Nightspell stood and nodded at Hawkgaze. She waited for him to start the journey while she gazed sadly at Rosestar. "You know, this might not sound to comforting, but at least she is in a better place now. Now, she can hunt with Starclan." She mewed.

Nightkit stood in unison with Nightspell and looked up at her. He flicked her paw with his tail several times, teasing her. After a few minutes of this, he became confused as she wasn't playing with him. He glanced at her face and read her ex
pression. Sorrow. Pure sorrow was written in her features. He lowered his head, ashamed that he had tried to make her play with him at a time like this.

Nightspell nodded and followed slowly after him, noticing that Nightkit followed as well. She wondered if it were alright for him to journey with them. Being responsible, she turned towards the kit and looked him right in the eyes. "Nightkit, you cannot come with us to the MoonFalls. The journey is dangerous enough for full grown cats, it will be fatal to you. You stay in the Nursery at all times while we are away, you understand?" She mewed to him, her eyes completely serious.

Nightkit growled lowly but nodded to Nightspell and began to climb up to the Nursery. He spat out several curses along the way, angry that he couldn't go, but the thought of secretly following Hawkgaze and Nightspell proved all to tempting for him. Once out of sight of Nightspell, he doubled back and started back down a little bit away from his first path. He hid in the darkest shadows and waited for the two older cats to start walking. Maybe he could pick up what was left of the Traveling Herbs as he followed them...

 Snakekit looked at Leafkit. "I guess I can tell you what Aurorafang's den is like tomor..." He faded off as he watched Nightkit curiously. He looked at Sunstrike with an innocent look. "Sunstrike, I have to go to the dirt place." He said getting up and padding out of the den. Instead of turning to go to the Dirt Place he turned the other way and followed Nightkit.

 Cloudkit looked at Lionkit. "Well it kind of stung at first but then it started to feel better." Cloudkit said looking at her paw. It wasn't as swollen as before and it didn't hurt as much. She looked at Sunstrike. "Do we have to go to bed?" She asked not noticing Nightkit and not paying very much attention to Snakekit.

Sunstrike nodded gently. "It's nearly moon high. Sleep keeps a cat healthy. Now, shoo!" She pushed the kits gently in the direction of the nursery again, purring at their kitten-antics.

Leafkit stumbled and by the time she stood, she wasn't sure where she was. The scent of marigold filled her sensitive nose and she squeaked in distress and she turned around and around, searching for the nursery.

Sunstrike picked Leafkit up by the scruff, who by now was complaining, and carried her to the nursery. She placed the kit in the soft bed of moss and told her sternly to stay while she got the other kits.

Lionkit grumbled in displeasure, but after his mother had picked Leafkit up, he made his break. Following Snakekit's scent trail, he found both him and Nightkit. "What are you doing?" he mewed.

Falconwing pricked her ears as she noticed three small balls of fluff exiting the camp, green eyes narrowing slight in worry and annoyance. What kind of mother lets their kits just wonder off like that? She thought angrily, and got to her paws. Every bone in her small body felt weak and stressed, as if she'd been running from enemies since sun-high. She blamed weariness of Rosestar's death and the worry of how the clan will cope losing their leader so soon. Padding after the three kits, another body blocked her own and she fell back onto her tail in surprise. What she was not expecting was to stare into deep blue eyes filled with humor. Muttering an apology, she byp*censored*ed Panthergaze with bristling fur on self conscious and head hung low. She cursed her shyness but knew she could do nothing about it. By this time the three kits were gone and she had no notion of where they had been going. She cursed her luck, and with a dejected flick of her tail padded over to sit vigil beside Rosestar. 

Starpaw paced back and forth in the medicine cats den, his paws creating a furrow in the ground and the echo of his steps rang thorough the walls. His eyes were blazing with sadness and self loathing. He should have been able to do something, anything to save Rosestar's life. What was the point of medicine cats if their greatest warrior fell under a sickness? He wailed lightly in grief. Am I not the right choice for medicine cat? Because i'm the kit of a rouge? He thought furiously, ice blue eyes shining with unshed tears. He wished his brother was there to comfort him.

When Sunstrike came out of the nursery, she was frantic. "Where are my kits?" she wailed, clawing the ground with anguish. "Has anyone seen them? Lionkit, Snakekit and Nightkit are all gone. They've been stolen or eaten by a fox!" She let out a small yowl of grief. "First Rosestar, and now this!"

Hawkgaze turned back to the cats of his Clan for a moment, and swore he could have seen a small bundle of gold fluff flash in the corner of his eye. He blinked and scanned the clearing, but the ball of fur was gone.

"Well..." he murmured, then glanced at Nightspell for a moment. "Cats of the Clan," he said, louder than before.

"When I go to Moon Falls to receive my lives and name, would you please sit vigil for Rosestar?" 

He turned to go back to Aurorafang's den when Sunstrike's wail rang across the clearing. "I must deal with this later," he meowed with weary conviction. "And choose my deputy soon. So much to do. So much..."

Lionkit let out a small squeak when he saw Hawkgaze turn his way, but scrambled into a small niche quickly. Luckily it seemed as if Hawkgaze hadn't seen him.

"I'm not afraid," he mewed angrily at Snakekit. "Just cautious."

Nightspell was wary that Nightkit and the others were missing because they were hiding. She guessed that they hid because they wanted to go to the Moon Falls as well. She quickly dissmissed that thought from her mind and gulped down her share of the traveling herbs, ready to begin.

Nightkit flicked his tail at the other two. "Be quiet, you mouse-brains!" He hissed. Shaking his head, he glanced back at Lionkit and Snakekit. "If you want to know what I am doing, I am going to follow Hawkgaze and Nightspell to the Moon Falls." He stated coldly.

Lionkit blinked rapidly in surprise. "But you need travelling herbs! And, we have to go through StoneClan's territory!" Lionkit knew he was right to be cautious, for the StoneClan cats lived up to their name, with hearts as hard and as cold as stone.

Hawkgaze sighed and swallowed the bitter herbs. "This way," he mewed, flicking his tail in the direction of the mountains and flat plains. "Keep alert for StoneClan patrols. They dislike any travellers in their territory, even if I go to get my lives and name," he warned.

Nightspell nodded but paused and glanced at where she herd the hushed voice of Nightkit and had scented him and two others. "You might as well come out from there, your not coming with us." She mewed to Nightkit before following Hawkgaze. She shook her head. The little kit was determinded, she had to give him that.

Nightkit hissed and spat curses yet again, mostly at the fact he had been idiotic enough to not cover his scent and that he had talked in such a loud voice. He sighed and made his way back to the Nursery, head low  and tail dragging.

Hawkgaze gave a small smile, but his face fell again. "The journey is dangerous, kits. You might be hurt or killed. I can't take that chance." He stood where he was, but his eyes landed on Nightkit, the ringleader.

Lionkit growled, "You told us to be quiet. And who got us in trouble?" His eyes narrowed, but he kept where he was. There wasn't any point in fighting un-needfully.

Nightspell laughed once, but it was an emotionless laugh. "He won't listen. As soon as somthing else comes up, he will be right back into trouble. I try my best to keep him out of danger's path but..." She trailed off.

Nightkit stopped and turned his head to look at Hawkgaze. He nodded as the tom finished and whipped his head around to glare at Lionkit before dissapearing into the entrance to the Nursery.

Hawkgaze purred. "That's the way kits learn. The only thing we can do is hope that they grow out of it. But we ought to go now, the moon is growing larger." He padded out of camp, though a sense of loss still hung around him like an aura.

Lionkit shrugged. "Sunstrike must be furious." Was all he mewed before following Nightkit. He found Sunstrike asleep in her nest, hugging Leafkit and Cloudkit close to her, as if they would be stolen. He crawled in with her and began purring as the black wave of sleep overtook him.