Carried Away by the Currents? - Missing Kits [Open, Clan Topic]

Even though Wisteriabloom slept in the warriors' den, she knew that there was something wrong. She had always trusted the other queens to care for Snakekit, so she could stay with the warriors and continue her duties. But something was definitely out of place. She woke with her mind spinning, thinking of what could've happened. All became clear soon enough. Ivystar's kits were missing.

I have to go and check on Snakekit, she decided, make sure she's alright. She might be upset by them vanishing. Peering around the entrance of the den, she called into the darkness, "Snakekit," she kept her tone quiet as to not disturb the already distressed cats, "Snakekit?" Panic rose on her voice when her daughter didn't reply. She's probably just off gallivanting. The kit had disappeared before, probably more than once, and been in a lot of trouble for it. But this time it was different. There was too much coincidence - she wasn't the only kit missing. In a desperate attempt to track down her kit, she quickly padded to her empty nest. Stale scent. There was no trail, no hole in the wall of the den. She was well aware that the golden kit was sneaky, but she wasn't this clever: she was a kit after all. She had to just accept it. Her adopted daughter was missing without a trace, and she would put every last effort into finding her.

"Help!" She said as she burst out the nursery, tears in her eyes. "I can't find Snakekit either. Sh-she's gone." 

Ivystar, who'd been sleeping quite soundly before being awoken by frantic queens, was pacing back and forth across camp with her tail lashing. She'd searched the camp high and low already, looking for her entire litter, along with Snakekit. Her head was filled with endless possibilities, SkyClan being at the forefront of her mind. The kits had vanished without a trace, and it was certainly no coincidence that it was on the very same night that SkyClan made their departure. Another yowl from across camp caught her attention, and she rushed over, hoping to Fishstar that it was her kits... And was disappointed when she found Wisteriabloom bursting out of the nursery. Evidently, this was the first the young she-cat had heard of her adopted kit going missing. Ivystar quickly ran to her side, trying to get her to settle down outside the entrance to the nursery. "We'll find her, Wisteriabloom. I've got more than half our warriors out searching right now. We'll make sure that whoever is behind this gets what they deserve, yeah?" Her voice was far from soothing- truly, her head was in a faraway place at the moment, but she knew that she was still a leader, and she couldn't let her Clanmates down.

Shimmerdust hung around, distant from others but just close enough to listen. Looking at her former Mentor, she could guess that Ivystar was probably suspecting SkyClan. After all, not everyone in RiverClan was as fine with SkyClan staying with them temporarily.

However, Shimmerdust completely rejected the idea of SkyClan as the ones to take the Kits. Willowpaw was her friend, and Shimmerdust felt the instinctive need to be defensive for them. She was staying away from the rest of the clan for the moment so she wouldn't blurt something defensive for SkyClan.

Bluepaw was awoken from a fitful sleep by the yowl from Wisteriabloom, and scrambled frantically to her paws, and bolted from the den in a panic, fur on end. As she burst into the night, she caught sight of her mother talking with Wisteriabloom, and she rushed over to the pair, pressing herself against Ivystar, seeking and hoping to give comfort. She'd already known about her siblings going missing, and her heart hurt for them, and a nagging fear in the back of her mind, despite her common sense, was whispering to her that she'd be next.

She looked up at her mother with fear in her eyes and evident on her face, and she hoped that her siblings would be found soon.

Petalkit wonders where the missing kits are, while wondering how they just vanished.

Ivystar hadn't even gotten a response from Wisteriabloom when Bluepaw began nuzzling up against her, and Ivystar could hardly blame her. If Goldeneye were still around, she'd do the sa- well, no she wouldn't. Goldeneye had never been the most attentive mother, but if Finchstream were still around, she would certainly be hugging up to her right about now. She didn't quite know what to say to Bluepaw as she looked... down at her. Now, that was something the leader had never expected. Had it really been that long since she was a little kit, curled up in a nest with her mothers? Shaking her head a bit, Ivystar curled her tail around the apprentice. "We're going to find them, I'll do everything I possibly can, use every single life I've got left... We're gonna find them. It'll be okay, Bluepaw, you're safe." She wasn't entirely sure if that last part was true, but it felt right to say, so she went with it. "I'm going to lead a patrol in a few minutes down the river, would you two like to join me? Perhaps they got caught up in the currents... I don't know, but if they're there, we'll find them."

"Yes please Ivystar," Wisteriabloom said, leaping at the idea of searching far and wide for the missing kits. "Yeah, they'll get what they deserve alright." A new feeling of anger washed over her, diluting the distress and sadness just a little. Maybe they had been whisked away by the current. Often enough Snakekit had returned from her adventures with a pretty stone, believing that somehow her mother wouldn't recognise them as river-stones. The she-kit had definitely at least seen the river, and possibly had the intellectual abilities to know how to get herself out. But Ivystar's kits were so young, and there was no way they'd be able to swim.

Viperpaw had leapt to her paws by the time that Wisteriabloom’s cry joined the other fretful queens and joined the gathering crowd of her clanmates in search. Her tabby pelt was still rumpled from sleep, but her eyes were bright with determination as she bounded up to Ivystar. “Where do you need me, Ivystar?” She asked, giving her a small nod. “Able and ready to help, however I can.”