Chapter 1

Echosong looked fondly down at the three tumbling balls of fur nestled close to her belly. Swiftflight licked her ear.
"They're perfect," he whispered.
Echosong glanced up at her mate.
"Help me name them." she offered.
"Alright, the black tom can be Equinoxkit, I like the sound of that name." he smiled. Echosong nodded her agreement.
"And the spotted tom...?" she asked.
" Winterkit." Swiftflight meowed.
Echosong looked at him, confused.
" But...why Winterkit? It doesn't really suit him..." she meowed.
" Perhaps, but look at his eyes...they're icy blue. It reminds me of winter."her mate explained.
"Oh, I see... it does suit him after all."
"You name the last one." he urged.
Echosong focused on her remaining kit, a gray female.
"Ashkit." she mewed finally.
"Perfect names for perfect kits." Swiftflight sighed.
Echosong licked each kit over again.
" Now comes the dreaded part. Which Clan should they be raised in?" she asked.
"Yours." Swiftflight answered automatically. "They should be raised in RiverClan with you, so your Clanmates aren't suspicious as to what happened to them."
Echosong stared solemnly at the ground.
"OK," she sighed at last, " But they would have made amazing ShadowClan warriors."
"I know."
Equinoxkit looked up happily at his father, completely unaware as to what was going on. Winterkit and Ashkit huddled together on the cold leaf-bare ground. Swiftflight gazed sadly at his kits.
"Take them quickly. Go!" he hissed at his mate.
Echosong stood up stiffly, then, after touching her muzzle to Swiftflight's, she picked up Winterkit and slipped off towards RiverClan camp, with Equinoxkit and Ashkit tumbling after her.