The separation from Eagleclan had been difficult on everyone, especially the younger cats. They needed rest, and the journey across the mountains was no easy task. As the day grew long, Sweetstar noticeably struggled to stay in front of her clanmates.
If it weren't for her kitten, Nightkit, she probably would've stopped everyone to rest by now. She wanted to be strong in front of her. If her own child thought she wasn't strong, who would?
Sweetstar let out a quiet chuckle, watching Nightkit nearly trip on her own paws. Nightkit realized that her mother had noticed the stumble and raced ahead to shake off the embarrassment.
"Nightkit! Get back here!" Sweetstar gently ordered.
Nightkit didn't stop, and Sweetstar huffed.
"Nightkit! I told you to get over here!" she shouted, sternness creeping into her voice.
Her misbehaving kitten pretended not to hear her, and the exhausted leader wasn't taking it. Sweetstar raced towards Nightkit, grabbing her by the scruff.
Her jaws had barely made it over the flap of loose skin when a menacing rumble reached her ears. The deputy Gooseheather was the first to notice. He tried to use his body to shield his kit and his niece, but no matter how strong he was, he couldn't stop several hundred pounds of rock.
It was over in mere moments. Sweetstar had been feeling a sense of dread for a while now but hadn't imagined this in her worst-case scenarios.
Sweetstar spent a long while trying to shove the rock aside, but it was all in vain. She wasn't strong enough, and no one could've survived. Sweetstar stopped trying. She was exhausted. Her kitten was hungry. With the last of her strength, she caught a bird, ate it as fast as possible, and drifted off to sleep.
Nightkit drank her mother's milk, wondering if someone would come to help them. Everything seemed so much more dangerous when it was just the two of them, but she could sleep anyway because Nightkit knew her mom would protect her no matter what.
Sweetstar, Nightkit, and Gooseheather
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