"Ashpaw!" The gray tom was jolted from his sleep by the voice calling his name. He stood and exited the den to see his mentor Shrewfang.

"Hey, you're okay!"

"Yup, Badgerleg, Graynose and I have all gotten better. Gingerstorm moved back into the elders' den. But Silverstar wanted to call a meeting. Come on." Shrewfang motioned, so the two went and waited.

"Moon Clan we have recently over come two hardships and we have lost many cats." Silverstar meowed, looking around his clan. Ashpaw did the same. Cloudstep stood next to Graynose, Gingerstorm next to him. Littlefern was next to Briarfall, Squirrelkit, and Petalkit. Nightheart was next to Badgerleg, Palepaw and Bluepaw not far away.

"Only five warriors..." Ashpaw mewed quietly.

"Yeah..." Shrewfang sighed.

"No cat is to leave this camp without my permission." Silverstar meowed. "And I will be setting up any patrols. Cloudstep and Palepaw, you will go on a hunt. And Shrewfang and Ashpaw, you will go on a patrol. No more than four cats can leave at one time."

Ashpaw's eyes widened. It was unusual for the patrols to be so small. But there wasn't much they could do.

"That is all for now." Silverstar jumped down. Ashpaw watched as his father and sister left camp on their hunt.

"Ready to go?" Shrewfang asked him. Ashpaw nodded and followed his mentor to go patrol the border. Ashpaw's fur itched in anticipation. Something was going to happen, he could feel it.


"Did you hear that?" Shrewfang asked as Ashpaw rubbed himself against a tree to leave a fresh scent marker.

"Huh?" he stopped. Surely, there was a faint yowl.

"Come on, let's see. Someone could be hurt!" Shrewfang took off and Ashpaw followed close behind.

He gasped when they broke into a clearing and saw an expecting longhaired light gray she-cat laying on her side, obviously in the middle of having kits.

"Oh Star Clan!" Shrewfang hissed, racing to her side.

"Should I get Badgerleg?" Ashpaw's tail bushed in surprise.

"You heard Silverstar! No more than four cats out of camp!"

"Cloudstep and Palepaw have to be nearby, I'll find them. Stay with her!" Ashpaw meowed, taking off to find his father and sister.

"Cloudstep?! Palepaw!?"

"Ashpaw? What's wrong?" Palepaw appeared with a finch in her jaw.

"We need help. There's a cat kitting on our territory!"

"DAD!" Palepaw called. Their father appeared.

"What's happened?"

"Come quick, there's a cat kitting!" Ashpaw meowed urgently. Cloudstep gave a shocked mew and looked at his daughter.

"Take the prey back and tell Badgerleg, but stay in camp. Those are the new rules. But hurry!" Palepaw nodded and took off with the prey.

"Show me." Cloudstep ordered his son.

The two ran back to where Shrewfang was with the she-cat.

"She's a kittypet. She's babbling nonsense about joining a clan and twolegs stealing her kits. The first kit is coming and I don't know what to do!" Shrewfang exclaimed nervously. It was then that Ashpaw noticed the purple thing around the she-cat's neck.

"I watched Badgerleg birth my kits, I can handle this. Go grab a stick and some soaked moss." Cloudstep ordered him. Shrewfang nodded and took off. Cloudstep looked at the she-cat.

"What is your name? What are you doing on our territory?"

"There's no time for that dad! Come on!"

"Right... the first kit is coming, push!" he ordered. As Ashpaw watched his father, he realized why he was deputy, his leadership was amazing. The she-cat nodded and did as he told her. Ashpaw watched as a black kit slid out and Cloudstep nipped it sack and licked it a little.

"A she-kit." he announced, passing it to Ashpaw.

"Lick it backwards to keep it warm." he told him. Ashpaw dipped his head and did so. When he looked back up Cloudstep had a gray kit.

"Tom." he mewed, also handing it off to Ashpaw. He did the same with that kit as Cloudstep continued his work.

"I'm sorry I'm late! I wasn't sure where you are and... you know." Badgerleg gave his limp leg a shake. By the time he got there, three more kits were born, but the she-cat was still going. Shrewfang had also returned and given the items to the she-cat. She stared at the wet moss for a second, then lapped at it tiredly.

"Oh my Star Clan!" Ashpaw sighed, he and Shrewfang keeping the five warm as Badgerleg took Cloudstep's place. He watched his father give the weak she-cat a lick on the head.

"You're doing great."

"Okay..." Badgerleg felt her belly. "Three more. Push!"

The she-cat gave Cloudstep a weak smile and bit down on the stick when she began pushing.

"Three more? Eight kits in one litter?" Ashpaw gasped quietly to Shrewfang. His mentor nodded.

"Kittypets have a protected, soft life. The she-cats go to a two-leg medicine cat that has special things to make sure they are healthy."

"Weird..."

Soon the last of the kits came and Badgerleg took a breath.

"Alright. You can come back to our camp for now until we figure out what's going to happen." he meowed. Cloudstep nodded and nosed her to her paws, then picked up two of the newborn kits in his jaw.

"Grab these two, Shrewfang." Ashpaw mewed, picking up two others. Badgerleg grabbed the final two and the group headed back.

When they entered camp, their clanmates stared. Silverstar was waiting on his perch and Bluepaw ran up to Badgerleg to take the two kits from him.

"Silverstar wants to see you." she meowed. The medicine cat nodded and went to talk to their leader. Bluepaw, Ashpaw, Shrewfang, and Cloudstep brought the she-cat and the kits into the nursery and Briarfall seemed shocked. They all set the kits down in a nest and the she-cat curled herself around them.

"Oh Star Clan..." Briarfall mewed. "What's going on?"

"Ashpaw and I found her in the forest while she was kitting. Let me grab you some fresh kill..." Shrewfang meowed and left.

"Bluepaw." Nightheart poked her head into the nursery and motioned her out. The she-cat had taken Bluepaw on as an apprentice since the loss of Spiderleap and Mistpaw. What Nightheart wanted with Bluepaw though, Ashpaw didn't know.

"So..." Cloudstep sat down beside the she-cat. "What is your name?"

She cleared her throat.

"My name is Gwen. My two-legs wanted to give my kits up, so I wanted to escape. You see... my best friend and den mate Misty's father was a clan cat and he would come visit on occasion and tell us stories about you all. And I thought you would maybe accept me and keep my kits safe and not let them get taken from me."

"Take you in?" Briarfall meowed. Gwen nodded. Cloudstep said nothing, just stared at her and the kits thoughtfully.

"Well Gwen, since you were so kind as to tell me a little about you, I'll tell you about my clan. Life out here is not soft and easy like you had it. Just recently we had other cats attack our home and kill some of our family. And then we had sickness take out some more. So you may be free out here, but it is dangerous."

"But you'd teach my kits how to fight and protect themselves and be like you, right? And you need more cats now since you lost so many..."

"She's right..." Briarfall meowed sadly.

"Well... I will go talk to my leader, Silverstar about this. I'm Cloudstep in case you need something, just ask for me or my son here, Ashpaw." he meowed, motioning to Ashpaw, then leaving the nursery.

"Interesting names. You clan cats always have strange names."

"I'm Briarfall and this is Squirrelkit and Petalkit." the queen meowed, motioning to the sleeping kits. "You see, kits have -kit at the end, apprentices, or those young cats like Ashpaw that are training to be warriors or medicine cat have -paw at the end, and then when training is complete, the leader, who always has -star at the end, gives them warrior names. Or if it's a medicine cat apprentice the travel to the Star Falls with their mentor to speak with Star Clan to receive their full name."

"The cat who came to help you was our medicine cat Badgerleg. And my father is deputy, the one who helps the leader run and protect the clan, and takes their place when they pass away or retire." Ashpaw meowed.

"Yes, I kind of remember Misty's father saying that. Medicine cats are like your healers and Star Clan is where your dead ancestors go, right? And leaders also have to go see them to get their nine lives of something?" Gwen asked. Briarfall nodded as Shrewfang returned with a vole for Gwen.

"Yep. Have you thought about what you're going to name your kits? That's a lot." Gwen purred.

"Yes."

"Well if you do join the clan, you'll have to add -kit to the end."

"So... like, this one-" Gwen pointed to a light gray and white she-kit, "Would be... Streamkit?"

"Yes, very nice." Ashpaw smiled. She looked at the black she-kit.

"Reedkit."

"Mhm." he mewed. She pointed to the gray tom.

"Sootkit."

Then the light gray she-kit. with darker flecks.

"Shimmerkit."

The small black she-cat.

"Smallkit.

The black tom with white patches.

"Patchkit."

The dark gray tom.

"Stonekit."

Ashpaw saw Briarfall twitch and Gwen paused.

"What? Do you not like it?"

"No, it's lovely. My mate's name was Stonefoot... he died in battle with a band of rogues. Please, the name is wonderful. I was just surprised."

Gwen nodded respectfully and looked at her last kit, a gray and white tom.

"And since Cloudstep is so kind and helped birth my kits... This will be Cloudkit." she purred. Ashpaw smiled and Shrewfang nodded.

"Very nice."

"Thank you."

Cloudstep returned.

"Well...? What did Silverstar say?" Briarfall asked.

"Well Badgerleg was already talking to him and I explained the whole situation and he said he'd be happy to accept you and the kits. We do need all of you and you're more than welcome here."

Gwen purred.

"That's great! And I had just finished naming them with your clan rules. Would you like to hear?"

"Sure." Cloudstep purred with a smile.

"Streamkit, Reedkit, Sootkit, Shimmerkit, Patchkit, Smallkit, Stonekit, and this... is Cloudkit."

Cloudstep seemed surprised by the final name.

"Did you name him after me?"

"Yes." Gwen smiled. "You helped me a lot. You're very kind. Thank you." Cloudstep gave her a lick between the ears.

"Anything for a cat in need."