Troublekit blinked his eyes open to the dark nursery. The sun still hadn't risen, and he was wet. Why was he wet? He scrambled to his paws, still not fully awake, and stared obliviously at the water rising just above the ground of the nursery. A flash of light illuminated the den, and a crash of thunder roused him. "Oh," he whispered, realizing. "Oh, no, no, no. Mama?" He shook Snowpetal in a panic."Mama? Mama, wake up! It's raining. It's raining hard. Mama?"

Snowpetal blinked her blue eyes. "What, Troublekit?" She muttered. Then she, too, realized. "Oh... FLOOD!" She suddenly yowled. "FLOOD, EVERYONE!" She grabbed Rascalkit by the scruff, waking up him and Runtkit. Runtkit looked down at the water, which had now risen to cover the kits' paws. She squealed in fright and burrowed into the nest. 

"No, Runtkit! We have to run!" Troublekit told her. She didn't respond.

"We'll come back for her," Their mother was muffled through Rascalkit's fur. She swept her tail and bounded out of the nursery, Troublekit on her heels. They rushed with the warriors out of the camp and up on the hill. Snowpetal handed Rascalkit to Stonebloom, as he still couldn't run well, and turned back towards camp. She was about to sprint in, but Brownstar darted in front of her. "Don't go back. We need to wait it out."

"But Runtkit's still in there!" Snowpetal cried. Brownstar blinked, but Eagleflame mewed, "I'll go in!" And was gone before any cat could argue. Troublekit noticed Dustwish hunched over his mate, Skynose, who wasn't moving. He inched over to the calico tom, who said roughly, "Drowned. It was deep in the apprentice den, and she saved Spiderpaw." He nodded to the black apprentice, who was sitting next to him. Spiderpaw didn't look up, touching his nose to the ginger fur on the fallen she-cat's neck.

Another flash of lightning, along with a huge rumble of thunder, made Troublekit deaf and blind. It had been so close this time... Almost as if it had been in the... His heart sank as he heard his mother's howl of grief, and as his vision cleared he saw that the nursery had been struck. It was no more than a smoking, blackened hole. There was no sign of Eagleflame. She must have made it into the nursery just before the lightning struck. And Runtkit... Oh, Runtkit...

Troublekit took quick, shuddering breaths, barely registering Rainleaf staring into the camp and muttering, "Too young, both of them... And Eagleflame right after her sister..." Runtkit! His best friend! His— he choked back a sob. His sister.

His sister.

Runtkit.

She was gone. Troublekit joined his mother and cried into her pelt.