Warriors belongs to Erin Hunter, not to me. Only the alternate universe presented in this story is mine. The characters, settings, etc. are not. Everything belongs to its respective owner(s). Thank you, and enjoy the story.

The pain Leafpool felt that night was nothing compared to the terrible bite of loneliness and hopelessness. Her kits were no comfort to the fact that she had no one anymore. She'd fled in the night without telling anyone days ago, after Squirrelflight stubbornly refused to take her litter and raise them as if they were her own. There was only one thing to do, she decided.

She would find Crowfeather.

Leafpool carefully left the makeshift den that morning, making sure to cover her kits with soft moss so that they would stay warm. They were in a furry bundle, fast asleep. She looked back at them one more time before beginning her journey. She rolled in WindClan scent markers, hoping that it would prevent her foreign trail from being detected. She crept just inside of the territory, keeping a lookout for the dawn patrol. Suddenly, new scents filled her nose.

They had arrived.

Leafpool dashed into a shrub, glad that not all of the moor was bare. She watched as the trio walked along the border, placing fresh markers. At the head was a gray and white cat named Gorsetail. Beside her was Ashfoot, the deputy. And behind them?

Crowfeather.

Leafpool stared at him, wishing desperately that she could catch him alone. However, the others stuck closely to him. When they passed the shrub she hid in, she hissed quietly.

"What was that?" Ashfoot asked, pausing. The others stopped right behind her.

Crowfeather shrugged. "I guess I can take a look while you continue," he offered with an annoyed tone.

Ashfoot nodded gratefully at her son, telling him, "Good, thank you. Just be careful. Meet us right by the ThunderClan boundary when you've finished." She led Gorsetail away.

Crowfeather watched as they went, obviously not meaning to check the sound out at all. He'd probably just wanted a chance to get off of the patrol for a little while, which wasn't surprising knowing him. Leafpool crept out of the shrub once the she-cats were out of sight. The black warrior bristled with surprise, jumping back a mouse-length. He stared at her as if he couldn't believe she was real.

"Leafpool, what're you doing here?!" he gasped, his blue eyes intense with an unknown emotion.

"Looking for you," Leafpool responded. She wanted so badly to nuzzle in his fur and share tongues with him, but she refused to while she was unsure of his feelings. "Listen. Can you come with me? I need to show you something."

Crowfeather's nose wrinkled up as if he caught a strange scent. "What do you not understand?" he growled. "We're over!" He was about to turn and leave, but he hesitated. His blue eyes were wide with confusion. "Your Clan came the other day and asked if we'd seen you, but we hadn't," he told her. "Why did you leave?" His voice was gentle and calming.

Leafpool shuffled her white forepaws, refusing to meet his gaze. Her fur prickled nervously. "That's what I need to show you," she murmured. "Please come. You won't regret it." Hopefully.

For a few moments, she almost thought that he wouldn't due to his silence. He eventually sighed, though. "Fine, Leafpool. Just let me tell Ashfoot and Gorsetail that I'll be gone. I'll say that I'm chasing after a rogue."

Leafpool nodded and watched as her former mate raced off. She admired the unique way he and other WindClanners naturally ran: with their legs stretched, and their hind ones kicking them off. They didn't run like prey; she liked that. She waited for him to return, which he soon did. He nodded at her.

"Lead the way," Crowfeather told her.

Leafpool returned the nod and ran off in the direction of her new home, trying to do what Crowfeather did. He chuckled as he slowed his pace to match hers.

"It takes practice to run like WindClan does," he pointed out with a smirk.

Leafpool hid her embarrassment by laughing softly and turning her head so that she only focused on the path in front of her. The way he teased her gently reminded her of the days when they would meet, which put a pang in her heart. It didn't take long before they came to the den. Crowfeather looked at Leafpool, but she only motioned for him to go inside.

Crowfeather sighed silently and did as she'd wanted, the she-cat on his heels. He gasped, his eyes open with shock. Leafpool pushed past him, curling up beside her kits.

"These... are these..." he stuttered, looking at their every detail as if he'd never seen a newborn before.

Leafpool nodded, telling him quietly, "These are not only mine, but yours. I kitted last night."

Crowfeather's eyes filled with pain. "But you were alone," he meowed, his voice becoming angry. "You should've come to find me sooner! They're my responsibility too. Did you think I wouldn't want anything to do with them just because they're half-Clan?!"

Leafpool sighed, shaking her head. "No, of course not," she assured him. "But you must admit... you can become quite mean. I was afraid that you'd hate me if I told you. I only did today because... because I'm alone."

"Am I a last resort for you?" Crowfeather hissed. "Fine. I'll bring you prey as often as I can, but only because you have kits to feed. I won't forget this, Leafpool. If I'm a last resort for you, you're a last resort for me. We will only be mates again if Nightcloud no longer wants to be with me." He growled, exiting the den. As he left, she heard him mutter, "That should show you..."

Leafpool watched him go, sadness choking her. He thinks that I don't really love him, she thought. But I do, I really do. How could I make him see that?

Time passed slowly, but eventually it became dusk. Leafpool was stood in front of the den, guarding her sleeping kits but too restless to remain laying with them in the nest any longer. She'd refused to hunt for herself, worried that a fox or badger might come to steal her young. Luckily, she saw a black figure in the distance. Soon enough, that figure arrived in front of her. The long-legged tom dropped a fat rabbit at her paws.

"Enjoy," he meowed, the bitterness in his voice from earlier gone.

Leafpool nodded in thanks. "Would you like to name them with me?" she offered.

Crowfeather shuffled his paws. "Sure," he replied without saying another word.

Leafpool grabbed the rabbit in her jaws and led her former mate inside of the den. She sat herself beside her first litter after placing the prey aside. She pointed to the oldest, a black she-kit, with her nose.

"Would you like to name her?" she asked. "She looks so much like you."

Crowfeather stared at his daughter for a little while. Eventually, he spoke. "She may not look much like one, but I like the name Wolfkit," he told Leafpool. He nudged the second oldest gently, a golden tabby tom. "What about him?"

"He can be called Pouncekit, because he looks like he fits ThunderClan's form of hunting better than WindClan's," Leafpool purred. Both cats looked at the youngest, a tiny tom with pale gray tabby fur. "It's only fair that we agree on his name," she meowed. "I like the name Windkit personally."

Crowfeather looked at Leafpool, blue eyes connecting with amber. "Windkit is perfect," he told her. "But did you do that intentionally? Name him after my Clan, I mean."

Leafpool shuffled her paws. "Not really, but kinda," she replied. "It was mostly after his pale coat, though." She sighed. "Crowfeather, I'm sorry for what I said earlier. I truly do love you, and I want you to be a father to our kits. It isn't fair if they never get to know you."

Crowfeather nodded, telling her, "I love you too. I cannot join you as a loner because I'm loyal to WindClan, but I'm willing to risk my position to remain mates with you. If I get exiled, that's fine with me. You don't even know how broken I felt after leaving you." He looked down at his offspring. "But I did take Nightcloud as a mate in order to make my loyalty clear," he mentioned. "I don't love her like I love you, but I respect her. She's actually in the nursery, expecting my kits. Is... is this okay?"

"Of course it is," the light brown tabby queen responded. "But I want you to treat her kits equally to mine. I don't want you neglecting them and not being a proper father to them. Understand?"

"Yes, I do," Crowfeather mewed quietly.

And so her new life began.