"Are you going to name the kits?" Speckletail asked, care filling her amber eyes. Shadepelt's left eye twitched as she wondered what had gone wrong in her old friend's mind.

"Of course! I have thought of good names for them! This black and white tom will be named Swift, in honor of his long legs. This silver and white she-kit looks like Snow, I guess Rain will be nice. This tortoiseshell she-kit... Speckletail, would you like to name her?" Leaf gazed at the elder.

"Yes! The tortoiseshell she-kit can be Spotted," Speckletail mewed. After Spottedleaf.

"I think you should give them clan names," Speckletail muttered and realization hit the mottled brown she-cat. "Then, their new names will be Swiftkit, Rainkit and Spottedkit."

"But Leaf, shouldn't Snow name one too? After all, the kits are his." Speckletail looked strangely at Leaf.

"He's deaf, Speckletail, he will not know how to name a kit anyway," Leaf replied, before padding away. "I am going to out to hunt!"

Speckletail ran towards Leaf. "I will join your hunt!"

"Great! We can discuss about our new clan on the way..." Leaf's voice trailed behind.

Snow looked at the two departing she-cats, with regret in his blue eyes.

"Quiet!" Speckletail flocked her tail, signaling to Leaf.

Twolegs were gathering at the only piece of forest left. The yellow monsters were sleeping nearby. Speckletail padded as softly as possible past the twolegs, to a stretch of meadow that the twolegs did not destroy.

"Here!" Leaf mumbled to herself. A fat brown mouse were eating nuts nearby. Leaf licked her lips, and crept towards the mouse stealthily. When Leaf was a whisker away from her prey, she pounced with great strength. With tail high in the air and a satisfied purr, Leaf placed a paw on the mouse. The mouse struggled under Leaf's claws. Leaf lowered her head, and let the mouse had a glimpse of her sharp fangs before they pierced through its skin. Before long, the mouse went limp.

Leaf was just about to taste her prey when Speckletail appeared from behind a bush.

"Leaf! I told you that warriors are not supposed to eat their prey when they are on a hunting patrol! They are supposed to bring the prey back to camp and feed it to the elders first!" Speckletail scolded gently.

Reluctantly, Leaf replied, "Fine. But why are you making that mewling sound?"

Speckletail looked confused for awhile, and she looked around. A paw stuck out of the thistle bush nearby. The elder's ears twitched as she sniffed the air. Leaf flattened her ears at the awful sound. "Hungry... Food..." The thistle bush moved.

Speckletail padded towards the bush, and clawed apart the leaves, revealing a small newborn kit. The kit was rolling about, and his stomach was rumbling. "Mother," he slowly made his way to Speckletail and pressed himself against her. He started to find a feeding spot, and the elder moved to let Leaf come in.

"Leaf, do feed this poor scrap of fur," Speckletail mewed. Leaf gladly obliged, and lied down, nuzzling the kit.

After the kit is full, the pair padded back to camp with two mice, a blackbird and a pale ginger kit.

"Good job!" Loudbelly praised Leaf. "Speckletail must have taught you well!"

"Well, I just caught a mouse, the credit belongs to Speckletail! And, the mouse I caught was like deaf, it did not hear me, although I made so much noise. I am not as good as you think." Leaf seemed embarrassed at the praise, she quickly padded over and put the kit down along with hers.

The red round sun settled itself behind a mountain, and before long, the moon and the stars appeared in the dark blue sky. Speckletail yawned, and stretched her stiff legs and paws.

Speckletail nosed the kit, and asked Leaf for his name. Snow padded over, obviously interested in the new kit.

"Shell," the white tom prodded the kit with a face of happiness.

"Or rather Shellkit," Leaf beamed, licking her foster son. "I really don't know why would a mother abandon such an adorable kit.

"Let's rest," Speckletail padded next to Shadepelt and snuggled closer to her. Snow too, closed his eyes, listening to Leaf's snoring, and the crickets' music. He looked at the pale ginger kit, and twitched his whiskers.

Snow sat on the soft, wet grass. He shifted his paws uneasily; the water dampening his fur did not feel good. The white tom looked around, but there was only mist in his sight.

"Snowkit... Don't be afraid, they will come soon..." Snow spun around, but no cat was there. "Snowkit... I will always be there for you..."

'Did I hear that?' Snow thought, surprised.

A scene unfolded in front of Snow. The pure white tom took a few steps back, startled.

There was a younger version of Speckletail. A pure white kit rolled at her tail not far away. Speckletail seemed desperate and kept scolding the little kit. However, the kit continued batting Speckletail's tail with his small paws. Speckletail got up, irritated and disgusted at the kit's failure and uselessness. She went to a fresh-kill pile nearby. But within minutes, cats crowded Speckletail and Speckletail seemed terrified and yowling loudly at the pure white kit.

A brown figure appeared in the sky. It was a hawk, a big fierce hawk, ready to devour any kit it sees.

The hawk bore an evil gleam in its eyes as it flapped nearer and nearer to the kit. The kit continued playing with his moss ball, oblivious to the danger it is facing.

Snow watched in terror. 'No! The kit! The kit!' Snow wailed in his heart.

He badly wanted to pounce of the hawk and save the kit, but he just could not move his paws. His paws are like rooted to the ground, he could only stand there, mouth opened.

Snow can only watch the hawk stretch his talons, and grab the little kit by his scruff away. Snow blamed himself, he shook his head wildly. 'It's all my fault! I should stop the hawk! This must be a dream! Wake up now!'

Snow blinked his eyes frantically, he leapt to his paws. Shadepelt smelt the fear scent radiating from Snow, and she looked at Snow, worried.

"Anything wrong? Oh yes, you are deaf," Shadepelt laughed at her own stupidity.

'That kit, that kit looks familiar...' Snow thought.

[Flashback] Snow's POV

Pain filled me, and I badly want to yell. I wish Mother was beside me, protecting me like she always had. But this time it was different, I could feel my heart going to stop, and my flesh being eaten by the merciless hawk. Although I had never open my mouth, I do know what is dangerous: Eagles, hawks, deathberries etc.

Suddenly, another brown figure appeared in the blue sky, and the two hawks came face to face with each other.

Unexpectedly, the hawk loosened his tight and the two began fighting each other, maybe for territory, or food... Never mind that, I was so afraid to look down, perhaps I would rather be eaten by a hawk than to be dropped down to earth from as high as StarClan.

When I touched the ground, I could feel nothing, no pain, no misery, no fright, no fear... Absolute nothing.

Later, a tongue kept licking me, and I stretched my white paws. "It was just a bad dream, Mother is still there..."

Blink. Horror.

There was a cat, a fierce cat glaring at me. I shivered uncontrollably. Where is Mother?

Another brown and white she-cat padded to the fierce tom and her mouth moved.

After awhile, the tom relaxed and stalked away, although he is still eyeing me suspiciously from a corner.

A dark brown kit and his tortoiseshell sister will always play with me, though they find me no fun. I could not understand what they were playing or talking about! I guess all cats feel the same way as me when they are just two moons old, maybe if I eat more I will grow and hear the voices of others.

The dark brown kit and his sister are my only friends, the other kits did not want to play with me, I know I am not good with games, especially when you do not even know the rules, or what game are you playing.

The little she-kit is Leaf, while the tom is named Bone, as he liked to bite a bone as if he is a dog. Strange, because he is a cat.

When we grow up, my other 'siblings', Cloud, a fat silver and white tom, Hazel, a brown tabby she-kit, Berry, a blue-gray she-kit and Mouse, a striped brown tabby, all left, in search of their future. Bone was gone too, my foster mother, Bounce, told us that a few big bad cats had taken him away, but I don't really understand why. Leaf and I never separated, I needed her by my side. Maybe she need me by her side too.

I know that I am selfish, but I thought I was Leaf's best friend, and Leaf will always be with me, but that changed. When we met Speckletail, Leaf was very close to the elder now. We have drifted apart. Can I tell you a secret? I think Leaf's kits are not mine.

Author's Note:

Leaf - Ambitious mottled brown she-cat with bright green eyes. She is fierce and loyal.

Snow - Snow white tom with brilliant blue eyes and an unruly pelt. He is often too sensitive and tends to think of his best friend as his 'belonging'.

Speckletail - She is kind but occasionally grumpy, follows the warrior code strictly, but breaks it for her kin.

Shadepelt - She hates others mentioning Mudfur's death, she trusts other cats easily and she is a bit paranoid sometimes.

Loudbelly - He is out-going and fights well. However, sometimes he says ridiculous things, perhaps that's part of growing old.

Bone - Snow's brother. He is actually Bone from BloodClan. In this fan-fiction, he is not killed by a group of apprentices (which I find very strange). He is cold-hearted, but still care for his kin.

Cloud - Plump white tom. Snow's brother, went as far as the mountains and earned his tribal name, Cloud Of Burning Sun. The tribe gladly accepted him, since they are in need of new members. He is protective of his kin, and he is also a good hunter.

Hazel - Snow's sister, went to join BloodClan, yet she refused to have her name changed. Fights well. Her heart is not yet as hard as stone, but she needs to behave evil in front of her 'clan mates'. She actually has a heart as soft as snow.

Berry - Snow's sister, went to join BloodClan. She refused to have her name changed too. Excellent hunter. Easily jealous. Values kinships. Strongly agree in 'Blood is thicker than water'.

Mouse - Snow's brother, went to become a loner, name is still the same. Now lives with Barney and Ravenpaw in the barn. (Barney is getting very old.)

And thank you to the four reviewers.

R&R!

-Stuffed Watermelon