List of Mates and their litters:
Cloudpelt's and Brightface's Litter(s): Amberpaw (canon, renamed by Ellabellu) and Scarletpaw (created by Fala). Snowpaw, Dewpaw, and Whitepaw (canon characters).
Dustpelt's and Foxshadow's Litter(s): Oceanpaw, Brockpaw, Viperpaw, and Marshpaw. Earthpaw, Oakpaw, Ravenpaw, and Forestpaw. [All my OCs]
Brambleclaw's and Fernspots' Litter: Doepaw (created by WolfWriter123), Thistlepaw (created by WolfWriter123), Fawnpaw (created by lightningfire-star), and Umberpaw (created by Ellabellu).
Ravenfeather's and Cinderheart's Litter: Spiritkit (created by Fala), Nightkit (created by FitzSophie), and Cottonkit (created by Mapl3 Syrup).
All names are used with permission. Thank you guys so much for supporting Foxshadow and this series! :) This is for you.
The smell of oak and maple reminded her instantly of home. Foxstar sighed, remembering the many moons she had spent in ThunderClan helping Firepaw fight against the evils of Tigerclaw. She hoped to smell her mate underneath the mulch, wondering if he was going to move on after she and her new Clan left the Forest territories.
A shout rang out overhead. Foxstar raised her tail for silence, her party halting at the top of the ravine. She stared down, past the bramble walls into the camp, and a white stream of fluffy fur raced out, clawing his way up the rocks. The white tom joined her, panting, whiskers fluffed up into a grin.
"You're back, mom!"
She purred at him. "Cloudtail, it's good to see you. You do know I'm not your real mother, right?"
"You're the only mother I know," he mewed back, somewhat seriously before his mew became light again. "Have you come to see the kits?"
She hummed. "I would like to see them," she mewed in earnest, "but I'm really here on Clan business."
Cloudtail blinked at her and then his eyes wandered to the other two warriors behind her. His pelt bristled defensively. "Mountainfrost, Freezepelt."
The former BloodClan cats dipped their head respectfully in a very Clanish way but also too deeply. Foxstar winced at the faux pas. Freezepelt had given Cloudtail the greeting from apprentice to mentor rather than deputy to warrior.
Cloudtail's whiskers fluffed up in mild amusement.
"Hello," the spikey white tom mewed, glancing awkwardly at Foxstar. "It's good to see you again, my son."
Cloudtail's tail lashed, the humor gone, and tore his gaze away. "I should take you into camp. Firestar is probably waiting for you."
Foxstar nodded, and gave Freezepelt a pitying glance. The only good thing that had come from revealing Cloudtail's real father was that he had grown closer to Dustpelt, his adopted father. It wasn't a bad thing, per se, but Foxstar wished that Cloudtail would at least try to get to know his real father instead of treating him like an enemy or a joke.
No, she scolded herself, Dustpelt is the only father Cloudtail knows. He wouldn't do anything to betray him. I should be happy with that.
She followed Cloudtail down the ravine, her sixclawed forepaws gripping the stone easier than a smaller and normal paw. She saw the small entrance and remembered how she would easily leap over the bramble bushes with her long legs, like a SkyClan cat.
I really don't belong here, she thought.
She glanced back at her warriors and gestured them onward. They quickly and easily fit through the gap. They'd been doing this for moons.
Yet they still can't get the greetings right, she thought. She couldn't really blame them. When she first started out, the only thing keeping her from messing up at every paw step was her powers. Powers that she had since given to StarClan. And they had to unlearn moons of living with BloodClan and their mannerisms. The Clan's respectful bow and BloodClan's respectful bow were vastly different. Namely, the latter was basically eating dirt. The idea of keeping one's head mostly raised while bowing respectfully was hard for them to grasp.
When they'd both vanished under the bramble, Foxstar stretched herself to the tips of her paws and flung herself over the bramble in one mighty leap. She leaded easily on the other side, tail raised and fur smooth. She noticed that Freezepelt had a few twigs and thorns in his thick fur.
"Foxstar," mewed Firestar warmly. The orange tabby pressed his nose into hers before pulling away. "How is your Clan?"
My Clan, she thought with twinge pride. They are here because of me.
"They are doing well," she mewed. "We have a few kits but they are old enough to travel."
Better not tell him their names, she thought. Boy, would Firestar disapprove of at least one of them.
Firestar nodded, his dark green eyes glancing up at the sky. Foxstar wondered if she was looking for StarClan. He gestured back at the Highrock.
"Let's talk inside."
Foxstar looked at Cloudtail and touched his cheek with her nose. "I'll see your kits later."
Then she padded into the cold leader's den, her ears brushing the ceiling. She sniffed, trying to catch any last whiff of Bluestar that might have remained, but it was long gone. Sandstorm's scent covered everything, but the queen was nowhere to be found.
"Has Sandstorm moved into the nursery yet?"
Firestar hummed. "No," he confessed. "She's waiting until after leaf-bare."
"I see," Foxstar mewed. My kits will probably be warriors by then. She felt like the world she once knew was marching on without her, and her chest ached with loss. "How is the Clan faring?"
The orange tabby let out a deep sigh. "We're running out of food, Foxstar."
She dipped her head. "You do not have enough territory," she forced out.
Firestar stared at her, his eyes gentle. She pressed on, fighting the desire to avoid his gaze.
"You have too many kits. You're going to need all of your territory if you're going to have a chance to feed them all." She paused, sucking in a breath. "In that respect, Sandstorm has the right idea." Her whiskers fluffed up as she added with affection. "No matter how mousebrained she can be."
He kept staring at her, his tail gently rolling across the moss. So she continued.
"It's my fault," she mewed. "I shouldn't have egged them on. I just felt so guilty after what happened with the dogs-" She cut herself off, remembering what she had done. She was no longer under suspicion for what happened, but that didn't mean she wasn't guilty. She lowered her voice. "It's good that ThunderClan is strong again. I understand why you wanted to talk about this problem quietly."
The tom nodded. "What do you expect me to do about this? I do not want to go to war."
"You won't have to," she mewed. "Our kits are apprentices now. They're ready to make a short journey. We'll simply cross the southern thunderpath and find a safe place in the cornfields."
Firestar's pelt bristled. "Why haven't you left for SkyClan yet? I thought you would have left the moment the kits turned three moons."
Foxstar stared at her paws. He was right. She had promised to leave the moment her Clan was ready, and they were physically ready. But there was a reason why they hadn't left yet.
"We do not have a medicine cat," she mewed at last. "I will not leave the forest until we do."
Firestar's tail-tip twitched but he dipped his head in acceptance.
"I'll move my Clan," she reassured him, feeling sorry and searched his gaze for the same sadness she felt. "It may take a few days before we can move."
His whiskers drooped. "Thank you, Foxstar. ThunderClan will never be able to repay the debt we owe you."
When she opened her mouth to replay, a cat burst through the lichen. She was white, with one blue eye and one green eye, and her ears and nose were just as white. When she opened her mouth, a normally pink mouth was instead white like cotton.
"Mistleleaf," Firestar began.
"T-there's a prophecy," Mistleleaf gasped. She pressed up against Foxstar, startling the she-cat.
Foxstar rested her head on Mistleleaf, ignoring how her head pressed against the ceiling. The white she-cat was gasping and shaking against her, blinking against the darkness of the den.
"What's wrong?" asked Firestar gently, pressing his nose to Mistleleaf's forehead.
The silvery white she-cat jerked away, startled, and blinked up at Foxstar for a long moment before stepping away. She dipped her head awkwardly, embarrassed, and licked her chest to regain her composure.
"Firestar," Mistleleaf started, haltingly. "StarClan has sent me a message. I saw two mistleleaves connected by a stem to a white mistleberry. The berry fell off and the leaves flew away into the sun."
That sounds like a prophecy for Mistleleaf's future apprentices, she thought, realizing how obvious StarClan was being. I'm going to receive two medicine cats from ThunderClan.
But who? Her thoughts immediately jumped to Ravenpaw, her son. The dark tom was Ravenwing of ThunderClan reincarnated, all because of her powers. She had seen he was guilty for the deaths of Mapleshade's kits, but when StarClan defended him, she had sent his spirit to return to ThunderClan to become a warrior. StarClan had punished her by making him and another reincarnated cat hers. But who else?
She noted how strange it was that StarClan's omen had arrived so quickly. StarClan really does want me gone.
Firestar looked relieved. "StarClan is watching out for you and your Clan."
Foxstar dipped her head wordlessly and decided to change the subject. "If you would permit, I would like to visit my kits and grandkits."
"Of course. You will always be welcome in ThunderClan, Foxstar."
Foxstar pressed her nose into Mistleleaf's cheek, blinking warmly at her first adopted daughter. Even though Yellowfang had passed away, both Mistlelead and Foxstar had kept their promise and rarely spoke with each other. She pulled and padded out of the den.
The sun bathed the camp in warm golden light. Her paws automatically lead her to the nursery, but she padded slowly. She had the strangest feeling this would be the last time she was going to walk through ThunderClan.
She passed the warrior's den, the largest den in the Clan made of sturdy woven together bushes that were strong enough to withstand a falling branch. It had already stood up against countless storms and attacks. It had only the one entrance that faced the front of the camp. She wondered if her warrior's den should be just as large and have multiple entrances and exits so more warriors could escape if need be.
After that was the prisoner's den. It was the smallest den in the camp, large enough only for three cats if they pressed close together. It had two entrances, on closer to the entrance and the other next to the fern tunnel which lead to the medicine cat den. The tunnel ground was soft and covered in moss, and the scent of herbs billowed out of it.
Beside it was the elder's den, which faced the camp entrance like a massive black mouth. It was designed to give attackers the idea that it was the warrior's den. But it was much smaller, big enough to comfortably house about eight cats. And it was never full. The only elder left in ThunderClan was Brindleface.
Beyond the elder's den was the nursery. It had been expanded since she'd been a warrior of ThunderClan, but it still wasn't big enough to handle over thirteen kits and their mothers. Since the kits were weened, Cinderheart, Brightface, and Fernspots had all moved back into the warrior den just to give them space.
A small black tom with tiny white flecks on his back emerged out of the den, his ears twitching and pale blue eyes scanning the camp. Beside him was one of Foxstar's youngest and smallest kits, a cinnamon colored tom with forest-green eyes she'd named Forestkit. Her son spotted her right away and lashed his tail.
"Hi, Mom!" greeted Forestkit.
She let out a deep purr. "Good sunhigh, Forestkit."
"Hi!" echoed the small black tom. He blinked at her with unnatural pale blue eyes and she realized with a jolt that he was missing his pupils.
"Hello, little one," she mewed. "What is your name?"
"Spiritkit," the tom mewed, his tail high and lashing. "Can you be my mom?"
Foxstar blinked in surprise. "What's wrong with your current mom?"
"Cinderheart doesn't like me," the tom confessed loudly.
I can understand why, she thought with a wince of guilt. His pupil-less eyes were unnerving, and it was natural for a cat mother to want to reject and even kill the kittens that aren't fit to live. Clan life was different only in that it frowned upon a mother doing such a thing. That didn't stop some cats, however.
"Of course I'll be your mother," she mewed. "I hope you've been eating well."
"I told you!" Forestkit mewed exitedly, twinning his tail around the other tom's. "Mom loves all kits."
Foxstar purred. "That is true." She bent her head and pressed her nose into Spiritkit's forehead and had to blink as a flea flew up into her face. She forced herself not to recoil from the sight and decided a quick trip to Mistleleaf was in order. "Why don't we visit Mistleleaf together? I'm sure you have a lot to tell me about the other kits."
"Really?" Spiritkit didn't seem to care that she was sneaking him into the medicine cat den and turned his head so his whiskers brushed against Forestkit's shoulder. "I've always wanted Forestkit to be my brother. He's the only one who talks to me. Nightkit and Cottonkit don't like to talk to me because Cinderheart is always weird around me. I don't understand why! I can't help that I can't see."
Foxstar understood why. His eyes were wide and blank, his mew the only thing that told her what emotion he was feeling. It was unnerving. Poor tom, she thought, touching his ear. I wish you could see cats. Maybe if you knew how to express emotions, you wouldn't be shunned.
"I am sure she is trying her best," mewed Foxstar. "I am surprised that she is having trouble treating you like her kit. You know, she had her first litter a long time ago, but she was sick and couldn't get better unless she had a herb that would have gotten rid of her kits. She was so upset that she couldn't wait too long before she tried again with Ravenfeather."
Foxstar remembered being there to support Mistleleaf when the she-cat had to make a choice to save Cinderheart, knowing it was kill off the kits. Foxstar broke the news to Ravenfeather, hoping Cinderheart's mate would support her during the difficult time afterwards.
Where is Ravenfeather? She wondered if the tom was visiting his kits. Her thoughts turned briefly to her own mate, Dustpelt, who she had left in charge of her kits when she had left to start her own Clan.
"She's always fawning over Nightkit and Cottonkit," mewed Spiritkit as if realizing something he hadn't put together earlier. "I wish she'd do that to me."
As they padded towards the medicine cat den, Foxstar stayed within whisker reach of Spiritkit, careful not to put her tail on his shoulder or head despite her instincts screaming at her to do so. It wasn't just because of his fleas, but because she felt it would have been insulting. He wasn't blind like a twoleg was blind. His ears were basically radar dishes and his whiskers told him who was within reach of him. He could catch mice, even play fight with his siblings, but he wouldn't be able to see color or see what was more than ten inches in front of him. She was going to chew off his whiskers, or have Forestkit do it for him. They were only hairs after all. When they grew back, they'd be thicker and longer, so Spiritkit would be able to see better with them.
Mistleleaf was padding out of the leader's den and hurried to catch up to them before they reached the fern tunnel. "What's wrong?"
"Spiritkit needs to be cleaned," mewed Foxstar, not bothering to lower her voice because Spiritkit would hear it anyway. "I was hoping you had some mousebile he could roll in."
"Of course," mewed Mistleleaf.
She rushed passed and into the fern tunnel. Foxstar caught a whiff of herbs scent on her fur.
"Maybe Mistleleaf can teach you about some of the more dangerous herbs," mewed Foxstar to Spiritkit. "Every cat should learn about them so they don't accidentally eat something poisonous."
Spiritkit blinked up at her. "Do you think I can be a warrior?"
She blinked in surprise. "Of course you can be," she mewed assuringly. "Once you learn how to use your whiskers, your ears, and your claws, you'll be a better hunter than anyone here. It will take a long time to learn the territory, but after a while you'll be able to tell where you are by the feel of sun in your fur, the sound of the wind in your ears, the feel of the ground with your whiskers, and the smell of the forest around you."
Forestkit's eyes wide with excitement. "You really think so, Mom?"
"Of course," she said.
Spiritkit looked like he was going to explode, he was shaking so much. "Thank you, Mom," he mewed.
Foxstar purred. "You can be anything you want to be, Spiritkit, if you work hard and do your best no matter what."
Mistleleaf padded out of the den with mousebile soaked moss in her mouth. Forestkit's nose wrinkled. "That's mousebile?"
"Yes," mewed Foxstar. "It'll help get rid of those fleas. Just don't lick it and don't wash it off in a stream. It needs to stay on you to work."
Mistleleaf's ears twitched in agreement as she put the moss down. "You can wash it off at sunset. You don't want it to stay in your fur forever."
Forestkit glanced at Spiritkit, who looked like he wanted to run away from the moss. He puffed out his chest. "I'll go first!" he mewed.
The tom leaped upon the squishy moss and almost gagged, but a quick glance at Spiritkit made him swallow back a complaint. He laid down and rolled all over the the moss until his fur was soaked in it. Then he leaped off, fur fluffed up in spikey clumps and looking like he wanted to wrench.
Foxstar purred in pride. "I know it smells bad," she mewed to Spiritkit. "But it does help."
Spiritkit stepped forward and lifted his head the moment his whiskers brushed against Forestkit's side. "You feel weird," he mewed.
"I feel weird," agreed Forestkit, arching his spine. "I can't wait for sunset."
Spiritkit padded up to the moss and pressed his paws against the wet squishy stuff. He looked up at Foxstar, and for a heartbeat Foxstar thought his eyes looked different. Like he did have pupils, but they were milky white, like two waxing moons. He blinked and looked away. Then he crouched down and rolled over the moss. Foxstar could practically see the cloud of fleas abandon ship.
"We should probably roll in it too," mewed Mistleleaf, frowning as a few fleas landed on her white paws.
Foxstar let out an amused purr. She pressed her paws into the moss and rubbed her forehead against it, then her shoulders and her haunches. Her fur felt wet and gross, spiking out like she had just stepped out of a stream. After a few heartbeats, Mistleleaf mimicked her.
"Both of you should stay in the medicine cat den," mewed Mistleleaf. "I'll have to apply mousebile to everyone in the nursery eventually, but for the moment I'm sure the other kits aren't going to want to be anywhere near these two."
"You should teach them about the dangerous herbs," mewed Foxstar. "And the herbs that will help with vomiting up whatever poisonous herbs their Clanmates might accidentally eat."
Mistleleaf nodded and looked at the kits. "Why don't you go on ahead and get familiar with the smells?"
"Sure!" mewed Forestkit. He looked up imploring at Foxstar. "Are you gonna stay?"
She shook her head. "I have a Clan to return to, Forestkit," she mewed sadly. "I love you both." She touched Spiritkit's ear. "Take care of yourself, little one, and don't let Cinderheart bother you too much."
"Okay, Mom," mewed Spiritkit, sounding disappointed.
Foxstar purred and waved her tail at Mistleleaf, "I'll see you later."
She padded away from the fern tunnel, glancing back as Mistleleaf herded the two kits into the medicine cat den. She let out a soft sigh, disappointed that she couldn't be with her kits longer.
But she was Foxstar, leader of SunClan, and she had duties to attend to, such as teach the former rogues of her Clan how to be warriors. Her gaze swept the camp, easily picking out Freezepelt and Mountainfrost among the ThunderClan cats. They didn't have the lion-like faces and fluffy manes of the ThunderClan cats, and looked like short-haired bulky house cats.
"SunClan," she mewed loudly. She watched as Freezepelt slowly untangled himself from a conversation with Brindleface, while Mountainfrost quickly excused himself and practically flew across the camp to her side. The brown tom didn't like the Clan cats so much, but his loyalty to Foxstar went beyond what Foxstar would consider normal. She appreciated it, at the very least. He had seen her die and come back after all, and knew her when she was spying on BloodClan as Fox.
She led them both out of the camp, away from the murmur of Clan life. It didn't feel so strange to walk away from them, after spending her life away from them for over two moons. They halted at the barkwall that surrounded Treecutplace and which marked the border between ThunderClan and SunClan.
"Did you tell Firestar about our problem?" Freezepelt asked, keeping his voice low.
She lowered her own voice. "Yes." She paused. "ThunderClan is growing too large for their territory. He told us that they need our territory. I told him we would move."
Mountainfrost lashed his tail in frustration. "Where are we going to go?"
"Our kits are old enough to travel east with us," mewed Foxstar. "We'll have better chances at catching prey in the cornfields."
Mountainfrost nodded. "That solves one of our problems."
Freezepelt lashed his tail, looking unhappy at the thought of moving further away from his biological son. "What about a medicine cat?"
"StarClan will provide," she mewed cryptically, hoping she was right. "I will speak with StarClan tonight. We have a few days before he will expect us to be gone."
Neither of them questioned her about StarClan. They knew she was close to them, and after seeing her come back to life, they were convinced that StarClan was real. She let out a soft sigh, wondering if Raggedstar would be available to talk to, or if she was going to be too busy to talk to him.
"It is vital that the Clan accepts the warrior code," she mewed, teairng her thoughts away from the coming moons. "Above all else, we must have that memorized before we leave for SkyClan, without or without a medicine cat. That is the real reason why we cannot leave. I trust you both to help me make this a reality."
They nodded their understanding, and she felt her shoulders relax. She could trust them.
And I'll focus on getting us a medicine cat.
A/N: I'm baaaccck! :3 I hope to have this little novella posted by Mother's Day. *crosses fingers*
Don't forget to leave a review! I've missed you guys. I promise to answer all reviews/questions in the next chapter's Author Notes. :D