Prologue
"What have you done, Ravenfeather?"
The black she-cat flinched at the sharpness of the voice. At her paws, two dark bundles of fur pressed hard into their mother's body. They were quivering—whether it was from fear or from the cold Ravenfeather did not know.
"They're not your kits," she said softly. The warrior stared hard at the ground between her paws, the shame burning in her face.
It was early morning in ThunderClan camp. The frosty chill of a leaf-bare night still hung in the air as the sun hadn't yet risen above the tree tops. Cats were only just starting to rise from their dens, and it was still early enough that not even the dawn patrol had left yet. The noise in the clearing, however, was beginning to draw attention.
Featherwing peered out from the fern tunnel that led to the medicine cat's den, her apprentice, Honeypaw, was right on her heels. A couple of warriors had warily made their way out of their dens. They were shocked to see their fellow comrade, Ravenfeather, standing in the middle of the clearing with two kits, and Sharpstar, ThunderClan's leader, standing at the foot of Highrock and staring at the she-cat in utter disbelief.
Ravenfeather had hid her pregnancy at first for a while, but it had soon became unavoidable once her belly started to show. Fortunately, it was no secret that Sharpstar favored the black she-cat, and soon every cat had assumed the kits were his. The two had only recently became mates, but the black warrior had never been seen with another tom so every cat assumed they were the children of the ThunderClan leader.
This morning, however, Ravenfeather could hide the truth no more. He was not the father to her kits. He couldn't be as both of her children had dark fur and green eyes. Neither of them had the same golden look as Sharpstar.
"How could you? You lied to your Clan. You lied to me," the tom's voice broke on the last part.
One of the kits—the she-cat—mewed loudly at his tone change and Ravenfeather ran her tail soothingly down her daughter's spine. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "I am so, so sorry."
Sharpstar began to pace back and forth outside of his den, his face contorted in hurt. More ThunderClan warriors began to emerge from their dens, not even attempting to hide their curiosity anymore.
"I never wanted to hurt you. I really do love you, Sharpstar," Ravenfeather murmured softly, low enough so that no one of their eavesdropping Classmates could hear.
The ThunderClan stopped pacing at stared at her with large, amber eyes. They were filled with tears, but he didn't break his gaze, "You used me."
Ravenfeather flinched. They'd grown up together. The tom had adored her when they were apprentices, it was no secret. But she really did value their friendship, and no one could say that she didn't care. "I didn't—"
"You did," he snapped, and his gaze turned into a hard glare. "You used by affection for you to cover up the fact that you had kits with another. Who's their father?"
The black she-cat swallowed hard and looked down at her kits once more. One male and one female. Twins. Her heart swelled with love at the sight of them, and that love filled her with the courage to look at her leader once more.
"Bramblepelt."
A heavy silence settled over the clearing. Sharpstar seemed to be frozen and it took him a long time to move again. "Then you leave me no choice." He leapt onto Highrock, "Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey join beneath the Highrock for a Clan meeting."
There was hardly a need to summon the Clan since most of them had been watching anyways, but that didn't stop the ThunderClan leader. It only took a few moments before the warriors and apprentices were gathered in the clearing and the queens and elders were peering out of their dens.
Ravenfeather's heart pounded loudly and her kits squirmed into her sides, crying loudly. They were cold and hungry, and it had been a long night for the newborns.
Sharpstar looked down at her coldly, "I think they deserve to know the truth, Ravenfeather."
The black warrior stared back at him, her gaze hardening. She turned to her Clanmates, who were looking at her with confusion written all over their faces. "I—these are my kits, Dovekit and Thornkit," she murmured softly.
"And?" Sharpstar prompted.
Ravenfeather's ears flattened against her head but she didn't look away from her Clan, "And their father is Bramblepelt, deputy of ShadowClan."
She couldn't bear to watch her Clanmates reactions so she looked down at her kits again. The gasps of her Clanmates filled her ears as they broke out into whispering.
"I'm sorry for betraying my Clan, and for hurting you," Ravenfeather looked at him with sincere green eyes. "But I will not apologize for kits existence. They have done nothing wrong and I don't want them treated any different from any other ThunderClan member."
Sharpstar met her gaze with a hard stare, "They are half-Clan, Ravenfeather, and while I agree that it isn't their fault for what has happened, it doesn't change that they don't exactly belong here either."
Ravenfeather bristled, "Sharpstar, they're kits."
"They're not just ThunderClan kits, Ravenfeather!" The tom snapped, "They are half ShadowClan as well! You have no idea what you've done to this Clan. If ShadowClan tries to claim the kits and there is war the bloodshed will be on your paws."
The black she-cat wrapped a tail protectively around her children, "You can't give them to ShadowClan!" She snarled.
The Clan seemed unsure of how to react between their leader and their fellow warrior.
"He has a point," Thistlefang muttered.
"What do you mean! Half-blood or not they're still ThunderClan kits!" Hazelfoot exclaimed.
"So what? We should die for them?" Drizzlecloud retorted.
The mother couldn't believe what she was hearing. Clanmates she had grown up with and fought with and loved were arguing over whether or not to abandoned her children? "Where's your loyalty?" She whispered.
"Loyalty?" Sharpstar had overheard the she-cat. "Where was your loyalty, Ravenfeather?"
"I love my Clan," the she-cat stated firmly. "This had nothing to do with that."
The golden tom shook his head sharply, "It had everything to do with us, and even though you chose to betray us, we will not betray you." He cleared his throat and looked at his Clanmates who were staring back at their leader with wide eyes, "One kit will remain here in ThunderClan and the other will go to ShadowClan with their father."
"No! How could you split up siblings?" Ravenfeather objected, "Or ask me to choose between which one gets to stay?"
Sharpstar shook his head, "You won't have to make that decision. I will have a patrol take one of the kits to the border as soon as they are fit to travel. From this moment on, Ravenfeather, you are exiled."
The black she-cat looked desperately up at her leader, "No," she begged. "Please, Sharpstar, don't do this. You can't take my kits from me. Please," she rose to her paws and looked around at her Clanmates desperately, "Help me!"
But no one spoke a word. No cat wanted to go against their Clan leader's word.
Ravenfeather's claws slid out of their sheathes, "I won't let you."
Sharpstar's amber eyes flashed, "Do not make this harder. You know this is a fight you cannot win, and this is the price you must pay for your betrayal."
"No!" Ravenfeather leapt at him, but she had hardly left the ground before she was slammed back down by a tortoiseshell she-cat. "Tawnyheart," she snarled.
The ThunderClan deputy glared coldly back at her, "Try it," she growled, "Give me an excuse."
Loud squeals filled the clearing as Featherwing and Honeypaw moved forward and had picked up the kits in their jaws. "Please!" Ravenfeather sobbed.
"We won't hurt them," Featherwing promised, "But they are newborns and we need to make sure they're healthy. Trust us."
Tears streamed from the black warrior's sad eyes and she could only nod helplessly.
"Leave," Sharpstar growled, leaping down from Highrock. He no longer could look at the she-cat he had once loved. His heart was torn as he turned his back on her, "You are no longer a member of ThunderClan. Tawnyheart will organize a group to take you to the border and from there you are on your own." And without another word, he disappeared into the shadows of his den.
Tawnyheart loosened her grip and gave the black warrior a hard jab before beginning to gather warriors to join her on the escort. Ravenfeather quickly rose to her paws, glaring at where her Clan leader at gone. She made a move to go forward but was cut off by Hazelfoot this time.
She blinked in surprise. The gray and white warrior had always been her close friend. "Even you?" She whispered, hurt.
Hazelfoot jerked her head in a quick motion, making sure her Clanmates weren't looking, "We'll take care of them, Ravenfeather. I promise."
Before the mother could respond Tawnyheart turned back with Thistlefang and Hollyfeather next to her, "Let's go," the deputy ordered firmly.
Ravenfeather could do nothing but accept her Clan's decision as she was forced from her family. She couldn't protect and provide for newly born kits all on her own. They would be safer in the Clans. But nevertheless her heart ached more and more with each step she was forced to take further and further away from Dovekit and Thornkit, whose cries could be heard even from the outside the walls of the medicine den.
She took a deep breath as they reached the edge of camp, casting one last fleeting glance around the clearing before stepping through the fern tunnel.
And from that moment forward, Ravenfeather of ThunderClan was no more.
