Prologue

Brokenclaw knew what he had done was wrong. Of course it was wrong! Even a newborn kit would know that. Brokenclaw didn't know what he had been thinking. Did he think it was the right thing to do? Surely not.

Perhaps he hadn't been thinking at all. Perhaps love had distracted him and he couldn't think. But he was thinking now. Thinking that he would be in a great deal of trouble when his Clan found out what he had done.

Brokenclaw gazed again, stunned, at the two almost identical gray kits laying in front of him. He had known for a long while that they were coming, but he hadn't ever really thought about the fact that he would be a father…. His amber gaze shifted from the kits to the she-cat next to him as she purred.

The she-cat - the kits' mother - met Brokenclaw's gaze proudly. She winced, green eyes looking hurt, when she saw the horror in his amber eyes.

"What's wrong, my love?" She mewed. "Surely you are proud of our kits?" Brokenclaw shook his head, backing away from the kits slowly. They made a pitiful mewling, calling for their mother, but she was too concerned about her mate to feed them. "You're…. Not proud?" The she-cat's whiskers trembled. In all honesty, Brokenclaw didn't know how to feel.

"I can't do this," He muttered. "I don't know how I managed to do this! Look at them!" He gazed at the kits. "I really don't know how I could betray my Clan…," He murmured.

"You didn't betray them," The she-cat insisted, purring hopefully. She twisted her gray striped tail around Brokenclaw's, but he drew it close to him instantly.

"I did!" He hissed. "I had kits with a…. With a kittypet!"

….

When Brokenclaw padded through the entrance to MouseClan with a newborn kit dangling from his jaws, nobody questioned him. Brokenclaw always did strange things and the MouseClan cats had learned not to ask why he did the things he did. He never told them, and it normally stirred up more trouble.

So Brokenclaw was relieved when he placed the small kit in the nursery and none of the queens stopped him. Brokenclaw sat down and stared at the kit for a moment. It was a gray tabby like it's mother, but the stripes were much darker and more defined. It was a tiny tom kit. His ears were black and the tip of his tail and paws were, too.

Brokenclaw felt a wave of compassion towards one of the queens when she meowed, "I will feed him." Brokenclaw nodded gratefully. He stared down at the kit - no, his son - and his whiskers trembled.

The queen who had offered to feed the kit, Blackbloom, seemed to notice his exhaustion and regret and stood, padding over to him and wrapping her tail around his shoulders.

Brokenclaw didn't protest. He allowed Blackbloom to lead him towards the warriors' den. "I expect Featherstar will want to speak to you later, but for now you should rest," She murmured, leading Brokenclaw to his nest. "I'm no medicine cat, but I can tell when someone needs to recover. It doesn't matter what you're recovering from, you just sleep," She added. Brokenclaw nodded slowly.

As Brokenclaw settled down into the soft moss bedding and Blackbloom was padding back to the nursery to feed her kits, Brokenclaw thought briefly of the other tiny tom kit, who the kittypet, Strawberry, had taken back to her Twoleg nest. He sighed, knowing there was no way he would ever see that kit again, or Strawberry, for that matter.

Brokenclaw couldn't help wondering, have I done the right thing? He wasn't sure. But he was sure of one thing: He could never tell the kit about his inheritance.

Chapter One

Smokekit crouched down and crept forward. His whiskers twitched. "Prey for my Clan…" he murmured to himself. He waited for a moment, then leapt, yowling, into the air, and landed squarely on Pigeonkit's shoulders, pinning her to the ground. She let out a squeak of surprise, then yowled,

"Attack! Attack! I'm being attacked!" Pigeonkit's father, Lionwhisker, raced into the nursery.

"Attack? Where?" He panted, glancing around. Smokekit jumped delitcately off of Pigeonkit. She glared at him, sitting up and twisting to lick her ruffled fur into place. "I thought you were in danger, Pigeonkit," Lionwhisker scolded. "Quit playing, kits." His gaze softened and he added more gently, "You're going to be made apprentices soon."

Smokekit narrowed his blue eyes suspiciously. "How soon? You said soon a moon ago," He pointed out. Lionwhisker purred in amusement.

"Soon as in…" Lionwhisker looked over his shoulder out into the clearing of MouseClan camp. "About now!" Pigeonkit's eyes lit up and she jumped to her paws.

"Well come on then, Smokekit," She mewed teasingly. "I can't beat you at everything if you don't become an apprentice." Smokekit leapt into the air to pounce on her again, and she let out an excited squeal, but Lionwhisker batted him away.

"We have no time to waste play-fighting," He meowed seriously. "You'll be late for the apprentice ceremony. Wolfkit and Crookedkit are already out there waiting." Pigeonkit instantly bounded out into the clearing.

"Too bad I don't have any siblings to share the apprentice ceremony with," Smokekit mumbled as he followed his denmate slowly.

"Then you have less cats to compete with in patrols," Lionwhisker pointed out, trying to brighten the kit's spirits. Smokekit smiled weakly at the pale yellow tom and sat down in front of Preyrock, waiting for Featherstar to start the naming ceremony.

Wolfkit, Pigeonkit, and Crookedkit all sat nearby, looking tense and excited. Smokekit couldn't share the sisters' excitement. He had always been impatient to be an apprentice, but now that the time was coming, he was nervous and jealous of the sisters' close bond. If only he had kin to share that with!

Smokekit looked up as he felt fur brush his side. A black tom with gleaming amber eyes was gazing proudly at him. His father. At least he had some kin. Smokekit smiled fakely at his father, hoping that he wouldn't notice how unenthusiastic he really was. But Brokenclaw was no fool. He cocked his head and opened his mouth to speak, but before he could say anything, Featherstar's meow cut him off.

"We have four kits," He began, his voice rasping, "Who have been excitedly awaiting the day that they would join the apprentices' den." The MouseClan leader broke off into a violent fit of coughing, and several cats' fur bristled in fear for their old leader's health. Silverfang, the deputy, got quickly to his paws and offered to naming ceremony himself, but Featherstar shook his head stubbornly.

"I'm fine," He insisted, coughing. "As I said, today is the day that Wolfkit, Crookedkit, Pigeonkit and…." His voice trailed off as his gaze met Smokekit's. Smokekit wondered if he had done something wrong. Silverfang whispered Smokekit's name in case Featherstar had forgotten, but that was clearly not why he had stopped. "He's already becoming an apprentice?" Featherstar muttered, looking surprised.

"Yes, Featherstar," Silverfang answered, looking just as confused as the rest of the Clan.

"He's getting old, got bees in his brain, can't remember how many moons the kits are," Brokenclaw murmured to Smokekit good-naturedly, but Smokekit could tell something was making his father nervous. His tail swished quickly back and forth on the ground beside him, just as Smokekit's did when he was nervous. Smokekit wanted to comfort his father, but Featherstar finally seemed to remember he had a naming ceremony to get on with.

Featherstar cleared his throat and continued. "Wolfkit, Crookedkit, Pigeonkit and Smokekit are becoming apprentices today," He rasped. The leader's body trembled as he tried to cough but no sound came out. All jealousy Smokekit had felt before had vanished, replaced with worry for the MouseClan leader.

As Goldear, MouseClan's medicine cat, raced across the clearing and leapt up the Preyrock to check on Featherstar, Silverfang yowled quickly, "Wolfkit, Crookedkit, Pigeonkit and Smokekit, you have reached the age of six moons, and it is time for you to be apprenticed. From this day on, until you receive your warrior names, you will be known as Wolfpaw, Crookedpaw, Pigeonpaw, and Smokepaw. Wolfpaw, your mentor will be Graymouse, Crookedpaw, your mentor will be… oh, let's see, Cherrysnow, why not, Pigeonpaw, your mentor will be Rosespirit, and Smokepaw, your mentor will be Quickriver. I hope they will pass down all they know on to you." When he was done speaking, Silverfang stood panting for a moment and the new apprentices shared shocked looks.

"No," Featherstar rasped from beside Goldear, "Smokepaw's mentor shall be me." Silverfang looked stunned.

"But, Featherstar, surely you aren't well enough to take on an apprentice?" He mewed. "Quickriver has not had an apprentice yet, and she is very ready for one." Featherstar glared sharply at his deputy.

"Do you dare challenge me?" He wheezed, still somehow managing to sound menacing.

"N-no, Featherstar," Silverfang whispered, staring at his paws. "Smokepaw's mentor shall be you."