Prologue

A chilly breeze blew over the wispy moors of WindClan territory. A young she-cat crept through the tall wheat stalks, as the last crimson lights of sunset melted under the horizon. Her silver fur glimmered in the soft light. A second cat bounded up behind her. It was her sister, who was smaller than the queen, but just as beautiful. She had dark gray fur, and sparkling blue eyes. Her whiskers were milky white, and the tip of her tail was speckled with cream-colored spots. Three kits padded on in front of her, and she nudged them forward.

"Quickly," she whispered. "We don't have much time."

The queen strained her eyes to gaze over the wheat and saw her destination. A giant gray rock protruded from the grass.

As she reached it, she saw a tom standing there. The muscular tom carried golden fur with brown spots. The golden-furred, WindClan tom was the RiverClan queen's mate, and the father of her kits.

"It's been a while, Bluestream," mewed the tom quietly, as Bluestream entered the small clearing. "What took you?" Bluestream pressed her nose into his flank, but didn't answer. Her mate looked at Bluestream's sister.

"Dawnpelt," the tom whispered. "It's good to finally meet you. Bluestream has told me so much about you." Dawnpelt gave him a brisk nod. She didn't entirely trust him, and she wasn't about to hide it. She looked at her sister's kits and nudged one of the kits softly.

"I can see this one takes after her father." And so she did. The small kit and her father carried the same golden fur and dark brown spots, but instead the little kit carried her mother's green eyes.

"Featherkit," whispered Bluestream. Another of the kits, a small she-kit, carried brilliant silver fur and blue eyes as her mother, but had one dark gray paw and a white chest. As Bluestream nudged the kit she whispered, "Mistkit." The last kit, another she-kit, had golden-yellowish fur and sea green eyes. "That one is Lightkit," added Bluestream. They watched as Mistkit, who had been the mischievous one from the beginning, bowled Featherkit over and began a play-fight. Lightkit flinched away, and hid in the comforting warmth and shadow of her mother's leg. Bluestream sighed, looking up at her mate.

"Leopardpelt," she whispered. "I prayed to StarClan for nights this would go well, but we must go back. Their mews would carry for miles if they started to get hungry," she added, gesturing to her children. "and I can't stay here for a whole feeding." Leopardpelt nodded.

"Of course," he murmured. "Stay safe," he whispered, pressing his nose into Bluestream's fur. He gazed longingly at his kits. He couldn't bear to see them any longer. The pain was too great. He clamped his eyes shut, and pulled away.

"Take them," he whispered. Bluestream turned her head to him.

"Leopardpelt," she whispered. "I told you it would be hard. We discussed this—"

"At the last Gathering, I know!" he spat. "I just never imagined it would be this hard to say good-bye." He looked at his kits.

"Don't you forget me!" he whispered.

"I won't forget you," mewed Featherkit. Her voice was tiny, and squeaky, but her voice rang in her father's ears. He smiled.

"I won't forget you either," mewed Mistkit, whose voice was just as tiny, but firmer.

"Me neither," mewed Lightkit. Her voice was barely audible. Bluestream's throat swelled to twice it's normal size, as she saw her kits press up against their father. She would never forget the scene. Grief clawed at her belly. It was her fault that these kits couldn't see their father every day of their lives. She pushed her nose into her mate's golden fur.

"I love you," she whispered. "Just think! Someday your kits will be warriors, and will be able to come to the Gatherings! You can see them all the time!" Leopardpelt opened his mouth to reply, when a fourth cat came into the scene. He was enormous, and stocky, with pale yellow fur and dark eyes. As the warrior realized what was there, he stopped short. His eyes widened, and unsheathed claws that were extremely large and sharp as blackthorns.

"Shadowfang, listen!" mewed Leopardpelt, stepping forward. "Just listen to me—"

"An enemy!" Shadowfang spat. He dug his claws into the ground. "Get out of the way, Leopardpelt," he growled. "This one's mine!" The cat sprang at Bluestream. Her kits scattered, and she tried to flee, but Shadowfang pinned her and started to batter her belly with whirring claws, before Leopardpelt could stop him.

"No!" screamed Leopardpelt. He sprang at the warrior, and flung him away. Bluestream's eyes rolled, and closed.

"Bluestream," he whispered. Dawnpelt hurried the kits away. The tom whipped around and hissed at Leopardpelt, blood dripping from his jaws.

"How dare you!" he spat. "How dare you protect them!" He looked down at his paws, thinking out loud. "Then my suspicions were correct! You've mated with the silver one haven't you? Haven't you! Well the jig is up, Leopardpelt. I know now! And soon the whole Clan will know!"

Leopardpelt leapt onto Shadowfang and clawed at him until the blows Shadowfang was flinging at him grew slower and fainter.

"Leopardpelt!" screeched Dawnpelt. "Stop it! STOP IT!" She grabbed him by the scruff of the neck, and dragged him off of Shadowfang. Leopardpelt flung Dawnpelt off. Her frail body rolled away. She jumped to her paws, claws unsheathed. Leopardpelt was crouching over the body of Shadowfang.

"N-no!" screeched Leopardpelt. Leopardpelt stumbled back. "Shadowfang!" he cried. With a final shudder, Shadowfang died. Leopardpelt couldn't believe it. He hadn't meant to kill him.

"Leopardpelt!" came a cry. He turned around to see Dawnpelt shivering over the body of Bluestream, who was convulsing with shudders. He ran to her side, his stomach lurching. He lowered his head over hers, and pushed his nose into her blue-gray fur. Bluestream's eyes flickered open.

"Leopardpelt?" she whispered. Leopardpelt sighed with relief.

"Bluestream!" he breathed. "It's going…," he looked back at Shadowfang, gulped and then turned back. "It's going to be all right."

"No," she whispered. He knew she was wasting the last of her strength to speak with him, and he felt so ashamed of himself. Of letting her die, and of letting everything collapse in paws, and to have let his one true love die in this awful way, suffering to the death.

"Take the kits home. Make sure they are safe. They need the protection of RiverClan."

"But, WindClan can take care of them!" meowed Leopardpelt. She didn't answer. He knew it was pointless to argue now. The kits belonged with the Clan of their mother. "Fine," he whispered. "But I can't let you die like this. I won't!" Bluestream looked up at him, smiling.

"I was weak cat," she whispered. "I wouldn't have survived long anyhow. It's not your fault."

"Bluestream," yowled Leopardpelt. "Don't talk like that! You're the bravest cat I know!" Bluestream closed her eyes.

"Bluestream, I can't live without you!" he yowled. Her eyes flickered again. Her eyes were no longer filled with weak amusement, but seriousness, as if she had no hope.

"Then we are both weak," she replied solemnly. Horrified, Leopardpelt watched as his mate slipped slowly into death, never to speak again. She gave one last whispery sigh and stopped breathing.

Shame, humiliation and grief clouded Leopardpelt's senses.

"Dawnpelt," he croaked. "Take the kits home." He made for the woods, but Dawnpelt stepped in front of him, angry.

"You can't just leave like this!" she cried. "You have to help the kits get home!" Leopardpelt's eyes were filled with hopelessness.

"You don't understand, do you?" he whispered. There was no anger or frustration in his voice, but he spoke softly, with a strange tinge of pity. Dawnpelt also noticed this.

"Don't patronize me like I'm a kit! The most important cat in the world to me has just died, and-"

"Don't you understand? I have no more future. My mate, my one true love, my beloved Bluestream is dead. I have nothing more to live for."

"What about your kits? Your Clan!"

"My Clan? My Clan would banish me anyway. I have committed a murder against one of my own. And I mated with a cat of another Clan. Do you think they would accept me now, or ever? Of course not."

"You piece of fox dung! Don't you understand? You're just being selfish! Your kits need you, you fool!"

"I have to go, Dawnpelt," he whispered. "You may not understand why just now, but in time—"

"Excuse me?" she spat. "I've been a warrior for just as long as Bluestream, and—"

"You've never been in love!" he spat.

"How do you know?" she screeched, positively livid. Leopardpelt just blinked.

"Well, it's not my place to know, is it?" He headed towards the forest.

"You're a coward if you leave!" spat Dawnpelt, so furious she felt like clawing his eyes out.

Leopardpelt froze. He turned around, his eyes blazing with such fury, that Dawnpelt almost took a step back, but she held her ground, and glared at her sister's mate. How could her sister be so stupid as to fall in love with this coward? Such an arrogant, self-centered fool belonged with another fool, not with the kind, gentle, intelligent cat that had used to be her beloved sister.

"Listen, you!" he spat. "You have no business telling me what I should do. Yes, I'm selfish, I'm a piece of fox dung, but NO ONE calls me coward. If those kits are so important to you, why don't YOU take care of them?!"

Dawnpelt had never felt so enraged. Is this what you have given me to deal with? Dawnpelt inquired to StarClan quietly. Is this the reward you give Bluestream for the kindness and respect she has given every cat she has ever known? Is this how you wished it would all end? Falling apart in my paws, in front of my sister's children?

"It's YOUR responsibility as a father!"

"I don't want those kits!"

Featherkit gave a squeal.

"What?" she squeaked. "I thought you said—"

"Silence!" yowled her father. She shrunk back. Dawnpelt was shocked to speechlessness. Leopardpelt had lost all sense. As a father, it was nature's instinct for him to want to protect his kits at all costs…but Bluestream's death had pushed him to insanity. He was a weak cat. And so he turned to leave and kept going.

"You are a coward!" yowled Dawnpelt. He didn't stop.

"COWARD!!!"

He didn't stop.

He was never seen again.

Dawnpelt, cold, alone, and horrified at what had just happened, turned to the kits, who were so mortified that they were barely clinging to consciousness.

"Come, little ones. We must get back to camp." She hung her head, and began to walk away. Featherkit jumped up defensively.

"But, w-wait a minute! Come back!" Dawnpelt kept going.

"Stop!" yowled Miskit, who had jumped up next to her sister. Dawnpelt stopped and slowly turned around.

"What happened?" cried Miskit.

"I—" Dawnpelt couldn't explain. "When you're older," she finally replied simply.

And with that, she began to walk away. Featherkit and Mistkit helped Lightkit stumble towards Dawnpelt's direction, who was frozen stiff with shock. Dawnpelt's words rang in Featherkit's mind.

When you're older…