Prologue

A white figure ran across a clearing in the forest. Its green eyes looked around warily. Without warning the cat leaped into a bush near by. Inside the bush were three little kits. One was completely white, one was completely black and the smallest was black with a white stomach. The white she-cat licked her kits to keep them warm. A yowl arose from the forest surrounding her. Her hazel eyes clouded with fear. She peered out into the deep dark night and saw another cat walk into view.

The handsome tom walked into the middle of the clearing. He had a thick grey pelt, white stripes and powerful, strong looking shoulders. He lifted his nose to the crisp night air. The white she-cat shut her eyes as if preying. After a moment, the tom narrowed his eyes and looked in her direction.

"Whitemist, I know you're there." He meowed, keeping his voice steady. "There isn't any point in hiding." She poked her head out a little.

"Are you alone?" whispered Whitemist. The tom looked around and nodded. Whitemist took a step into the clearing.

"Snowstripe please go." She shook her head. "I'm just hunting." He narrowed his black eyes even more.

"I know about the kits Whitemist." He growled. "You broke the warriors code. Medicine cats aren't supposed to have kits."

"Oh Snowstripe please don't tell anyone. I beg of you," She whimpered. Snowstripe sneered.

"There will be no need to tell anyone." Meowed Snowstripe, Whitemist looked relieved. "Because there will be no kits after tonight." The medicine cat's smile faded and her eyes clouded with fear once more.

"Oh no please Snowstripe. Please don't harm. Please!" she cried. Snowstripe's eyes flashed with amusement.

"You broke the warrior code and now you must be punished," He snarled. "And by that your kits must die." Whitemist's stiffened her beautiful, white body.

"But it's not my kits fault that I broke the code." Her voice shook as she spoke. "Why should they have to pay? Kill me instead." Her voice stopped shaking and determination was seen in her face. Snowstripe laughed.

"But than that won't be a punishment for you because you will be dead!" he said. "You should have to live, watching your kits die." Whitemist stepped in front of the bush where her sleeping kits lay.

"You will not harm my kits until, Snowstripe. I won't let you touch them unless I'm gone and am no longer able to protect them," She meowed. Snowstripe grinned.

"Gladly," He meowed. "You left Shadowclan in the middle of my training. I never was able to become a medicine cat." Whitemist's expression changed.

"I left because my parents were from Thunderclan! I had no one in Shadowclan! My sister, Yellowshade had no one once they died. I went to be with her! Besides! Why would I want to stay in Shadowclan when a little while after I started training you, I found out that Shadowclan had stolen me from Thunderclan as a kit?" Snowstripe sneered and leaped at her. But Whitemist was ready.

The two cats rolled across the clearing, soon to find a large rock. They stood up and Snowstripe smashed Whitemist into the stone. Whitemist gasped as the wind was knocked out of her. A pitiful mewl came from the bushes. Snowstripe walked away towards them. Using her last bit of strength, the got to her feet and clawed the back of Snowstripe's. He fell to the ground in pain. Whitemist crawled over to the trees and inside the bush. The kits crowded around her.

"Mommy what's happening?" asked the white she-kit. Whitemist could barely keep her eyes open. She looked at her kits and smiled.

"Fare well, Frostkit, Smokekit and Twister…." Unable to finish the last and smallest kit's name, she rolled over and lay motionless. Frostkit sobbed over their dead mother. The smallest and weakest of the kits wasn't awake. He was very weak and before, Whitemist was sure he would die. Frostkit turned to him and licked his pelt. He stopped moving and sat there as still as a rock.

"We've lost Twisterkit and mother," whimpered Frostkit and snuggled up against Smokekit. The two of them sobbed for a while and then fell asleep.

A little while later, Frostkit woke from a grunt just outside the brambles. Whitemist was dragged out and then a white striped tom crawled in. He sneered at her and took Smokekit out of the bush. Frostkit heard a gasp of pain and a rustle of the chilly wind. The tom came back and was about to grab Frostkit when he stopped and meowed a vicious meow. Frostkit, trying to be brave glared at the tom.

"What do you want?" She growled. Snowstripe glanced at her.

"Your mother died and was punished. Wouldn't it be torture for her to watch one of her kits join the clan she hates most?" he grinned. Frostkit stiffened. Snowstripe prodded Twisterkit.

"I'm not taking a dying kit with me," he growled and turned back to Frostkit. "You tell anyone of this and I will kill you." Frostkit shut her mouth and promised herself she would never tell anyone who killed her mother or brother. Snowstripe picked her up and ran into the black night.

Twisterkit switched his left ear. He lifted his head and sniffed the air. All he smelt was the scent of deaths. His mother wasn't there neither were his siblings. He tried to get to his feet but was too weak and fell to the ground unconscious.

"Lightningstep! There's something in those brambles!"

What are you talking about?"

"Oh no Starclan. This kit smells of clans… two clans but I can't make out which. But there must be Thunderclan… He smells of Whitemist. Hey I haven't seen her in a couple day… where ahs she been"

"Umm… Yellowshade? She's been killed and rolled in fox dung. Most likely to get rid of the scent." One of the cats whimpered.

"Did she have kits?"

"If she did, I'm glad she died."

"Lightningstep! How could you say that! Especially in front of me! If this is her kit then I'm taking him with me! And I'm not going to allow anyone to tell him either! If he is her kit, he deserves to not know that his mother broke the code."

"Fine. Let's go."