RIPPLECLAN

LEADER RIPPLESTAR - white and gray tabby tom

DEPUTY WILLOWDAPPLE - pretty white she-cat with gray and black dapples

MEDICINE CAT OWLLEAF - brown tom with white spots on his face, tail, and has mittens of white on his paws

WARRIORS

THRUSHWING - dark grey tom with light green eyes

PALEEYES - dark black tom with pale blue eyes

ASHSNOW - gray tom with darker gray speckles and white paws, chest and underbelly, and tail tip.

HONEYFOREST - tall golden tabby she-cat

FLAMECLAW - dark ginger tom with copper-colored eyes

RISELIGHT - yellowish-ginger tom with darker stripes and white chest, underbelly and tail, and paws

POPPYSEED - dilute calico she-cat

VIOLETFLOWER - grey tabby she-cat

QUEENS

TULIPPETAL- pretty cream and white short fur (mother to Primrosekit, a cream and white she-kit)

SONGSHADOW - beautiful white and brown tabby with dark blue eyes (expecting Flameclaw's kits)

Prologue

A white tom sat in a snow-laden tree, his bright green eyes narrowed at the two cats below him, one tabby and white, and the other ginger. He had been watching them for a while now, the anger inside him growing. The tabby and white she-cat had her tail curled around the ginger tom's, with his paw on her round belly.

The white tom narrowed his eyes further, his tail tip flicking in anger. Get your paws off her, Flameclaw… she's mine…

As he watched, the she-cat convulsed, and worry coursed through him. The tabby looked to the ginger tom, and he nodded, guiding her back to the camp. The white tom waited until they had vanished into the brambles before leaping down from his perch and climbing to a new area that allowed him to survey the nursery. The tabby she-cat was ushered quickly to her nest, the tom shooed outside by brown and white tom with green eyes.

"You're doing good, Songshadow," the medicine cat soothed. "You have four kits to deliver." Songshadow nodded and shrieked in pain.

The white tom could barely stand to watch, his heart aching seeing her in so much pain. You're doing wonderfully, my love. Keep going…

The medicine cat gave Songshadow a stick to bite on when the contractions came, and soon he carried a tiny brown kit to her belly. "It's a she-kit."

A she-kit! Do you hear that, Songshadow? We have a daughter.

Time passed and the medicine cat brought another kit to Songshadow's belly, this one a pure white. "A tom."

You're doing great, my love. Just two to go.

The medicine cat placed the third kit next to Songshadow, this one a ginger and white tabby. "A second tom." Songshadow gasped, and the last kit was born. Another pure white one, but this one much smaller than the other three. "And another she-kit."

Songshadow sighed exhaustedly, licking her kits to get them clean. "Can you let Flameclaw in?"

The tom narrowed his eyes again. Why would you want him with you? They're my kits! Why don't you want me visiting?

The medicine cat nodded, smiling a little. "Of course." He poked his head out, and the ginger tom came rushing in.

"Songshadow… are you alright?" Flameclaw asked, looking terrified and worried.

The white tom nearly growled.

"Of course I'm alright," Songshadow purred. "Come look at your kits…"

My kits! The tom thought furiously.

Flameclaw looked over at them, letting out an "oh…" and settled down next to Songshadow. "They're perfect… just like you…"

Songshadow smiled tiredly, looking at the four of them. "What shall we name them?"

Flameclaw pointed to the brown she-kit. "What about Bluekit for her?"

Songshadow nodded. "I was thinking of Fogkit for the little white tom."

"And Reedkit for the ginger and white tabby tom?"

"Blossomkit for the little white she-kit… she's so small…" Songshadow murmured.

"But she'll grow up strong, just like her mother," Flameclaw whispered.

Songshadow purred, touching her nose to his. "Could you get me some water?" she asked.

"Of course. I'll be back soon." Flameclaw left, and the white tom took that as his cue to enter from the back of the nursery.

"They're beautiful…" he murmured.

Songshadow's head snapped around to him, her eyes widening. "Skycloud! What are you doing here?"

"I heard you were kitting and I wanted to come see them." Skycloud bent his head to look at the little balls of fur, particularly the little white she-kit. "They're perfect."

"Thank you," Songshadow murmured, her voice tight. "Now, please leave."

Skycloud looked up into her eyes, his own dark with anger. "I'll leave. But not without my kits…"

Songshadow stiffened, her tail beginning to wrap around the four kits. "They're not your kits, Skycloud; they're Flameclaw's."

Skycloud's lip curled in a snarl. "They're mine, Songshadow. Or, they would have been if you had loved me like you were supposed to. But… no. You liked that fluff-brain half rogue half clan cat. I'm here to take back what is rightfully mine."

"Flameclaw!" Songshadow called, her voice hitching in fear.

Skycloud bent down, taking the little white she-kit in his jaws by her scruff, just as Flameclaw burst through the nursery.

"He's taking Blossomkit!" Songshadow cried.

"Skycloud, put my daughter down…" Flameclaw murmured, his voice dangerously low.

Something wicked flickered in Skycloud's eyes and he turned, running out the way he had come. He leaped through the snow, the she-kit held gingerly in his mouth. I've got you… I've got you… He could hear Flameclaw crashing behind him and ran faster, narrowing his eyes against the nearly blinding snow. The white kit mewed in protest against the cold, Skycloud's heart panged. I know… I know, we're almost there…

Skycloud tumbled to the ground as Flameclaw leaped at him from behind. Skycloud dropped the kit, then panicked and stood over her, protecting her; the roar of the Thunderpath sounded behind them.

"Skycloud, please… let Blossomkit go… kill me instead," Flameclaw begged.

Skycloud's heart hardened. "No… killing you wouldn't punish Songshadow enough. You have to know what it's like to have done everything you could have to get back what is rightfully yours, only to have it slip away. Killing you would be quick and easy, but I want you to suffer, knowing you did everything you could," Skycloud snickered at this, smirking at the desperate ginger tom, "and it still wasn't good enough."

Skycloud picked up the white kit again, whirling and dashing across the Thunderpath, just as a monster rushed behind him, blocking off Flameclaw from crossing as well. He heard Flameclaw roar behind him, but he kept going, thanking StarClan for his white pelt that allowed him to blend into the snow.

The she-kit complained again, and Skycloud could feel her shivering. I know, my love, I know. We're almost there… we're almost there…

He soon found the cave he had been using as his home for the past moon, settling down in his nest with the kit. He began licking her fur backward, trying to help her warm up. The she-kit mewed, searching his stomach for milk.

"I'm sorry, I don't have milk for you…" he whispered. "But… here…" He began chewing up some prey that had been waiting beside his nest, nudging it toward her. "This is good. It's yummy…" The kit didn't seem to like it at first, but it got used to the smell quickly and lapped it up. "There you are… my precious girl… I've saved you… Never forget that alright?"

The she-kit mewed again, nuzzling his belly fur and going straight to sleep. Skycloud smiled warmly, curling around her, the smell of her fur warming his heart. My precious daughter…

A/N: Hello! Thanks for reading the prologue, everyone! Just so you're aware, this is a collaboration project. Two of us take turns writing the chapters. So if you notice some words may be spelled differently between two chapters, it's because we don't live in the same place. Once again, thanks for reading!