The night was chilling. Not as cold as the sun rises before but still cold enough to see one's breath fog in the air. Leafbare was ending, and soon new leaf would be beginning.
The icy snow would slowly melt away and reveal the greenness beneath and prey would once again be plentiful.
Raggedstar sighed fluffing out her thick fur. Pushing past the lichen of her den the she-cat made her way to the entrance of the clan murmuring that she was going hunting to the two warriors guarding the camp.
Owlclaw offered to go along, but the she-cat simply brushed past her and mewed softly that she needed some time alone and would be careful. Leafbare's snow was already beginning to thin but a layer of white covered the forest. Careful as she stalked as to not make much sound and frighten away any prey, the she-cat spotted a scrawny mouse near an oak. Dropping down into a hunter's crouch she began to move forward eyes trained on the small creature. A cool breeze swept across the forest and Raggedstar felt a memory began to resurface from the familiarity of it all.
Raggedfur made her way to the nursery, a mouse firmly clamped in her jaws. Pushing past the lichen that covered the opening of the nursery she padded over to her sister eyeing the three kits near her sister's belly.
Nightfang murmured a thank you as she set the mouse before her and began to gobble it down as quickly as she could. Raggedfur watched silently.
"What did Badgerfang say?" She mewed watching the kits her eyes narrowing at the orange tabby tom that so closely resembled his father. The cause of this problem.
Nightfang sighed. "The kits should be able to make the journey as long as we are quick if we take too long the kits will…."
She went quiet.
Raggedfur sighed."Nightfang...are you sure you want to do this?"
The Queen was quiet for a few heartbeats before mewing " I have no choice.."
"Nightfang you do have a choice, allow shadowclan to fight those CloudClan scum we are strong," The shadowclan deputy mewed tail flicking.
Nightfang only shook her head. "Raggedfur you and I both know that is not the case, ShadowClan is weak at this time, leaf bare has taken a strong toll on us, this fight is not worth the bloodshed.I will not allow the lives of this clan be wasted for my mistake,"
Raggedfur bristled but she knew her sister was right. Prey had been scarce and a few cats had gained green cough, they were in no state for a battle.
They were silent for a few heartbeats each watching the kittens both thinking different things.
"They would've made great warriors," Raggedfur murmured.
Nightfang sighed an agreement and got to her paws "Let's go, I don't want to keep Cream waiting,"
Grasping the tom by the scruff she pushed out of the nursery and into the cold clearing.
Raggedfur grasped the last two, a black she-cat that closely resembled her mother and a white she-cat who reminded her of….
She stopped her thoughts not wanting to remember the pain from several seasons ago and instead followed after her sister both kits clutched by the scruff.
Tigerstripe ducked her head as they padded past her, although the loyal warrior was against what they were doing she understood. She was one of the few cats Raggedfur could trust with this secret which was why they had her as a guard on this specific night.
"Be careful" The she-cat whispered.
Stepping out of the camp Raggedfur quickened her pace behind her sister. Like Nightfang had said it was silently worried for the kits, only feeling relieved when the two leg place was in sight. Nightfang quickly bounded up the fence and disappeared onto the other side followed by her sister.
Cream was waiting for them by the oak tree. The young she-cat got to her paws and signaled to them with her tail to follow her. Raggedfur was a bit adamant to step inside the twoleg den but forced herself to anyway knowing the leafbare temperature would be dangerous for the kits. Inside it was warm. Placing the kits on the soft kittypet bedding that seemed to be made of fur the deputy watched as cream curled herself around the litter as to warm them up.
"They're beautiful," The she-cat mewed eyes shining with motherly love. Raggedfur saw her sister's icy blue eyes flash.
"I'll take care of them," Cream assured the two.
Nightfang only nodded and touched noses with the creamy she-cat muttering a thank you. Placing her tail tip against the shoulder of the no longer queen to soothe her, Raggedfur gave the kits each a lick on the head.
The kits began to latch on to cream and suckled hungrily. The she-cat had recently lost her own litter so she was still full of milk, the kits would not starve. She was happy to have a litter although not her own she would raise them no differently.
"I'll name the white one snowflake, and the black she-cat princess," Cream murmured using the names she would have named her own litter had they survived. "The tom will be jake,"
Raggedfur narrowed her eyes and gave a swift nod, and with that the clan cats left, pushing past the opening the invisible wall left. They almost missed the warmth of the two leg den but puffed out their fur and began the journey back home. The walk back was quiet each reveling in what they had just done. The deputy could feel that her sister was hurting inside having just lost her own kits. Did she regret it? What would she have named them had they been in the clan? Was she thinking now that she should've instead fought for her kits?
Sometimes Raggedfur wished she could read her sister's mind. The black she-cat hid her emotions behind a mask making it difficult to see how she felt at times.
Eyes staring up at the full moon Nightfang spoke softly her sister having to strain her ears to hear her. "I would've named Snowflake, Snowkit for her white fur that is rare amongst shadowclan, Princess would have been Darkkit like the shadowy forest her fur resembles, Jake would have been Sunkit because his fur shines like that of the sun."
Raggedfur listened to her quietly as the she-cat's body shook as she dug her claws into the ground.
"Jake looks so much like his father," She muttered."But I know that he's different,"
It felt like Nightfang was talking to herself now.
"They would've been great clan members, I just know it, if only….."
The black she-cat sighed and continued on her way. "If only their birth wouldn't have costed bloodshed,"
"This….this is the only way to protect them….."
Raggedstar delivered a swift bite to the mouse killing it. While in the midst of her hunt the she-cat hadn't noticed that she had come upon the same fence in her memory. Would the kits still be there? They would be of apprentice age now.
She resisted the urge to see the kits, instead, Raggedstar looked longingly at the fence before turning away and made her way back to the camp.