Prologue
The air was freezing; snow had covered the ground and everything else in sight. The wind was whistling loudly through the trees. A small brown and tan long haired cat was running wildly through the snow tripping repeatedly on unseen roots. "Help! Someone! Please help me! Help my kits!" The large bulge of pregnancy was obvious as she attempted to run. She slowed still calling and trying to catch her breath as a convulsion was sent through her. "Oh Starclan… Please…..save my kits…" Another convulsion and she collapsed.
"Did you hear that?" It was the voice of a white female, her long fur coated in the flurries being blown around by the fierce wind.
"I heard the trees whistling if that's what you mean." A broad shoulder tabby with brown and black fur responded curious to what she meant.
"No, I.. I heard a yowl I'm sure of it. I think it came from that direction." She started off away from the clan border they had been tracing deeper into their own territory.
"I guess we're checking it out." This came from the third member in their party a Grey tabby with long, powerful looking legs. They followed the she-cat as she ran ahead searching in different directions, determined to find the origin of the sound.
"There!" She ran farther ahead jumping over a snow covered log she disappeared. The two he-cats looked at each other confused and run after her stopping on top of the log to find the white cat furiously liking a small sand colored queen.
"Roseleaf-" The dark colored male started.
"She's pregnant and I think she may be going into labor. And she's freezing!" Roseleaf meowed with an attempted calm voice but she was shaking.
"Shiverclaw, run and get NettleWhisker! Now!" The Dark tabby ordered and Shiverclaw bolted away without a second glance.
"Thornstar," The dark tabby returned his gaze to the two she-cats. "She's unconscious…" Without warning the sand colored cat had a jolt run through her body and he breathing worsened. Thornstar jumped down from the log and curled his large body around the small cat. Roseleaf continued to lick her but tried to warm her body with hers as well.
"My…my kits…please-" the sand colored queen woke slowly shaking heavily.
Shiverclaw arrived followed by a small light brown she-cat carrying a bundle of dried herbs. She bent over the sand colored cat to check her vitals then turned to Thornstar.
"I don't think she's going to make it but I should be able to save the kits." She whispered over the still whistling trees.
"Do what you can to make it easier for her." Thornstar sighed. NettleWhisker gave the sand colored cat some herbs which she choked down.
"What's your name?" She whispered to her.
"Si-Silvertail"
About an hour later the kits where safely delivered and Silvertail had stopped shivering.
She was dying..
"Please..." She coughed. "These kits are the son of the Streamclan deputy… I-" Pain shot through her and she closed her eyes tightly. "My mate is the leader…" The cats around her gasped it was almost unheard of to mate with two males, in fact it was punishable. "I loved Mudstar but he had a terrible temper and he couldn't have kits with me," she wheezed. "He would always say it was my fault, that I was unable, which wasn't true and I knew it…" she stopped to catch her breath again, it came harder to speak. " Floodfoot and I were closed friends as kits and so he was the only one who knew of our… inability to have kits….. He decided to impregnate me and allow Mudstar to raise them." She opened her eyes and looked sadly at Roseleaf. "I fell in love with Floodfoot, and he with me… he...he treated me with so much more respect." She paused again. "Mudstar was furious when I told him I wanted to be with Floodfoot…..he attacked Floodfoot and killed him out of pure rage!" Her breathing worsed again as she gasped for air, whimpering and crying over her lost love.
"Don't- your pushing your self too hard" Roseleaf began but the small cat shook her head.
"I have to finish... before I..." She coughed up some blood. "Mudstar was furious at my betrayal an had me banished from the clan and told all of our clan if I was seen on his territory I was to be chased out or killed and..." She let out a yowl of pain and suffering. Her kits nuzzled beside her, crying for the milk that had stopped coming. She looked down lovingly at her kits. "They are not to know of these kits. I will watch them from Starclan... if I'm allowed. I can't stand the thought of losing them too..." And with that she closed her eyes and seemed to fall asleep. Only the sounds of her crying kits were left.