Chapter Eighteen:

A small mouse beside her left paw. Her pelt reeking with the jumbled scents of multiple herbs. Shadowpaw's scent faintly in her nose. It was the simple things that made her forget; the simple things that brought her back to reality and all it stood for.

She recalled just a few measly hours ago, when Acornpaw's body was in the center of camp. His hollow features, his muzzle curled up in a silent and dead snarl... The relieved look in his eyes had made Whitepaw shiver despite the warm newleaf air.

Whitepaw sighed sadly. If Shadowpaw were to discover she bore kits, how would he react? Would he be angry they weren't his? Would he care for them anyway? Would he leave her, refusing to speak her name again?

And what of Acornpaw? Would he haunt her dreams, would he kill the kits from his perch in StarClan? Would he kill her, Whitepaw, out of spite?

The white she-cat shook her head, flattening her ears and narrowing her eyes. Her gaze was subconsciously drawn down to her belly, which was slowly but surely showing signs of kits being inside of her. "I wish you would have come later," she muttered to them, "but I'll still bring you to my Clan... I will still raise you like the warriors I know you will become..."

"Whitepaw!" Cliffstar's loud mew halted Whitepaw's thoughts, and the white she-cat looked up at her leader in surprise.

She -the best she could possibly do without showing signs of pain- rose to her paws and padded forward, one paw in front of the other until she was standing before her leader.

"Come inside," Cliffstar meowed, gesturing into his den with his long tail. "I have some things to discuss with you."

Whitepaw obeyed slowly, worried the tom knew she was expecting kits. Cliffstar led her into his den, sitting across from her in his nest and watching the white cat slowly -staggering a bit- sit back on her haunches.

"W-what is this about?" Whitepaw asked, her dark blue eyes flashing.

"You should know what this is about, Whitepaw." a pair of light blue eyes stared into her dark, and a brown tabby shape appeared from the shadows beside Cliffstar. She recognized the pelt and eyes of Hawktalon.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Whitepaw stated, trying to hide her fear.

A smirk formed on Hawktalon's muzzle. "You do, little cat. You know exactly why you're in here."

Whitepaw's instincts drew her attention to her belly, and Hawktalon snorted. "That's it." he meowed, pointing a jagged and unsheathed claw at her stomach. "That's the entire point of this conversation."

"I don't understand." Whitepaw's eyes flickered to the exit, and Hawktalon walked over to it, blocking her escape.

"You're not going anywhere." Hawktalon growled. "Not until this is figured out."

"You can't keep me in here!" Whitepaw cried, turning towards Cliffstar desperately. "Cliffstar, help me!"

Her leader's gaze was serious yet kind. "Whitepaw, you've got to understand the circumstances that will follow you. Whose kits are growing inside of you?"

"I'm not expecting kits!" Whitepaw hissed.

Cliffstar let out an amused purr. "Young Whitepaw, I may not have had kits grow inside of me, but I know what Tabbyrose looked like when she was expecting our kits. You're looking the same as she did, so naturally I must ask: who's kits are they?"

"I don't have to tell you." Whitepaw muttered, staring hard at the ground.

"So you are, then?" Hawktalon snorted and flicked his tail. "You are indeed carrying Shadowpaw's -or Acornpaw's, for that matter- kits?"

"Acornpaw is dead." Whitepaw hissed and ignored the pang in her chest when she said that. "How can I possibly be expecting his kits?"

"It can happen," Hawktalon growled, swiping his tongue around his jaws.

"Hawktalon." Cliffstar silenced his deputy and turned towards Whitepaw, his expression hollow. "Now, I'm going to ask you again: are they Acornpaw's or Shadowpaw's kits?"

Whitepaw looked down at her paws, remaining silent. I can't tell Cliffstar! He'll banish me from the Clan!

"Whitepaw, I've an idea." Cliffstar meowed and padded from his den, Hawktalon followed with a skeptic look on his face. Curious, Whitepaw followed while still looking down at her paws.

"HailClan!" Cliffstar called, his voice ringing out around the clearing. "Join me here beneath Tallstump for a Clan meeting!"

Whitepaw cocked her head to the side, staring up at her leader quizzically. What's he planning?

Once all of the Clan was gathered, Cliffstar looked directly at Whitepaw and meowed, "Whitepaw, step forward. It's time you received your warrior name."

* ( ) *

"From this moment on, you will be known as Shadowfire. Serve SunClan well, my son..."

The newly named warrior stepped back from his father, his ocean blue eyes shining. Rushstar let out a small purr, and Shadowfire felt his sister, Moonblossom press against him in joy.

"Shadowfire! Moonblossom! Shadowfire! Moonblossom!" SunClan cheered the new names of the two siblings, their eyes shining with pride.

Echobreeze trotted up to her two kits, purring loudly as she covered Moonblossom's face with licks, then proceeded to do the same to Shadowfire.

"Mother!" Moonblossom whined, wiping her paw across her whiskers. "I'm a warrior! I don't need that!"

"Oh, Moonblossom..." Echobreeze chided kindly, her eyes shining with love for her daughter and son. "Will you ever just let me clean your face up, just once?"

"Like you used to do when we were kits?" Shadowfire teased, letting out a purr of amusement. "I'm glad that's over with!"

"Oh, you hush!" Echobreeze purred, trying to seem offended and failing miserably.

Rushstar padded towards his mate and kits, touching his nose to Echobreeze's ear before settling his eyes on Shadowfire and Moonblossom. "Your vigil begins at moonhigh, don't forget," He sent Shadowfire a seemingly disturbed look. "or try and sneak out of it."

"We won't!" Moonblossom promised, and Shadowfire dipped his head, sending his father an equally stern glare.

"Excellent." Rushstar meowed and padded away off towards the fresh-kill pile, grabbed a shrew and off towards his den, where he slipped inside with the prey in his mouth.

Shadowfire stared after him for a moment before blinking at his mother and sister apologetically. "Excuse me," he meowed, raising a paw to leave the two she-cat's.

Echobreeze's tail stopped him. She sent him a worried glance, then ordered Moonblossom to go get some prey for herself. Once the silver-white she-cat had gone out of earshot, Echobreeze leaned forward and hissed low under her breath, "Is it Whitepaw again?"

"I haven't seen her in a moon," he mewed sternly, his eyes flashing. "I've got to know how she's doing, mother. Let me go, please..."

"I don't know if you should right now." Echobreeze murmured, looking past him and up to the sky. "It's almost sundown. You know how spacious our territory is. You could get lost and miss your vigil."

"Mother," Shadowfire growled, lashing his tail, "I've got to see Whitepaw." he pressed his muzzle against his mother's, whispering fiercely in her ear, "You said you weren't one to judge... And yet here you are, judging me for loving Whitepaw."

Without giving her time to reply, Shadowfire raced out of his camp, his silhouette outlined in the shade of the dying sunlight.

* ( ) *

"Blackfang! Whitepetal! Blackfang! Whitepetal!"

The white she-cat stepped back from her leader and gazed down at the Clan. She was surprised to find both sections of cats -toms and she-cat's- calling her name. Even Blackfang, who had never even bothered to speak to her in the moons of their training, muttered a congratulations to her.

Silverbird trotted up to the pair, her dark blue eyes -the same shade of Whitepetal's- shining with pride in her kits. "You're a warrior!" she purred to Blackfang, rubbing her muzzle along his. "Congratulations!"

"Thank you, mother," Blackfang meowed, dipping his head to the aging she-cat. The black tom suddenly turned towards the entrance of camp, sniffed the air, and let out a growl with his eyes narrowed.

"What is it?" Silverbird asked. She then sniffed the air as well, and suddenly all of HailClan was growling, hissing and snarling at the entrance of camp.

Stormheart padded through the camp with Brightdove, Batwing, Thorntail and Mossflight following. The four other cats were crowded around a larger cat Whitepetal couldn't recognize.

"We found this cat sneaking around our border," Stormheart hissed, flicking his tail in some sort of signal. The four in Stormheart's patrol shoved the cat forward, watching as he stumbled on shaking paws.

"Shadowpaw!" Whitepetal gasped under her breath and raced towards him, nudging him with her nose in an attempt to get the cat she loved to look at her.

She felt teeth grip her scruff and pull her away from Shadowpaw. She hissed and found Blackfang standing in front of Shadowpaw, blocking Whitepetal from going close to him. "You know this cat?" he hissed, drawing his lips back in a snarl.

"Y-Yes." Whitepetal stammered, trying not to wince from the agony she was in.

"How?" Cliffstar demanded, acting as if he had no clue how Whitepetal knew the tom.

"I just do, okay?" Whitepetal growled, her dark blue eyes flashing with betrayal. Don't try and act so dumb, Cliffstar. You know exactly how I know him.

"There has to be a reason," Blackfang insisted with a flick of his tail. "So spill it, Whitepetal."

The white she-cat flattened her ears to her head and gazed around camp, into the eyes of her Clanmates. StarClan, forgive me...

Then she threw her head back, took a deep breath and yowled,

"Shadowpaw is the father of my kits!"