A Son's Betrayal

I watched from the leaders den as Darkwillow's kits; Snowkit, Nightkit, and Pigeonkit wrestled in the clearing. I love watching the kits play, but I felt was sad that this was Darkwillow's third litter of kits. Her first litter had one tom in it and the other had had two a tom and a she-cat in it. No one talked about the other two litters, it was much too sad.

My fluffy white pelt bristled at the thought of Moonswipe; the tom from Darkwillow's first litter and the cat I thought I loved. The black tom with white patches had always been ambitious to be number one in Darkwillow's eyes and when her second litter of kits named; Badgerkit and Swiftkit came, he became more eager to dispose of the kits, but I had been to blind to his ambition to stop him.

So one day while Darkwillow was on a hunting patrol, Moonswipe took the kits outside the camp to "play". In reality he took them to a fox den and he left them there. I had been taking a walk around the territory when I smelted fox so I went to investigate.

I was devastated when I found the two little black and white bodies of Badgerkit and Swiftkit lying there unmoving at the entrance of a fox den. But there was another scent there other than fox; it was Moonswipe's scent. I knew I had to confront Moonswipe, but I could just leave the kit here. So I took them back to camp with me and I found that Moonswipe had already returned.

When Darkwillow came up to me and the crowd of cats that had formed around me she hissed, "You killed them!"

"No", I replied simply before calling the clan together. Once all the clan had gathered I said, "Today we lost Darkwillow's kits; Badgerkit and Swiftkit, but their deaths will be avenged. I know who killed them"

"Of course you know, it was you who killed them", Darkwillow sneered.

"No, it wasn't", I promised, "Moonswipe killed them"

"Moonswipe would never do such a thing", Darkwillow promised.

"Really?" I questioned. Turning to one of the apprentices named Sunpaw I asked, "Who was watching the kits while Darkwillow was gone?"

Sunpaw swallowed before saying, "Moonswipe"

"These kits weren't killed by a cat", my medicine cat; Ripplecreek said, "They were killed by foxes"

"And who was it that took them out of camp", I sneered, "Who's scent was it that I found on the kits bodies and around the fox den?"

That's when Moonswipe stepped forth and said, "I didn't kill them, you of all cats should believe me"

Many cats whispered fastly amongst themselves; it had been obvious that Moonswipe and I would become mates, but I could no longer love a cat that would kill his own kin.

I ignored his statement and said, "I can take you to the den, then you can smell the scent yourselves"

In the end I took only Moonswipe, Darkwillow, and my deputy; Lionfire with me. As we neared the den I whispered, "You can smell the fox". The other nodded and I said, "Can you smell the blood?"

Darkwillow's eyes widened in grief as she nodded "Sniff again. What else do you smell", I asked.

Darkwillow took a deep breathed and her eyes widened with shock as she said, "Moonswipe", turning to her son she said, "You kill you kin! You fox-heart!"

As Lionfire calmed the queen down, I said, "Moonswipe, you are now exiled. If I hear or smell you on LarkClan territory again we will kill you"

Moonswipe's dark blue eyes glowed with rage, "We could have had a future together Hailstar, and you want to throw all that away?"

"I want no future with a tom that kills his own kin", I said simply, meeting his smoldering dark blue stare with my pained green one.

Moonswipe simply lashed his tail and said, "You will regret this Hailstar", then he speed off into the forest and that was the last of I ever saw of him.

I still thought about him, and the future we could have had together and I realized that I was truly in love with him, and maybe I still am. But I had to do what was best for my clan. And loyalty comes first.