Spottedpaw stared down at the three limp forms, her eyes trailed up to the heartbroken face of Turtleback. The she-cat looked distraught at the three kits who didn't survive their birth. The fourth one was breathing and feeding, but the tortoiseshell she-cat acted as if she wasn't even there. The she-kit had a slightly crooked hanging eye, and was suckling away at her mother's source of milk.

Spottedpaw heard a growl, and the cats that were inside parted to let Darkstar and his posies into the Nursery. The skinny black tom pushed past her without a word, and stared down at his mate and kits. "Why aren't my sons' moving!" he growled.

Sandfoot gave the tom a very timid glance. "They were dead upon birth, you do have a healthy young daughter still alive." She answered her tail flicking as she met the eyes of Shred.

Spottedpaw heard the RiverClan leader let out a ferocious snarl, and all the cats ducked back with their heads closer to the ground. Shred stepped towards the pale ginger she-cat. "He didn't ask you, he asked his mate to speak to him!" she snarled.

Sandfoot dipped her head, and she left the den with her tail between her legs. Spottedpaw watched her leave, before returning her gaze to the clan leader. "Is this true, Turtleback; are they dead?!" he growled at his mate.

Hailstorm turned his head back around the nursery, and Spottedpaw felt his eyes latch onto her.

"I-I'm so sorry Darkstar, I-I hoped they would survive!" Turtleback pleaded.

Darkstar's tail lashed viciously. "You have failed me as a mate, and have left me a defunct as the continuation of my bloodline!" he spat, "There will only be one sleeping in the leader's nest tonight, and as long as you continue to fail me!" he growled, before storming out of the den with his posies following.

Spottedpaw saw; for once; weakness and a deepening sorrow in the face of the normally smug Turtleback. She stepped forward. "So… what are you going to name her?" she inquired.

"Who?" Turtleback spat.

"Your daughter, the one who survived."

"She is not my kit, as soon as she can walk and speak I'm leaving for the warriors den," turtleback answered with a burning hate in her eyes directed at the small kit, "That thing can fend for itself from then on!"

Spottedpaw looked upon the poor she-kit, she had a fire colored pelt; most likely from the ginger on Turtleback. The she-kit continued to get the milk from her mother's belly. She thought of the life that the kit would lead because of her parent's, distaste.

Brokenpaw fell asleep back in the medicine cat den, the memories of when he was a kit flooding his senses as Twisted remained curled around him. he stared across the den to where Featherfern lay sleeping in her nest, in what was their nest.

Brokenpaw looked to beside him where Twisted was still sleeping, thinking back on Lightpaw's words earlier that day. Surely she loved him, right? She said so when he confessed to her...

Right?

Brokenpaw laid down his head, thinking back on those nights shared with the tall black she-cat with twisting ginger stripes. Her face and duel eyes always unreadable and distant.

Brokenpaw shook his head as he faltered, stepping out of the nest and deciding to take a position out in the open. Under the stars and staring up at them.

"you must understand that no matter what I will love you. No matter where we are in the grand scheme of things, starclan may reside alone in the sky. But they do not forget who they left behind; they love and watch over their descendants before they fade away from existence." Redwhisker's words echoed in Brokenpaw's ears, thinking back to the time when he was Oakkit son of Redwhisker; the deputy of RiverClan.

Now he was Brokenpaw, the left behind son of Redwhisker; the former deputy of RiverClan.

Brokenpaw's eyes wandered up to the skies above him, tail flickering behind him as he thought on those words from the past.

'I should go join him.'

Lightpaw tried to summon all strength to go show him, to go and understand better. his lone self remained in her eye that she can see through.

But she didn't move from her nest, too frozen with fear for some odd reason.

Fear of what?

The unknown?