Fireheart didn't waste any time when they arrived back at Bluestar's den.

"Mistyfoot and Stonefur were missing from the Gathering," he told Bluestar, once he was sure that they weren't being eavesdropped on.

"What?" Bluestar meowed in disbelief, staring at the flame-colored tom. "They weren't?"

"No, they weren't," Fireheart confirmed. "I looked around for Stonefur, but I couldn't find him anywhere and I heard a few RiverClan warriors saying that they had been left behind. But none of them would say why."

Bluestar's eyes were troubled. "Do you think..." She left the sentence unfinished, but Fireheart knew what she was trying to ask.

"Actually, there's something else I've been meaning to tell you," he admitted. Briefly, he wondered how he would explain that Graypool had accidentally revealed Bluestar's deepest secret to Tigerstar. Finally, he decided to just get it over with and meowed, "Tigerstar knows that two of RiverClan's warriors were born in ThunderClan."

Bluestar stiffened visibly, her eyes filled with dread and terror. "How? How did he find out?" she demanded. "Who told him?"

"Graypool told him," Fireheart confessed, then quickly added, "But not on purpose. She was...confused, I guess, and she happened to stumble across Tigerstar one day. I think he had been visiting Crookedstar–it was just before he died. She mistook him for Oakheart, and asked him why he hadn't come to check on the two ThunderClan kits he brought to her. Eventually, she realized that he wasn't Oakheart, but it was too late by then."

"Why didn't you say something before?" Bluestar demanded, almost accusingly.

"I couldn't," the ginger tom meowed. "That was right before the battle with WindClan...and you were so troubled back then, it didn't seem like a good idea to bother you with it. You wouldn't have reacted well if I told you, 'Hey, guess what, Tigerstar knows that RiverClan has two ThunderClan-born warriors'. I was going to tell you later, but with everything that happened after that, there was never the right time."

Bluestar lowered her head and exhaled deeply. Fireheart, unsure what else to do, gently licked his former mentor between the ears and felt her press her nose against his cheek.

"She didn't mention anyone by name," he told her. "But I don't think it would take a lot for Tigerstar to guess, and considering both Mistyfoot and Stonefur were missing from the Gathering...and it's strange, don't you think, that Tigerstar would ally RiverClan with ShadowClan before the Gathering when his news was supposedly meant to be for all of us?"

"It's very strange," Bluestar agreed, squeezing her eyes shut for a moment. She opened them a moment later and looked her deputy in the eye. "So, what do you suppose this means?"

"Two possibilities," Fireheart replied, narrowing his eyes as he tried to make sense of the situation before them. "One, Tigerstar has figured out that Mistyfoot and Stonefur are your kits and plans to use that against you somehow–and probably harm them as well. Two, this is another one of his plans to eradicate ThunderClan from the forest–because he knows that we aren't on good terms with WindClan, and our territory lies right in between ShadowClan and RiverClan. I think Stonefur has more honor than Leopardstar, which could explain why he was left behind."

Fireheart could practically see the thoughts swirling in his former mentor's mind. On one hand, Mistyfoot and Stonefur didn't know that Bluestar was their mother, and revealing such a thing to them would require an extensive explanation that there wasn't a lot of time to give–and that was assuming they were even interested in hearing it. However, on the other hand, there was no denying that they would be in danger if they were left under Tigerstar's reign. The dark tabby was many things, but stupid was not one of them and Fireheart didn't think it would take too much intuition to figure out who the mother of Mistyfoot and Stonefur had been.

"Bluestar?" he prompted when the ThunderClan leader had been silent for several moments.

"Hmm?" She looked up at him, her eyes distant.

"What do you think we should do?" he asked. "Sooner or later, Tigerstar will probably find out the truth if he hasn't already."

The blue-gray molly hesitated for a moment longer, then meowed, "See if you can get Mistyfoot or Stonefur tomorrow and tell them to come to meet me. I think it's time I told them the truth."

The following afternoon, Fireheart was pretending to patrol the RiverClan border while keeping a sharp eye out for either of Bluestar's offspring. He made sure to catch a few pieces of prey, just to avoid arousing any suspicion. Fortunately, none of his own Clanmates were around to see him lurking by the border. The last thing he needed was to have to explain why he was stalking two warriors from a rival Clan.

Eventually, he spotted Mistyfoot and Stonefur approaching from the reeds, each carrying a mouse in their jaws. To his dismay, however, the third cat accompanying them was Blackclaw. He noticed that Blackclaw looked considerably more well-fed than his two Clanmates, and the feeling of foreboding rose up in his stomach again.

Fantastic, Fireheart thought sarcastically. Out of everyone I could have possibly run into, it just had to be him.

There was no turning back now, though. Praying to StarClan that Blackclaw wouldn't notice him, Fireheart ducked behind a cluster of ferns and hissed, "Mistyfoot! Stonefur!"

He waited with bated breath as Mistyfoot and Stonefur's ears swiveled toward the sound of his voice. Blackclaw, to his relief, didn't seem to have picked up on anything. Fireheart wondered why then realized that the RiverClan warrior was busy trying to scent out a vole from somewhere upwind.

"Blackclaw," Mistyfoot called to her Clanmate, "We're going to try for some prey in these ferns. Don't wait for us."

Fireheart heard Blackclaw meow something in response before padding away. A moment later, Mistyfoot and Stonefur walked around the ferns, and he straightened up to greet them.

"Fireheart," Stonefur meowed, dipping his head respectfully. "What is it you need?"

"I was sent by Bluestar to get you two–yes, I do mean both of you," he added in response to the questioning look in the RiverClan deputy's eyes. "There's something she needs to talk to you two about."

"What is it?" Mistyfoot asked curiously.

Fireheart shook his head. "That's something Bluestar has to explain. It's not my place to tell," he meowed. Seeing their uncertainty, he added, "Please–it's important. This could be something that affects both our Clans if the wrong cats find out about it."

To his relief, the two RiverClan warriors nodded. "Lead the way, Fireheart," Stonefur meowed. "If this is as important as you say it is, we'll listen to whatever it is Bluestar has to say."

Fireheart nodded and led the way swiftly back to the ThunderClan camp, though he made sure to keep a slightly slower pace than usual since Mistyfoot and Stonefur were unused to the terrain. Fortunately, they didn't seem to have much trouble keeping their footing and managed to keep a relatively even pace with him the entire way. He wondered if their ThunderClan blood had anything to do with it.

When they arrived back at camp, the three cats headed straight for Bluestar's den. The ThunderClan leader was lying down in her nest when they arrived but sat up when she saw her deputy and two kits. Stonefur lowered his head respectfully to Bluestar as Fireheart sat down a few paces away from his leader, curling his tail over his paws. Once everyone had settled themselves down, Bluestar dove right into her explanation.

"Right," she meowed. "Before I get started, what exactly has Fireheart told you so far?"

"Nothing," Stonefur replied.

"Only that you needed to talk to us and what you're going to tell us could destroy our Clans if the wrong cats find out about it," Mistyfoot added. More hesitantly, she asked, "It...it's not really that bad, is it?"

"I'm afraid it might be," Bluestar murmured.

"But what could possibly be so bad that it would destroy both our Clans?" Stonefur asked. There was no anger in his voice, just confusion. "And what do Mistyfoot and I have to do with it?"

Bluestar hesitated for a few moments, then meowed, "Because...because you two are half-Clan. Your father was Oakheart, but Graypool wasn't your mother."

"What?" Stonefur exclaimed, leaping to his paws. Fireheart winced at the blaze of fury that lit up his eyes. "What are you talking about? Of course, she was our mother."

"No," Bluestar meowed, her own eyes filled with sorrow. "I am your mother, Stonefur. I had to give you two up when you were still kits."

"I don't believe it!" the RiverClan deputy snarled. "It's a trick."

"Fireheart?" Mistyfoot meowed quietly. "Is this true?"

She knew him well enough to know that he wouldn't lie to her. Hesitantly, aware of the way Stonefur had turned that burning gaze on him now, he nodded. As soon as he did, Mistyfoot seemed to deflate and Stonefur's eyes filled with renewed fury.

"Stonefur, I–" Bluestar began, but he cut her off.

"You abandoned us!" he hissed furiously. "You dumped us off to another Clan to raise! What, were we that much of a burden to you?"

"No!" Bluestar exclaimed desperately. "You were never a burden. I loved you two very much."

"Obviously not enough," Mistyfoot meowed bitterly, turning her gaze to her mother, who lowered her head, pain flashing in her eyes.

Fireheart knew that it wasn't his place to interfere, but he couldn't stop himself. He had to make Mistyfoot and Stonefur listen to Bluestar. If they didn't, Tigerstar would destroy both their Clans.

"Please listen, you two," he pleaded. "Yes, she had to give you up to another Clan–but Mistyfoot, you had kits of your own, didn't you? Do either of you know of any queens who would willingly give up their kits for no reason?"

Mistyfoot thought for a moment, then replied, "No, I suppose not."

"Exactly!" Fireheart meowed. "So don't you think there was probably a very good reason why Bluestar had to give you over to RiverClan?"

The two RiverClan cats hesitated for a moment, but Fireheart could see some of the anger and hurt fading from their eyes. Finally, after a few tense moments of silence, Stonefur turned back to Bluestar, the fur on his shoulders lying flat now.

"Very well," he meowed curtly. "Tell us everything. But this had better be worth it."

Bluestar blinked gratefully at Fireheart and meowed, "Alright, then. I met your father when I was a warrior. He was...arrogant, but I found him charming at the same time. One night, he asked if we could meet at Fourtrees. That was the only time we ever met, but I found out later that I was expecting kits. The rest of the Clan didn't suspect anything–in fact, they were convinced that another one of my Clanmates, Thrushpelt, was the father."

Her eyes softened as she continued, "A moon or so later, you two were born–along with your sister, Mosskit."

"Okay," Mistyfoot meowed slowly. "But what happened after that?"

"Then our deputy, Tawnyspots, decided to retire due to illness," Bluestar meowed, repeating the familiar story she had told Fireheart all those moons ago. "I knew I had a good chance of being chosen in his place. Our medicine cat, Goosefeather, had told me that I had a great destiny ahead of me. But I also knew that the Clan would never take a queen nursing kits as Clan deputy–and the other most likely candidate at the time was Thistleclaw."

"Thistleclaw?" Stonefur echoed. "I think I remember him. He was a good warrior, wasn't he?"

"Good? That depends on how you define it," Bluestar answered. "He was certainly strong and brave, but his answer to every problem was to fight. Goosefeather had seen a vision of what would happen if Thistleclaw were to become leader, which would likely have happened if he was chosen as deputy. He would have destroyed ThunderClan, leading it into battle after battle. The only way to stop him would be if I became the deputy instead, but that couldn't happen if I was still raising kits."

"But...then why give us to another Clan?" Mistyfoot asked. "Couldn't another queen have taken us?"

"It wasn't an easy decision," the ThunderClan leader told them. "That was an especially cold leaf-bare. The only queens who were still nursing barely had enough milk to sustain their own kits, let alone three more. I knew you two would be safe and well-fed in RiverClan, and that your father would take care of you there. One night, I snuck you out of camp and took you to Sunningrocks...but Mosskit was too weak for the journey and died with me by the river."

Mistyfoot and Stonefur didn't say anything. They simply sat, waiting for Bluestar to finish her story.

"For many moons, I tried to put the thought of you two out of my mind," she went on. "I became deputy, then Clan leader after Sunstar died. But I never forgot about you, ever. Even when you two had forgotten me, I still never stopped caring. There were so many times when I had to hold myself back from telling you everything because it wasn't the right time and you had Graypool to be a mother to you...but I never stopped loving you."

At last, Mistyfoot and Stonefur believed her. Slowly, they nodded and moved forward to lick their mother's cheek. Bluestar purred with delight and pressed her muzzle against her two kits' fur. Fireheart kept silent, not wanting to disturb his leader's reunion with her children.

After a few moments, Mistyfoot turned to face him again. "Did you know about this?" she asked. There was no accusation in her voice, just curiosity.

"I did," Fireheart admitted. "But it was really an accident that I found out. I was...dealing with some other issues at the time, and I happened to find out through working around all of that."

"Why didn't you say something?" she asked.

"One, it wasn't my secret to tell," he replied. "Two, I don't think it would have been a good idea to waltz into RiverClan territory and say, 'Guess what, you two? You guys are actually my leader's kits. Surprise!' I don't think that would have gone over well."

They nodded, and Stonefur meowed, "But why would this destroy our Clans? I'm assuming that not everyone knows, so as long as it stays a secret..."

"I don't think it will for long," Fireheart interrupted. "Tigerstar knows that two RiverClan warriors were born in ThunderClan."

"What?" Mistyfoot asked in disbelief. "How?"

Quickly, Fireheart repeated the story he had told Bluestar the day before. As he continued, he felt a pang of sorrow to see the pain and anger in Mistyfoot's eyes as she found out the truth about her adopted mother's death. He regretted not telling her sooner, but it hadn't been the right time.

"She didn't mention anything about you two specifically," he meowed, once he'd finished. "But I doubt it would take much for Tigerstar to figure it out. And if there was one thing that Tigerstar always hated, it was half-Clan and non-Clanborn cats–basically, anyone who wasn't pure-blooded. He hated me simply for being a kittypet, and if he thinks that's bad, what do you suppose he would do to two half-ThunderClan warriors whose mother is the leader who exiled him? Maybe it won't affect our Clans entirely, but if he finds out the truth–and he will–then you two won't be safe in your own Clan."

"What do you suggest we do, then?" Stonefur asked. "Just up and leave our Clans?"

Fireheart thought for a moment. "No," he replied finally. "Not yet. That would look too suspicious. But one of us will come to the border every few days, and you can tell us what's going on with this PigeonClan idea of Tigerstar's. If it sounds like things have gotten worse, then we'll devise a way to get you out of RiverClan–and I'd suggest bringing Featherpaw and Stormpaw too if it comes down to it."

Mistyfoot and Stonefur nodded in acceptance. "Alright, then," the RiverClan deputy replied. "If that's all...?"

"Yes," Bluestar meowed. "I'll escort you two back to your territory. Fireheart, stay here and keep Sandstorm company. She was getting rather irritated about your absence the last I heard."

She had the familiar teasing glint in her eyes as she said this, and Mistyfoot and Stonefur flashed him a knowing look as they padded out of Bluestar's den. Fireheart lowered his head to the ground and sighed in defeat. First his leader, now her kits. What had he done to make StarClan hate him so much?