CHAPTER 20: IT BREAKS YOUR HEART

"I've just lost another life." Fearing what he might notice in her expression, Twister kept his head bowed. "That makes two gone already."

Dawn nudged his shoulder. "You should be more careful, birdbrain. I don't know what I would do if you died."

"Don't worry, I've still got seven more."

Worry shone in her hazel eyes. "The way you burn through them already." Here, her voice trailed off and she shook her head. "Dusk hasn't lost a single one. Are you sure you're such a pacifist?"

"I try." Twister forced a smile in response to her teasing.

I don't know how I would get through being a leader without Dawn. I'm glad she decided to see me again.

"Well, I have news too."

"What is it?" He wondered why the red tabby seemed oddly bright.

Dawn breathed in, then blurted, "I'm expecting kits. They're yours, of course." For a moment, their gazes interlocked before Dawn stared at the ground as she prattled on. "What other cat could have fathered them? I – I just wanted you to know."

I thought she didn't want kits? I'm not even sure I'm ready to be a father. He swallowed. I mean, I'm not that old.

"That – that's wonderful," stammered Twister.

But I can't say I'm not sort of liking the idea.

She sighed. "I know how complicated this will be for both of us. We live in separate Clans, so only one of us can raise them at first. I wanted to ask you if you might be interested."

"What – what kind of life could I give them? I mean, I can't nurse them. Besides, cats would be more curious if I had kits without a mother. I think you raising them in your Clan would be easier, right?"

Dawn swallowed. "Every night now my Clan fight with Storm's Clan. Our territory is hardly safe for me or the kits."

"Burdock crossed into our territory last night." Twister faintly shook his head. "It's how I lost my second life. ValleyClan could go to war against his Clan soon. I really don't think either of our homes are exactly safe for kits." He pressed his nose against her cheek. "Don't worry. I'll always love you and our kits. I'll do anything you need for me to do."

Coldness entered her eyes. "They can't ever know you. We have loyalties to two separate Clans."

"I understand." Twister glanced away. "It's hard enough for us."

"Well, if that's settled, I guess I should get back to my Clan. Good-day, Twister."
"Good-day."

Every part of his body sagged as she left. Did I make the right decision? Regret lanced him through. Should I have taken the kits? Did she want me to take the kits? Ah!

Between his forepaws, a mouse skittered. Its motion startled Twister, though he did not take up the hunt when the tiny creature vanished into the nearby grass, setting its long stems aquiver. Moments later, a translucent dark blue tabby thundered past Twister.

Is that – is that part of me?

He pursued himself until he reached the crest of a hill. Two screeching hordes of shadow cats confronted one another in the valley below. Horror struck Twister like a lightning bolt. He had expected to find himself there. Between the two cats who headed each party stood a third cat. It transformed from a silhouette to Dawn. Now Twister could witness the determination in her squinting eyes.

"All will see the dawn will break once the sky clears after the storm falls," predicted an unknown spirit as the scene dissolved.

"Wait!" Twister wailed. "Don't go! Tell me what all this means!"

"So do you think Burdock is the greatest threat to ValleyClan now?" Redbud asked.

A note of finality crept into Twister's voice. "He is. If he's willing to fight over territory that isn't his, imagine what he'll be like for the land that is." But her question worried him. What reason would she have to mention it to me unless he wasn't? Scanning their immediate surroundings as to deter eavesdropping, the dark blue tabby whispered, "Why? Have you been given a sign recently? Do you know something I don't?"

Redbud squinted. "You are the greatest threat to your Clan."

"What?" Twister reeled.

Has she gone mad? What's she talking about?

"Don't think I don't know about what how you're meeting Dawn still." Twister stiffened. Frustration and guilt sprung forth from him like a spring; he struggled to suppress it. "I see how sleep-deprived you are. I wondered what the harm was in it. Loving another cat, after all, is no crime to the stars. But I realise now how much it's affecting your decisions."

Twister choked out, "I – I'm sorry. I just –"

"You do know she must die, don't you?" Amber eyes seemed to bore into his soul. "And you must too. Sooner rather than later. You will save a life but at the cost of your own."

Is that what the prophecy means when it said the storm would fall? How is that possible?

Twister blinked. "But I have nine lives."

"There are certain circumstances where many lives can be lost almost simultaneously. StarClan can only heal so much. So be careful how you treat your Clanmates. You must burn as bright as fire to make this Clan the Clan of prophecy."

StarClan, that sounds so ominous. Will I be able to see my kits grow up? Will I even be able to see them once before I die? And what about Dawn? Will she die before they're born? Does everything rest on my ability to survive until they're born?