CHAPTER 1

"Spiderstar!"

"What is it Honeyleaf?"

"I think our k…kits are coming!"

"Do you want me to find Brackenshine?"

"No!" Honeyleaf hissed. "He's not our clanmate anymore! We can't trust him!"

"But he knows…"

"No!" She said again, persisting. "I know a tiny bit about birthing. My friends weren't all toms, you know." Now she glared at him, but was interrupted by a yowl coming from her own self. "Get me a thick stick!" She said, gasping. "I can bite down on it!"

Spiderstar hurried away. How was he supposed to know what to do? These were his first kits, and he was a tom! He would never get pregnant! Sometimes Spiderstar just didn't understand she-cats. Finally, he found a good stick, and took it back to Honeyleaf. But, by the time he got back, a kit was already born!

"Oh, he's perfect!"

"Yeah, well he's not the only one. There's still one more…kit!" With that last word, one final kitten slipped out from under Honeyleaf's tail. "It's a she-kit!" She gasped. "We have a little tom and a little she-cat!"

"They're beautiful, Honeyleaf. I'm so proud of you!"

"I didn't even have to use the stick."

"I know. Lie back down in the nest, you need to sleep. When you wake up there will be a fresh robin next to you. You always favored robins!"

"Thank you Spiderstar." Honeyleaf whispered before she drifted into a deep sleep. Spiderstar watched the two new kits suckle. The tom was a ginger tabby, just like Honeyleaf, and the she-cat was light brown.

"What about names?" He wondered out loud. "Will their names be clan names, or rogue names?"

"How about Sunkit and Fallenkit?" a voice echoed from behind Spiderstar. Spiderstar whirled around, but then stood still, astonished.

"Sunpelt? And Fallensnow?" The two warriors had apparently come down from the stars, for they had the night sky shimmering around their paws. "But…you're dead!"

"Just because we are dead does not mean we can't visit loved ones." Sunpelt spoke again, his bright ginger pelt shining brilliantly in the fading dusk light. "And you should know, even if Cloudstar didn't, that Starclan still exists." Fallensnow spoke up.

"Spiderstar, your path has still not yet curved, and you will walk down it for a while yet. You can still believe. Skyclan may not exist anymore, but your heart will lead you to the right choice." The Starclan warriors padded away, and looked back one last time.

"Goodbye, Spiderstar. Tell Honeyleaf we said hello. And don't forget that your kits should always remember Skyclan. Don't forget…" Sunpelt spoke one last time and slowly faded. Fallensnow dipped his head to Spiderstar, and soon there was nothing left to remind Spiderstar that two cats had been standing beside him. Dazed, he stumbled away, disappearing into the ferns.

Spiderstar watched as Honeyleaf gently stirred.

"I brought you a sparrow. I couldn't find a robin, but…"

"That's perfect, thank you." Honeyleaf murmured. "I couldn't ask for a better mate." She blinked open her eyes. Seeing the sparrow, she grasped it in her jaws and took a large bite of the prey. "What should we name the kits?"

"I was thinking maybe…Sunkit and Fallenkit, after Sunpelt and Fallensnow?" Spiderstar replied, deciding last minute to not tell Honeyleaf that the two cats had visited him.

"You don't want to give them rogue names? We're rogues now, not clan cats." She looked at him strangely. "Why do you want to?"

"Well, I just think they should know about Skyclan, so they should have Skyclan names." Honeyleaf relaxed her body.

"That makes sense. Fine then, the tom will be Sunkit and the she-cat will be Fallenkit. That even suits them."

"That's why I suggested it. If Sunkit had a black pelt, Sunkit wouldn't fit him. Fallensnow was brown and white, and Fallenkit is brown, so…"

"You don't have to explain it, mousebrain. That's why I said it made sense." Honeyleaf purred. "Now, go hunt for yourself!" During the conversation, she had eaten the whole bird Spiderstar caught, and was now tucking the feathers neatly inside her moss nest. Spiderstar purred back happily, and set off. But Honeyleaf didn't realize his world was tumbling inside his head, full of questions and no answers. Why did the fallen warriors visit him? What was the point of the visit? What did they mean when they were talking about his path? But most importantly, how? Starclan didn't exist anymore. Only the oldest elders believed in that sort of tale. Yet, the two toms said they came from Starclan. With his mind somewhere else, Spiderstar almost missed a mouse that practically ran over his paws. Quickly, coming out from his thoughts, he snapped his jaws down on the prey. Sitting down, he devoured most of the freshkill quickly.

"That looks good. Can I try a bite?" Spiderstar looked up. A kit that looked to be about three moons old was standing near him.

"Where's your mother? She can get you food."

"I don't know. I can't find her. I've been looking for her for two whole suns now. My littermates Wren and Crow are with her too." Spiderstar glanced at the grey tabby tom once again.

"What's your name?"

"Jay. My mother's name is Flower. My father's name is Sparrow. He went somewhere before I was born."

"What does he look like?"

"He's a dark brown tabby. Wren looks like him. Crow and I look like Flower."

"I'll tell you if I see them. You know what? You can just stay with me and my mate Honeyleaf. She just had kits. Here, take the rest of the mouse."

"I really can? Thank you so much!" Spiderstar wasn't sure if Jay was talking about the mouse, his offer, or both, as he watched the kit consume the rest of the mouse.

"Come on, then! I've got to take you to Honeyleaf!"

"Why is her name funny? What's your name?"

"My name is Spiderstar. I'll tell you why our names are different tomorrow morning, after you get to sleep."

"Spiderstar? That's weird too!" But the kit didn't hesitate to follow Spiderstar, and the two toms walked side by side back to Spiderstar's den, the smaller one with his tail high up in the air.