The brown and white she-cat looked proudly down at her kits. Both she and her housefolk were surprised when she gave birth to five healthy kits. All five of them pressed themselves against her belly and suckled for milk gently. The she-cat purred loudly and gave each one a swift lick on the head.

"Nutmeg!"

The brown and white cat, Nutmeg, perked her ears and looked up. Her housefolk, both really pale housefolk wearing brightly colored pelts, were looking down on her. The female with dark brown fur on the top of her head stroked Nutmeg gently while the yellow furred male turned off the light that hung above the cats' heads. The female housefolk stopped stroking her and mewed something in housefolk-speak. While Nutmeg didn't understand much housefolk-speak, but she could tell by her housefolk's tone that she meant well. Nutmeg gave a friendly purr back and snuggled closer to her five little ones.

Nutmeg closed her hazel eyes, which made her housefolk disappear. Once they left the dark room, she opened her eyes and looked back down at her little ones. She noticed that her biggest kit, a tom with a flame colored pelt, was nuzzling closer to one of his sister's, a light brown tabby she-cat. Nutmeg's other two sons, a light ginger tom with white paws and a brown tabby with white patches, were shoving their other sister, a brown and ginger tortoiseshell with a white tipped tail, out of the way. Nutmeg quick brought the squealing she-kit back to her stomach and sighed.

I'm so proud of my kits The young she-cat thought. The expression on her face changed. It was once happy, but it slowly turned to sadness.

It's been almost a week now. Where's Jake? Where is he? He should be here to see his kits Nutmeg thought bitterly, thinking about her flame-colored mate.

Her anger slowly disappeared and was replaced with a low sighed.

He lives on the other side of the housefolk-place. It might be too dangerous for him, especially with this rain.

Nutmeg looked across the red room. She looked past the brown chairs and... what the housefolk called… a table that she once tried to dig her claws into. She looked past her dirt box and her tan claw-sharpening tree. She looked past the gray fur that was connected to the floor of the housefolk-nest that she would lay on when the sun rays would enter through the window and hit the fur. She looked at the dirty window that the housefolk left slightly open. The sky was a dark blackish-blue. Evil looking clouds swarmed the sky, blasting yellow streaks across the sky and growling like an angry cat. Rain slammed into the housefolk-nest like a ferocious housefolk. Nutmeg brought her kits closer to her stomach protectively.

If anyone is listening to me Nutmeg began to pray Please! Protect me, my kits, and Jake!

Suddenly, the sky lit up with bright flashes of lightning. With lightning came lots of tall and scary shadows. One of them looked like a dark bulky cat standing outside the window. He had piercing green eyes which shook Nutmeg down to her core.

She flattened her ears and her neck fur bristled. Nutmeg gave a low snarl, hoping to scare off the cat. Instead, it was struggling to get into the nest. It grunted and muttered to itself angrily, trying to force itself in. Nutmeg stood up quickly, scaring her kits.

"Get away from here!" The she-cat spat, "There is nothing for you here!"

"Whoa! Nutmeg! Calm down, it's me!"

Nutmeg's fur flattened. She saw the cat was a tom with damp orange fur and leaf-like green eyes. He was plump instead of bulky and when he dropped to the floor, droplets of water flew across the room. Nutmeg race towards the tom. Once she got to tom, she began licking his fur and rubbing against his cold body.

"Jake," she purred, "I thought the housefolk were going to lock you up forever! Are you here to see the kits?"

Jake smiled, "Of course!"

The tom's gaze turned to sadness, "I'm sorry for not being here when they were born. My housefolk shut me in."

Nutmeg flicked her ear playfully, "Well maybe you shouldn't disappear for three days and return with a couple of scratch marks."

"I help the leader of the rogue cats from time to time," Jake said seriously, "You know that, Nutmeg."

Nutmeg was surprised by the tone of Jake's voice. According to rumors that went around the orange tom traveled with a wild cat to find a group of rogues. Along the way, they met the fierce leader of the rogue cats, an old black and white she-cat named Jay. While Jake and the wild cat's journey was over, Jake still helped Jay and her band of rogues. In return, the band of rogues protected Jake and his nest from other rogues and taught him how to fight.

Jake needs to be more careful! He has kits now! Nutmeg thought angrily He doesn't have time to get into fights with other rogues!

"Well? Are you going to show me my kits?" Jake asked, giving her chest fur a couple of quick licks.

"Of course!" Nutmeg purred.

With a swish of her tail, the brown and white she-cat lead the orange tom to the woven basket she and her kits would be sleeping in for the next few days. Jake's eyes lit up with excitement when he saw the five kits all snuggled together, peacefully dreaming. Jake purred with delight when his eyes landed on one of his sons.

"He looks just like me."

Nutmeg brushed against Jake's pelt, "I know… I thought about you when I first saw him."

"Have you named them?" Jake asked.

"I've named two of them," Nutmeg rested her tail on the brown tabby tom with white patches and mewed, "This is Tommy. I've named him after a close friend of mine. And this one-" She rested her tail on the light ginger tom, "Is named Filou, after my father."

"This tortoiseshell she-kit should be named Luna. A pretty name for a pretty kit." Jake mewed softly.

"What about this one…?" Nutmeg asked, glancing at the fluffy light brown tabby she-kit nestled close to the flame-colored kit.

"Hmm… How about Princess?" Jake suggested, "My old friend was named Princess and she was a beauty."

Nutmeg cuffed her mate gently, "Alright, you old player, Princess it is. And I think I know a name for this one."

Her gaze fell upon a ginger tom. As the eldest of her kits, Nutmeg wanted him to have the perfect name. Then, she thought about her dream. A day before she had her kits, she dreamed over a large, skinny orange tom standing on a tall gray rock, surrounded by other cats. She tried to call to him, but he was too busy looking over the group of cats. Their scents were weird, they called like rain, wind, and the trees. Suddenly, a bright light surrounded her as a group of starry cats looked down upon her.

What do you want from me! She cried.

One of them, a fiery ginger tom with white paws and an underbelly, walked up to she-cat. Nutmeg noticed that both she and the tom were fading slowly.

Your son will have a challenging path, young one The tom spoke regally He will help save my Clan and all the other Clans. He will be the fire that will burn the darkness.

What does that mean!? What is a Clan?! What will my son do?! Nutmeg squealed with worry.

The tom didn't answer. He just closed his clear amber eyes and disappeared into the stars, leaving Nutmeg to fade away. Nutmeg had woken up with terror, scared for both her and her kits. Nutmeg started to think about her kithood, thinking about how she didn't have the name Nutmeg, but instead, her name was Caramel and how she didn't save Kate. But now, she knew if her flame-colored son would save cats, she would be proud.

He should be able to save cats, unlike I wasn't able to Nutmeg thought, coming up with the perfect name for her son.

"Rusty," Nutmeg meowed, "His name will be Rusty."