The frigid leaf-bare cold was chilling Jayfeather to the bone as he padded soundlessly through the drifts of snow that almost reached his muzzle. The gray tom hissed quietly as his paw hit a rock in the snow, and he found himself falling into the cold, wet snow. It stuck to his pelt, and ice had formed on his whiskers, but he had to keep going. Mothwing was waiting for him.
Oh, Mothwing. Just the thought of her made Jayfeather's heart flutter. How forbidden their love was, but how perfect it turned out to be at the same time. His sightless blue eyes squinted as he lifted himself up out of the drift and started trudging through the snow once more. He and Mothwing had met and bonded during the Dark War, as he'd come to call it, which was also known as the battle of StarClan and The Dark Forest. He had been sure that Mothwing was the fourth cat of the prophecy, but no, it had been Firestar. Poor Firestar, who gave his life to save ThunderClan...
Jayfeather's thoughts were pushed away as the fishy scent of RiverClan filled his nostrils. "Mothwing?" He called quietly, listening for any kind of movement. He was fairly certain he was a fox length or so from the frozen river, which served as the border between ThunderClan and RiverClan. Suddenly he felt a warm pelt brush against his. "Mothwing!" He exclaimed in surprise. "Don't sneak up on me like that!" The other cat, Mothwing, RiverClan's medicine cat, purred softly. Though Jayfeather was unable to see his love, he knew her by scent and touch. "Hello Jayfeather. Listen..." she began, eyes clouded with worry. Jayfeather cut her off, "Don't even say it. The warrior code can't come between us." He mewed softly, nuzzling her face. "No, Jayfeather. It's not that. I'm...I'm pregnant." Mothwing blurted. ThunderClan's medicine cat stumbled backwards, blue eyes wide.
Pregnant? Mothwing was pregnant? With what tom's kits? Fear pulsed through Jayfeather as he tried to think of any tom who might love Mothwing in RiverClan, but then a sick realization enveloped him. He was the father.
"The kits...Mine? Yours?" Jayfeather managed to stutter. Mothwing nodded, and touched her tail to Jayfeather's shoulder. "Mistystar knows. She doesn't know that you're the father, but she knows I'm going to have kits, and soon…She told me to leave RiverClan and let Willowshine take over." She told her mate, voice cracking. Her dappled golden pelt was ruffled and covered in cakes of snow. "You mean you've been exiled?" Jayfeather asked guiltily. The gray tom felt responsible for all of this, after all, he had been the one who got Mothwing pregnant with these accursed forbidden kits.
Mothwing stepped away from her mate for a moment. "Can I come with you?" She asked in a tiny voice. For a moment, Jayfeather didn't understand. "Come where?" He asked, head tilted. "To ThunderClan." Mothwing answered. The ThunderClan tom looked to his paws as he thought, although he couldn't see them. Mothwing, having kits in ThunderClan? What would Bramblestar think of having a pregnant, exiled RiverClan medicine cat in his camp? She'd never be fully welcomed.
"I don't know what Bramblestar will think." Jayfeather answered honestly. "What if he wants to know who the kits' father is?" Mothwing thought about that for a second. "I won't tell him. A queen is not required to tell who the father of her kits is." She decided. Jayfeather nodded, trying his best to look calm, even though on the inside he was freaking out and hating himself for bringing this upon her.
"Thank you. We'd better go now, before we freeze to death..." Mothwing mewed, shivering. Jayfeather pressed himself against her side. "You don't have to do this. I can run away with you, and we can raise the kits somewhere safe." Jayfeather told Mothwing. Mothwing shook her head vigorously. "No. I know how important your job is to you. You have powers, Jayfeather, and you have to use them to help your clan." She insisted. "I want to raise these kits in a place where I can see you, even if my children will never get to know who their father is." Mothwing added firmly.
"Let's get going then." Jayfeather mewed, licking his mate's face and padding back towards his snow covered home. He prayed to StarClan, right then, that everything would work out. He just hoped they would help him, even with this being against all their rules. He just wanted the best for Mothwing.