---Chapter Seven---

Rainwhisker!

Flamepaw bolted towards the nursery and rushed inside with Rainwhisker only a rabbit hop in front of him. None of the other cats seemed to notice the grey tom carrying the two black kits into the nursery--they were too busy congratulating Moonpaw still. Once inside the nursery, Flamepaw spotted Whitecloud curled up in one of the nests, suckling a lone snow-colored she-kit. Whitecloud had been pregnant for a while and had not been at the apprentice ceremony because she had felt weak after giving birth two her first litter earlier in the morning. Once Yellowkit was fully cured and well enough to be given her apprentice name, Whitecloud and her one kit would be the only ones left in the nursery. The queen aroused when Rainwhisker rushed over to her side and prodded her with a forepaw.

"Whitecloud," He begged, "you need to help me."

"Who's there?" The white she-cat yawned and shook away her sleepiness. Once she was able to open her eyes and get a good look at the gray warrior next to her, her green eyes stretched wide.

"Great StarClan!" She meowed. "Whose kits are those?" Flamepaw had been wondering this too, but he forced himself to keep quiet incase Rainwhisker ordered him to leave.

"Never mind that." Rainwhisker lashed his tail impatiently. "Look, who knows about your kit yet?"

Whitecloud stared at him for a few long heartbeats before responding, "No one. Sootfur wanted to see his kit, of course, but I asked him to let me rest for a while first. And now I wake up and find you standing over me. Now, are you going to tell me whose kits are those? " The white she-cat looked up at him with her head tilted to one side.

Rainwhisker looked down at his paws and mumbled something inaudible, not daring to look into the queen's green eyes. "Can't you..."

"What's that I smell?" A voice interrupted him and Whitecloud, Rainwhisker, and Flamepaw all turned their heads to see Squirrelflight enter into the den with Yellowkit close behind her. Yellowkit's eyes brightened as she saw the three younger kits. At least she won't be lonely in the nursery as she waits for her apprentice ceremony, Flamepaw thought happily.

"Are those kits yours?" Squirrelflight flicked her tail at the two black kits that were squirming and mewling at Rainwhisker's paws. "They smell strange."

Rainwhisker stiffened but Whitecloud calmly shook her head and said gently, "No, Rainwhisker brought them here."

Again, all eyes turned to the gray warrior as they waited for an explanation. Yellowkit's smile faded and her two amber eyes grew wide as she looked up at the senior warrior. Rainwhisker flicked his ears back uncomfortably as he struggled to answer.

"Err...Look, Whitecloud, can't you just take care of them for me, please?" The warrior asked desperately.

"Why? What's this all about?" Squirrelflight interrupted, narrowing her eyes.

"I'll hunt for you," Rainwhisker offered, ignoring the ginger she-cat, "and help you raise them. But please you have to promise me you'll tell the clan that they're yours." One by one, Rainwhisker placed each of the two kits in the nest beside the white queen and her new born daughter. Whitecloud was silent as she stared without moving at the gray warrior. Flamepaw could see his blue eyes searching the queen's face and felt a little sorry for him.

"What is he--" Squirrelflight began but was interrupted by pawsteps sounding from behind her.

"What is this?" The voice echoed throughout the nursery, and Squirrelflight and her kit moved aside to let Sootfur through. "You let all these cats come in to see my kits before me!" He gave Whitecloud a teasing look and then raced over to lick her ear before staring down at the three kits in front of him. "Are all these mine?" The tom mewed, waving his tail excitedly.

Whitecloud blinked at him for a moment and then gave one quick glance toward Rainwhisker, who was looking feverish, before bowing her head and giving all three kits a thorough licking. "Of course they are," She mewed in between licks, "who else's would they be?"

When Squirrelflight, Yellowkit, and Flamepaw made no movement or sound, Rainwhisker let out a small sigh of relief and Flamepaw could see his shoulders relax a bit. Sootfur, however, stopped suddenly and tilted his head to one side as he gazed down at the three kits, as if he had just remembered something.

"But I thought you said there was only one kit this morning!" He meowed, looking deeply puzzled.

Rainwhisker twitched his ear uncomfortably and Flamepaw and Squirrelflight exchanged glances, but Whitecloud merely let out a mrrow of laughter. "You're hearing must be going!" She purred, "At this rate you'll be an elder in no time. I clearly remembered telling you there were three kits."

Sootfur continued to look confused for another few heartbeats but finally shook the thought away and gazed happily down at the three kits once more. "I'll hunt for you!" He repeated Rainwhisker's words as he rested his muzzle on his mate's forehead.

"Thank you." She whispered back, and pushed the two black kits that Rainwhisker had brought to her closer to her belly. "In fact, I haven't eaten all day. Why don't you bring me some fresh-kill right now?" The queen purred. Flamepaw could tell that she probably was coming up with an excuse to make her mate leave so she could question Rainwhisker some more but it wasn't a bad idea, he thought. He wanted to know more about the kits' origins as well.

"Okay!" Sootfur looked happy to do a favor for his mate, "I'll bring you the plumpest vole on the pile!" Flamepaw was relieved to see the light grey warrior heading out of the nursery at last. But just before Sootfur vanished through the exit, he stiffened.

"Does anyone else smell that?" He said, giving the air a good sniff. Flamepaw glanced at Rainwhisker. The two kits he had brought back to the ThunderClan camp did indeed carry a strong, unfamiliar scent with them.

"You mean the smell of your disgusting pelt? Yeah, of course we smell that." Whitecloud teased. Flamepaw admired her quick-thinking. Sootfur rolled his eyes and continued on his way out of the nursery to go fetch some fresh-kill. The flame-colored apprentice was growing impatient and was happy that they had time alone to make Rainwhisker discuss the kits at last. Whitecloud faced the gray warrior and opened her mouth to speak but Rainwhisker interrupted her.

"Well," He meowed, "I'm off. Graystripe wanted me for a border patrol." With that, the warrior left the nursery, giving the kits one final glance before he went out into the open camp.

Whitecloud suppressed a sigh. "Well, I do have plenty of milk. And these kits do deserve a mother. They did nothing wrong." She exchanged looks with Squirrelflight before adding, "I wonder how he got them though..."

"Well at least it's obvious where he got them." Squirrelflight mewed. Whitecloud nodded in agreement. Yellowkit and Flamepaw looked up at the two queens curiously.

"RiverClan," they meowed in unison.