Chapter Text
Bleakkit glances up at Poppymeadow as he curls up next to Chasingkit and Brownkit, his dad's ginger striped pelt gleaming in the gloom of the nursery. He longs to go outside and stretch his legs in the warm newleaf sun, but unfortunately the disappearance of his brother Yarrowkit has prompted all the kits still in camp to be confined to the nursery while a search is carried out.
"Let us out! It's boring in here!" Bleakkit's demand is echoed from the next nest over by Cragkit, the gray and white kit scrambling to try and slip out even as her mother Silentkestrel tugs her back. Poppymeadow glances over at Silentkestrel, shooting her a worried glance before curling more closely around Bleakkit and his brothers.
"You'll be let out as soon as your father finds Yarrowkit." Poppymeadow's voice is even but carries an edge Bleakkit hasn't heard often before. He's tense, glancing nervously at the nursery entrance and tail flicking away even as he tries to keep calm, and something about his behaviour has Bleakkit on edge.
"I snuck out last moon and there was nothing dangerous out there, dad. It's just grass and stuff!" Chasingkit cuts in, his mostly white tail lashing in annoyance. "Yarrowkit's probably fine-"
"You were brought back before a fox or a wolverine could get you." Poppymeadow interrupts Chasingkit, licking him between his two massive ears. "There are reasons why kits aren't allowed out of camp."
"I don't know why we gotta be in here, though. It's 'stay in camp', not 'stay in the nursery'." Brownkit mutters, peering out of the nest. "We'll be apprentices in a moon anyway, then you won't be able to keep us in here."
"Oh! Will you get a ceremony like...like Brownwatcher?" Cragkit pipes up, listening from beside Silentkestrel.
"Idiot, Brownwatcher had an elder ceremony!" Chasingkit yells back, eyes glinting with mockery despite Poppymeadow trying to hush him. "We'll get apprentice ceremonies!"
"Yeah, you should know which ceremony is which! Isn't Pigeonstar your dad?!" Brownkit joins in, backing up Chasingkit in yelling at Cragkit even as she tears up in response.
"Hey, be nice to Cragkit-" Poppymeadow's warning is cut off by sudden wails from out in the camp. For a second, all in the nursery is still, Poppymeadow and Silentkestrel both going ominously quiet at the racket, then Bleakkit uses the opportunity to slip out into camp before anyone can stop him.
Outside is confusion, cats staring at the entrance of the camp as Runningstreak stumbles into camp. For a second, Runningstreak doesn't do anything, his chest heaving and eyes wide as he carries a lump of grey fur in his mouth, but then he diverts towards the medicine clearing, barrelling past his milling Clanmates without a word. Bleakkit only hesitates for a moment before rushing after his father, his long fur bushed out with confusion as he scrambles to see what's going on.
"...found him like this under one of those poisonous bushes! Please, help him!" Runningstreak's voice filters into hearing range as Bleakkit creeps down the path to the medicine clearing. As he peeks into the clearing, a small space ringed by Twoleg trash and overshadowed by a great sheet of some rippled Twoleg made material, he can see Runningstreak pleading to Tawnyspot and Raggedpad, the grey lump of fur he was carrying now laid out on the ground. Raggedpad bends down to sniff the lump, one white paw nudging at it-
-and then Bleakkit suddenly realizes that it isn't just a lump of fur, it's-
"Yarrowkit!" Bleakkit rushes into the clearing, ignoring Runningstreak's shocked yelp as he scrambles to his brother's side. Yarrowkit is still, his yellow eyes wide and staring. Bleakkit thinks he sees flecks of red at Yarrowkit's mouth, but Raggedpad steps forward and snatches his scruff before he can look closer.
"Lemme go! I wanna talk to Yarrowkit!" Bleakkit wriggles, his hindquarters dragging on the ground, but Raggedpad is stronger, keeping her grip on his scruff as she drags him out. It's only once they're back in the main clearing that Raggedpad releases him, dropping him just as Poppymeadow, Chasingkit, and Brownkit rush up.
"What's going on, Raggedpad?" Poppymeadow speaks first, bending down to sniff at Bleakkit as he shakes himself off. Raggedpad in turn leans in to mutter into Poppymeadow's ear, glancing briefly at Bleakkit and his brothers as she does so.
"You okay, Bleakkit? Why were you in the medicine clearing?" Chasingkit asks, but Bleakkit is too busy watching Poppymeadow to answer. For a second, Poppymeadow goes still, his ears pinned to his head and eyes wide, then he lets out a sharp, desperate wail and charges for the medicine clearing himself.
"Dad, wait! What's wrong?" Brownkit goes to run after Poppymeadow, his brown and white pelt bushing out in confusion, only for Raggedpad to step in his path.
"Come on, back to the nursery with all three of you." Raggedpad's voice is noticeably strained, her tail twitching as she herds Bleakkit, Chasingkit, and Brownkit back towards the nursery despite all three kits complaints. It's only when they're back in the dim light of the den, with Silentkestrel blocking the path out so that Raggedpad can return to the medicine clearing, that Chasingkit, Brownkit, and Cragkit finally turn to question Bleakkit.
"What's going on? Why's everyone upset?" Cragkit asks first, leaning in from where she's cuddled next to Silentkestrel so that Bleakkit can clearly see the grey shooting star shaped mark on her side.
"Yeah, what's going on? You saw what was in the medicine clearing!" Brownkit leans in, invading Bleakkit's space in his desire to know. "Tell us!"
"...I dunno. Papa brought Yarrowkit back, but..."
"Yarrowkit's back?! Where is he?" Chasingkit sits bolt upright, looking around as if Yarrowkit might charge into the nursery at any moment.
"He's in the medicine clearing. Tawnyspot and Raggedpad were looking at him, and Papa was really upset." Bleakkit twitches one ear, not sure what to make of what he saw. "Papa said he found Yarrowkit under a poisonous bush-"
"-Okay, Bleakkit! How about I tell you all a story?" Silentkestrel cuts in, her voice strained even as she gestures to get the attention of the kits. "Have you heard the story of how CloverClan came to be?"
Bleakkit claws at the bedding as Silentkestrel launches into the story, tail lashing in frustration. Something's wrong, something about Yarrowkit has all of the adults on edge, but Bleakkit can't say what it is. Looking around, he can see all the other kits can tell too, his brothers still shooting him and Silentkestrel glances while Cragkit just blinks in confusion at the sudden interruption.
Thinking back, he recalls Yarrowkit was still in a way he's never seen before, still in a way that not even sleeping cats are. It puts Bleakkit ill at ease, but with no way to leave the nursery or make Silentkestrel tell him what's wrong, he forces himself to listen to the story.
That night, as the stars of Silverpelt ride high in the sky, Bleakkit and his brothers huddle together near Yarrowkit's body.
Chasingkit sniffles, his green eyes clouded with sadness as he huddles up to Bleakkit's side. Brownkit, meanwhile, is just quiet, ears pinned to his head as he stares at Yarrowkit's body. Not far off, Bleakkit can see the deputy Luci-Purrpelt muttering something to Runningstreak, her pale golden pelt rippling in sadness as Runningstreak nods.
"How are you holding up?" Bleakkit flinches as Poppymeadow comes up behind him, his tail twitching.
"Why can't Yarrowkit be with us?! Why'd he have to go to StarClan?!" Brownkit snaps out, voice cracking as he whips around to glare at Poppymeadow. "He- we were all gonna be apprentices next moon! We were gonna train together!"
Chasingkit just snuffles again, prompting Bleakkit to cuddle closer to his side. At first, Poppymeadow doesn't answer, instead wordlessly sitting down next to the three kits and curling his ginger tail around them.
"...Sometimes, these things happen. Accidents happen, and..." Poppymeadow trails off, blinking back tears and looking skyward before continuing. "...and we get called to StarClan. Yarrowkit is safe there, waiting for us now."
"...Do you think he misses us, like we miss him?" Bleakkit asks, staring up at the stars too. It's better than looking at Yarrowkit, laying too still in the dirt, his grey and white fur groomed too neatly and smelling of mint.
"I can't say. Perhaps he's up there with Sagekit, playing with him." Bleakkit blinks at the mention of Poppymeadow's brother, who died of greencough as a kit, but before he can question him soft pawsteps behind him signal the arrival of Runningstreak.
"They doing okay, Poppy?" Runningstreak leans in to gently lick Poppymeadow behind the ear, earning a sigh from him in return.
"They're holding up. We should have been more careful, after Chasingkit snuck out last moon-"
"Not in front of them." Runningstreak shakes his head, gesturing with his pale grey tipped tail at Bleakkit and his brothers. "They're hurting too."
"I know." For a moment, Poppymeadow goes silent, ears flat, then he's suddenly burying his face into Runningstreak's side, orange mingling with white as he lets out a muffled sob.
"Hey, easy. Easy." Runningstreak leans in to lick Poppymeadow's head again, gently gesturing for the still sniffling kits to snuggle in, and then it's just a mingled lump of orange, grey, brown, and white fur as the family huddles together under the stars.