After searching all over, Rosethorn finally spotted Redberry sitting atop a hill, looking out over the prairie. Littlestar had disappeared just the day before and already, cats were saying she was dead. Of course, Rosethorn refused to believe it, but it seemed everyone was ready to move on. Cindersong was even preparing to head for the Mooncave soon to accept her nine lives and new name. Her clanmates gave up on Littlestar so quickly. Did Littlestar mean nothing to them? She and Redberry had been the ones to find the spot where Littlestar disappeared. Finding that clump of their mother’s blood-stained fur had been devastating. They’d known immediately that something terrible had occurred and Rosethorn suspected RidgeClan had something to do with it - perhaps to disturb the alliance between PrairieClan and MistClan. But it was important to Rosethorn that she help her sister cope instead of letting herself focus on RidgeClan’s wickedness.

Redberry had relied heavily on Rosethorn for comfort upon discovering their mother was gone. While Rosethorn dealt with their mother’s disappearance by burying her grief beneath anger, Redberry let sadness rush through her. Naturally, she felt protective of her littermate, more than she usually did, and they even slept in the same nest the night before. She’d snapped at any clanmate who dared to approach them, wanting nothing more than to mourn with her sister without some cat interrupting to offer half-hearted condolences. Somehow, Rosethorn had managed to fall asleep after such a horrible day and when she’d woken up the following morning, Redberry hadn’t been in the nest, though her spot was still slightly warm. She’d looked everywhere for her sister and breathed a sigh of relief when she finally found her. Rosethorn padded up the hill to join Redberry, making sure to place her paws down heavily so as to avoid startling her littermate.

“Mum wouldn’t want you to let your grief control you,” Rosethorn said. Rosethorn hadn’t felt a strong connection to her clan and kin - minus Redberry - until she’d returned to PrairieClan after spending a short time away with a friend. Rosethorn had developed stronger bonds with her family upon her return, but she had disagreed with many of Littlestar’s views. That didn’t mean she didn’t love her mother any less, though. She’d watched Littlestar deteriorate before her disappearance, which hadn’t been easy to witness, and part of her had already grieved for the mother she’d once known. Maybe that made Littlestar’s disappearance a little easier for her. “It kills me, not knowing what happened.” Rosethorn sat beside Redberry and narrowed her eyes against the dawn light as she looked out over the prairie. “I’ve re-lived yesterday countless times already, wondering what I could’ve done differently, but I’ve realized that mum wouldn’t want me to blame myself. All we can do is hope that we will see her again, in this life or the next.”