It had been six days and the clouds that formed had still not gone away. Echo shifted around in her den, thinking of when she was a kit. She remembered how her mother used to care for her and how she played with the smaller kits. Her thoughts were broken when Bone, Storm's mate, prodded her in the side. She opened her eyes and sat up. "Yes?" she yawned and shook the moss from her pelt.
"Storm- she's...come on!" Bone mewed. He ran out of the den, almost tripping over his own paws.

Echo fallowed, walking مزید smoothly. She went into the ماند, خلوت خانہ where Storm was laying, wailing in pain. "What's going on?" Echo demanded.
Bone looked anxious and scared. "The kits! My kits! Her kits! Our kits! They're coming! Now!"
Echo blinked, and ran to get herbs. "Be right back!" she called. She looked everywhere for the right herbs. "Poppyseeds...poppyseeds...poppyseeds...there آپ are!" she grabbed them and ran back into Storm's den. "I'm here."
Storm was quieting down now, but still twitching while Bone licked her face. "Hold on," he kept mewling. "You'll be fine. Echo's going to help you."
Storm had dug her claws into the ground and was crying out. "It will all be over soon," Bone assured his mate. "You'll be fine. Hold on."
Echo gently laid a paw on her shoulder. "You'll be out of pain soon."





Three small kits lay اگلے to Storm's belly. Storm hugged her tail around them and closed her eyes. Bone lay اگلے to her and started purring. "Thank you, Echo," Storm mewed quietly. "I couldn't of done it without you."
Echo blinked in thanks and padded out to let them sleep.

"Echo!" her friend میں butterscotch, بوٹرسکوٹچ called. "Where were you?" the black she-cat padded over.
"Something important," she responded.
"Oh?" میں butterscotch, بوٹرسکوٹچ growled. "You کہا آپ would go hunting with me."
"Um, hello, Storm just had kits so I think I'm excused."
میں butterscotch, بوٹرسکوٹچ blinked. "Oh, okay." she waved her tail in the air and walked away. Echo couldn't help but roll her eyes. "Hey! I'm reading to go hunting now!" she called. میں butterscotch, بوٹرسکوٹچ turned around and bounded over. "Finally!"
"Hey, are آپ guys going hunting?" Echo turned to see Brendon and his apprentice. "Because we were just about to, so why don't we all go together?"
Echo nodded. "That would be good!" she turned her gaze back to her friend. "I might have to pick up some مزید tansy on the way back."
"Fine." میں butterscotch, بوٹرسکوٹچ sighed.



"Be very quiet," Brendon told his apprentice.
"I know how to hunt!" the small she-cat spat loudly. Their prey scampered away, squealing with fright. "Well, apparently آپ don't, because there it goes." Brendon growled. "Well, sorry," his apprentice mewed. He stalked around a few مزید paces, when the scent of گلہری, جائے وقوع caught his attention. "Can آپ catch that one?" he whispered to Amy. "No duh," came the hasty reply.
"You two just love each other, don't you?" Echo teased. Brendon shot her an angry glance. "Look," he started. "She's my apprentice, I'm a warrior. See the difference?" he noticed a hurt glance in his apprentices eyes. She looked away and mewed, "Yeah, that's...weird." she scampered off to where the prey-scent was.
"What was that about?" Brendon was confused. "Does she..." he trailed off and went to catch up with her.


I knew it, Amy thought. He does only think of me as a friend, nothing more. she felt crushed, like her دل was made of cold stone. She went after the prey again, only to find that the scent was gone. She heaved a heavy sigh and climbed a tree. After a while, she noticed her mentor calling her. Amy didn't want to answer. "Amy!" Brendon's voice rang around. "Where are you?"
She managed to mew a little. "Up here," she sighed and looked at him with pleading eyes.
Her mentor looked up and saw her sad face. "What's wrong?" he asked, scrambling up the درخت to sit اگلے to her.
"Nothing," Amy winced and jumped down. "My belly hurts, I want to go lay down, that's all."
"Oh." Brendon jumped down and touched her shoulder with his nose. "I know there's مزید wrong with آپ than that. Do آپ miss your friends?"
She liked being close to him. Maybe it was time to tell him...No. she didn't want him to laugh at her. Amy purred and closed her eyes.
Brendon giggled. "Why are آپ purring?" he asked sympathetically. "You're مزید than a mentor to me," her words slipped out like a kit falling off ice.
"What?" Brendon took a step back and looked at her. "What do آپ mean?"
"I-" she broke off when Echo and میں butterscotch, بوٹرسکوٹچ called. "Where are you?" میں butterscotch, بوٹرسکوٹچ demanded. Another cat fallowed them; he had black fur, amber eyes, and white chest and paws.
"Who's that?" Brendon hissed. He stepped آگے to protect Amy.

She liked that he felt the need to protect her. "Yeah, who's he?" she asked.
"This is Ravenflight," Echo purred. "My old friend. He's always been my friend since we were just kits."
"But he's a rogue!" Amy's mentor hissed. میں butterscotch, بوٹرسکوٹچ rolled her eyes and sighed. "Yeah, I told her that مزید than four times." she swished her tail. "You'll be lucky if Blake lets him stay. I'm starting to think آپ love each other!"
Echo hissed. "We'll see what our leader has to say, and not that it's any of your business. Besides, I'm a medicine cat, I can't have love."
"But آپ can have a crush!" میں butterscotch, بوٹرسکوٹچ retorted tartly. "Whatever, Echo, I new آپ better when we were kits."
"You two new each other when آپ were kits?" Amy mewed. "Really? That long?"
"Yeah, when she was a rogue." میں butterscotch, بوٹرسکوٹچ pointed with her tail to the silver she-cat.

Echo turned around, her tail held high. "Come on, Ravenflight," she mewed. Ravenflight slowly nodded and glared at the black she-cat. The three went back to camp, میں butterscotch, بوٹرسکوٹچ angrily stomping.
"Well," Brendon meowed. "You were saying?"
"Hmm? Oh, nothing really," Amy answered.
Brendon shrugged and started the direction back to home. "How long have آپ been an apprentice?" her mentor asked after a while. Amy thought for a moment.
"I think 7 یا مزید moons," she replied.
"You're almost overdue of apprenticeship," Meowed Brendon. "You should be a warrior soon, but آپ might have to train a little longer since آپ joined a new Clan."
Amy nodded ad walked with her mentor back to camp.



"She can't tell me what to do," Echo growled.
"Well, you're right, but she's just mad." Ravenflight answered her. He nudged her affectionately.
"I know, but there's no reason to do that to me." Echo replied. She purred and nudged him back. Ravenflight sat down اگلے to her and gave her muzzle an affectionate lick. "We've always been مزید than friends, آپ know that."