"Branch!" She purred, looking down at her three new kits.
"Took me a while, but after a tip, I found you. So these are ours?"
"Yeah. This is Tangerine, that is Stevie, and I was thinking of naming this one Bark, sort of after you."
"After me?"
"Of course, you silly thing."
"Copperpaw- this is-"
"No need to thank me. After all, we made them together."
"I'll see if I can find a place to live nearby, okay?"
"Of course. I won't disappear again."
''I'm glad of that." Tangerine mewled, squirming closer to her mother's belly. Copper purred, licking her mate on the cheek.
Let your kits choose their own paths.
I will, mother. She let out a breath. While I still have them, I will cherish them like no other.
Six Moons Later
"You have a lot to learn." Tangerine craned her neck to find the source of the noise, only to meet the eyes of a cat that looked eerily similar to her.
"Why is it always his family that gets the glory?" Leopardstar asked.
"She's just a tenth-cat, Leopardstar. Calm down." Sandstorm told her.
"Yeah, right." Blackstar scoffed. "She's as curious as he was when he entered the forest!"
"Alright, alright!" Tallstar interjected. "The Clans have a decent chance and you get to collect on all of those bets you made! Now can you please stop acting like immature kits?"
"I am not a kit." Blackstar growled.
"I never said you were, which is precisely why you should stop behaving like one."
"Hmph. I guess Russetfur does owe me a nice lizard now."
Yellowfang walked up to the group, eyes shining. "She's going to be a good tenth-cat. I can tell. And Firestar wants us to help."
"I can do that." Sandstorm purred.
"Yep, new apprentices and all that. Runningnose can deal with the idiots up here."
Firestar led her into camp, and they were all pleased to note her awestruck expression.
"Don't worry." Sandstorm told the young kittypet, although she knew that she wouldn't be heard. "You will rebuild our Clans, and StarClan will be there to help you every step of the way."