"Lionheart! Lionheart are you there?" Hisses a soft voice.
"Snowflower? I thought you would never show up-" Another meow starts but is cut off.
"I am being followed! Hurry into this bush." Snowflower mews sharply before shoving him into a bush. The two cats wait as the voices go by them, and they finally relax. Snowflower tells Lionheart how life in Shadowclan was becoming difficult, and Lionheart mumurs a bit about Windclan. "Lionheart, we have kits." Snowflower mumbles.
"They were born? I want to see them!" Lionheart presses.
"Lionheart listen to me. We have to leave the clans. But I have a feeling we need to leave the kits behind in each clan." Snowflower mews quietly. Lionheart stands stunned at this comment.
"I-I guess your right..." Lionheart stammers.
"I will be right back with those kits, my love." Snowflower calls over her shoulder before slipping into the shadowy forest of Shadowclan.
"Lionheart!" whispers an exhausted voice.
"Snowflower? Are you okay?"
"Help me carry these kits!" growls Snowflower, obviously annoyed. Lionheart takes two of the kits.
"What are they're names?" he asks in a muffled voice.
Snowflower drops two kits. Lionheart does the same. "I waited for you to come, so we can name them," she purrs. "How about Leopardkit for the spotted one?"
"Yes and Willowkit for the silver one."
"Tanglekit for the small black one because of this claw." Snowflower shows Lionheart the twisted claw on little Tanglekit's foot.
"Oh my Starclan..." murmurs Lionheart sympathetically.
"For the flame-colored one how about Sunkit for the blazing sun?"
"I love them." Lionheart nuzzles the kits then looks up at Snowflower. "I'll take Sunkit and Leopardkit to Windclan."
"What? We are splitting them up?" gasps Snowflower.
"I want to be a part of my kits' lives, so yes."
"Snowflower, who is this?" asks Leopardkit.
"Leopardkit, this is Lionheart your father," answers Snowflower.
Leopardkit's eyes narrow. "He doesn't smell like Shadowclan."
"Because he is WindClan."
"We are half Clan?" whimpers Willowkit.
"Yes," sighs Snowflower. Tanglekit sleeps soundly on the lake shore.
"Tanglekit, wake up!" whispers Sunkit in Tanglekit's ear.
"Huh? What?" yawns a tired Tanglekit.
"We are halfClan," growls an angry Leopardkit.
"Leopardkit, who is that cat?" asks Tanglekit, staring at the golden warrior.
"That's our father, Lionheart."
"Our father? But he smells weird!"
"Because he's WindClan!"
"He's what?" gasps Tanglekit.
"He is WindClan," mews Willowkit.
"Well, he looks like me," comments Tanglekit proudly.
"So? He is from a different Clan!"
Lionheart picks up Leopardkit and gives her a gentle shake. "Stop it," he murmurs. "Just because I'm from a different Clan doesn't mean I'm not your father!" He drops Leopardkit gently on the ground beside her littermates.
Snowflower looks troubled. "I think we should drop them off in each Clan. Something tells me that it's the right thing to do."
"All right, but we can't return to our Clans. Not after this." Lionheart looks uncomfortable but certain. "I think we have to leave the Clans. We'll go far away. We'll become rogues, decide our own destinies...together."
For a moment, Snowfeather is silent, and then she nods. "All right, my love. I'll be back."
She grabs Willowkit and Tanglekit. Lionheart picks up Sunkit and Leopardkit. "Sunkit will be ThunderClan and Leopardkit will be WindClan," decides Lionheart aloud.
Snowflower nods. "Tanglekit will return to ShadowClan and Willowkit will become a RiverClan kit."
The two cats run off in different directions.
"Put me down!" screeches an unhappy Leopardkit. Lionheart drops Sunkit on Thunderclan territory.
"Not yet."
"Sunkit! Help me!" whimpers Leopardkit.
"Bye Leopardkit!" yowls Sunkit as Lionheart takes Leopardkit away.
"Snowflower why didn't that cat follow us?" asks a curious Willowkit.
"He is taking your brother and sister to different clans."
"But why?"
"Because I'm leaving your littermates will be fine." comforts Snowflower. "Now be good and stay right here." Snowflower leaves Willowkit underneath a willow tree.
"Leopardkit quit squirming!"
"No! I want Snowflower!" growls thefierce Leopardkit.
"Well too bad!" Lionheart drops her in a rabbit hole.
"Stay here or the foxes will kill you!"
"So! It will be better than being away from Snowflower!"
"Leopardkit, I know you don't like being away from your mother but behave for Windclan okay?"
"All right." grumbles little Leopardkit.
Snowflower drops a sleeping Tanglekit in an elder bush. "Be good my precious." whispers Snowflower before she runs off into the rising sun with Lionheart
A/N: Hello everybody! I am happy to say. I have been revising and editing this story. It took forever, but I am finally done!
~Leopardheart