Vixendawn padded, quiet as a mouse, down the rainy WindClan slope leading towards the gorge. Her large belly, plump with her kits, made the going tough as she began tiptoeing down a narrow ledge that acted as a path into the gorge, leading towards a small, damp cave that could only be accessed by the pathway or the turbulent river itself.
When she got there, she stumbled onto the floor of the cave and lay there, gritting her teeth and waiting for her mate, a RiverClan tom named Lakestorm, to arrive and help her get through her kitting. As she waited, she spotted a small, grey object bobbing up and down in the water below.
"Lakestorm! Hurry, the kits are coming!" she called to him above the roar of the river. He made it to the ledge and clambered on, soaking wet and chilled to the bone, but overjoyed at the prospect of welcoming his kits into the world. The clouds had covered the moon all the stormy night, and Vixendawn could only see the outline of her sleek mate against the pale glow that managed to seep through the cloud cover.
"How are you? I tried to sneak some herbs from the medicine cat's den, but they all got carried away by the river." His gaze passed over his pale ginger mate, resting on her belly as he waited for his kits to arrive. "It's going to be fine, I promise."
After what seemed like countless moons, five kits squirmed in the curve of Vixendawn's stomach, suckling. "Aren't they beautiful?" One, a large ginger tom, began mewling, and soon enough all of his littermates joined in. "He's a loud one, isn't he? Let's call him Duckkit. You can't imagine how loud those birds get during nesting season!" Lakestorm purred.
"And what about this one? I think we should call him Harekit. Just look at those long legs, he'll be able to leap higher than a duck can fly!" Vixendawn purred along as Jumpkit, a dark grey tabby tom, scrambled over a tiny silver she-kit to get closer to his mother.
"We can call her Pebblekit, because of her fur color and puny size." Lakestorm motioned at her with his tail. Vixendawn pulled the tiny kit closer. "What if she grows?" Pebblekit snuggled into her mother's soft belly fur and began purring.
"I'm sure she will. All of our kits will grow until they are big and strong enough to take on a badger!" Lakestorm nuzzled his WindClan mate. "StarClan forbid that ever happen, though."
"That leaves two kits to name. Let's call this black tom Stormkit, and that brown she-kit Oakkit." Lakestorm licked each of his kits' heads. "Oh, please, you're only naming Stormkit after yourself, you arrogant fish-brain!" Vixendawn teased.
"Hey, who are you calling a fish-brain, rabbit-breath?" Lakestorm licked his mate and curled around the kits, forming a warm cup in between their parents to snooze in. "See, I told you everything was going to be alright." He purred before drifting off to sleep.
Vixendawn awoke the next morning with a fish near her head. "I caught it for you. You need to regain your strength after your kitting." Lakestorm stood at her side and nudged the trout closer. Vixendawn took a bite, then took another. "This is really good! Why have you never given me fish before?"
"Maybe because that would be considered stealing prey." Vixendawn looked up, startled, and Lakestorm's fur began bristling. Peering over the edge of the gorge was Kestrelpaw, a strong black-and-white tom.
"What are you doing here?" Lakestorm hissed. Kestrelpaw ignored him, his eyes, one green and one blue, blazing. "I knew it! You're a traitor! A dirty, fox-hearted traitor!" He lashed his tail and snarled, showing his thorn-sharp teeth.
Lakestorm unsheathed his claws, which dug into the soft ground. "Leave Vixendawn alone! She hasn't done anything wrong!"
"Oh, I beg to differ, Lakestorm. It is against the Warrior Code to take the mate from another Clan, let alone have kits with them!" Kestrelpaw began moving down the narrow path towards the pair.
"Stay away from us, Kestrelpaw! Or I'll make you!" Lakestorm charged up the slippery path towards the large apprentice, getting ready to pounce on him, claws like needles. "No, Lakestorm! Stop!" Just as Vixendawn yowled her warning, Lakestorm slipped on the wet ledge. He scrabbled at the soft mud, trying to snag his claws on a stone.
"No!" Vixendawn ran towards her mate, but by the time she was close enough, he slipped and fell into the river, his neck bleeding out of a cut from a sharp stone jutting out of the ragged cliff side. "What have you done?" She turned towards Kestrelpaw, her eyes streaming. "You've changed, Kestrelpaw. Ever since you started having those dreams, you've been different, more violent. You aren't the Kestrelpaw I knew. You are no worse than any ShadowClan warrior!"
She watched her limp mate be swept away by the current and closed her eyes, trying to keep her yowls of sorrow back. After a heartbeat, she slowly padded toward her kits, head down and tail drooping. Their eyes weren't yet open, and for that Vixendawn was thankful, as they hadn't watched the horrible scene that took place moments ago.
They began mewling again as she neared them, but she ignored their cries of hunger. "What are you going to do now? Your mate is dead and your kits are half-Clan." Kestrelpaw snickered. Vixendawn flattened her ears to block out the sound of him, and slowly turned towards her litter. "It's okay, my kits, you will always be safe with me." She murmured.
The kits mewed louder at the sound of their mother's voice. She stood over them, ready to risk her life for the tiny beings squeaking below her belly. "You may have killed my mate, but you won't get anywhere near his kits, our kits. I'll make sure of that."
Vixendawn saw fear flash in Kestrelpaw's eyes, but the young tom growled at the queen with the ferocity of a lion. "We'll see if your words are true, you fox-heart!" He spat. He sprinted down the path, making sure to keep close to the wall of mud and stone on one side and as far away from the river below.
Vixendawn shoved her kits into the small cave and leaped at Kestrelpaw, her eyes filled with rage and hurt. They attacked each other, with Kestrelpaw trying to get at Vixendawn's neck while she clung onto his broad shoulders, clawing his face. They fought for what seemed like a moon, but they didn't tire. They fueled their swipes with anger and hatred for one another.
Finally, Kestrelpaw broke free from Vixendawn's grasp and ran up the cliff, with the she-cat hard on his tail. She gave up the chase, her ears drumming and her lungs heaving. "I'll make sure you never forget what you did, Vixendawn," Kestrelpaw yowled, "I'll find you, no matter who you run to, no matter where you hide. I'll find you and I'll make you pay."
With that, the black-and-white apprentice spun around and pelted off towards the camp. Vixendawn watched him run, then turned and padded back to her kits. When she got to the cave, however, she couldn't believe what she saw.
A flurry of feathers littered the ground, and blood spattered where her kits should have been. "No… No…" Pebblekit was missing. Vixendawn scanned the sky and spotted a young bird of prey perched in a nearby willow tree, dining on her kit. As she watched it, unable to pull her gaze away, she noticed that it was a kestrel. A kestrel…
She closed her eyes and lay down, letting her remaining four kits clamber over her. My dear Pebblekit, she never got to grow. Vixendawn let out a pained yowl that was so loud, it ringed through the valley. "Why, StarClan! What have I ever done to deserve this?"
"Mother? What's StarClan? Why are you so sad?" Vixendawn opened her eyes to meet the gazes of her kits. It had been Oakkit who had spoken up. "My kits, StarClan are our warrior ancestors. They watch over us from above." She gazed at the dusk sky, searching it for any stars.
"I'm sad for many reasons, my dears. Today, I lost three cats that I was very close to."
"Who?"
"Your sister, Pebblekit. I only knew her for a day, but I loved her the moment I saw her. Your father, Lakestorm. He was a very brave cat, maybe a little too brave. And an old friend."
"Who was your friend?"
"A young cat named Kestrelpaw. We had known each other since he first opened his eyes. We played in the nursery together, and when I got apprenticed, he followed only two moons after. He was a very good cat, until he changed." With that, Vixendawn got up and picked Duckkit up by his scruff.
"Hey, where are we going?" Duckkit squirmed in his mother's grasp. "We are leaving. Leaving the Clans." Vixendawn looked up at the sky once more, and spotted two stars, one smaller than the other, high above her head. She clambered up the path, her other three kits trailing behind.
When they got to the top, Vixendawn sniffed around and began walking to the north, following an invisible trail that would lead them between Highstones and ShadowClan territory. "From now on, we will have new names. I may not be a Clan leader, but we aren't playing by those rules anymore. From now on, Duckkit will be known as Duck, Oakkit will be known as Oak, Harekit will be called Hare, Stormkit will be Storm, and I will be called Vixen. Understand?"
The kits nodded. "Yes, mom." They squeaked in unison. The small family padded onward, heading towards who knows where. They walked all night, Silverpelt twinkling above them.