16. Sunstorm

                                    

                                          
"You're joking..."
                          
Those two words truly summed up the mood of the cats. Nobody could quite believe that their first true lead was a kit. It was Mudstar who spoke them, eyes wide and mouth hanging slightly open. Sunstorm had never seen him so shocked. 
                          
Sitting only a fox-length away, she watched as her leader paced back and forth in his den. Her and Skyleap had raced back home, leaving Sootsplash to deal with Cloudstar's reaction. When she'd told the brown tom, he hadn't believe her at all. 
                          
Both clans had agreed to an emergency gathering, where Ferretkit would give a testimony over what he'd seen. Sunstorm was a little worried that the kit would be too afraid to speak in front of everyone, or that his young brain had gotten confused and he hadn't seen Pinebelly at all. Either way, there was no doubt that this was all they had to go on. Everyone's fears were heightened; nobody knew when the killer would strike again.
                          
"Ok, Sunstorm, we need to decide who's going to the gathering." 
                          
"I'm terrified the murderer will strike whilst we're away, Mudstar." She admited. "There are so many vulnerable cats who we'll have to leave behind..."
                          
Mudstar gave a small mew of agreement, before tilting his head. 
                          
"So we leave Redflight behind, along with Stagfoot and maybe Spidertail? They'll be best at protecting the remaining cats."
                          
"Ok. And we should leave all the apprentices. They're quick and small, and could run to us and get help quick if need be."
                          
"Do you think Fishpaw will be okay on her own, in case a cat gets sick or... or the murderer hurts someone?" Mudstar asked, faltering over his last few words. 
                          
"She'll be fine. She's been doing great recently!" Sunstorm was full of pride over her apprentice, who was a talented medicine cat already.
                          
"Then that's that. We'll take only a very select few. I'm sure HeatClan will do the same. This isn't a formal gathering, after all."
                          
Taking a step forward, Mudstar pressed his nose to Sunstorm warmly. 
                          
"This is it." He stated, his voice low. "This is how we find the pond-scum who is doing this. Don't tell anyone what you and Skyleap know. We don't want gossip spreading. Cats need to hear it from Ferretkit himself."
                          
With a firm nod, Sunstorm turned out of the den and darkening afternoon. The sun was beginning to dip behind the mountain and the last rays of light filtered low through the trees. Camp was quiet, but not in the gentle kind of way that usually filled ColdClan -- it was quiet in fear, with the not knowing of who was friend and who was foe. Even the kits, who had been sheltered from the truth, seemed to be able to tell something was wrong. Instead of their usual, playful selves, they kept to themselves or close to their mothers. Skyleap's kits especially, who were the most boisterous and crazy of them all, hung around their mother more as the eerie silence had descended on the clan. 
                          
From across the way, Sunstorm noticed Spidertail sat by himself. He was staring up at a crow in the heights of a tree -- not moving, but simply watching. Cautiously, she picked her way across the clan's clearing to only a fox-length behind.
                          
"Think it's a sign from StarClan?" Spidertail joked; he had heard her coming.
                          
Sitting down just a short way behind him and wrapping her tail neatly around her ginger body, Sunstorm gave a small laugh. "I wish. Haven't had one of them in a while, to be honest."
                          
"Hardly surprising. They like to abandon us in times like these." She knew he was making reference to the mountain lions who had plagued their clan until not too long ago. Turning around to face her, he looked into her eyes. "Hey, I heard whispers there's an emergency gathering. What's going on?"