Author's Note: Now, all my readers from Transformice are probably screaming, 'PENELOPE, WHY THE HELL ARE YOU STARTING ANOTHER STORY?'
Well, everyone knows how I love the Warriors archive. I actually was writing Copy and Paste when I got this idea. Everyone loves a good mystery with a Clan that is surprisingly unpopular.
Now, if you're not interested in this story, please go read A Symphony of Secrets by DahliaStarr. It's simply wonderful~
An empty onyx sky hung ominously over the trees. Golden maple leaves were spotted with snowflakes. The wind howled, and rain pounded against the ground.
Thundersnow was a rare but dangerous occasion. The golden she-cat slipped on the cool mud, and she almost dropped the bundles of fur in her mouth. Her face was numb, and her paws ached. The kits squealed as the she-cat slipped on the ice and plummeted down a hill.
The she-cat quickly got up, sniffing the air. Her ears perked, and she set down the kits. "This is the end of the path. You never got to see me or meet me. But I have to go."
The kits squealed in protest as the she-cat stalked off into the distance, becoming a golden fleck on the horizon. As soon as she left, voices sounded in the distance. "The forbidden cat is here," a gruff voice grumbled.
"Maybe there is a reasonable explanation for this, Smokefrost," a feminine voice squeaked. "That rogue was told she wasn't wanted here. She was supposed to leave!" Smokefrost growled.
"You're being just as cruel as you were when she was just a kit. You disowned her at four moons, and since she had no mother, she had to fend for herself," the feminine voice came again.
"Nobody asked you for your opinion, Cricketsong!" Smokefrost hissed, shoving through the trees. "Listen, S-"
Smokefrost stopped in his tracks when he saw the three trembling kits. "Cricketsong! Emeraldfoot! Burnpaw! Get out here!" he yowled. Cricketsong's tortoiseshell frame appeared first, followed by the silver-furred Emeraldfoot. Burnpaw appeared last, his black frame trembling.
"The forbidden cat has left kits," Smokefrost growled. Cricketsong shoved Smokefrost aside and studied the kits. "Come on, let's take them to camp," she meowed.
"What? You're sheltering kits of the enemy? That's absurd," Smokefrost snapped. Cricketsong narrowed her eyes at Smokefrost. "They are kits, you mousebrain. What harm could kits possibly do to SkyClan? Not that she ever harmed us anyway," Cricketsong growled.
"Stop your bickering! The storm is worsening, and one of the kits is freezing!" Emeraldfoot snarled. Sure enough, the smallest kit's breathing was shallow. His golden fur gave off no warmth, and the kit trembled.
"I'll take him straight to Heatherpaw," Burnpaw murmured, picking up the golden kit. He disappeared into the trees, a shadowy blur among the whiteness. "Who shall care for them?" Cricketsong asked, picking up a gray tabby she-kit.
"We'll let Ferretstar decide whether they stay or not. They could be our demise," Smokefrost hissed, refusing to pick up the golden kit in front of him. "You're paranoid, Smokefrost. Ever since Bailicia and her rogue group killed Softfeather, you lost trust in everyone. Even your own daughter," Emeraldfoot hissed.
The silver tabby crouched down and picked up the golden kit, then padded back towards camp. Cricketsong followed, casting a furious glare over her shoulder. Smokefrost hurried after Cricketsong, kicking snow over the muddy spots where the kits once laid.
-linebreak-
When Burnpaw returned with the first kit, the camp erupted in chaos. Heatherpaw was an untrained medicine cat with a mentor on the border of StarClan. She ran all over camp, enlisting help from elders. However, there was nothing Heatherpaw could do to rescue the kit. He gave two last squeals before going limp. Heatherpaw hung her head mournfully, sniffing. "I'm a horrible medicine cat. I couldn't save this poor kit," she sighed.
Burnpaw laid his tail on Heatherpaw's shoulder. "You're a great medicine cat. You just need training. When Kestreltalon wakes up, he'll teach you everything you need to know," he meowed. Heatherpaw looked uncertainly at the unconscious gray tom. "If he wakes up," she murmured.
At that moment, Cricketsong and Emeraldfoot appeared with the other kits. The tiny kits wailed in agony, flailing their paws. The gray she-kit trembled a bit, fear-scent rolling off of her. She clearly did not like her environment. Ferretstar appeared at the entrance of her den, yellow eyes narrowed. "What's going on? Speak fast, I'm tired and I want to go to bed quicker."
Smokefrost stepped forward, dipping his head to Ferretstar. "Most noble leader, we found these kits in the forest. Along with the scent of the forbidden cat," he murmured. Ferretstar shivered, a chill going down her spine. "The forbidden cat returned? Why has that traitor left kits to die in our territory? She probably thought that they weren't good enough for Bailicia's gang," the brown tabby growled.
"These kits are innocent! And she was too!" Cricketsong snapped indignantly. Ferretstar's eyes flicked towards Cricketsong, and she hissed. "Hold your tongue, warrior. I might just have to claw it out like the rest of the forbidden family," Ferretstar snapped. Sinking her claws into the ground, she turned to Smokefrost. "At least her father is trustworthy."
"Even so, the warrior code says not to neglect a kit in need. They need a mother. When they turn six moons old, I insist that you train them to fight and hunt. When they complete their training, you may do as you wish with them. I know better than to speak out against my leader, but this is total nonsense. If you look at these kits like they are the dirt beneath our paws and judge them because of your paranoia about her, then you don't deserve to lead!" Cricketsong snapped. Gasps rose from the crowd. Ferretstar opened her mouth, and then closed it again. She had been shamed before her own warriors.
Smokefrost narrowed his eyes at Cricketsong and began to stalk around her. "You're just lucky we don't kill you right now. I figured you always favored the forbidden cat. She was the destruction of them all and you just smiled at her and encouraged her to do so. Maybe you're as heartless as she was," he snarled. "Just as mindless, too."
"Smokefrost, stop. She is right," Ferretstar meowed. The brown she-cat licked a white paw and dragged it over her ear. "Cricketsong is wise. That is why she is deputy and not you. Even though they are related to the forbidden cat, these are newborn kits. They haven't been corrupted. We can save them."
Ferretstar motioned to the gray she-kit with her tail. "This kit will now be named Jaykit," she announced. She then turned to the golden tom-kit, and her muscles tensed. "This kit shall be named…"
The Clan watched in anticipation, and murmurs rose from the crowd. "-Sunkit."
The moment the name was uttered, yowls of protest rose into the air. "That's a forbidden name, Ferretstar! You said so yourself!" Smokefrost snapped. "Her treachery hurt us all and now you choose to remind us of it by naming this innocent kit after her!" a black tom added. "You've lost your mind!" a ginger she-cat screeched.
"Silence! Ferretstar doesn't make decisions at random. Not to mention Sundrift was innocent anyways!" Cricketsong snapped. Smokefrost was about to speak again, but Ferretstar flicked her tail. "You need to welcome Jaykit and Sunkit with respect. One day they will be fighting alongside you. They shall be cared for by Leafwhisper. If I hear one more word about this matter, I'm sending you to live with Twolegs."
The brown tabby turned and padded back into her den. The crowd began to disperse, and Leafwhisper padded over to her new foster kits. "I hope you like your new brother Strikekit," she murmured, picking up the squealing kits and padding into the nursery.