Big news shocks all of us when it strikes. Good or bad, it has an impact on us that we either are ready for or not. When it's good news, people cheer and celebrate, raising glasses to the air in a roar of happiness or joy. Nobody wants to hear bad news, though. That kind of information settles into us, but it has to go through a protective shield all of us have in order to truly hurt anything. The moment the rumors break that protective shield, however, is when it affects us, poisoning the mind and body as emotions whirl inside to counter the words.

There are some people in the world that the emotions or people around them do affect their mood and personality. Like a chameleon, they can change their colors to match the tone they sense. And like a stack of dominos, once one falls and another falls, the rest come tumbling down as well, and pretty soon, everyone can have some kind of dense burden resting on their shoulders.

And perhaps, one way to heal this is to close our eyes and hope that when the morning sun breaks the horizon, the heavy fog will vanish.

X X X

The camp had been struck by a bolt of lightning while the raid was out.

There were at least four different conversations going on at the same time, from what Mothpaw counted. Focusing on just one conversation made her head strain, the chatty Clan's voices rising into the orange sky. Hearing cats chat like there was no tomorrow, sharing and passing on information they learned to one another, the feeling stirring inside her stomach making her queasy. It split her heart, knowing that the entire Clan was more gibberish and animated more than they were at a warrior or apprentice ceremony.

Sleekfeather had immediately sprung over to Ashstar and promptly demanded information and gave an in-depth analysis of the camp while they were out. The she-cat reported that she had thought about sneaking out to join them, but Dapplefur was quick to deny access and put an end to her. She floated around her leader like a pesky fly, mouth flying without breaks, not letting a single cat approach them to greet them after the journey. The old tom didn't push her away and accepted the news with open ears. Standing a few inches away was Speckleflash, ears flattened against her skull to muffle the sounds.

Another group of cats, such as Tigerfrost and Lionfur gathered around Splashpelt as they stared at the malnourished body of Tumblekit. The kits, Leopardkit, Firekit, Icekit, Flintkit, and Finchkit peeked behind the orange she-cat's back leg. The calico tom kit noticed the other kits and gave them a dead stare. They all jumped, crashing into each other as they scrambled to flee. The three warriors exchanged a few words before parting, and the striped she-cat let her head fall on her mate's shoulder, ears flattening as she tried to hold back the yowl rising in her throat. Noticing this, all of the kits tried to comfort their mother, but all that did was make her shoulders shake harder.

Runningpaw had found his mother in mere seconds and ran into her without worrying about the lecture he was to receive. Hailbreeze had scolded him while pouring all of her emotions she normally kept hidden behind a tough exterior. Reuniting with her daughter, however, was a different story. Olivepaw didn't even move when her thick-furred mother embraced her, taking her back into a warm place, but the apprentice hardly moved. Even when mother and daughter locked eyes, there was no excitement or tears of joy and relief now that they were together. The warrior let out a cry, making another irreversible cry that Mothpaw couldn't scrub out of her head.

Then there was Honeypaw, sitting next Dapplefur with a tom around her age, and two very familiar looking kits. Deerleaf and her group were back as well, sitting by the medicine cat den, heads bent low to hide their shame. The two kits glanced at the petite she-cat curiously but said nothing. The medicine cat heard the news of her apprentice and sagged to the ground, staring at the ground with wide eyes, unable to process the news. Finally, it settled and she crashed, curling into a ball while she fought to keep her body in control so it wouldn't lash out with her mood swing.

Mothpaw and Beechpaw hadn't approached their sister, both of their eyes glued onto the two kits they saw moons ago.

"Honeypaw kidnapped them?" he growled, eyeing the two. "They're about a few moons younger now, but calling them apprentices is a little stretch."

"Four moons, that's how old we were," she replied. "Deerleaf told me right before she ditched us that they weren't her kits. That means their mother is still unknown. If their mother were a cat from MeadowClan, they'd run up to her, right?"

"Not unless they hate her," he noted. "If we saw Ripplestone walk into camp, I'm sure both of us wouldn't run up to greet him."

"Breezepaw and Whitepaw, which one is which?" Mothpaw wondered. "And is the tom next to her Scarpaw? Don't tell me she's fallen in love with him."

"She wouldn't settle down with someone like him." Beechpaw wrinkled his nose in disgust at the two rogues. "I want to know exactly what happened. There's too much to wonder about right now. We wanted to talk about Aspenstar to Ashstar, but now I want to learn everything about Honeypaw."

"I'm pretty sure Sagefeather had to have been with Swanflame, but they both died. Tumblekit seems more lenient toward Flintkit and Finchkit more than his own father," Mothpaw explained. And that wouldn't be out of place. Beechpaw doesn't like Ripplestone and I have mixed feelings with him. But what I want to know the most is Aspenstar and the two kits.

Ashstar rose from his spot and padded to the high rock, the meeting already assembling itself before he called for it. MeadowClan raised their lingering eyes up to the ledge, the old tom examining each cat with his wear sight. Dapplefur didn't stir, and Honeypaw turned her attention to the sky, the cats around her following her lead. The sound died down, ears opening to absorb the information like thirsty tree branches.

"MeadowClan, as you know, much has happened to us today. I will ask each cat to get into their nests a little earlier today due to this. I want to explain things as best as I can without taking up too much of your time," he began, voice filled with a surge of confidence that wasn't there before. Ashstar stood taller, chains of drowsiness tying him to the ground, but he charged forward, ignoring his own health.

"We found a group of cats under the rule of a she-cat named Shatteredstar. In order to defeat her, we had to join forces with Aspenstar. However, we found that Sagefeather had indeed been held captive there for some time. She sadly passed away a few seconds after we arrived, the only surviving kit out of the four being Tumblekit, who if I had to guess, is under the care of Tigerfrost." Hearing her name, the queen sat up straighter while the kits around her paws cheered for her, the truth hidden from them.

"Honeypaw has come back for some time, our plan still being in progress. She has brought with her Scarpaw, a fellow apprentice of the same rank as her as well as Breezepaw and Whitepaw." The four cats perked their heads up at the sound of their name. Mothpaw turned away from her sister, not wanting to look at her.

"The last part is we need to prepare for leafbare more than anything. I need time to consult with the others before we make any other kind of plans." Ashstar flicked his tail and the meeting dispersed, cats clumping together once again. Mothpaw let out a yelp at a sharp tug at her tail. There she found Beechpaw, dragging her toward the direction of Dapplefur, who still remained in her little ball.

The medicine cat still sobbed, unable to sense her surroundings. Beechpaw let go of her tail and nudged the she-cat, offering his help. Dapplefur sprang, eyes about to burst, surprising the tom and he stumbled, falling on his rear. She shook her head, clearing her mind and spilled out the words that were locked away.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry I forgot about you! I'm sorry! I'm a horrible mother, aren't I? I don't care if the others hear about this, StarClan's... StarClan's not going to listen to me now if they haven't listened in the past moons! I'm sorry!" she yowled, throwing all the information at the apprentice.

So Shatteredstar was correct? Mothpaw thought, swallowing the lump in her throat. It should've been obvious that MeadowClan would've done something like this. Desperate for survival with leafbare approaching, they needed more cats to become warriors. Beechpaw bit his lip, eyes quivering, unable to say anything.

And we wonder why StarClan abandons us when we break all of their sacred rules.

Finally, Dapplefur regained her sight and her jaw dropped at the sight of the shaking tom next to his petite sister. The medicine cat was thrown under the icy waters once again, the loss of her apprentice and the two apprentices standing there, not showing any signs of resentment or bewilderment pulling her under. She crashed back onto the ground, letting out a series of yelps and moans that resembled three, tiny kits that had just lost their very own brother. Cats lowered their ears to avoid her cry, the wise she-cat who was supposed to trust this StarClan choking out the entire Clan's suffering to the empty sky.

Then, surprisingly, two kits stepped closer to the she-cat, eyes full of a hidden affection for her. They both held a pelt of clouds, kit fur still shedding as they grew. One had black spots, one spot covering her left eye, gray patches of fur painted her front paws, back paws still a fluffy white. The other had black and gray striped tangling and mixing across her pelt, hidden beneath her white fur were faint traces of brown-gray fur rising to the surface. Both she-kits stood in front of the sobbing medicine cat, a wall of ice blocking out the lost love.

The striped she-cat leaned down, touching her tiny forehead to the medicine cat. Dapplefur's breath hitched, caught in her throat. Then her sister followed, nuzzling against the calico's paw. Lifting a heavy head, the medicine cat stared at the two, body trembling. Beechpaw and Mothpaw clumped together, letting the small reunion happen peacefully.

One of the she-kits opened their eyes, a small ounce of warmth flooding through them. She stood on her toes, trying to reach Dapplefur's jaw. Then she spoke, tiny voice filling the ears of nearby cats.

"We aren't mad at you, we've never been mad at you for leaving us there," she promised, lowering her head. Dapplefur reached over, nose grazing the top of the she-kit's head.

"Even if you did leave us for this fake StarClan to come and kill us, we aren't going to hold a grudge against you for something like that," the other one said, voice more sassy and bold than her sister's. Dapplefur froze, unable to respond to the comment. The she-kit crawled over and gave her a quick lick across the paw, sending her feelings to the calico.

And they don't bear a grudge against her for leaving her? The first guess was right, and judging by the rest of the Clan, Mothpaw took a quick scan of camp, noticing that a few cats had their ears leaning toward the reunion, but there were no traces of shock or astounding looks at the three she-cats. They already knew about this. That must be why Ashstar wanted them to go to the Moon Tree.

"Did she say leaving them at the Moon Tree to die?" Beechpaw demanded, voice the definition of disgust and horror.

"Abandoning a kit at a place dedicated to StarClan, it could be a way to get their attention. Kits are the source of a Clan's survival, and if someone were to neglect them somewhere where this powerful Clan lives, it might mean a lightning bolt would come down from the sky and strike us," she guessed, leaning against his broad shoulder. "That's just what I think, I could be off."

"I still want to learn about Aspenstar, and now we have Honeypaw and Dapplefur in our way," he growled. "What do you suppose we do?" questioned Beechpaw, lingering toward one option. He kept his feisty eyes rooted on Ashstar, who had recently gotten into another conversation with Tigerfrost, all of her kits surrounding her like a flock of birds. The orange she-cat nodded, keeping her solemn gaze to the ground as orders washed over her head. Her kits didn't take any notice or care to their leader's words and continued to mess with one another, haphazardly blowing into each other like a spring.

Mothpaw agreed, looking for the best answer, but the small pain in her heart reached her throat, causing it to tighten. She managed to punch a small hole for air to flow through, but a single look at the grieving Clan undid all her efforts.

Tigerfrost wasn't going away anytime soon, Ashstar seemed to be digging a deep conversation with the queen, even if the leader took a stab to her heart, chaining the once brave and strong warrior to the nursery with more kits. Dapplefur embraced both Breezepaw and Whitepaw, the question who the father was and why someone like the she-cat would agree to break StarClan's rules hovering above their heads, out of reach. Aspenstar was back at her camp, probably tending to her injuries and the lives of her Clan.

Honeypaw was with Scarpaw, both isolated themselves from MeadowClan and kindly accused any cat that tried to approach them. Hailbreeze remained at her daughter's side, determined to bring Olivepaw back from the dead, tearing her ways through the ranks of StarClan or the Dark Forest to find the lost and wandering soul of her beloved daughter. Splashpelt held a particular round stone, nose pressed against the cold surface, eyes shut, mourning the loss of his mate that never escaped Shatteredstar's claws. Speckleflash waited at the leader's den, eyes low as Sleekfeather engaged with a conversation, both she-cats wanting to know about the situation that took place at the camp or battle.

Lionfur sat around a bundle of kits that weren't his own. Leopardkit noticed something was wrong and padded up to comfort her father, throwing her tiny body against him. Firekit and Icekit tried to climb on the warrior's back, each attempt ending in them sliding off. Flintkit stayed close to the group, wrestling with his younger sister, Finchkit, and he started to knaw on her ear. The tom's face was filled with sorrow and burdened with more kits than he could handle, even if his mate was with him every step of the journey. Then there was Deerleaf, who stared at Dapplefur with longing eyes, unable to move or speak until her punishment was finished. Swiftbranch and Frostlight stood beside the fawn-colored she-cat, but they offered no support when Ashstar came over to scold her.

"Not today, please," Mothpaw whispered, afraid her voice was too quiet. She erased out another sentence, stomach twisting. "Not today, Beechpaw. Tomorrow, please," she desperately begged, throat going dry. Her brother turned and gave her a worried look, crouching down to nudge her with his nose.

"Why not?" he asked, worry dangling above him. "Is something the matter?"

"Just not today," she repeated, getting weaker. "Not today, please."

Beechpaw didn't answer for the longest time. Then he finally nodded, helping her up. Mothpaw leaned against his shoulder, paws unable to carry her any longer. He helped her over to a quieter section of the camp, passing by the emotionless eyes of Honeypaw. Older brother and sister shared one look before the tom pushed her aside, focused on their little sister's condition.

"Alright, I trust you, Mothpaw."