Disclaimer: I am responsible only for Moonstrike, Sunsetstorm, Tawnytail, and Spottedpaw (not Spottedleaf). She is also responsible for the bad catmint.

"Moonstrike!" Runningwind wailed in anguish.

"No..." Spottedpaw whispered. Featherwhisker had finally entrusted her to something important, but Spottedpaw had failed, and now her sister was dead. Beside her, Pebblekit squealed.

Spottedpaw cast a meanningful glance at Runningwind, then murmured, "The future of this kit is in your hands, Runningwind,"

Runningwind blinked confusedly, trying to take in the fact that his mate was dead. Runningwind stared up at the roof of the nursery, as if his answers were hidden up there, and closed his eyes. When he reopened them, his eyes burned bright with determination, grief, and hope.

"Twolegs," Runningwind meowed. "Twolegs take care of their kittypets. Although kittypet life is completely inferior to Clan life, Pebblekit doesn't know that. She never will, because all she will remember is being a kittypet."

"Why can't you keep her?" Spottedpaw wondered while she pondered Runningwind's proposal.

"I've looked at Sandkit and Ravenkit, the kits without mothers, and they're miserable. Pebblekit would do better to have never known her parents at all," Runningwind explained matter-of-factly.

Spottedpaw nodded. "I'll be right back. Sunsetstorm and Tawnytail need to hear about this." Spottedpaw mewed before exiting the nursery.

Outside the nursery, Tawnytail and Sunsetstorm were in the clearing, anxiously waiting for good news. When they saw Spottedpaw's grief written clearly on her face, their faces fell.

"What happened? Did one of the kits die during birth? I know how it grieves you. It is terrible when that happens, but will you grieve for a life that wasn't lost?" Tawnytail consoled.

"Her-her kit is fine, but Moonstrike..." Spottedpaw trailed off.

"What happened?" Sunsetstorm asked anxiously.

"Moonstrike...Moonstrike...is dead!" Spottedpaw wailed, and pressed her nose into her mother's fur. When Tawnytail coughed, Spottedpaw remembered that her mother was sick, and immediately removed her nose. When she removed her nose, she saw that her mother's expression was one of intense grief, while Sunsetstorm's was one of curiosity.

"What about the kit?" Sunsetstorm wondered.

"She's alive. Runningwind was going to take her to the Twolegplace to become a kittypet."

Sunsetstorm's mouth dropped open, while a yowl of disbelief came from Tawnytail. "So you're telling me that Runningwind wants to take a Clan-born cat, a ThunderClan cat through and through, and take her to the Twolegplace so she can become a kittypet?"

"Runningwind says that he doesn't want Pebblekit to be as miserable as Sandkit or Ravenkit, the kits without their mothers. He thinks that it would be better if she never knew her parents."

Sunsetstorm's face lit up.

"Twolegs give kits away to other Twolegs when the kits are very small, so it wouldn't be too unusual if Pebblekit never knew her parents," Sunsetstorm mused.

"How do you know that?" Tawnytail and Spottedpaw asked in unison.

Sunsetstorm realized what she had said and gulped. "I guess the truth won't hurt him too much..." Sunsetstorm murmured to herself. "Remember when Thistleclaw was my mentor, before he was killed?" Sunsetstorm asked.

The two tortoiseshells nodded. Sunsetstorm continued, "Thistleclaw had also trained Tigerclaw. But no cat knows who his parents are." Sunsetstorm paused to let this sink in.

"It seems as if Tigerclaw's origins are unknown because he was a kittypet before he came to ThunderClan."

"What?" came the tortoiseshells' reaction.

"That's why Tigerclaw despises Ravenkit! Ravenkit isn't Clanborn either - he's rogue-born, so Tigerclaw doesn't think him pure enough to be a Clan cat!" Spottedpaw realized out loud.

Sunsetstorm blinked, suddenly aware that she had been interrupted. "Exactly."

"Where did you hear about this anyway?" Tawnytail inquired.

Sunsetstorm's eyes went wide, and was lost for words.

Behind them, Runningwind had Pebblekit clasped firmly in his jaw, and motioned for Spottedpaw to follow.

Spottedpaw padded along the trail she had taken on her way to find the catmint and do other things. This time, however, Runningwind and Pebblekit came along with her. Spottedpaw desperately hoped that the nameless handsome ginger tom didn't show up that day. But despite Spottedpaw's prayer, the ginger tom was sitting at the edge of his territory, his beautiful emerald eyes flitting from side to side. Today, instead of hiding in the trees, watching him, she strode right past him. Spottedpaw had often noticed a queen that had nursing kits been nursing kits when she had been around. Spottedpaw hoped that this kittypet would be able to help her now.

That kittypet lived only a few gardens from the ginger tom, and at the moment, was out in her garden. Spottedpaw approached her slowly, so that she wouldn't scare the kittypet off. Her approach was useless, as Spottedpaw didn't notice that the kittypet was staring straight at her. But there was no fear written on the kittypet's face. There was only surprise and…pleasure. Spottedpaw suddenly wondered if she came to the wrong cat.

The kittypet smiled. "You're that tortoiseshell I always see skulking in the trees near Rusty's garden!" she exclaimed.

Spottedpaw felt her skin grow hot under her fur and she could only whisper, "I am."

"Well, hello then. I'm Ruby-"

Pebblekit's squeal cut off Ruby's introduction. Ruby peeked behind Spottedpaw. When she saw Pebblekit, Ruby's eyes widened.

"There's a kitten here!" Ruby exclaimed.

"Her mother is dead and her father-" Spottedpaw started to explain.

Runningwind stepped forward. "Hello, Ruby. This kit's mother is dead and I am the kit's father. Spottedpaw, here, is our Clan's medicine cat."

"So you are forest cats?" Ruby asked incredulously, without a hint of fear.

"Yes."

"My brother, Tiny, once had dreams of going to the forest. But they chased him out. So now he lives downtown with the alley cats." Ruby chuckled nervously.

When Pebblekit squealed again, Ruby shook her head vigorously and meowed, "Oh, yes, the kitten. I can guess that since her mother's dead, you want me to take her in?"

Spottedpaw nodded hopedfully. "Will you?"

Ruby paused for a minute, looked at the kit, then nodded. "Of course. I shall raise her as if she were my own. Hopefully my housefolk will decide to keep her as well." Ruby turned and picked up Pebblekit.

"Goodbye, then!" Runningwind called back.

As Spottedpaw and Runningwind left Pebblekit with Ruby, the two heard her mew, "I think I'll call you…Millie."