Authoress Notes: So I decided to go with something new this time and make this pairing actually cannon, plus it was a "what if" scenario playing in my head.
Claim: I can rightfully say I own Squirrelflight's kits.
Disclaim: If I had my way, Lionblaze, Hollyleaf and Jayfeather would have actually been Squirrelflight and Brambleclaw's kits. And Squirrelflight and Brambleclaw would still be mates.
Pairing: Squirrelflight x Brambleclaw
Chapter One
Squirrelflight yawned, jaws opening as she stretched and turned towards the nursery. Instinct told her to head over there, though she knew her kits had been newly apprenticed, and therefore, would no longer be in there.
A pang of guilt twitched in the she-cat's chest. Jaypaw, Hollypaw and Lionpaw, as far as every cat in the ThunderClan knew, were her kits with her mate, Brambleclaw. Only Leafpool knew the truth - that the three apprentices were Leafpool's kits, and not Squirrelflight's.
But she loved them as much as if they were her own, and she felt a fierce protectiveness now that they were no longer tiny kits, mewling as they rested against her belly fur. Squirrelflight's ears flicked and she turned when a familiar voice called her name.
"Fireheart wanted me to take a hunting patrol," mewed Brambleclaw as he approached, and his pelt mingled with hers. "Want to join?"
"Sure," she answered, tail twining with his as she ignored the flash of guilt that surfaced once more. What would he think if he knew that those new apprentices weren't his kits? Squirrelflight shook her head. He could never know - if he found out, he'd be furious, and she didn't think that she could deal with that aspect of losing him.
Pulling herself out of her thoughts, Squirrelflight padded alongside her mate, following him past the thorny branches that guarded the entrance to the ThunderClan camp. It seemed only yesterday that she'd fallen over the low edge of the cliff and stumbled upon what was now her home.
"Squirrelflight?" Brambleclaw's mew broke her from her thoughts. "Is something wrong?"
The ginger she-cat's ear twitched towards him. "Why?"
"You're not usually this quiet," he purred, amused as she batted at his muzzle with a paw, claws sheathed. Clearing her head of her thoughts, she opened her mouth slightly, drinking in the scents of the forest.
Catching the scent of a rabbit, she turned, searching for her prey. When green eyes fell upon brown fur, she lowered herself, belly fur brushing against the ground before she shot forward, ignoring the strange tug of her stomach muscles as she bounded forward, hot on the heels of her quarry.
Ignoring Brambleclaw's call - she couldn't hear what he'd said - she continued on, paws pounding against the forest floor. She swung a paw towards her prey, smacking it through the air, though she was startled when a blur of tabby fur slammed into her, knocking her off course.
Squirrelflight leapt to her paws, shaking the daze away from her head before she turned upon her mate, fur bristling. "What was that for? I almost had it!"
"Look," stated Brambleclaw grimly, paw directed towards a few tail lengths in front of them. Squirrelflight glanced over, curious. There, nestled in the grass, was one of the odd traps that were meant for foxes, set by the Twolegs. "You almost ran into that."
"Oh..." Her pelt flattened, and she licked Brambleclaw's ear as an apology, pressing against him. One of the traps had almost taken her father's life moons ago, before Jaypaw, Lionpaw and Hollypaw had been kitted.
Squirrelflight's emotions and thoughts became an unsteady whirl at the mention of her kits. Would they hate her too, if they discovered she wasn't their mother? What would she do, if the whole clan found out? Leafpool would have to give up her position, something Squirrelflight wouldn't allow as long as she breathed.
Jerking herself out of her thoughts, Squirrelflight turned, confused at the sudden concern in Brambleclaw's eyes. "You're bleeding," he stated, and he padded forward, tongue rasping over a scratch that marred her shoulder. "You should have Leafpool look at that when we get back."
"I will," she promised, and she turned, searching for her prey. The rabbit lay beyond the fox trap, and she lifted it, skirting around the trap as she headed back towards camp with Brambleclaw, pausing only to allow her mate to catch a vole before they returned.
Adding her catch to the fresh-kill pile, Squirrelflight made a beeline for her sister's den. The tabby she-cat turned when she entered, and she mewed, "Hi, Squirrelflight. Something wrong?"
"I need cobwebs," she answered, and at her sister's look of confusion, she showed her the scratch. Leafpool stood, moving towards her ginger sister and sniffing at it.
"I'll give you some marigold too," she said, and she returned shortly, chewing the marigold, cobwebs wrapped around her paw. Squirrelflight hissed as the juice seeped into the wound, though it soothed the burning ache before cobwebs were applied, and she blinked gratefully at her sister.
Pawsteps made her turn, and she found Spiderleg entering the den, dragging two mice with him. "Brambleclaw said neither of you had eaten," the black warrior mewed, and then turned to leave.
Squirrelflight dragged one of the mice towards her and bent taking a bite. Blood seeped through, and while she would have found the taste of the meat appetizing on a normal day, she found her appetite gone. She sat up, pawing at her unfinished meal.
"Squirrelflight?" Concern tinged Leafpool's voice. "What's wrong?"
"I think it's a belly ache," she mewed, and her sister turned before pushing a few leaves towards her sister.
"Wait," she mewed before Squirrelflight had a chance to lap up the herbs. "Let me check, alright?"
Nodding, she lay down, allowing her sister to press on her belly with a paw. Squirrelflight resisted the urge to hiss, though her pain seemed to be evident by the way Leafpool withdrew for a moment before touching lightly.
An odd mixture of emotion flooded Leafpool's eyes, and for a moment, Squirrelflight was confused. "Squirrelflight, you're-"
"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather underneath the Highledge for a Clan meeting!" Firestar's yowl rang through the air, and Squirrelflight glanced at her sister as she rose to her paws.
"You were saying?"
Leafpool hesitated and then shook her head. "It can wait," she meowed, and the ginger warrior touched noses with the medicine cat, padding out of the den with her littermate, their pelts brushing.
Squirrelflight glanced at the gathered cats, and after a moment's delibration, she sat beside Brambleclaw, glancing towards her - technically her sister's - kits, pride making her chest swell before she turned as Firestar spoke.
"There have been reports of a badger occupying a set near camp," her father spoke, and Squirrelflight felt her pelt tickle with the familiar fear. Badgers had almost destroyed their new home - and the cats it belonged to - not long after they'd found it, though Onestar and the WindClan had come to their aid.
The rest of the meeting went uneventful beyond the need to stock up on fresh-kill before Squirrelflight turned, turning back when her father called her name. "Take Brambleclaw and Rainwhisker for a patrol of the boarders."
Nodding, she turned to do just that when Leafpool's voice rang out. "No!" Several cats turned towards her sister. Leafpool's tail lashed in embarassement. "I want to look at that cut before you go anywhere," she stated hurriedly, "and didn't you say you had a belly ache?"
Squirrelflight paused. There was a desperate light to her littermate's eyes, and she looked towards her father. "Yeah," she mewed, and Firestar nodded, murmuring something to Sandstorm.
Padding to Leafpool's side, Squirrelflight turned to find her mother, Brambleclaw and Rainwhisker heading for the entrance of the camp. Turning back, she found her sister squeezing into the medicine cat den.
"What was that about? I'm sure that I'll be fine," she meowed, and when Leafpool turned, Squirrelflight was surprised by the severity of her gaze, as well as the undercurrent of worry. "Leafpool?"
"It's not a belly ache," she mewed suddenly, and Squirrelflight's tail curled in confusion. "You don't have a belly ache, Squirrelflight."
"What do you mean? Of course it's a belly ache! Maybe I ate too much fresh-kill or some bad prey."
Leafpool shook her head. "Listen to me!" she snapped, and the ginger she-cat wondered what had her sister looking so agitated and worried.
"Tell me," pressed Squirrelflight.
"You're expecting kits."