Chapter Four

Forbidden Love

"Dovewing?" Dovewing jumped and Tigerheart disappeared.

"Jayfeather?" She gasped. What is that cat doing? Jayfeather asked himself in his thoughts. Dovewing growled, swiftly making sure the dream took place OUTSIDE the ShadowClan border.

"Dovewing, what are you doing? Why are you dreaming of Tigerheart?" Jayfeather hissed, his voice more than the regular annoyed style. He was furious, maybe even beyond furious. He had so many questions. Why was Dovewing dreaming of Tigerheart? Why was Dovewing shifting uncomfortably? Was this young ThunderClan warrior, one of the Three, be meeting in secret with ShadowClan filth? Jayfeather stopped asking himself those questions. Tigerheart and I thought we were kin, but now they are calling me a murderer! Where is the sympathy in that? Why should I care for them? Jayfeather thought.

Only Dovewing's angered growl struck him out of his trance. "Why are you here?"

Jayfeather only chuckled. "The question was "Why are you dreaming of Tigerheart?"!"

"None of your business! Why do you want to know?" She demanded. Jayfeather knew something was up. He knew she wasn't telling the truth.

"Dovewing, you're meeting with him, aren't you? You're breaking the warrior code over a ShadowClan warrior!" Jayfeather growled. Dovewing shuttered obviously.

"Sometimes the Warrior Code can't break some things. What I and Tigerheart have is absolutely NONE of your business, and if you want me to tell you why, good luck! We won't live this battle by following the warrior code, surely. Ivypool works her tail off every night not to get caught spyingfor us! She could get killed! The warrior code says to not kill in battle. Do you think the Dark Forest would fight with claws sheathed, ready do not fight if an enemy has been injured?" She hissed. Jayfeather did kind of see sense in this answer. But he lived by the Medicine Cat code. He shouldn't let Dovewing do that, but it wasn't his choice. If she met with Tigerheart, that was her choice, not Jayfeather's.

Dovewing felt paws nudging her side. She opened her eyes slowly. She saw a dark orange pelt with black stripes.

"Tigerheart?" She exclaimed.

"Yes! But shhh, and come on." He raced out of the camp, out of the side, where Lionblaze showed her how to get out of the camp. Is the Dark Forest teaching them this?She asked herself.

"Tigerheart, are you mouse-brained?"Dovewing growled once they were out of camp. Tigerheart looked at her surprised.

"Dovewing? Is that you? Who is that?" She heard Cinderheart's voice call.

"Run," She whispered to Tigerheart, then to Cinderheart, "Yeah, it was a rogue. I chased it off, though,"

"Okay! Enjoy the rest of your walk." Cinderheart went back to the entrance of the camp. She ran in the direction where Tigerheart had gone. She stopped by some brambles, and was tackled.

"Huh?" She yelped. She realized it was Tigerheart.

"Oh, hi to you, too." He laughed.

"Well, first you sneak in my camp and wake me up, then tackle me!"

"Oh, no...I forgot about the night patrol! I'm supposed to be with them! I'll talk to you later, Dovewing." He called, racing off. Dovewing sighed, and padded back to camp.

In them morning, Dovewing went on a hunting patrol. When she got back, she brought a vole to Mousewhisker and then to Ferncloud in the nursery.

"Hello, Ferncloud!" She beamed.

"Hi, Dovewing." Ferncloud replied. Her kits, Lilykit and Seedkit were prancing in the nursery with about as much grace as a duck.

"What's up?" She asked.

"Nothing, just making sure Lilykit and Seedkit are playing nice. Dovewing, why didn't you tell us you were expecting?" Ferncloud asked her. Dovewing frowned.

"What do you mean?" She asked. Ferncloud smiled, and said,

"You didn't tell us you were having kits."

"Uh, I have to go. I'll talk to you later." She replied. She squeezed out of the nursery. kits? I'm having kits? Surely not...but maybe, thought Dovewing. She raced towards the ShadowClan border. She looked around. She stretched her senses out into the ShadowClan camp. Tigerheart wasn't there. So she checked the border patrol; He was on the one for the ThunderClan border. She sat and waited. She saw the patrol appear, and acted as if she were hunting.

"Ow! Sorry, I stepped on a thistle…I'll catch up in a minute!" Dovewing heard Tigerheart. She smiled. Was she happy? Of course! The patrol carried on and once they left, Tigerheart stood, walked to Dovewing, and nuzzled her.

"Hi," She said.

"Hello." He replied. He was happy to see her. He saw her eyes and his smile faded.

"Tigerheart," She said, frowning.

"Yes?" He asked, absolutely oblivious.

"I'm expecting kits." She told him. He stood there, frozen.

"Tigerheart, are you okay? Do you want me to come help?" Tallpoppy's voice called through the vast pine trees.

"Uh, no! I'm fine. Dovewing, I'll talk to you tonight." He said. Dovewing nodded, and padded to camp with a rabbit and a pigeon.

"Dovewing! Congratulations! You're having kits!" Dovewing heard her sister Ivypool call.

"Thanks!" She brushed up against Ivypool, grinning.

This love was forbidden…and so were these kits. Was this the destiny StarClan laid out for her?