Prologue
"Everything's going to be okay Blackdawn, just keep pushing," said a sandy-coloured she-cat.
"Please, make it stop, Sandface. PLEASE!" Blackdawn howled as she was giving birth. Suddenly there was a wrenching sound and blood was all over the nursery in an instant.
"Oh Starclan! There's blood everywhere! And here comes the kit! Blackdawn, just look at her. She's a beautiful she-cat…Blackdawn!" Sandface yelled surprised. Blackdawn was panting on the ground heavily, her breathing laboured.
"Let…me see…my kit…please," she gasped. Sandface put the tiny black kit in front of her mother's face. "She's wonderful…her eyes…like ice…Icekit…live a healthy…life…Sandface?"
"Yes?" answered the medicine cat.
"Tell…Crowfoot…that I'm…sorry for…leaving and…I love him," wheezed the dying queen.
"Of course Blackdawn…and I will watch over your kit as well. May Starclan light your path dear friend."
As her friend died in a pool of blood, Sandface stuck her head out of the nursery and yelled "I need Birchstar and Crowfoot in here immediately!" A large brown tom with white paws and a skinny black tom bounded forward. "Be careful of the blood," she whispered to the two toms.
"What has happened Sandface?" asked the brown tom.
"I'm afraid that Blackdawn died giving birth, Birchstar" replied Sandface
"What!" asked the black tom.
"Crowfoot she said she was sorry for leaving and she loves you…would you like to see your kit?"
"Y-yes please," Crowfoot stammered.
"Blackdawn named her Icekit…Birchstar that brings me to ask you this. How are we going to feed this kit? We have no other queens right now and if we don't do something, she will die in a matter of hours," Sandface explained.
Birchstar contemplated this situation for a while. "Crowfoot, we must take the kit to another clan," he finally said.
"What? My mate just died and now you want me to give up my kit to?" he exclaimed
"If the kit stays in Shadowclan, it will die of hunger! It's for the best that we take her to another clan."
"I see…okay lets go then," Crowfoot picked up Icekit and headed out of the nursery. Birchstar turned to Sandface.
"We will return to mourn the death of the fallen warrior soon," he said
"Let Crowfoot take his time with his only daughter…separation is hard, especially after death,"
She advised.