As the sky darkly shined above the forest canopy, Blackstar sat stiffly on a mossy log by the river. She looked up at the tree line of pines as a bird settled in its nest with words to feed its young. Her fur ruffled and swayed as the wind blew over her white coat. She flicked her black tipped tail on the moss, pausing as she turned to locate the scent she picked up.

She resumed flicking her tail as she saw it was only Willowtail, the orange tabby jumping up to log as well. Blackstar mewed in greeting. "Has Thunderblaze returned from the hunt?" She asked softly as she began to gaze around at the rocks in the river.

Willowtail lowered her head slightly. "I'm afraid not, Blackstar. The rest of the clan's warriors returned with mice to go around and supplies for Redleaf, should he turn up injured." Blackstar sighed, stretching out her black paws and sitting up. She nodded to Willowtail as she shook out her white and black fur.

"SunClan will go out and patrol as usual come morning. Should Thunderblaze not return to camp by then, you and Spottedpaw will follow his scent." Blackstar replied as Willowtail followed her off the log. The tabby's eyes widened slightly. "Spottedpaw is only an apprentice. You think it best to have him out this early in his training for something important such as this?" She asked in a quiet tone, stepping in front of the white cat.

Blackstar paused as Willowtail spoke her concern. "I suppose you are his mentor. If you wish, you may recruit a different clan member. But if you want Spottedpaw to be a good warrior, I do think it best he learns some responsibility soon." She said firmly as she walked past to the healer's den.

Redleaf was tending to a gray tabby as Blackstar peeked in. The healer's brown coat was freshly groomed and neat, his long tail sweeping across the flat ground. The hollowed out tree was well preserved and would often be used as shelter from rough storms for the clan. It was easily large enough for its entirety, even with all the supplies Redleaf kept around.

"Willowtail said the warriors returned with mice and supplies. I see Graystripe had to fight for her catch?" Blackstar said with a glance to the grey tabby that lay unconscious on the ground. "It appears so. She was getting food for Silverfrost and her kits when she ran into a fox. Thankfully she wasn't badly injured, just a few scratches." Redleaf replied with a smile, turning to place one last cobweb on Graywing.

Blackstar returned the sentiment, nudging the young warrior softly. Graywing stirred as she became conscious, hissing in slight pain. "That fox is such a nuisance." The grey tabby complained as she sat up, scratching her neck with her paw. "We'll send a group of warriors come morning to scare it off. But you must stay back and rest." Redleaf said firmly, using his tail to nudge Graywing's leg from her healing wound.

"Oakfang will take your hunting duty with an apprentice tomorrow." Blackstar assured as she saw Graywing about to protest. "Should be good training, I suppose." The grey tabby murmured, curling into herself on a soft nest of leaves. "Did Silverfrost and her kits get enough mice?" She asked quietly, causing Blackstar to look to Redleaf for an answer.

"The warriors returned with food aplenty for everyone to be fed. Silverfrost sent her thanks." The medicine cat replied softly, nudging Blackstar towards the exit. "Now get some rest, and I'll bring some mice around in the morning.

Redleaf and Blackstar made their way to the nursery, where the queens sat watch over the sleeping kits. Ravenwing was among them with her light black fur and dark green eyes. She lay next to Silverfrost, who lay sleeping with her three kits. She had four, but Sparrowkit was still awake eating her mouse.

"Blackstar, your kit got in quite the tassel today." Briarsky, the oldest queen, murmured as she bathed a kit around the ears. Blackstar chuckled, turning to Twilightkit as she rolled around in the dust of the nursery. "She's my kit alright. But she gets her attitude from Thunderblaze." She said, picking up her kit by the scruff to place her with her two brothers, Riverkit and Shadekit.

Twilightkit huffed annoyed as she was set between her brothers, glaring slightly up at her mother. Her coat was completely black, and her big eyes were bright blue, reminding Blackstar of her favorite time of night. That was how the little one got her name afterall. The kit batted at her brother as he tried to lick her fur affectionately, but Riverkit helped Shadekit pin her down.

"She's enough moons old to begin her warrior training. I'm sure Thunderblaze would be happy to mentor her now that Greystripe is no longer his apprentice." Redleaf murmured softly to Blackstar, nudging Twilightkit's brothers off their sister. "I'm sure he would. But I fear he may return too injured to do so. I will discuss this with Thunderblaze when the time is right. For now, Riverkit and Shadekit will train under Oakfang and Pepperpelt. We will will see how Twilightkit progresses over the next few days." Blackstar finished, giving a nod to Briarsky.

Blackstar trotted up to the high log, preparing herself. "Let all cats old enough to hunt their own prey, as well as Riverkit and Shadekit, gather at high log for a clan meeting!" She called out loudly, growling to clear her throat as the cats of SunClan gathered below her. She waited for a long moment as her sons scampered confusedly into the crowd.

"Firstly, as I'm sure you all know, Thunderblaze has not yet returned from the hunt like the others." Blackstar announced, causing a low murmur to ripple across the clan. She glanced down to see Riverkit and Shadekit's ears drop back in sadness, and she gave them a sad smile. "Willowtail and Spottedpaw have been assigned to follow his scent in the morning. We must stay calm and have faith Thunderblaze will return safely to SunClan."

SunClan seemed to visibly relax for the most part, aside from the few who were usually the most anxious. Blackstar waited patiently until the whispering ceased and the cats looked back up at her. "Now, I am happy to say that two kits have shown enough promise to begin their warrior training." She smiled down at Shadekit and Riverkit, whose eyes widened and ears finally perked up.

"Oakfang, you will mentor Riverkit, who shall here and after be known as Riverpaw." Oakfang, with his large and fluffy brown body, cantered up to the little white kit and nudged his nose with his own. "And Pepperpelt, you will mentor Shadekit, who shall here and after be known as Shadepaw." The orange tabby, Pepperpelt, shared tongues with Shadekit's grey furry head, the two sitting besides one another comfortably.

Blackstar's sons looked back up at her for a moment with pride, their eyes seeming to sparkle as they silently thanked their mom. She returned the sentiment with motherly pride of her own before turning back to the clan. "If anyone would like to volunteer for the search party to find Thunderblaze, speak to Willowtail in the morning. But for now, we all should get some rest. May StarClan watch over us all and bring Thunderblaze home."

Blackstar retreated off the high log, trotting to her den. The leader's den was a large hole under a rock, with two leaf piles reserved for Thunderblaze and herself. She couldn't help but stare at the empty space where her deputy normally slept for a moment. With a small sigh, Blackstar turned over so her back was facing the area. All she could do was distract herself from the worried thoughts that rooted itself in the back of her mind.

As sleep found its way into Blackstar's body, she glanced one last time at Thunderblaze's leafy bed. "He'll be back." She murmured, though it was only for her ears to hear.