Notes: The "Power of Three" and "Omen of the Stars" arcs did Leaf/Crow and Squirrel/Bramble all dirty, so I'm fixing that. I recognize that canon has made decisions, but they're stupid poor decisions and I'm rejecting it.

Also, screw you, Spottedleaf and Yellowfang for lying to both Squirrelflight and Leafpool.

CHAPTER 3

Crowfeather exchanged a glance with Squirrelflight and Brambleclaw, felt his whiskers twitch with amusement.

He's your kit, Squirrelflight's glance seemed to say.

You're the one who raised him, Crowfeather silently responded. Although... that wasn't quite true: Leafpool had had a paw in raising her son, taking him on as her apprentice. Training him in the art of medicine.

His left ear flicked, and he glanced at Jayfeather. "Was that strictly necessary?" Perhaps I have passed something down to this kit. He certainly has a flair for the dramatic.

Hollyleaf and Lionblaze stifled mrrows of laughter, and Jayfeather's blind blue eyes narrowed to annoyed slits. "Are you the medicine cat here?" He sniffed. "I think not."

"Back to the point," Brambleclaw broke in. The ThunderClan deputy met Crowfeather's gaze, amber eyes staring into blue. Crowfeather had only heard nursery tales of Tigerstar, Brambleclaw's bloodthirsty father and Firestar's arch-nemesis who had attacked the WindClan camp with his TigerClan warriors and murdered the apprentice Gorsepaw, but for a moment he could definitely see the resemblance—and it was mildly unnerving. "At the very least, Firestar should know. He can decide what to do then. If you want to tell Onestar, Crowfeather... that is your right."

"All right," Crowfeather finally meowed, letting his tail brush in a comforting stroke along Leafpool's back. "Let's go see Firestar. And after that... I'll deal with Onestar." His whiskers twitched as he added dryly, "If he exiles me over this, then so be it."

-x-

The ThunderClan leader's green gaze seemed to bore into all four cats, unblinking, until Crowfeather felt the urge to shrink back. He took a pawstep back, then caught himself and sat down with his tail wrapped around his paws, his pelt brushing Leafpool's.

"Leafpool, Squirrelflight." Firestar's voice was surprisingly mild as he focused on his daughters. "Why didn't you come to me and Sandstorm with this when the two of you found out? For StarClan's sake, Leafpool, you would never have been exiled from the Clan. Both of you would have had our support."

The sisters exchanged glances, anxious tension crackling between the two of them like lightning. Crowfeather gave a comforting lick over Leafpool's ear, and Brambleclaw's whiskers twitched. It was Squirrelflight who spoke first: "We thought it was for the best, and it was the only way we could think of to protect Leafpool and her place in the Clan."

"I wanted my kits to be raised in ThunderClan," Leafpool mewed, "without them knowing they were halfClan. Firestar, you told us stories about the Clan's reaction when they found out about Graystripe and Silverstream, how Graystripe was forced to go to RiverClan because Feathertail and Stormfur would never have been accepted. How Bluestar was forced to give up her kits to their father in RiverClan. I didn't want to put myself or my kits"—she hesitated, glanced at Crowfeather—"our kits—through that. And after Cinderpelt's death, I was the only medicine cat."

"You know how the Clan judged me and Tawnypelt," Brambleclaw meowed, "because Tigerstar was our father. It was bad enough that Tawnypelt felt she couldn't stay in her birth Clan, and she joined ShadowClan. I wish Squirrelflight would have trusted me enough with her sister's secret, but what else could they have done?"

Firestar's green gaze studied his deputy and his two daughters for several heartbeats, and then settled on Crowfeather. "And you?" he asked. "What are your thoughts on this, Crowfeather? They're your kits as well."

The dark gray tom sighed. "I have no shame in claiming Jayfeather, Lionblaze, and Hollyleaf as mine, Firestar. I don't regret leaving my Clan to be with Leafpool a year ago, or what came of it. But ThunderClan shouldn't lose two valuable warriors and a medicine cat. I can't even guarantee that Onestar would offer them a place in WindClan if they so chose; their home is here." His whiskers twitched. "Besides, Squirrelflight and Brambleclaw are the ones who raised them, not me. As for WindClan... the worst Onestar can do is exile me."

Firestar's eyes narrowed. "If he does, I don't suppose you would walk right back into my camp and ask to join ThunderClan?"

Blue eyes held green for a moment, and then Crowfeather looked away. "Would you accept me if I did?"

The ThunderClan leader was silent for several heartbeats. Then he sighed. "StarClan help us."

Crowfeather let out an irritable snort. "Why should they? They abandoned Leafpool when she was expecting my kits after leading her to believe her destiny was to be with me."

Squirrelflight stepped forwad, her bushy tail lashing from side to side. "Part of the reason I agreed to help Leafpool was because StarClan told the two of us I would never have kits."

Brambleclaw's amber eyes widened in shock. "What?" He stood, brushed his tail over his mate's back. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Squirrelflight met his gaze steadily. "I was already devastated, knowing I wanted to have kits with you someday but finding out that could never happen. And then my sister needed me, and you were so happy when we came back with Jaykit, Hollykit, and Lionkit that I... I couldn't tell you, Brambleclaw." Anguish shone in her eyes. "Forgive me."

"Squirrelflight," the dark tabby meowed, "I love you. We've already known what it is to love as parents, and that's all that matters."

Crowfeather wasn't listening: a soft growl of anger towards their warrior ancestors rumbled in his throat. His claws slid out, scraped at the sandy floor of Firestar's den. Was StarClan determined to punish him, Leafpool, and their families for the two of them leaving their Clans four seasons ago? Telling Squirrelflight she could never have kits just so she would adopt Leafpool's, Leafpool suffering the pain of watching her kits growing up never knowing she was their mother, Brambleclaw never knowing until now that his and Squirrelflight's kits were adopted, and himself being forced to give up any chance of happiness and love that he'd had only to watch the kits he'd never known were his grow up in another Clan.

Leafpool twined her tail with his and leaned against him, turning her head to bury her muzzle in his fur. Abruptly Crowfeather sheathed his claws, heard his growl change to a purr as her scent—herbs, the rock of her den, the heady scents of the forest—wreathed around him.

Firestar watched the exchange with calm green eyes, and then flicked the tip of his tail. "The four of you were treated unfairly by our warrior ancestors," he admitted after a few heartbeats, "and there is no question that together you have given ThunderClan three fine young cats who hold the power of the stars in their paws."

Crowfeather stopped purring as that sank in. Wait, what? He opened his mouth, but before he could speak Firestar directed his attention toward him again. "Now, Crowfeather. What are your intentions toward my daughter?"

Oh, great StarClan. He felt the skin under his fur flush hot with embarrassment. Glancing around, he saw Squirrelflight and Brambleclaw exchange amused looks, whereas Leafpool had drawn back and—StarClan help him, he didn't deserve the warmth he saw there. "Um. Well. I..." His ears flattened against his skull, and he scuffed one forepaw across the den floor. "I still love Leafpool," he finally admitted. "Even when I was back in WindClan, I never stopped missing her. Taking Nightcloud as a mate was a fox-hearted move to prove my loyalty to my Clan." Slowly he raised his head to meet the eyes of the ThunderClan leader. "But I could never ask her to leave her Clan again, or her position as its medicine cat. Not when she's already sacrificed so much."

Firestar nodded slowly, as if that was the answer he'd expected. "I'm not blind, Crowfeather," the flame-colored tom meowed dryly. "Everybody in the camp could see the unresolved tension crackling between the two of you whenever you were within a rabbit hop of each other."

There was silence for a few heartbeats as all four cats processed that information.

"Oh," Crowfeather meowed.

The ThunderClan leader flicked his tail toward Squirrelflight and Brambleclaw. "The two of you can go now," he meowed. "I would like to speak to Leafpool and Crowfeather alone."

Squirrelflight nodded and slipped out onto the rock path without a word, but Brambleclaw hesitated. "You aren't going to punish them, are you, Firestar? Or Squirrelflight?"

Firestar met his deputy's gaze. "No. Not yet. They have all suffered enough."

Relief, satisfaction with his leader's answer gleamed for a heartbeat in Brambleclaw's eyes; then he followed his mate down into the ThunderClan camp, leaving Leafpool and Crowfeather alone.

The dark gray tom could feel his heart beating rapidly in his chest, and his mouth suddenly felt as if it had gone dry. "We weren't doing any harm," he meowed defensively, feeling as if he had to justify their actions all those seasons ago. "Not before we left, and we did come back."

Firestar rose to his paws, drawing himself up to his full height. "Silence," he ordered.

Crowfeather fell silent, resisting the urge to shrink back from the ThunderClan leader. He could see now how Firestar had journeyed with Graystripe to bring back WindClan; had fought to make the truth about Tigerstar known to all four Clans; how he had led LionClan into battle against BloodClan back in the forest and driven out the Twolegplace invaders. No, Firestar was not a cat Crowfeather wanted as an enemy—and Onestar was a fool for antagonizing the flame-colored tom and throwing away their friendship. Not to mention that attack on ThunderClan's camp during the eclipse, which Crowfeather had thought all along was mouse-brained.

After a few heartbeats, Firestar sat down again and wrapped his tail around his paws. He looked as if he were turning something over in his mind. Then he sighed, obviously coming to a decision. "I've never told any cat this before," he began, "but you need to know."

Leafpool stirred beside Crowfeather, her amber eyes sharpening. "Does it have to do with what you said earlier? About our kits having the power of the stars in their paws?"

Her father nodded. "Long ago, before you and Squirrelflight were born, I was given a prophecy. 'There will be three, kin of your kin, who hold the power of the stars in their paws.' For a while, I thought the three might have been you, your sister, and Cloudtail but nothing happened. And now... surely you've noticed that Lionblaze cannot be hurt in battle. The way he fights, it's as if he knows he won't be hurt. Hollyleaf... she's shrewd, cunning, knows the warrior code like the back of her paw."

Leafpool nodded reluctantly. "Jayfeather can walk in other cats' dreams," she admitted. "Without the help of StarClan."

Crowfeather blinked slowly. "What."

Firestar dipped his head toward him. "Perhaps there is something significant in that the three of the prophecy are half ThunderClan, half WindClan instead of belonging to one Clan alone. That their mother is a medicine cat, their father a WindClan warrior."

Crowfeather swallowed, his head spinning with this new information. "Both my parents were deputies, and we're directly descended from Windstar, the first leader of WindClan. My Clan has always had the closest connection to our warrior ancestors," he mewed. "But why are you telling us this, Firestar? Why now?"

Leafpool turned her head and rasped her tongue over his ear. "Remember what Yelllowfang told Jayfeather?" she asked. "The time for lies and secrets is over."

Crowfeather shook his head. "No. It's more than that." Blue eyes fixed on green. "This prophecy... does it mean that Lionblaze, Jayfeather and Hollyleaf have more power than StarClan? Is there something coming that they're supposed to protect us from?"

Firestar's whiskers twitched. "Possibly. And I don't know. I don't think even Skywatcher knew what the prophecy meant. He was simply passing on a message."

Another thought occurred to Crowfeather. "Do they know? Our kits? About the prophecy?"

Leafpool mrrowed with laughter. "If I know Jayfeather and how he's used his powers, I wouldn't put it past him to have found out when he was an apprentice." Her head tilted to the side. "I'm surprised he hasn't told the whole Clan, to be honest."

"Would you want any other cats finding out you and your littermates are more powerful than StarClan?" Crowfeather asked dryly.

"Good point."

Firestar flicked the tip of his tail and dipped his head toward them both. "I see why you chose this one," he muttered to his daughter.

Leafpool's hackles raised, and the skin under Crowfeather's fur flushed hot with embarrassment. "Father!"

Amusement gleamed in Firestar's eyes; then he was serious again. "The Gathering is tonight. Crowfeather, it will be up to you if you tell Onestar. As it is, you have been in my camp long enough and your Clan is probably wondering where you've been." The unspoken again hung in the air between the three cats. "I don't need Onestar accusing me of stealing one of his warriors, much less one that ran off with my daughter in the past."

Oh, great StarClan, Crowfeather thought in exasperation.

Firestar continued, "You may take some prey from the fresh-kill pile for strength for the journey back to your territory, but after that you need to leave."

The dismissal was clear. Crowfeather dipped his head in acknowledgement. "Thank you, Firestar." He rose to his paws, turned, and padded out of Firestar's den onto the crumbling rock path that led down into the camp, all too aware of Leafpool directly behind him.

Of the curious stares that followed him as he made his way to the fresh-kill pile and selected a vole, suddenly noticing that his belly was yowling with hunger. Leafpool selected a mouse and settled down a couple tail-lengths away from him to eat it.

Crowfeather devoured the vole in a few rapid bites, enjoying the flavors of the forest on his tongue. WindClan occasionally caught forest prey in the trees lining their border with ThunderClan, but for the most part they still preferred rabbit.

When he was finished he rose to his paws and looked around the camp, noticing that Hollyleaf had vanished and Lionblaze and Jayfeather were near the medicine den, eyeing him with undisguised suspicion. He sighed, started to head toward the tunnel leading out of the camp, and paused when he heard pawsteps behind him.

Crowfeather looked over his shoulder, saw the pale tabby pelt of Leafpool padding up beside him. "I'll go with you to the WindClan border," she mewed. "Then you're on your own."

The dark gray tom nodded and pushed through the tunnel, then turned toward the border stream. Leafpool kept pace with him, her tail brushing along his back and then twining with his. When they reached the border stream, he stopped, reluctant to leave her just yet, and opened his mouth. Before Crowfeather could say anything, Leafpool had pushed her muzzle into his shoulder.

"Thank you," she mewed, drawing back to look at him, her amber eyes glowing. "For everything."

A purr rose in Crowfeather's throat, and he nuzzled her. "Whatever happens, may StarClan be with you, Leafpool."

He was reminded all too sharply of the last time they had parted ways, knowing it would never have worked between them... yet four seasons apart hadn't changed his feelings for her. Crowfeather never had forgotten her, and Leafpool still walked in his dreams.

"You as well, Crowfeather." It was Leafpool who stepped back first, further into ThunderClan territory. "I'll see you at the Gathering tonight."

He waited a few heartbeats more, staring at her until he knew he would see her image all the way back to the WindClan camp. Then Crowfeather turned and jumped across the stream into WindClan territory, picking up pace until he was loping through the trees and then running over the moorland.

Onestar would have questions as to where he had been after being fetched out of his nest by three ThunderClan cats, and Crowfeather wasn't sure he could answer them.