Chapter Twenty-five: Unexpected

Two weeks later...

"Oh, look at them!" Dreamcloud exclaimed, excitement in her voice. "Look, Whiteleaf, the kits have opened their eyes!"

Scarletkit, as if she understood what her mother was saying, turned her head toward the white queen and blinked her milky blue eyes, letting out a mew. Kits' eyes were always that color till they were three moons old.

Rockkit and Birdkit sat side by side, their silky little pelts touching. The three had just started to learn how to sit up. Dreamcloud silently thought of how, soon, she would want to take the kits to see their father. Maybe even today.

"Robinpelt will be proud," Whiteleaf commented. "The first litter of kits he's ever fathered."

Dreamcloud simply twitched her tail uncomfortably, nudging a crawling Scarletkit back into the nest. Though the flame-colored kit was still the smallest, she was the most curious. Calicofur, who was now the official medicine cat, said that as long as she didn't get ill or injured, the kit would make it.

However, Dreamcloud's dream still worried her. Who knew what was going to happen? She grouped her kits in to her subconciously.

"Yes," She said faintly. "I'm sure he will be."

Hearing his name, the golden tabby tom padded into the nursery, lifted his white paws carefully to keep from messing up the nests. His amber eyes met Dreamcloud's, and for some reason, a shock traveled through her body.

"The kits have opened their eyes," She muttered, looking away from him. He gave a curt nod, then began to inspect each one, especially Scarletkit.

"This one's weak," He meowed. Both queen's eyes flared with anger, and Dreamcloud's sun-colored pelt bristled.

"She's not deaf, you know!" The queen spat. "Can't you be more supportive of your own daughter?"

She knew she had said the wrong thing, but didn't care. Contempt showed up on Robinpelt's eyes, and he stalked out of the nursery.

"I wonder what his problem is," Whiteleaf asked gently. Dreamcloud shook her head, as if flinging rain from her eyes.

"They're only half a moon old," She murmured. "They're so young..."

Whiteleaf nodded, then her pale green eyes fell on the kits. How odd it seemed, that none of them looked like their father. Birdkit had Dreamcloud's pale ginger pelt, but even more pale, almost white, which was strange... Rockkit was brownish, but darker, like Brambleclaw, and had white flecks. Scarletkit was flame-colored and long pelted, but had some features that weren't Dreamcloud's or Robinpelt's. All of them did.

How strange.

xxx

"All right, Acornkit, please eat these," Calicofur murmured, touching her nose to the few poppy seeds that lay on the ground. The gray and white tomkit wrinkled his nose in disgust.

"I don't like those."

"I know," Calicofur mewed. "But they'll make that thorn stop hurting so much."

After a moment, the kit reluctantly licked the seeds up, and Calicofur concentrated on the thorn in his pad. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Spiderleg conversing with Dreamcloud. The queen was finally starting to leave the nursery a bit, and chat with friends. Calicofur, though, could see the yearning in her friend's eyes; she wanted to be a warrior again.

Acornkit gave a squeak of pain, and she went back to pulling the thorn out ever so gently with her teeth. "Be very still, Acornkit."

Whiteleaf and Sootfur's son simply glared.

As annoying as they could be, Calicofur loved kits. Their innocence captured her heart... this was probably why she spent so much time around Dreamcloud's kits. The thorn was finally pulled out, and despite his attitude before, Acornkit gave her a quick lick on the nose, mewing, "Thanks, Calicofur!" and bounced off to play with his sister.

A soft whisper alerted Calicofur to who was standing behind her. "Can I call in a favor?"

She spun around to find Dreamcloud. "What?" She asked.

"Help me introduce Windstar to the kits," Dreamcloud murmured. "Send a message to him to meet me in the clearing, and help me bring the kits there. Please?"

Calicofur was hesistant, but agreed, beginning to pad off toward ShadowClan grounds.

xxx

"Oh... StarClan..." Calicofur whispered, looking at the two gigantic creatures towering over her. What had Windstar done?

"Don't be scared," The female one assured her. "We won't eat you."

"You're too thin for us," The male joked, but still frightened the medicine cat. A tired sigh came from behind them.

"Swift, Blizzard-Calicofur?"

Windstar padded into view, a confused look on his face. "Uh, not to be rude," The young leader said. "But what are you doing here?" Fright entered his face. "Is something wrong with Dreamcloud? The kits?"

"Everything's fine," Calicofur sighed, trying to control her breathing. "Their eyes have opened."

Windstar's own pale green eyes lit up. "They have?" He asked excitedly. "I have to see them!"

"That's what it's abou-"

"Wait just one moment," Swift growled, glaring at the white tom. "I don't get it. Why can't you just see your mate and kits without this cat having to come in?" It dawned on her. "Oh no..."

"Knowing him," Blizzard barked dryly. "That'll be an 'oh yes.'"

"Truthfully," Windstar admitted. "Dreamcloud's in ThunderClan. But that's not important right now. I need to see my kits."

xxx

Dreamcloud carefully nosed Scarletkit, Rockkit, and Birdkit along. The kits could barely walk, but she and Calicofur couldn't carry all of them, and it wasn't far away. Every now and then, one of them would carry the most tired one for a bit.

"Dreamcloud..." A familiar voice had an edge of awe to it. "They've grown so much."

Windstar padded out of the shadows(AN: Come on. Windstar. Appearing out of shadows. You KNOW it's a cool scene), his green eyes on his mate and the three little kits at her paws.

Dreamcloud half-wished that Birdkit, Rockkit, and Scarletkit would remember this moment, but they wouldn't. And it was best that they didn't, anyway.

But she was still delighted at what happened next.

Windstar had bent his head down to get a better look at the kits, and without any fear, Scarletkit stretched her head up and touched noses with her father.

"She has a lot of curiosity," Windstar purred. "A good quality."

"And a bad one at times," Calicofur said, sounding as worried as if they were her own kits.

"They're looking great," Windstar commented, proud eyes on his son, who was clawing a scrap of leaf.

"Scarletkit and Birdkit will be quite the catches to toms when they're older," Dreamcloud teased, watching her daughters. Birdkit was gazing up at the sky, wonder in her eyes, while Scarletkit was toppling over her own paws trying to claw her mother's tail. Dreamcloud was twitching it back and forth.

"Like their mother," Calicofur joined in.

"I really don't want to think about that yet," Windstar growled, unsheathing his claws at the very thought of his daughters growing up...

"I wish their eyes would be the proper color already," Dreamcloud sighed. "But I have a feeling that Rockkit's are going to be like yours."

"How do you know?"

"She-cat's intuition."

Calicofur looked away as the two spoke about their kits. A stab of pain clenched her heart. Would she ever have that? Not likely. After all, what could a medicine cat have, even with a secret mate, without exposing her secret?

"By the way," Windstar said casually. "If two huge creatures named Swift and Blizzard happen to come your way-they're friends."
"What?" Dreamcloud meowed.

"Don't ask."

xxx

Hmm... My dog just had a c-section to deliver 7 pups, so I'll be busy. Ch. 26 is written, though, so gimme some reviews, and it'll be up very soon. Also, people have thought I'm stalling. I have introduced several new characters (the kits, the wolves) and can't exactly rush them into the plot without developing them a bit. Action will be in the next chappie, I promise.