Tree leaves shimmered in the light of the full moon, only being disturbed by a grey figure brushing pass to make way across sturdy tree limbs. As the trees began to thin out, the shape, a fluffy grey and white tom cat, made his way to the forest floor. The cat padded forward, continuing on his quest through the oak trees until he saw the familiar silhouette of another cat in the distance. Quickening his pace to a slight gallop, the tom caught up with the other cat, suddenly halting as if blocked by an invisible barrier. In the light of the full moon setting in the sky, the tom could make out the shimmering white and silver lynx point pelt of the other cat. Her blue eyes glimmered with excitement as he met with her at last.
"What took you so long?" The strange molly purred, taking a step forward to try and nuzzle the other, only to be met with rejection as the tom took a step back from her, avoiding her gaze.
"I have duties to attend to, remember?" The tom muttered, sounding unpleasant. The she-cat sat down, wrapping her plumed tail around her paws neatly, her tail tip twitching slightly. "You should know that by now."
"I do, thank you very much," the molly hissed in reply, raising her muzzle into the air and turned her face away snobbishly, eyes closed. "However when I ask you to meet me at a certain time I still expect you to show up when I ask." The tom twitched his ear sitting down and began to lick his paw, uncaring. The molly opened an eye to peek at the tom and huffed loudly as she saw his nonchalant posture, twitching her whiskers in annoyance. "How is your clan?" She asked, trying to keep an awkward silence from settling upon them.
"Treeclan is well. Though you should know this, seeing as how the gathering ended only a short while ago," the tom replied with a roll of his eyes.
"Right, how silly of me..." she meowed. "...and how's your new mate?"
The tom turned his gaze towards the she-cat now, his green eyes shining in the moonlight with fondness and love as he spoke.
"Brightsky is doing well. I'm happy to have her by my side," he purred, his tone now sounding more soft and gentle as he talked about his mate. "We just received news that she's expecting kits. My kits." The she-cat's ears perked in surprise, her blue eyes expressing sudden sadness. She dipped her head, not wanting the tom to take notice.
"I see...congratulations," she mewed quietly through gritted teeth. The tom nodded slightly, rising to his feet.
"So do you want to tell me why you asked to meet here, Snowfrost?"
The molly lifted her chin slightly, parting her lips to speak. "I..." she trailed off, unable to find the right words.
"You what?" The tom growled slightly, lashing his tail in the grass impatiently.
"Wolfheart, I'm pregnant." Snowfrost finally managed to choke out bluntly.
"What?!" Wolfheart yowled, taking a step back in astonishment. "You can't be. Snowfrost, we stopped meeting each other almost a moon ago. There's no way..." he trailed off, shock showing on his fluffy grey face.
"I'm a medicine cat. I know what the signs of pregnancy are," Snowfrost mewled curtly, lowering her ears.
"And that's the problem!" Wolfheart responded abruptly . "You're a medicine cat without an-"
"Well I have Goldenpaw!" Snowfrost interjected.
"Goldenpaw is still an apprentice. The Code states you must have a fully trained apprentice before having kits."
"I know what the Code says!" Snowfrost snapped, jumping to her paws. Her ears flattened against her head in despair, her claws kneading into the dirt. "Wolfheart, I asked you to come here tonight so we could discuss what we're going to do about my kits...our kits... I don't want to leave them at Twolegplace. I can't stand the thought of them being kittypets. And I can't stand the thought of getting rid of them by..." she mewled in a panic, unable to finish her last statement. Wolfheart growled impatiently, beginning to pace along the invisible barrier- the border.
How could they be so careless? Both of them knew that they weren't allowed to have kits together until Snowfrost had given Goldenpaw, her apprentice, her true medicine cat name. Even if Goldenpaw was fully trained by this point, their relationship was over. There had been no bad blood between them when it happened, however Wolfheart had found himself developing feelings for his kithood friend, Brightsky, over two moons ago.
It all started when he told her about his secret relationship with the Grassclan medicine cat. Wolfheart half expected his long time friend to be angry with him for his treachery. Rather than getting mad, however, Brightsky was far more accepting. She understood that he couldn't help who he loved, and though she couldn't fully approve she would do anything to see the tom happy. She'd listen to Wolfheart talk about Snowfrost whenever they were alone, giving him helpful relationship advice whenever he'd need it. The two Treeclan cats bonded over their shared secret, and Wolfheart hoped he'd be able to keep up his relationship with the love and support of his friend. However, Snowfrost had started to grow jealous of the pair. She would often have an attitude whenever Wolfheart would mention the pretty white and black patched she-cat, venom dripping from her voice like poison from a viper's fangs whenever she'd parrot back any of the advice Wolfheart would share. She grew bitter towards Wolfheart and began to uphold the common snobby nature many Grassclan cats possessed. Eventually, the grey and white tom grew tired of the jealousy and conceded attitude, becoming more and more drawn towards Brightsky's gentle and gregarious nature. Like cracks in a crumbling stone, the forbidden romance began to come undone, and soon the pair agreed it would be best to go their separate ways. They planned to never meet again and to remain separate no matter what may come. But fate works in mysterious ways. Like it or not Snowfrost became pregnant with his kits.
Wolfheart couldn't help but share her fears. He couldn't stand the thought of his children being kittypets, but he knew something bad would happen if Snowfrost kept them.
"We can't keep them, Snowfrost," Wolfheart stressed firmly. Though it was a painful choice to make, but it had to be done not just for Snowfrost's safety, but for the kits' as well. "Even if we aren't together anymore I don't want anything happening to you. It's hard...but at least we'll know they'll be safe. The Twolegs will take care of them."
Snowfrost's stared at him with disbelief, fur bristling with anger. Her blue gaze was like ice piercing through the grey and white tom mercilessly.
"How dare you!" She snarled, baring teeth bared threateningly. "We cannot let our kits be raised to live such a soft life! I expected better of you, Wolfheart. What happened to the tom I knew who would risk everything for the one he loves?" She accused, unsheathing her claws, digging them into the earth to keep herself from clawing at the Treeclan cat.
Wolfheart's ears twitched dismissively as he looked back at the furious she-cat, a chill running down his spine as his soft green eyes met her cold unforgiving gaze. "I would still risk everything for my mate. But you are not her. Not anymore. The kits are your responsibility, I have no say in what happens. But it would be best to take them to Twolegplace," he advised. Snowfrost took a step back, unable to be close to the other cat without acting out on the urge to slice his ears off. An uncomfortable silence now hung in the air around them, so thick it could be cut with the swipe of a claw.
"Fine." The lynx-point molly turned on her heels, facing away from Wolfheart. Her tail lashed violently and the grey and white tom couldn't help but wonder what was going on in that pretty she-cat's head. Without another word, Wolfheart watched Snowfrost take off, disappearing into the cool Greenleaf night.
The night was beginning to grow old as dawn soon approached. The full moon still hung lazily in the sky, illuminating the clearing of a clan camp. Not a cat could be seen out in the open as all were asleep peacefully in their dens, enjoying their dreams and restful slumber. One cat in particular was having a very odd dream.
A pale ginger and white molly awoke to find herself in a starry field, a fine mist hanging in the air around her. Each blade of grass under her paws was covered in dew which resembled twinkling stars. Curious and a bit frightened, the molly walked around. This place was familiar to her by now, she had been here many times after all, but it never got easier. She was always so overwhelmed by the scene, she still couldn't believe she was accepted to train to play such an important role in her clan. But this was an important part of being a medicine cat. The molly wondered what news Starclan chose to share this evening. Out of the mist stepped a star studded being; a white cat with a black leopard spotted coat came into the young she-cat's view, her pelt baring stars on every fur strand.
"Goldenpaw," meowed the cat.
"Hello, Softpetal," Goldenpaw greeted the molly, Grassclan's former medicine cat. "What news do you bring me this evening?"
"Words not to be repeated. Ones only Whitestar may know," Softpetal stated in a serious tone. Goldenpaw lowered her ears, her green eyes filled with concern. This had to be important, especially if she couldn't confide in her mentor to help interpret her ancestors words like she usually did.
To her surprise, Snowfrost was never able to share what news Starclan had given to her in return to help her learn to interpret omens. Perhaps she wasn't allowed to say, or maybe Starclan didn't share dreams with her like they did with Goldenpaw.
"What is your message for Whitestar?" Goldenpaw asked hesitantly.
Softpetal's green star-lit eyes shined brightly. She stared straight at the young molly as she spoke, as if she was not speaking to the young she-cat but her soul.
"Swiftnesswill fortify your ranks, but hurry, Snow's unyielding frost threatens to destroy the balance of the Land's Star," meowed the starry medicine cat cryptically.
Goldenpaw took a step back. A prophecy? She never expected to receive one of those, they were so rare nowadays. What could it all mean, she wondered. Since Whitestar was the only cat she could talk to about this, perhaps the wise older molly could help Goldenpaw decode Starclan's message. With the prophecy delivered, Softpetal dipped her head and disappeared back into the mist. Not long after, the star filled world surrounding the young medicine cat slowly faded away.
The sight of the starry field was replaced with the rays of the rising sun seeping in through the entrance of the medicine cat's den, shining in Goldenpaw's eyes. The she-cat jumped up when she realized she was back in the waking world, her short ginger and white fur bristled from nerves. It took her a moment to regain her grip on reality before she relaxed. With composure regained, Goldenpaw silently crept past her sleeping mentor and out of the den, scurrying across the camp in a hurry to tell Whitestar about Starclan's message.