Disclaimer: I do not own warriors or any of these characters. They belong to Erin Hunter. However, I came up with the idea after wondering who the cats were related to.
I slunk out of my den towards the meeting place to meet Sasha. I hoped she would be there. I had been meeting her for moons, but had not seen her recently. I hoped she would be alright. I had taken to leaving every night at midnight. I had to see her. I had to know if she was hurt or not.
Sneaking out had become a second nature to me now. I bounded towards the meeting place, feeling hope as I caught a scent of Sasha. It forced me to run even faster. I could not miss her. A thought struck deep into my mind. What if she was avoiding me? I didn't know if I could cope with the loss.
I skidded to a halt in the clearing. I could see the tawny pelt of Sasha disappearing through the bushes. I summoned up my remaining breath to call to her. "Sasha! Come back!" She did not stop, but I heard her answering mew. "Wait where you are, Darkstripe. I will come."
I sat, trying to wait patiently, but fidgeting. My paws kneaded the hard ground. I had to see Sasha; what if she didn't come back?"
She did. It was not long but it seemed like days for me. I was tense, expecting to see a cat following me. What would Bluestar do if she found out? Every second crawled by. I found myself pacing endlessly in a circle, waiting for Sasha's return.
I heard a rustling in the bushes and tensed. I knew it would be Sasha, but there was another scent there too. The scent of…
"Kits!" I gasped, as Sasha returned. She held one small, dark ginger she-cat in her jaws, and a black-grey tabby she-cat followed her. The third kit was a sleek black tom. They looked dead on their feet, and when Sasha stopped they fell asleep immediately. Sasha placed the dark ginger kit on the ground as well, and glanced up at me. "Your kits, Darkstripe. I want you to have Raven. Please take him," she begged me. "I cannot cope with three kits. You must take him," I nodded, giving her a reassuring lick on her ear.
"I will take him, Sasha," I purred, twining my tail with her and pressing my flank close to hers. "Raven will come to ThunderClan," Sasha visibly relaxed.
"The other two kits are Russet and Shade," she told me. "They will come with me." She looked down at them fondly.
"Darkstripe, I cannot carry on like this. Not any more, not with two kits. I couldn't bring them with me and they need me. I'm sorry," Her voice was choked with emotion as she slipped into the bushes, nudging Russet to her paws and picking up the limp tabby bundle that was Shade. She glanced back one last time, the kit hanging from her jaws.
"Goodbye, Darkstripe," Then she vanished into the bushes, leaving me forever.
I padded slowly back to camp, Raven in my jaws. I held him softly, unbelievingly. My own kin would be a part of the Clan again! My dead mother had never told me who my father was, and my brother's and sister had died. Emberkit, snatched by a hawk; Leafpaw, killed in battle; Heartkit, frozen to death in a harsh leaf-bare. As my mother had died at my birth I had always felt utterly alone in my Clan. Yet now my own son would be a part of the Clan. And I could never tell any cat.
A story formed in my mind as I walked. I would tell the Clan that Raven was the son of a rogue- that was true enough- and that I had found him wandering the forest. He didn't smell like another Clan at all, so my story would be believed. The Clan would have to accept him. They couldn't turf him out into the cruel forest.
Could they?
I padded into the ThunderClan camp, blinking as my eyes adjusted from the dark gorse tunnel. I dropped Raven carefully on the ground and looked towards Bluestar's den. "Bluestar, Redtail!" I called. The kit was mewling, and I bent down to give his ears a lick. Bluestar padded towards me, Redtail by her side. "Yes, Darkstripe? What have you... a kit?" she asked. Her eyes narrowed. "Who is he?" she asked.
"I don't know, Bluestar. A rogue, I think. I found him wandering in the woods, and I couldn't leave him to starve," I lied. Bluestar looked down at him. "He does look rather small, but you are right. We cannot leave him to die." She looked at Redtail, who nodded. "Greycloud has milk," he mused. "Her kits are all dead but one," Bluestar nodded, and bounded away to the Highrock, reaching the top in an easy leap.
"May all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath the Highrock for a Clan meeting!" she yowled.
The cats began to leave their dens, wondering what had happened. They padded up towards the Highrock and sat in their normal places. I stood, not knowing what to do, Raven dangling from my jaws. Redtail motioned for me to sit besides him in the deputy spot. I padded over, settling myself on the floor and curling my tail around Raven. Bluestar began to speak.
"Cats of ThunderClan, Darkstripe has found a rogue kit wandering, alone. Redtail and I have decided to let him into the Clan. StarClan knows we cannot let him wander alone," she told them.
Relief washed over me in a wave of joy, but I dared not speak, in case I betrayed my happiness. I could not let the Clan know I was Raven's father.
Bluestar shook her head slightly before continuing. "This kit looks to be less than a moon old. Greycloud, will you suckle him?" she asked the pale grey queen who kept looking back towards the nursery, one ear twitching. She jumped slightly as Bluestar spoke to her, but nodded. "Of course I will, Bluestar," she replied. Bluestar nodded, satisfied. "Thank you,
Greycloud. Now this kit must have a name." Bluestar directed her gaze towards me. I blinked with dread; this kit was called Raven. They had to call him Raven, they had to. I was desperately wishing, my claws digging into the ground.
"From this moment on this young kit will be known as Ravenkit," Bluestar announced.
My heart leapt; he was Ravenkit! I could barely believe it. He was mewling pitifully as Bluestar leapt down from the Highrock and came to speak with me. "Take Ravenkit to the nursery," she ordered. "You may make a fine mentor for him when he is an apprentice."