Welcome my beautiful lovelies to chapter 23 of Shaded Fate!

Nightstorm: This chapter should be a little emotional.

Me: Enjoy and review!

Nightstorm: Born of True Destiny does not own Warriors

"There's one more kit, Sunmask! Push!"

Sunmask did, harder than she ever had before. Stormwhisker yowled, "A she-kit!"

She flopped down in her nest, breathing hard. Her three newborn kits nuzzled up to her belly and began suckling. The first kit was a dark brown tabby tom, and the largest of the three. The other two were she-kits. One of them was silver and white, and the other had the gray fur of her father.

Stormwhisker nodded as he looked at them. "All of them are healthy, Sunmask. Congratulations."

"Thanks," she panted.

Mouseflight and Scarletfur were beside her, helping to keep her calm during the kitting. Mouseflight was the one to ask the question. "What will you name them?"

Sunmask sighed. "Well, I'll think about it. I want the perfect names for the perfect kits."

Scarletfur smiled. "Isn't that lovely? Remember, if you ever need anything, you know where to find us."

Suddenly, a mewl sounded by the front of the den. Mouseflight's kits stood there, eyes wide with curiosity. "Can we come and see the new kits now? Please?" asked Tinykit, her ginger tail waving through the air impatiently.

"Of course. But don't get too close, they are very young and small," Mouseflight told them.

Slowly, the four of them filed into the nursery. Tinykit and Flamekit, being the smallest, stood in front of Ashkit and Flowerkit, as they peered into the nest. "Whoa!" exclaimed Flamekit. "Were we that small when we were born?"

"Yes, you were," their mother purred affectionately.

"When can they play?" Ashkit asked.

"Not for a while," Scarletfur admitted. "Sorry. But once they can walk steadily and open their eyes, maybe you seven can play around."

"It might still be a while," said Mouseflight.

As the kits pouted, Sunmask couldn't help but grin. It would certainly be a wild ride raising her son and two daughters by herself, but she knew she would have help. She tried to reassure herself that everything would be okay.

"Now, come on. Go play outside. Let Sunmask rest. She's really tired," Mouseflight said.

Ashkit, Tinykit, and Flamekit obeyed their mother but Flowerkit stayed put, gazing at the kits with wonder in her eyes.

"Flowerkit? Come on, let's go," meowed Mouseflight.

"I'm sorry mother, but I'm real fascinated by newborn kits," she said, turning around and following her siblings.

Sunmask thought she saw Stormwhisker smile.

Mouseflight flicked her tail and exited the nursery. Stormwhisker followed her. Scarletfur whispered something in Sunmask's ear as she passed by.

"Come to us if you ever need anything," she said. "And let us know what you name the kits!"

Sunmask nodded but a knot formed in her belly upon hearing the ginger she-cat's words. She promised Volefur that she would meet with him to name the kits. She never really thought about it until then. How could she leave her kits alone in the nest? What if they got cold and hungry? What if Mouseflight woke up to find Sunmask missing? Maybe she just shouldn't go and just name the kits on her own. Keeping promises at times as these was almost impossible now.

Deciding against it all suddenly made her heart feel hollow. Why did all of this have to be so difficult? Her kits haven't even been several minutes hold yet, and she felt like she was already struggling as much as she possibly could. She couldn't even get past naming them.

Maybe Sunmask really did need to see him. Things between them were a lot different, but seeing him before always made her feel secure and safe.

Always.

The Clan was well into darkness. All of the night-hunters had returned by then. Sunmask had been lying wide awake in her nest since the kitting. Her kits slept soundly, pressed up against against her belly, seeking her warmth. She watched them carefully as they all softly breathed, their flanks rising and falling. If she were to get to RiverClan territory, meet with Volefur and return before dawn, she would have to leave now.

Careful not to wake her kits, Sunmask slowly got out of her nest. She looked back at her three children just as she was about to slip away.

"Sunmask?" a voice mumbled.

Nearly jumping, she turned her head towards Mouseflight. The gray queen's heavy eyes were fixed on her, and glowed questioningly in the dark. "Huh?"

"Where are you going?" she asked.

"Oh, uh..." She thought up something quick. "To the dirt place."

"Okay," Mouseflight said. She started to gingerly get up from where she lay. "I'll keep your kits warm until you return. Is that alright?"

"Um, yes! Oh yeah, thanks," Sunmask replied.

"Don't mention it," she whispered, climbing into Sunmask's nest beside her kits. "Go on."

Sunmask left, hoping and praying that Mouseflight would fall asleep.

All the pine trees seemed much closer together than normal that particular night. Their needles seemed lower to the ground, and Sunmask felt that it all was closing in on her. She knew that she really shouldn't be doing what she was doing, especially not after what happened, and as she got closer to the RiverClan, more doubts popped into her head.

You're making a mistake. What if someone sees you?

Turn back, you're going to do something stupid!

Volefur isn't even going to be a part of your kits' lives! Why should he name them?

After that last thought, she realized that was exactly why he needed to.

It was a cloudless sky, and yet, no stars sprinkled its silver light over the forest. Only a large, gray moon hung in the sky, shining eerily. A thorn stuck itself in Sunmask's heart. Did that mean that no ancestors watched her? Or anyone?

Probably. It all felt cold, and empty.

Sunmask arrived at the RiverClan border after what felt like ages. She felt a bunch of forces pressing up against her, adding anxiety and fear to her mind. She felt her breathing grow heavier, like those forces were finding their way to her lungs.

But then she saw him.

At first it was just his silhouette, then his blue eyes, then the rest of him, coming out into the gloom of the moon.

Instead of greeting him properly, she blurted out. "How did you know I would be here tonight?"

"I've been nervous about this," he answered, almost to quickly. "For the last moon I've been finding it hard to sleep; I got out for a walk almost every night and happened to smell you around."

Why are you nervous? You won't ever meet them! She bit it back.

"So?" he asked her.

"I...we...have a son and two daughters," she responded quietly. "Go ahead, name them."

"Tell me what they look like," Volefur meowed.

Sunmask clenched her teeth. "The tom is a dark brown tabby. One of the daughters is white and silver and the other is gray. Name them."

"What? You don't want to help?" Volefur asked.

"Volefur, please, can we just get this done with?" she said, a little more desperately than she wanted. "We weren't even supposed to be meeting with each other in the beginning, and now we have kits, which are alone by the way." That was a lie. They had Mouseflight, but she wanted to leave.

"It's okay, Sunmask. Take a couple deep breaths," he soothed. He had a warmth in his voice that was difficult to miss. "I'll go first. The tom shall be named Pinekit, for the forests of your territory."

She sucked in some air, because she found herself captivated by the sound of his voice. Pinekit. Their son. "The silver and white kit is Clearkit, for the waters of your territory," she breathed.

Volefur smiled at her. "The last one?"

She thought for a moment. "I'm drawing a blank."

"I have an idea," he meowed. He stared seriously into her eyes, showing that no matter what he said, he meant it, more than anything. His eyes captured her gaze. "Foreverkit. So you know I'll always love you."

Sunmask flinched. "For-Foreverkit?" she stammered. "I...I...that's a little strange isn't it?"

"Maybe," Volefur said, still gazing deeply into her eyes.

She broke it. "It really is. Don't you think we should name her something more normal?"

"Normal? Since when is anything ever normal?" he asked. "I know you feel uncomfortable with the name because it proves my love to you, Sunmask," his voice was a grim whisper, "But let this me the mark a make on them. Let this the the memory of me to you."

She closed her eyes, and sighed. "Fine. Foreverkit."

After that, she turned around and left him at the border, and it was the last time she would ever do so.

Ermigerd. So emotional!

Nightstorm: Told you.

Me: *blows nose into tissue*

Nightstorm: Ay-yay-yay. Okay, Destiny wants to to review to this chapter telling you what you thought of this chapter. She also wants to know who your favorite character is in this story and why. See you later, guys!

~Nightstorm (and Destiny)