Leafpool woke up. A paw was proding her gently in the stomach. Opening her eyes slowly she saw Brambleclaw's outline. The scent of milk was heavy in the air as she realised that Squirrelflight had two healthy kits.

"The dawn patrol has just passed. If we're to stand any chance of moving her and setting this plan up we have to move now." Brambleclaw meowed.

Leafpool was suprised to hear how intent he was on helping her to keep her place in the clan and save her kits. "Okay, you wake Squirrelflight and I'll make sure no ones coming"

"No need I'm awake but I'm not sure I'm strong enough to carry one of the kits there." Squirrelflight meowed in the dark.

"That's fine. Me and Leafpool will carry one. You make sure you keep you're strengths up. You'll have to care for more than two kits soon." Brambleclaw whispered.

Squirrelflight stood up and crawled out of the tunnel. Brambleclaw followed the Ginger tom dangling in his jaws. Leafpool bent over to pick the tabby She-kit up. Something about this kit reminded her of herself. Was it the pelt, or the strange sense she got when she was near her.

She padded out into the open. Her swollen belly hung just above the floor. Leafpool had suspected that she hadn't been caught out because Squirrelflight's stomach was also big. Now she was even more jumpy then usual and she was constantly feeling like she was being followed. Nobody could find out that she was bearing kits or the whole plan would go down the drain and Squirrelflight's and Brambleclaw's reputation in tatters for lying to Firestar. She walked as fast as she could untill she caught up with Brambleclaw and Squirrelflight.

The kit in Brambleclaw's jaws yawned and mewed. It was hungry and could scent that it's mother was close. Now they were in the daylight Leafpool could see what the kits looked like. As she had thought the tom was a dark ginger. He had one white patch on his tail and leaf green eyes. Leafpool noticed that he looked a lot like Firestar. What if all my kits look like Crowfeather? Then the clan will suspect something. She thought in panic.

Shaking her head she glanced down at the kit in her jaws. Her coat pattern was the same as Leafpool's only she was a dark tabby like her father instead of a light tabby. The she-kit had Amber eyes, exactly the same shade as Brambleclaws.

Soon they reached the Twoleg house. Skirting it quietly they wove through the weeds. Leafpool sliped through the gap between the mini-twoleg house and its wall with some difficulty. Her stomach scraped the edges of the door painfully but she kept going.

It was warm and sheltered inside, just as a nursery should be. Those overturned pots in the corner would be the perfect place for me to nurse the kits She thought No! I can't. No matter how difficult it is I must act as though I am only their aunt. She looked at the entrance and waited for Squirrelflight and Brambleclaw to enter.

Squirrelflight came through first and immeadiatly settled down in the pots as Leafpool would've. Leafpool placed the kit down in her mothers nest and Bramnleclaw did the same with the tom.

"Now how about you two name those kits, now you can see them!" Leafpool meowed.

Squirrelflight looked up at Brambleclaw and he nodded. "Well we always wanted, if we had a ginger cat, for him to be named like father so. He shall be Flamekit"

Leafpool nodded "He looks as if he shall be a great warrior."

"And we wanted to name this kit.." Brambleclaw nudged the tabby she-kit affectionatley "Oakkit. As soon as she was born Squirrelflight told me she wanted her named after somewhere that we used to live and her coat pattern decides it. She's names after the great oak, which is where we spent a few nights back in the old forest together"

Leafpool purred "She looks like she'll be a beauty like her mother" Leafpool saw the kit and knew that she had an important destiny. Starclan what path have you laid out for my neice?

After a while Leafpool stood up and meowed "I better go back to camp and get some herbs. I can tell them that you are kitting now and no-one is to come in their untill I say so. If my kits don't come soon..."

"You'll say I'm ill and they can't come in as you think it is Greencough and they could catch it. That way you'll have all the time you need for your kits to come." Squirrelflight meowed.

"Right" Leafpool nodded but how long will she have to wait and pretend to be ill. Firestar is bound to insist on seeing her, what do i do then? She asked herself.

She slipped out of the mini-house and started off back to camp. She decided to take the main entrance, although it was a risk that they'd notice her swollen belly she knew she couldn't climb out her secret exit in broad daylight.

She padded past Stormfur who was guarding the camp. He didn't notice he merley nodded to her and meowed "Prey is running well isn't it. For this unusally cold newleaf it seems like all the prey are having winter parties."

"Indeed it does" Taking her chance to cover herself up she added "I've been eating like a Shadowclanner I've lost my slender figure"

"I wouldn't say that you're just eating better" Stormfur meowed as Leafpool padded away flicking her tail in goodbye.

The clearing was full of life. Whitepaw and Birchpaw were playfighting in the middle of the clearing and Berrykit, Mousekit and Hazelkit were watching wide eyed and immitating their fighting moves on each other. Brackenfur had his head in the nursery obviously checking on his mate, Sorreltail and their kits. Firestar and Sandstorm were sharing tounges on the highledge. Dustpelt was organising a hunting patrol with Brook, Ashfur and Cloudtail. Daisy was keeping one eye on her kits whilst talking enthusiastically to Ferncloud. Rainwhisker was adding some freshkill to the pile and purring at how full their stomachs were now.

Leafpool skirted the playfight. She decided that she'd check on her friend, Sorreltail and see how she was doing. Her kit's would be getting big now and restless. Slipping behing Daisy and Ferncloud she caught a small snippet of their conversation. "Soon your kits will be out of the nursery, Firestar has to make them apprentices soon. But by then Squirrelflight will have had her kits." Ferncloud was meowing.

"Great Starclan, the nursery will be crowded then won't it!" Daisy exclaimed

Leafpool was supprised with how Daisy was taking to Clan traditions. Daisy, although no more than a kittypet was certainly not going to be a loose end in a fight. She had seen Cloudtail training her and she was quite fast.

"Always a good thing, more kits" Ferncloud meowed.

Leafpool entered the nursery and almost fainted from the heat. Even though it was cold outside it was like steeping into the sun itself in the nursery. When her eyes adjusted to the dim light she padded heavily over to Sorreltail. "You all well?" Leafpool meowed licking her friends ear in greeting.

"Yes thank you Leafpool. But where were you all night. I heard rumors in the clan that... Well cats thought--" Sorreltail began and Leafpool finished her scentance for her.

"--That I'd gona back to Crowfeather. Well there's no danger of that. I chose my clan. Plus, he has Nightcloud now" The words were hard to choke out but she managed and looked up at Sorreltail.

"Oh Leafpool... You've been so distant to me, I thought." She stopped and started again "I'll never judge you, you know that. You're my best friend. I don't care if you love another cat, not matter how much you are going against the Warrior code. I'll be here for you." Sorreltail.

"Well I don't need that!" Leafpool snapped "I have to do what Starclan say. I'm a medicine cat, the sooner I realise I am not allowed to love, the better. I've done enough as it is"

Sorreltail looked taken aback. "I was only helping. I can understand how you're feeling"

"But you don't, that's the problem. No one does. The only one I can think of that would is Greystripe. And he's not here!" Leafpool meowed. Her anger was turning to desperation. "You're my friend Sorreltail but I can't expect you to help me all the time."

Leafpool stood up and walked away. She turned back and meowed. "I must help Squirrelflight now, she has just started her kitting and we couldn't get her back to camp. Goodbye"

Sorreltail nodded and looked away. Leafpool could just make out a look of sadness. Why's she sad? I'm the one with the problem!