Gone Forever

Chapter One
Hollyfrost curled up beside Robinsong and the other warriors. She was tired and tomorrow the journey would begin. They had to get as far as possible away from the lake. But the thing that scared her the most was that the stars where everywhere. StarClan was everywhere. The Dark Forest was everywhere.

No. The Dark Forest isn’t everywhere.

Hollyfrost looked around. Who’d said that? Was she so tired she was hearing things?

I’m Jigsaw. I’m here to help. But don’t worry about me just now. You’ve got a big journey ahead of you; you’ll need your rest.

Strangely Hollyfrost felt calm about hearing voices. Maybe it was because she knew the voices would disappear in the morning. She lay her head back down on the cold, wet sand and fell asleep with her tail twined with Robinsong’s. An almost icy wind woke her with a start. It was the middle of the night and the moon was shining red light down on her.

Hollyfrost blinked sleepily and looked around. She could hear something. A bit like... Shuffling?

Another gust of wind hit her. Hollyfrost got to her paws and scanned the hollow. That was when she saw it. Right in the corner of the hollow a small pale grey kit was prodding something. What was it? Hollyfrost flicked her ear and made her way over to the kit.

It was only when she was only when she was right beside him did she see what he was prodding. Willowheart. This kit must be Moonkit. He was whimpering quietly and didn’t even seem to notice Hollyfrost.

“What’s wrong?” she asked quietly, hoping not to scare him. Moonkit looked up with wide blue eyes.

“She’s not waking up,” he whispered. Hollyfrost felt her heart skip a beat.

Calm it. She’s still breathing.

Hollyfrost jumped a tail-length. Maybe she was going insane. She was hearing voices! Just go and get Bluepaw. She’s asleep beside Archpaw.

Hollyfrost felt herself turn around and leap across the hollow towards the two sleeping grey shapes. Archpaw and Bluepaw were brother and sister. They would have been twins if Archpaw hadn’t the black stripe along his back. She prodded Bluepaw.

Bluepaw looked up. She looked as if all her energy had been drained out of her. Her grey eyelids were drooping over her pretty blue eyes.

“What is it, Hollyfrost?” she yawned.

“It’s Willowheart,” the words came out so fast that they jumbled together and she was surprised that Bluepaw could understand her. “She won’t wake.”

Take deep breaths. Willowheart’s going to be just fine.

Bluepaw leaped up and without waiting for Hollyfrost, streaked across the clearing. Hollyfrost followed her fur prickling. She closed her eyes and took in great gulping breaths.

“Come on Moonkit,” she mewed kindly. “You can sleep with the warriors tonight. I’m sure you’re mother will be just fine in the morning.” Moonkit nodded bravely. Hollyfrost scooped him up in her jaws and led him away from Willowheart and Bluepaw.

They curled up side by side beside Robinsong. Hollyfrost could feel her eyes closing already. Moonkit’s breathing was dropping so it was in sync with her own.

Milky dawn light pooled down onto the three sleeping cats. Hollyfrost opened her eyes. Moonkit was nice and warm, snuggled up against her. Hollyfrost purred and looked happily down at him.

“Wake up sleepy-head,” mewed Hollyfrost, prodding Robinsong. She was careful not to wake Moonkit. Robinsong stretched and then opened his golden eyes. They widened slightly.

“How long have I been asleep?” he asked. “Twelve moons?” Hollyfrost sighed and cuffed him playfully around the ear.

“That’s Willowheart’s kit,” she mewed. “She was ill last night so he came to sleep with us.” Robinsong shook his head and sighed in pretend relief. Hollyfrost could see that he was smiling. Hollyfrost turned around to see if any other cat was awake. She had gotten up early because she hadn’t wanted to be the last up. Suddenly she knocked to the ground. She gave a startled cry as a great dark ginger thing began to rake her belly with sheathed claws. Hollyfrost knocked him off of her.

“That was not funny!” she hissed although she was purring at the same time. “Don’t do that again!” Hollyfrost began to shake sand from her fur. Her ears were flat against her head but she couldn’t stop the silent laughs from shaking her.

“Robinsong,” a stern voice meowed. Hollyfrost turned expecting to see Robinsong’s mentor or something. “You shouldn’t attack Clanmates.” Seedwhisker was purring.

“Now come on,” she meowed in her normal voice. “It’s time to go.” Robinsong and Hollyfrost followed her across to the broken HighLedge. They sat down facing her. “Would all cats gather beside HighLedge for a Clan meeting!” Seedwhisker yowled, her voice ringing around the hollow. Almost instantly a small group of cats appeared beside them. To Hollyfrost’s greatest relief, Willowheart was among them.

“Ravenflight, Snowbuzzard, Patchfoot and Archpaw,” Seedwhisker called. “Can you go on a last minute hunting patrol? Flightfeather, Cinderfur and Bluepaw, I would like you to see if you can find any travelling herbs. We can give them to the queens, elders and kits.” The hunting patrol got up and padded out of the thorn-tunnel. The three medicine cats went off to the medicine cat den.

“The rest of you,” Seedwhisker meowed. “I would like you to gather up outside of the stone hollow. We’ll go as soon as the hunting patrol and medicine cats get back.” Hollyfrost nodded and padded through the thorn-tunnel. She sat beside Robinsong, Jay and Bolta. None of them said a word.

When the hunting patrol came back they ate their prey in silence. When they were ready to go they still didn’t speak. It wasn’t until they had reached the Gathering Island that Robinsong broke the silence.

“I’ll miss the lake,” he meowed. Hollyfrost looked around for the last time. This was it. They were really going.

“So will I,” she meowed dreamily, thinking of all the times she had crossed the fallen log onto the island.

“We will too,” Jay meowed. “We’ll miss it very much.”