[Role]

(Open!)
Whitestep followed the group silently. Her kits were chasing each other around, happy to be free from the flooded territory. A light drizzle coated her soaked fur, but warmth and happiness for her kits kept her going. Suddenly, she remembered her lost mate Leafclaw. The young tom disappeared mysteriously, and didn't show up. Perhaps he too was just now finding the group. "Leafclaw! Leafclaw! Where are you?" Out of the corner of her eye, she saw her kits tip their head. Still, she called to her lost love. "Leafclaw! Are you here?" No calls, no familiar purrs. Sitting down, the soaked queen whimpered her mate's name one last time. "Leafclaw please come home," she breathed, horrified at the possibility that the tom would never see daylight. Berrykit nuzzled his mother. "Momma? Are you calling to Dad?" Owlkit padded closer. "Is he coming back?" Hollykit looked desperately up at Whitestep. Willowkit said nothing, but whimpered quietly. Whitestep felt her heart shatter. "I don't know," she admitted. "Don't lose hope, kits." However, she had finally lost hope.