Innocent

CHALLENGE: Innocent Outcasts; from StreamClan.

SUMMARY: Because in the end, innocent as they may be, they're still outcasts.

A/N: So, this little one-shot sprung up because of a challenge on StreamClan. I'm not sure why I decided to add that weird little twist/bonus canon Warriors thing in at the end. My mind works in weird ways, I can tell you that. Anyway, hope this is okay!

"Help! Please.." A yowl of desperation split the silent air, and Poppybreeze was on her paws instantly, shaken from the wisps of dream she had been slipping into. After all, she was trained especially for instances like these. As the sole cat with healing abilities in StormClan, it was her responsibility to look after the Clan members with all her abilities. And that included waking up close to the middle of the night.

Poppybreeze burst out of the den, but instead of being faced with the usual (a thorn in a kittens paw, or maybe some-cat had fallen out of a tree), she saw something different. There was a strange cat crumpled on the clay-like dirt, looking pained. She was a pretty brown-furred she-cat, but her belly was swollen. Poppybreeze immediately clued everything together, and she ran forward to help.

However, the Clan deputy got there first, baring her teeth defensively. "What is your business here? Are you with anyone? Who are you?"

Poppybreeze grew alarmed as the she-cat let out a small whimper, and she raced to the she-cats' side, tapping the urgently deputy with her tail. "Dawntail, she's kitting! Please, we have to help her. You know how scary it is, especially without help."

Poppybreeze saw the ginger she-cat spare a glance at Foxpaw and Robinpaw, who were hovering in the corner anxiously. To her relief, Dawntail relented, nodding.

Cats had come out to observe the scene, all muttering and whispering conspicuously. Poppybreeze ignored their curious stares, meowing soothing words to the she-cat, while Dawntail took action, racing off to inform Blossomstar of what was happening.

Poppybreeze soothed the she-cat, who was being wracked with spasms every couple of heartbeats. "It's okay," she meowed softly. "You'll be fine, okay? What's your name?"

"C-Clara," the she-cat managed to stutter out between shudders.

Poppybreeze nodded at her, running a tail down the brown she's stomach to determine how many kits there were. "It's all good, okay, Clara? We'll take good care of you, I promise."

Poppybreeze got no response, but that didn't matter. At least she was alive. "Can somebody build a nest for her? And somebody grab a stick!"

Aldertail, Willowflight and Fawnpaw raced off, and the rest of the Clan busied themselves, rushing around, gossiping and doing their best to help. Only Poppybreeze stayed with Clara, working her magic.

"Help..."

Poppybreeze offered a small smile to the pregnant she-cat. "I'm Poppybreeze, a medicine cat, okay Clara? We're helping you, okay?"

...

She didn't make it through the night. Come early morning, Clara was dead, along with one of her kits - a stillborn. Poppybreeze was devastated. Her one chance to help an outsider - to show she wasn't just heartless, wild cat - was gone.

Poppybreeze took a deep breath, staring at the rising sun. She had put the three living kittens with Hollyheart, who still had milk. The queen had been regretful and hesitant, but she had finally been pressured into looking after the parentless kittens.

Poppybreeze was the only one to have attended Clara's burial. She had been the one to dig out the grave. No one else had offered. And why should they? They didn't know Clara, nor her kits. And neither did Poppybreeze. But she had felt responsible; guilty.

So she sat there until the sun was high in the sky.

...

It felt wrong, somehow, naming the kittens Clan names. But Poppybreeze had no idea what else to call them, so they would have to do. She hoped that where ever Clara was (she didn't know if rogues went to StarClan), she would approve.

One was a dark brown she-cat with a stripe. Tawnykit. A paler brown tabby she-cat. Spottedkit, for Poppybreeze's dead mother. And a tiny flaming ginger tom. Firekit.

Parentless.

...

"We can't cast them out!" Poppybreeze was aghast that her leader was even suggesting such a thing. "They're innocent kits! They didn't do anything wrong, neither did their mother. Besides, they have no kin. They'd die, out in the wilderness!"

Blossomstar sighed, wrapping a pale ginger tail around her paws. "Innocent they may be, Poppybreeze, but they are outcasts all the same. We'll be the laughing stock of all the other Clans if we keep them. StormClan will be in uproar if we keep them. No one likes being laughed at, but especially not StormClan. The kits will be hated, scorned, if we keep them here."

"And so the better option is murdering them?" Poppybreeze wouldn't give up, not even if it meant losing her position. "Blossomstar, how could you think this way? You should full well understand. Your own mother was a rogue-"

"That is enough!" Blossomstar roared, leaping to her paws. Her fur was bristling, and Poppybreeze shrunk back in fear. She had forgotten how much Blossomstar detested talking about her past. "You're getting rid of the kits, whether you like it or not! This is for the goodwill of the Clan, Poppybreeze. Now be a good little medicine cat and get out of here."

Poppybreeze scampered out of the den, leaving Blossomstar to brood.

...

"You realise this is against direct orders from Blossomstar, right?" Poppybreeze stared at Dawntail and Toadclaw. She had to make sure they understood the consequences. Blossomstar could punish them harshly if she found out.

Dawntail nodded, exchanging a determined look with Toadclaw. "Yes, we understand. I realised earlier on, what you said about my kits. You shouldn't kill innocent kits, no matter where they come from. We're helping."

Poppybreeze smiled at Dawntail and Toadclaw warmly. She knew that StormClan had some kind hearted cats. "Thank you."

"We should get going," Toadclaw meowed, gesturing to the rising moon with a nod. "It'll get too cold soon."

"Right." Poppybreeze led the way into the medicine den, her paw steps light. The three kits were mewling pitifully, their eyes still closed. She gestured to the two she-cats. "Tawnykit and Spottedkit. They're sleepy things, you shouldn't have any trouble. I'll take young Firekit. He gets very fidgety." Poppybreeze couldn't deny that Firekit held a special place in her heart either.

Gently, she scooped up the young tom, who protested feebly. Poppybreeze shushed it anxiously. They couldn't be seen doing this. Most of the Clan was at the Gathering, but there was still a big risk that they would be found out.

"There's a tunnel that goes out of camp through the leaders den," Dawntail whispered, having not yet picked up her chosen kit. "It's a secret way, but we'll all have to roll in ferns to cover our scent."

Poppybreeze only nodded, unable to speak with Firekit hanging from her jaws. It wasn't long before they were all creeping into the leaders den. Poppybreeze felt a stab of fear. The leaders den was not one that many cats got to enter, and it seemed eery and wrong to pad in like everything was fine.

The journey seemed to last forever, as they had to walk slowly and carefully. Occasionally, they had to stop to look after the kits. Dawntail seemed determined that they would catch a cold and get sick, but Poppybreeze reassured her that it was fine.

When they finally reached their destination, Poppybreeze halted. They were on the outskirts of a twoleg camp. While it frightened her to no end, she held her wits and waited patiently. Toadclaw and Dawntail looked anxious, whisking their tails back and forth as they placed the kits on a tree stump.

"This is a bad idea, Poppybreeze. What if a twoleg comes? They'll take us and the kittens!"

"Stop fretting, Dawntail," Poppybreeze soothed, blinking kindly at the deputy. She could understand why the ginger warrior was so worried, but it really wasn't helping the situation. "Why don't you run and hunt a bit? That way if we're late we can say you went hunting, and I collected herbs."

"No one should question a medicine cat," Toadclaw pointed out, nudging the kittens gently. Dawntail only nodded, scampering off. Poppybreeze thought she looked glad to be doing something.

"It's better to be safe than sorry," Poppybreeze countered, stepping forward and wrapping herself around the kits to keep them warm.

"I suppose you're right. You better hope that cat turns up soon, or we'll have to go back."

"I know."

...

"Are these the kits?"

Poppybreeze leapt to her paws, happiness and relief coursing through her. "Fox!"

A familiar russet-red tom stood, looking not in the least bothered by the cold. Beside her, she saw Toadclaw bristle. "You're late."

Surprised by Toadclaw's sudden harshness, Poppybreeze shook her head at the warrior. "It's okay, Toadclaw. All that matters is that he's here now. You're still taking the kits, right?"

Fox shrugged, his gaze focusing on the three scraps of fur behind Dawntail. "Let me have a look at them, and we'll see."

Poppybreeze stepped out of the way, leading Fox to the kittens. Toadclaw and Dawntail looked uncomfortable all of a sudden. They were murmuring to each other, but Poppybreeze would deal with them later. Right now, it was time to take care of the kits fates.

"These are the kittens," Poppybreeze meowed, and even she could detect the tinge of pride in her voice. "Tawnykit, Spottedkit and Firekit."

Fox studied the kittens for a long while, making Poppybreeze increasingly nervous.

Dawntail and Toadclaw stepped forward. "Poppybreeze-"

"Wait," Poppybreeze pleaded, brushing them aside. She respected them, but eight now the kittens were more important. She made a mental note to apologise later.

Finally Fox looked up. His ears - abnormally large - twitched, and he nodded. "They'll need different names if they're to be kittypets."

Poppybreeze lit up, glancing at Fox hopefully. "So you'll take them?"

"Yes," Fox nodded. "I think instead of Tawnykit... Hmm.. Queenie. The other she-cat can be Princess. And the tom... Rusty, I think."

Poppybreeze felt a pang of remorse. They were being stripped of their names. She knew it was only fair, but... "And you'll take good care of them?"

"Poppybreeze, please-"

Poppybreeze cut them off, staring carefully at Fox, looking for any signs of lying as he nodded.

"Thank you," breathed Poppybreeze. She paused. "Do you.. Do you think I could come and visit?"

Fox shook his head. "I'll be going somewhere far away, a place different from here."

Poppybreeze felt a feeling of utter disappointment, but she nodded. "Oh, of course. Do you need help carrying them?"

"No," Fox meowed curtly. "You can go now."

And so it was with reluctance that the three parted. When they were close to camp, Toadclaw and Dawntail confessed their concerns.

"He's a stranger, Poppybreeze. I didn't like the look of him. What if he kills them, or mistreats them?"

Poppybreeze paused; the senior warriors did have a valid point.

"I don't think so," she meowed honestly. "There's something special about them. I can feel it. I think they'll live for a little while, at least. Let's hope it's a good life."