I took down The War Within. I think it was a mistake to start it so soon. It'll be back once this story is finished, possibly before, but for now, enjoy this chapter of Shaded Fate.

Nightstorm: Born of True Destiny doesn't own Warriors

The sky was a creamy pinkish color when Soottail walked up to her that night. Touching his muzzle to her ear, he asked, "Ready to go?"

Sunmask shifted her weight, feeling really uncomfortable. "Uh, yeah! W-where do you plan on leading us?"

Soottail didn't seem to notice her nervous stuttering. "Near the RiverClan border? I've been wanting frogs lately and that is definitely the best place to catch them."

Sunmask held back a gasp when he mentioned the RiverClan border. Volefur's name shot through her mind heartbeat after heartbeat. Swallowing, she said, "Um...okay. How about more down by the lake? Just in case there are any RiverClan warriors by the border."

"You're really worried about this war, aren't you?" Soottail asked. "Okay. That's fine. Let's get moving."

As they headed out to the forest, Sunmask caught Scarletfur out of the corner of her eye, leaving the nursery. She tried not to look at the red she-cat, praying that she wouldn't see her either, but after a heartbeat, she felt eyes on her. Sunmask shut her eyes tight and stopped walking.

"Sunmask?" Scarletfur said, suspicion wrapping around her voice. "Where are you going?"

Soottail was the one that answered. "Just out for some hunting."

Scarletfur threw Sunmask a questioning glare and flattened her ears against her head. "You are? But what about-"

Sunmask coughed loudly, cutting her off. Staring into Scarletfur's eyes, she angled her ears at Soottail, who stood there looking confused at what was happening. For a moment, Scarletfur held onto her inquiring glance, but then understanding flickered somewhere in her gaze and she nodded. "Oh. Of course. You two have fun." The ginger warrior couldn't help but grin at Soottail as she padded away.

"What was that about?" questioned Soottail, looking over at Sunmask.

She fished for an excuse quickly. "I just told her I wasn't feeling well earlier today. I guess she was just worried about that." Sunmask tried smiling, but it felt unnatural on her face.

"Are you okay? Should we just not go out?" Soottail asked her.

"Oh, no, I'm feeling better now. Besides, I'm really hungry. I can use a freshly killed frog," Sunmask lied.

The gray and black tom dipped his head. "Very well. Let's get going, then."

He led her out of camp and under the tall pine trees that sheltered them from the darkening sky. She watched the way Soottail moved through the shadows, walking like everything in his life was normal and perfect, when really he had no idea what it was really like. Sunmask's head drooped. He wanted from her what she couldn't give him, because it already belonged to someone else, and it was all wrong. Everything was all wrong.

And now, she was expected to tell him that the kits were his, and he was expected to father them as if they really were. Everything was out of place because of her, and she didn't have the power to turn it back around.

"Sunmask?"

She looked up. Soottail had stopped walking and was looking over his shoulder at her. "Is this a good spot? I could hear the ribits of the frogs. Do you spot any?"

Sunmask shook her head of the sad thoughts and raised her nose to the air. The air was crawling with the scent of frogs but she couldn't see any. "No. They must be hiding."

Soottail flicked his tail to indicate he had heard her and dropped down low. He crawled around, looking for the croaking prey.

Sunmask looked under ivy plants and near the roots of the pine trees that stretched above them. She suddenly heard one croak right near her ear, and cautiously turned her head.

"Soottail," she whispered. "Come here."

He gingerly padded forward towards her and she pointed with her muzzle at the small, hopping creature. It didn't move, even as they were a mouse-length from it. Soottail slowly raised his paw, and slammed it down over the frog, killing it instantly.

"That was a nice first catch, but a little to easy," Soottail said. "Let's go somewhere else."

Sunmask sighed and agreed, despite her legs beginning to ache from walking around so much. She needed to hold off on letting anyone else know she was expecting until Volefur knew. That was the deal she made with herself. "Fine. Where to next?"

"Are you sure you're okay? You seen kinda on edge," Soottail asked casually, licking his forepaw. "Here, bury the frog." He pushed it over to her.

She began to dig a small hole. "I'm perfectly fine, Soottail. I told you, the war has just been stressing me out a lot. So, where to next?"

"Maybe closer to the hill or something. I think we should catch maybe a mouse or a bird."

"What happened to frogs?" Sunmask asked, almost groaning. They were easiest to catch and didn't take so much movement.

Soottail shrugged. "I don't know, I guess it doesn't really matter what we do. I just want to spend time together. Don't you like hunting with me?"

"Yeah," she replied. "But I kinda just want to go back to camp. Is that alright?"

He tilted his head. "Sure fine. I thought this would be more fun."

"I'm sorry," Sunmask told him as he began retrieving the frog from the ground where she buried it. "I...just - well, um, it's really difficult to explain." She felt the fur along her spine quiver in nervousness. He'll be onto me soon! I can't tell him yet!

"I'd really like to understand what's going on. Let's just head back, and you can tell me on the way there," Soottail meowed. He grabbed the unearthed prey in his jaws and turned to head back for camp. Sunmask sluggishly followed, half wanting to turn and run off, but knowing she couldn't.

The sky was totally black by the time they were nearly there, with the stars blocked by dark clouds. Soottail suddenly stopped in front of her, ears pricked. He dropped the frog and looked up to the sky. Sunmask followed his gaze. Some sort of bird was bouncing on the thin branches of a pine tree.

She groaned. "Soottal, can we please just go back?"

"Just after this," he whispered back. "Help me out."

Before she could respond, Soottail whacked his paw on the pine tree. The bird lightly fluttered down to the forest floor. Soottail inticated with his tail for Sunmask to pad a few paces to the side. Hesitating she did, but she didn't understand what he was going to do. "Since when did us ShadowClan cats turn into ThunderClan warriors, hunting birds like this?"

Soottail didn't respond. He stalked up directly behind the bird, his paw steps soundless. He smiled at her, and in his smile was something that shattered her heart into two.

Love.

"Wait!" Sunmask yowled, and the bird startled upward, out of reach of the both of them. Soottail threw a questioning glance at Sunmask.

"What was that for?"

"There's something...important I have to tell you," Sunmask murmured, fear churning inside her, making her feel totally sick to her stomach. Soottail widened his eyes, waiting or her to continue. Sadness shook her legs and she felt like she couldn't stand. "I...uh..." she breathed in deeply, but it felt like none of it reached her lungs. "I am expecting kits."

Soottail hadn't processed the words for many heartbeats, but soon, his fur fluffed out and his jaw dropped open. "Really? That's amazing!"

"Well, yeah...but the thing is-"

"Is that why you've been acting so strange lately, because you've been afraid of how I'd react?" Sunmask opened her mouth to interrupt, but there was no use. "Well, you don't have to worry! That's amazing news!"

"It is-"

"We need to get you in the nursery right away! Come let's go. I'll-"

"The kits aren't yours!" She said it so fast that she didn't feel anything until many moments after they out of her mouth. Her heart dropped down to her paws, but she could hear the blood pounding in her ears, she could hardly hear Soottail speak.

"That's a joke right?"

"No."

That's when she saw the anger spark in his eyes, and she heard it in his voice as well. "Whose else could they be? There's no one else in the Clan that-"

"They don't belong to anyone in this Clan!" she hissed, the stress and frustration of it all. Soottail looked so bewildered that she wondered if she could even believe her own words. "The-they're father is Volefur, of RiverClan."

The gray and black tom arched his back and slithered forward. "The one from that border patrol!" It was more of a statement than a question. "I knew it, Sunmask. I knew that there was something happening from the moment he 'saved' you. But how could you do that to me? How could you do it to the Clan? You've been reminding me all day that there is a war happening between us all, and what do you do? Mate with the enemy!"

"Soottail, please..." Sunmask cried, tears slipping from her face.

"Shut up, Sunmask," he growled, voice low and filled to the brim with anguish. Without another word, he turned away from her, and walked slowly off into the forest, leaving her there, shaking and sobbing.

Geez, I felt like I just wrote a soap opera. XD Review please, and I'm sorry about The War Within!

~Destiny (and Nightstorm)