Sunpaw and Darkpelt stood in the center of the camp, heads bowed. On Sunpaw's left side, Riverpaw stood with Dustpaw. Beyond them, Sunpaw could see that Dogface and Sandclaw were talking, and they were shooting mean glances in Darkpelt's direction. Thankfully, though, Darkpelt wasn't able to see them doing it, and if she heard, she wasn't showing it.

Thornstar was talking about Fastkit. They were having a ceremony for the kit's unfortunate death.

"Gerbilkit's the only one left in Flowertail's litter to carry her blood," murmured Sunpaw. "He's the only family Flowertail has left."

"That's not true," Darkpelt informed him. "Flowertail has one other kit."

"Who's that?"

"Sandclaw." The confirmation was scary. Sandclaw was Flowertail's kit. He couldn't picture a lovely Flowertail hovering over a Sandkit, or Sandpaw, and defiantly not Sandclaw.

"Sandclaw, no way would Sandclaw ever admit that…"

"What, that her little brother and sister are dead? Trust me, she did." Sunpaw whipped around to stare at Sandclaw, who had apparently been listening the entire time.

"Did she do that?" he asked quietly.

"Yes." Sunpaw was baffled. Sandclaw was mean enough to complain about it to Darkpelt, and in one after-sunhigh! It angered Sunpaw.

"Darkpelt," hissed a voice from behind the two. They turned to see Flowertail stalking over to them, Gerbilkit behind her.

Darkpelt closed her eyes and lowered her head.

"Thank you, for saving my life and all. I never did say thank you, and I think that you deserve it." Darkpelt's head snapped up.

"What? You want to thank me? Don't you think that I'm partially to blame for Fastkit's death?"

Flowertail's eyes saddened, but they soon gained some luster. "I can't blame you or Riverpaw for what happened, but I can thank you. Without you two, both Sunpaw, and I would be dead. Only Heaven knows who would raise Gerbilkit if that happened!"

"I would," Darkpelt assured her. "I would raise your kits."

Her gaze hardened. "Sandclaw is older, and should take on more responsibility. She is my daughter and should raise my kit. I'm sorry, too, about the way she's been acting towards you. It is a disgrace to my family, well, what's left of it." Flowertail led her kit towards the nursery.

There was a squeal of surprise five nights later in the nursery. Foxtail, who had been fast asleep, now rose to her feet. That cry...she knew that cry.

"Foxtail, Foxtail! Come quickly!" Twigheart shrieked through the camp as the Medicine cat darted heavily into the clearing.

"What's going on?" someone shouted.

"My kits are on the way, I'm having my kits!" Twigheart fell into another squeal of excitement and pain.

That morning, Sunpaw lifted his head to the sound of someone gently pushing into the apprentice's den. It was not but the day after Twigheart had her kits. Sunpaw stared up at Riverpaw. She gently licked his forehead.

"Come quickly," she whispered. "Twigheart has had three kits! We need to see them, now!" Sunpaw sat up and followed the young, pretty apprentice into the clearing. She led him over to the Medicine den.

"Twigheart?" she asked calmly. There was a grunt from Foxtail in response. "May Sunpaw and I see Twigheart's kits?" There was another grunt in response and Riverpaw led them in.

Twigheart was lying on a moss bed with three adorable kits snuggling in her belly. There were two black males, and one orange and white tabby patched she-kit.

"What are their names?" asked Riverpaw softly.

The queen lifted her head and opened sleepy eyes. "This one is Waspkit, for he has black fur, and a long, straight tail." She pointed with her tail to the one black kit on the far end. "This one is Flamekit, for her patched white and tabby fur." That was the one in the middle. "And the last one is named after the pure black stone, Jetkit."

"What's jet?" asked Sunpaw. Riverpaw looked at him skeptically.

"Jet, if you were listening, is a type of stone that is known for being pure black."

"Oh, well I think it looks good on him." Sunpaw turned roughly away. Dogface was also in the Medicine Den, and Sunpaw did not want that excuse for a warrior watching him look at kits.

"Are you okay?" asked a quiet voice. Sunpaw turned around to see Riverpaw pushing out of the draping lichen of the Healer's den.

"No, not with Dogface."

"Foxtail says that he'll be moving to the warriors den soon. And you know that Dogface and Sandclaw don't mean it."

"But they do, Riverpaw, and you know it!" Riverpaw stared into his eyes, then shook her head slowly.

"You're right, but that doesn't mean I'm gloomy about it." The she-cat turned and briskly walked away. Sunpaw stared after her with sad, blue eyes.

"Having girl trouble?" asked a deep voice. Sunpaw jumped and turned around to see Thornstar walking over to him. Sunpaw nodded absently.

"Riverpaw, heh. She's a nice girl." Sunpaw once more silently nodded. "Her mother is a good warrior, one that you'll love."

"Who's that?" Sunpaw asked. Thornstar smiled at him proudly.

"Ashecho. She's a lovely sweet girl."

"Who's that?" Thornstar stared at him, and then turned his gaze to his warriors.

"Ashecho!" he called out. "Come here." A young dark gray she-cat with amber eyes stepped forward from the entryway. "This is Sunpaw. Sunpaw, this is Ashecho."

"Oh," said Sunpaw. "You're Ashecho. I saw you on the night that I got here. Thornstar tells me that you are a great fighter." Ashecho smiled lightly.

"Yes, but did he tell you how old I am?" Sunpaw shook his head. "I'm more than a few seasons. My father, Thornstar, wasn't even leader yet when I was born. I can assure you that he was made leader before my eyes were open. Cowheart, that's one of our elders, he was one of my best friends. He and his mate, Smoothcloud, were new warriors when I was born."

Sunpaw sat down to listen. "A lot of cats think that Softfur and I are related, but we're not. Softfur has no relation to me at all. We're good friends, but not relatives. Thornstar, my father, hasn't had any other kits, I don't think. My mother, I don't believe has any other kits…"

"Sorry to interrupt and be rude, but who is your mother, exactly?"

Ashecho, who just nodded politely, stared at Thornstar. "May I tell him?" she asked. He nodded, and she continued, "My mother is Whitestar."

"What?!" Sunpaw burst out. "Sorry to be rude again, but what!?" Ashecho just laughed.

"You're not being rude, Sunpaw," Ashecho said wisely, "you're being honest. Yes, my mother is Whitestar. I'll let my father explain what happened, but she had me, and another kit. The other kit died. Now, I have had a kit, Thornstar's sister has had two kits, and that's about it." The she-cat turned around and crossed the clearing.

"Ashecho and Mintkit are all the kits that I have, and Mintkit is dead." Sunpaw stared at Thornstar expectantly. "All the leaders as you know them now were deputies when Whitestar and I met. She was Whitetooth then, I was Thornpelt. Morningfrost, Rabbitflight, Riverstorm, and Tanfoot each received a prophecy that claimed that each Clan deputy should make a journey to find a territory to withhold a Clan that had developed on the outcast of FireClan. That was where Whitetooth, Smashface, and Snowpelt were from, Clan of No Night, but we just called them NightClan. NightClan needed new territory, and the deputies had to take them there. On the way, Whitetooth and I were best friends, and then it grew. It was on the return journey that Mintkit and Ashkit were born. Whitetooth told us that in her sleep, a StarClan cat told her that she could only take one kit back with her, and took Mintkit away with her to StarClan. When she woke up, Mintkit was gone. Ashkit came back and went to FireClan with me, and I raised Ashpaw. Thrushstar, the leader before me, died when she was just a kit. I gave Ashpaw her warrior name, Ashecho. I'm still wondering what Mintkit's name would have been. I think that Mintnose would have been good." Thornstar bowed his head. "If only she hadn't had disappeared. Then she would've made the best StormClan warrior…"

"Excuse me, but StormClan? I thought that kits stayed with their mother, so why would Ashecho be here?"

"Some fathers from another Clan can claim them, so the kit goes with the father. That's what Ashkit did, and Mintkit would've gone with Whitetooth. If only I could see my other baby now, but she walks with StarClan."

"Who's StarClan?"

"StarClan are the ancestors of four different Clans. I think that they are ThunderClan, ShadowClan, RiverClan, and WindClan, but I may be wrong."

"When did you meet them?"

"I met a RiverClan queen while on the journey."

"Was it fun?"

"Not really. RiverClan lived by a river, and that river was the border for ThunderClan. I think that the queen told me that ThunderClan live in a ravine." There was a soft chirping sound, and behind them, Darkpelt walked over.

"Having fun, brother?"

"Wait, Darkpelt, you are Thornstar's sister?"

"Yeah, born late, though. Not from his litter."

"Oh, so you have kits?" As Sunpaw asked it, he felt a deep despair rising from within himself.

But she just laughed. "Not, but Flowertail does."

"What does Flowertail have to do with anything?"

"That's Thornstar's other sister, from his litter."

"Were there any others?"

"I don't know, ask him." By now, Thornstar had received his chance and darted away to his den. He had looked tired, so Sunpaw didn't follow.