One Moon Later…

Shadow sat on her fence waiting patiently for Lionpaw to arrive, they had been meeting for just over a moon now and Shadow felt almost at peace with the wild tom. He reminded her so much of her tribe mates back home. He was a clan cat, apprenticed to be a warrior. Their customs were similar, she had realized, to their own in the tribe. The warriors were both prey-hunters and camp-guards, unlike the tribe the clans had a leader and deputy, who was second in command, they also had a medicine cat that treated their battle wounds. That would be useful to have in the tribe she though sourly as she waited.

"Shadow?" a hiss sounded from the bushes. Her pelt prickling with excitement she leapt from the fence and raced into the trees, crashing headfirst into Lionpaw.

"Lionpaw!" she exclaimed "I thought you weren't coming", she purred her fur laying flat against her back.

"Of course I came, mousebrain" he purred rubbing his face against hers "But I'm Lionstorm now" he looked at her proudly "There was a border fight last night with Shadowclan and Amberstar made me a warrior" he stared down into her eyes affectionately.

"You were in a battle" she murmured worriedly, covering his pelt with licks "Were you hurt?."

"No, I'm fine" he purred "But you should see the Shadowclan cats" he laughed twining his tail with hers.

As the sun began to set Shadow padded back to her garden, Lionstorm at her side, with their pelts brushing. Padding up to the door she yowled loudly waiting for Melissa to open the door. Nothing. She sat down curling her tail over her paws "That's strange" she whispered "Melissa is usually here before I can finish yowling". Lionstorm looked at her his eyes filled with worry "Would you like me to stay with you, here in the garden?" he asked "Just until Melissa lets you in?" Shadow purred "Thanks that would be great".

Shadow yawned and opened her eyes, startled that it as now daylight and she had been outside all night It's not like Melissa to forget about me out here, has something happened? She stood up almost forgetting about Lionstorm sleeping next to her, when she stood up he jumped to his paws yawning loudly "Wow, were we out here all night?" he asked sleepily.

Shadow nodded "Ill be fine now Lionstorm, you should go back to your clan" as she spoke a black monster pulled into its bed, on top of it blue and red lights flashed once before the monster opened up.

Melissa stepped out, followed by another twoleg in a blue pelt.

Shadow leapt up to peek in the window and yoweled once, Melissa ran over "Oh I'm sorry honey, the neighbor must have forgot to let you in" as she spoke her voice cracked, her eyes were red like she had been crying.

Shadow padded through the door casting a glance behind her, seeing Lionstorm's golden pelt disappearing into the bushes. Once Shadow was in the house she felt like something wasn't right.

She walked around the house searching for whatever was wrong; first she checked her bed, sniffing it for any clues. Then she headed into Melissa's room, jumping on the bed she sniffed the comforting scent of her twoleg, the scent was stale. She hadn't been here all night.

Next she raced into Kelsey's room; her scent was stale as well. Confused Shadow padded into the kitchen mewling to Melissa, Melissa was sitting at the table looking down at something in her hands. Shadow jumped up on the table rubbing her face against Melissa's, looking down she saw Melissa was holding a piece of paper that looked like Kelsey.

Suddenly a large monster pulled into the bed; it seemed to be pulling another monster behind it. Shadow jumped to her paws racing to the window to greet Kelsey.

Only it wasn't Kelsey. The bigger monster left, leaving the small monster than belonged to Kelsey in the den. It was all smashed up like it had been in a fight.

For days Shadow waited by the window, she didn't eat and she didn't sleep.

She waited.

She waited for Kelsey.

Kelsey never came home.

Melissa began to wear only black pelts, and she stopped sleeping as well. She would stay up all night with Shadow, stroking her sleek black fur, murmuring to herself in her crazy twoleg language.

Shadow sensed that Kelsey was gone from them somehow; she wanted to make Melissa feel better. She would bring her mice and she even caught a squirrel for her but nothing seemed to work. Eventually Shadow realized that her presence helped a little, she spent every free moment laying on Melissa's lap.

Meliss's hot hairless paw stroking Shadow's back.

One Moon Later…

Shadow sat out in her garden, nervous and anxious waiting for Lionstorm to get there, she glanced at her belly anxiously. Lionstorm leapt up onto the fence teetering for a moment before landing on all four paws neatly.

Shadow raced over to him covering his fur in licks "Oh it's terrible, Kelsey is gone and Melissa is so sad" she buried her face in his fur, shaking.

"I'm sorry Shadow" he murmured rasping his tounge over her ears "But what is it you wanted to tell me, we don't normally meet during this time of day."

Shadow looked at her paws nervously "I'm expecting kits, your kits Lionstorm" she looked up meeting his green eyes with her own.

Lionstorm smiled "This is great news Shadow".

She looked up at him "But how? You're a clan cat and I'm a tribe cat trapped as a kittypet and after my accident there is no way I will be able to take my kits back to the tribe".

"We can both train them, to be warriors and tribe cats" Lionstorm purred excitedly "How long until they are born?".

Shadow purred "A little less than a moon left now". She pressed her body against his "Melissa will want to keep me in the house until they are born, I'll send for you once they are born" she purred and twined her tail with his "I love you Lionstorm" she whispered.

"I love you Shadow" he murmured back, pressing his face into her dark fur.