused.

"Nutkit! What is that on your paws?!" She shouted.

"I was helping Frostflower." The little kit mewed innocently.

"Nonononono," the queen said quickly, "you could get poisioned!"

Marigoldwish gave Frostflower an annoyed glance as she rushed out of the den with Nutkit dangling by his scruff. The calico immediately felt guilty. Ugh, I shouldn't have let Nutkit help.

Lynxbite thanked Frostflower and left the den. The medicine cat began sorting through the crumpled herbs left by Tansypaw.

-- time skip --

Dew glittered with starshine and a light mist hung low through starry trees with pale trunks. Frostflower inhaled the sweet scent of flowers and looked around.

A pale figure approached her. As it neared, Frostflower immediately recognized them. She ran and pressed her nose against the cat's forehead.

(Art by mee)

"I've missed you so much Iceshard."

Her mother purred. "I'm not the only one here to see you."

From behind Iceshard approached an apprentice and a young kit.

"Flypaw!"

The ginger and white apprentice purred happily, his starry eyes glimmering with joy.

"I'm not Flypaw anymore, my name is now Flyfoot. I earned my name here, in StarClan."

"Wow, I didn't know that was possible!"

The small kit jumped in between them, unable to contain her excitement.

"Hi Frostflower! I've been waiting forever to meet you!" She squeaked.

"Oh, you don't know who I am, do you... Well, I'm Joltkit, your sister!"

My... Sister?

"I'm sorry I never told you Frostflower. " Iceshard meowed. "I knew how horribly you had felt with Flyfoot's death, and, I didn't want to bring more grief so soon after his death. So I spoke with Coyotetail before Tansypaw and Joltkit were born. I told him not to let you be present when they were born, in case anything went wrong. Joltkit was stillborn, soon after she was born, Crescentsoul buried her. I stayed strong, so you wouldn't grieve any longer."

Frostflower purred and nuzzled her mother. She was speechless, Frostflower didn't know how to respond.

"But, we do not walk in your dreams tonight to have a reunion." Flyfoot meowed, his eyes darkening.

Frostflower, Joltkit, and Flyfoot faded away, leaving her alone. The area grew dark, and Frostflower heard a deep growling. Her fur stood on end as she saw a shadowy figure with long fangs charging toward her. Then, more and more beasts appeared behind it. They charged right past her, headed for several defenseless cats. She recognized the cats as Nutkit, Lightkit, Fernscar, and Hazelkit. Fernscar stood over them, trembling with fear. A red warrior leaped in front of them, hissing angerly. But, just as the shadowy beasts leaped, the red warrior disappeared. The creatures attacked the cats, their terrified shrieks filled her ears.

"Frostflower!  Frostflower!"

Frostflower jolted awake, Fernscar stood over her.

"Frostflower! Thank StarClan you're awake! You were mumbling and kicking in your sleep. You knocked over an entire stack of herbs." She flicked her tail towards a scattered pile of leaves.

"Oops."

That's when they heard heavy footsteps nearing the camp. Bright shafts of light pierced through the leaves. The cats guarding the camp must have noticed and alerted the warriors, since she heard faint murmurs of concern.

"What is it Frostflower?" Fernscar whispered.

"I don't know, wait here and I'll go check."

The calico hopped onto the thick branch connecting her tree to the nursery tree. She tiptoed past the nursery and peered down. What she saw almost made her fall out of the tree.

It was a pair of twolegs. One held a short stick with a beam of light shining from it. The other held a much longer stick, that was black and shiny towards the thin end and wooden towards the thicker end.

A twig snapped and the twolegs looked up towards the warriors tree. A quiet chick-click broke the still silence, then earsplitting bang followed by a cry of pain could be heard. The twolegs made a few noises and walked off.

Once the twolegs had left, Frostflower leapt to the warriors tree. Dimwhisker had blood oozing from what appeared to be a puncture wound in his flank. The tom was leaned against the trunk of the tree, panting.

"Feels like there's a rock or something in there." He hissed through teeth gritted in pain.

Frostflower sniffed the wound and began licking the blood away, trying to see what was lodged in there. Whatever it was, it had to be removed.

Soon, she saw the glint of something unnatural inside the wound. Frostflower snapped a twig off from a branch and passed it to Dimwhisker. "Bite down on this."

Using her claw, she worked the shiny object out. Dimwhisker cried out, but she knew she couldn't give up. Finally, she worked the object out. It was a shiny stone, with a smooth surface.

Looking up at the cats in the branches above them, she meowed. "Someone go get some marigold and cobwebs from my den."

Rustling noises rold her that a cat had rushed over to her den.

"It wasn't too deep. Luckily, but, it did some damage. I don't think it hit bone."

Dimwhisker had layed down on the branch, unable to carry his weight  through all the pain. "Thanks." He muttered.

Lynxbite and Vinestripe returned with the marigold and cobweb. Frostflower chewed the leaves into a poultice and licked it onto his wound. Then, she covered it with cobwebs.

"There. That should help. Let's see if you can get to the medicine den, you can sleep there."

Vinestripe helped Dimwhisker hop up onto the branch leading to the nursery tree, then onto the branch leading to the medicine tree.

Once he was settled, Dimwhisker drifted asleep.

Frostflower lay awake though, wondering if the beasts she had seen in her dream was the twolegs.