A gentle breeze shook the new leaves in the trees. An owl hooted in the distance, as the new moon gracefully rose in the night sky. Not a sound was heard. The forest was at peace.
A cream-colored tabby cat swiftly crept through the forest. It was the beginning of new-leaf and the leaves were just beginning to appear. New plants started to grow and the water swiftly ran down the creek nearby.
The cat stopped and gazed at the night sky. The spirits of her ancestors shone down upon her, watching wistfully, and waiting for her next move.
"Oh, StarClan," the she-cat whispered to herself, hoping her ancestors could hear. "I know what we are doing is against your will, but, please…hear me and I will never meet him again."
The stars above only twinkled in reply.
The cat sighed and continued on her way. As she walked, she could feel kicks and squirms in her belly; her kits would be born soon. Soon, she came to a clearing at the edge of her territory and sat down, waiting for someone else to appear.
Pawsteps were heard in the distance and a black cat appeared from the darkness on the other side of the territory; his black pelt blending him well in the shadows of the forest.
He stopped at the edge of the border. "You came," he meowed briskly.
The she-cat nodded. "Yes…I did. I…I need to tell you something, but I know you won't like hearing it."
The tom tipped his head to one side as his mate continued. "We…we can't go on meeting like this."
"Why?" the tom demanded and blinked back in shock. "We aren't doing anything wrong. Haven't you enjoyed these past moons with me?"
"I have," the she-cat replied, pain flowing in her green eyes. "But my kits will be born soon…and I want them to be raised without their Clanmates knowing they are half-Clan. You know half-Clan cats aren't that well accepted in any Clan."
The tom flinched. "What do you mean your kits? They are my kits, too!"
"No, they are not," the she-cat meowed sternly. "I am going to raise them in CreekClan, as pure-blooded warriors, and they will never know you exist. The Clan must have to assume another cat is their father."
The tom blinked his eyes. "I can join CreekClan or you could join mine. Then they'd be full Clan."
"That can never happen," the she-cat replied. "I wouldn't be fully accepted in your Clan and I know for a fact that my Clanmates wouldn't fully accept you."
"Then let's get out of here!" the tom quickly suggested. "We could live outside the territory, find our own place and raise our kits there!"
The she-cat sighed. "But we would be outcasts and I want to raise the kits as warriors; with the warrior code and StarClan and everything. Let's face the facts…there isn't another way. I'm sorry."
The tom's amber eyes blazed with anger. "If that's the way you want it…fine!" He stormed off into the shadows, but before he disappeared in his territory, he turned around and glanced back at his mate. "We are over and we shall never meet again." He quickly dashed into his territory.
The she-cat sagged her shoulders. Never had her heart been broken before, and she didn't like this feeling. She looked up at the night sky and meowed, "I pray that I did the right thing. Please help me to raise my kits well."
The stars did not reply.
The she-cat glanced at her growing belly and tried to imagine the tiny lives growing inside of her. "Oh, my precious kits, I will always love you." She looked up at the direction of where for former mate went. "And I will always have a place in my heart for you, too."
And with that, she turned around and disappeared into the night.