Unwarranted Rescue

Poppypetal had heard Thistlestar's plan and knew exactly how it was going down.  The leader was going to take her most experienced warriors to the gang's border at midnight and attack their camp in the early dawn, before the sun came up.  It was a good plan, and it was supposedly on the same night that the other clans would strike as well.  There was only one problem.

Poppypetal wasn't invited.

She had pleaded with the leader, begged her to let her onto the patrol.  She may be a queen, but she was still a fully trained warrior!  She had recovered enough from the camp raid, she could do this!  She wanted to find her kits!  But Thistlestar wouldn't relent.  She told Poppypetal as gently as she could that the queen would be of better use to her clanmates here in camp.  The words were of little comfort as Poppypetal watched the patrol leave. 

... And before she knew it, the queen was silently following the patrol right into the heart of gang territory.

She waited until Thistlestar launched the attack, and Poppypetal searched with her eyes from a safe distance where the kittens could be.  When she realized that many kittens were escaping and running out, she followed them into the forest.

Eventually she found one shape huddling in the grass, and seeing the dark gray pelt, thought it to be her Spiderkit.  She ran to the little kitten anxiously, but to her surprise, it wasn't her kit at all.  It was someone else's. 

... But maybe... maybe she could still help.

I don't know if this counts toward the kit rescue since it's an NPC, but still.  I wanted to get this scene out of my head.

Raccoonkit belongs to shinju