The Rocky Ledge

"Who am I?" Silvermask mused as she padded slowly across the remains of the once magnificent ledge, "Silvermask Swiftpaw. No Who am I truly? Kage. No. Triania. No. Flightfoot. Oddspeed. Mournstrong" She stopped a second, her vision darting towards the ground below.
"Who am I?" she asked again, her heart lurching as her gaze fell upon the spot which she fell many seasons ago. Her eyes grew bright once more, as the first snowflake fell from the Silverlined Clouds.

"Snow? snow?" Silvermask asked, trying to lick it from her nose. It dawned on her then that the snow was acidic, and she attempted to spit it out with disgust.
"Why? Snow no acidic!" She cried.

Chessru landed with a thump, looking around desperately.

Sunfire lay sprawled on the legde, her paws and tail dipped slightly in the sunwarmed water, half-asleep - the same position she had been in when Silvermask found her many moons ago to ask her aid fighting Viral. A dreamy look covered her face. She looked just the same as she had when she had first met Chessru; not an ageing mother, but now returned to her young, strong warrior form, with a healthy body and long life. Her half-closed eyes sparkled with content. They opened a little more as she heard Chessru's pawpads.
"Hmm? Is someone there?" she looked around.
"Chessru! It's you!" she smiled. "You know, I had such a bad dream! I dreamed that I caught an incurable disease, and I died, and I was engulfed by these hellish blue flams! It was awful!"

"Well thankful it was just a dream" Chessru murmured, wadding into the water to be by her side. He nuzzled his mate a softly, "How do you feel now?"

"fine," Sunfire said, confused. "Though I'm kind of cunfused - one minute, I was falling to sleep in the clan den with Polaris and Silvermask, and the next minute, I woke up here..."
The sun glinted on the stud in Chessru's ear, as if reminding him that unfortunately, for him, this was anything but a dream.

Chessru flicked his ear uneasily.
"You could have gotten up half asleep to come here?" He lied.

"Probably," Sunfire mused, and smiled. "I left Barakiri with Polaris, I hope she's ok..."

"I'll go back on check on her and Kiiroku, if you like?" Chessru suggested, wadding out of the water.

"MUUUUUUUUUUUMMNNNNNN!" Came a little voice, as a little black and red tornado leapt onto Sunfire.
"No need for that!" Sunfire laughed. "I think Barakiri already came to check on us!"
The young pup flapped her crescent-shaped black wings and leapt onto her mum's back, her bright red eyes alight with excitement.

And then Kiiroku came a little slower, his wings folded against his back. He stood onthe ridge and stared.
Vhessru beckoned him down, but he didn't move.

Sunfire rose and went to Kiiroku, leaving Barakiri to leap on Chessru.
"Something the matter?" she asked, her maternal instincts picking up on Kiiroku's somber face.

"There's been an attack" Kiiroku said quietly. Chessru started.
"What? Seriously? Is anyone hurt?"

"The others! Taiyo, Polaris, Silvermask and Stormcloud! Are they ok?" Sunfire looked worried. She wrapped her tail around Kiiroku protectively at once.

"Storm died before the brown blob even got here..." Kiiroku trailed off, hanging his head.

"Storm's dead..." echoed Sunfire, horrified. "No..." She sat down with a thump, and bared her teeth in anguish.
"Taiyo's vanished," Barakiri chipped in helpfully. "Dunno where."

"Kage gone. New wolf come with pup that gone" Kiiroku added.

Sunfire put on a determined face. "What shall we do, Chessru?"

Chessru was shocked.
"Silvermask went for a walk, so we've got to return, as we are the most senior members and..."

"Right," Sunfire prompted. "Everyone to the clan cave!"
"Ok!" chirped Barakiri, and leapt on Sunfire's back for a ride. Sunfire took off easily. It was hard to believe she had been plagued with disease a few days ago.

Kiiroku jumped onto his mother's tail as she took off, and Chessru followed quickly.