"Hey."

Leopardstar groaned to herself. That wasn't the voice of a cat she wanted to hear. The black-legged tom sat a few kittensteps from her. Leopardstar didn't look his direction, just stared down into the river.

"I was wondering if you could teach me to fish?"

Leopardstar glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. She knew Tigerstar's plan involved teaching Shadowclan to fish so they'd be as fit as Riverclan.

Blackfoot, as if reading her thoughts, went on, "I know Tigerstar is expecting you to teach all of us, but I think for now he's placed more focus on getting the other clans to join Tigerclan. But I… I won't tell Tigerstar or any cat in Shadowclan I learned. I won't even fish in a part of the river close to camp."

"Why are you so intent on learning?"

Blackfoot blinked coolly, "Boulder tells me frogs taste like rabbits and fish. I'd like to know if he's right. Prey always tastes better when you catch it yourself."

Leopardstar sighed, crouching down, "As long as you won't teach the rest of Shadowclan." She sat, silent. Then, suddenly, she quickly extended a paw, ducking her muzzle into the water, and scooped up a wiggling fish.

Blackfoot blinked in surprise. Leopardstar placed it at his paws when it stopped wiggling. "So it's that easy…" he muttered, leaning down to try and copy Leopardstar's technique. He quickly came up spluttering water out of his nose, heaving.

Leopardstar felt a purr of laughter rise in her throat. "You don't breathe underwater, frogbrain!"

"I'm sorry, I don't see how I'm supposed to grab the fish without breathing in water!" He joked.

Leopardstar purred again, "Might as well eat the one I caught, huh?" Blackfoot happily nod, crouching down to bite. He clenched his jaw as the salty taste coated his tongue and reluctantly swallowed.

He coughed, "Certainly tastes like a less rabbity frog, great Starclan," he sputtered. As he coughed his lungs out, Leopardstar leaned down to finish it.

Soon after, a little brown tabby pushed through the cattails. "Blackfoot," he started, "Your apprentice's kits are about to be born, Mudfur is helping her now, I figured you'd want to wish her good luck?"

"Oh, Starclan!" Blackfoot exclaimed, anxiety washing over his face. He sighed and his expression shifted back to cool and collected, "Yes, of course." Leopardstar quietly followed along behind, slower than either anxious tom. Births were nothing new, and with the help of two medicine cats and another pregnant queen in the nursery Leopardstar was sure it would be no trouble.

Blackfoot sat nervously beside the entrance, more nervous than Leopardstar had ever seen him.

"Are you alright?" Leopardstar asked, "Is she your mate?"

"Absolutely not!" He said defensively, "My… my previous apprentice, Dawncloud, once had kits too. One was stillborn and the other was too weak to nurse and died of starvation and it… it hurt so much so see what used to be such a happy-go-lucky cat become so severely depressed, and I can't imagine what she must've felt like."

Leopardstar felt a pang of sympathy for the tom. Then, moments after one last yowl from the nursery, Mudfur stuck his head out from the nursery, giving Blackfoot an affectionate headbutt to his leg, before stepping out and doing the same to his daughter, promptly trotting over to his den. Blackfoot stepped inside the nursery while Leopardstar stuck her head in.

"Oh, Tallpoppy, they're beautiful, congratulations!"

Tallpoppy feebly smiled. Littlecloud gave each of her kits a lick before trotting out himself. She had two little kits, one a red tabby and the other very dark gray. Darkflower, beside her, happily purred. "Bless these kits," she murmured, "Here's to hoping they survive through the night."

"They're nursing now," Blackfoot said hopefully.

"Oh, stop talking about their dying, you'll curse them!" Tallpoppy said, though she was too tired to be truly angry. She looked graciously up at Blackfoot, smiling.

"Have you picked out names for them?" He asked, quietly.

Tallpoppy closed her eyes humming, "I've figured up a few. I never imagined for one to be so striking red and the other gray," she chuckled, "Oh, I quite like the name Cedarkit for the gray one. Reminding of Shadowclan yet, not out of place in Riverclan."

Leopardstar purred to herself.

"But the other, I've no idea."

"Could always name her Redkit." Darkflower muttered.

"But Redkit's so plain, and Russet is already taken!"

"Could name her Rowankit." Leopardstar mewed.

"Rowankit…" Tallpoppy repeated, purring, "I quite like that." She purred for a long time before eventually opening up her eyes again to look at Blackfoot, "Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to catch some shuteye. I'm sure these two will be little wiggleworms by the morning."

"Sounds like a plan to me," Blackfoot said, affectionately placing his nose to her head and scooting out.