Part 2

"Leafpool?" Ashfur called coming in. Then he saw. He looked, horrified from Leafpool, to the kits, to Brambleclaw.

"Are those your kits?" he asked her his eyes wide and she nodded, "Who's the father?"

"Crowfeather," she mewed uncertainly. He shot a look at Brambleclaw.

"What are YOU doing here?" he spat. Brambleclaw hissed at Ashfur.

"Looking after my mate and her kits!" he retorted and Ashfur took a step back.

"Your mate!" he growled, "Oh no Brambleclaw, your not stealing another she-cat from me. Leafpool is mine!" Ashfur bared his teeth and unsheathed his claws.

"Ashfur," Leafpool mewed desperately, "I'm sorry, but I love Brambleclaw. You'll always be a great friend to me, isn't that enough?"

"NO!" he snapped at her, "It will never be enough! And I don't believe you! Brambleclaw has tricked you, you love me!" Brambleclaw took a step forward.

"Back off Ashfur," he growled, "Leave us alone."

"Make me!" he spat back. Leafpool saw the glint of claw and teeth and the two toms erupted into a battle. More ferocious, more bloodthirsty and more horrifying than any fight she'd ever seen. Terrified, she scooped up her two kits and sprinted away from the fight. Once she was far enough away, she gently laid down her kits and licked them to soothe them. Sparrowkit cried, clearly afraid of the noises coming from the other room.

"Hush my little one," she mewed wrapping her tail around them, "I'm here, your safe." He stopped crying and yawned, then he joined his brother, curled up in tiny slumber. Gently she moved her tail so they were lying on the floor of the two-leg nest. She padded away from them as quietly as she could and peered around the corner to the fight was flipping and somersaulting around the room. Both cats were dripping with each others blood but they clearly didn't care, they both seemed content in ripping each other to pieces. She looked back at her two precious bundles. They were safe for the moment, fast asleep with only dreams to worry about. She made her decision in a heart-beat. Unsheathing her claws, she joined the fray on Brambleclaw's side. She scored her claws down Ashfur's face making him recoil.

"You should be with your kits!" Brambleclaw hissed to her.

"They don't need me right now," she mewed, "But you do." He blinked at her.

"Don't be so sure Leafpool!" Ashfur growled running past them. Leafpool spun round. Ashfur had disappeared.

"Where did he go?" she asked.

"I have a bad feeling he's…" but Brambleclaw was cut off by a wail from a kit.

"MY KITS!!" Leafpool screeched and she charged into the other room, Brambleclaw hard on her paws. Ashfur had Sparrowkit in his jaws, his eyes filled with menace, anger and uncontrollable insanity. She launched for him, all thoughts of fear forgotten, now she was angry. She slashed at his throat and he let go of the kit in shock. Leafpool lunged for Sparrowkit's scruff and put him down gently. She covered the little kit in licks, and he stopped crying. She gathered Bramblekit and wrapped her tail protectively around them both. She turned to Ashfur. His wound was deep, but not deep enough to kill him.

"You tried to kill me!" he gasped. She felt the tears fall down her cheek, what if that wound had been a little bit deeper, she would have killed him! What have I become?

"I know," Ashfur mewed, arrogance in his mew, "I'll tell the clan what you've done! Then you'll be sorry! BOTH OF YOU WILL BE SORRY FOR WHAT YOU'VE DONE TO ME!!" He laughed madly and ran out.

"We have to leave," Brambleclaw mewed urgently, "NOW!" She nodded, blinking away the tears. He gently licked them away. "We will get through this Leafpool," he rubbed his cheek over hers, "I promise." He grabbed Bramblekit and she grabbed Sparrowkit and they ran out of the nest. The reached the top of the hill in no time at all and they stopped to look back over the home they had known.

"Will you miss Squirrelflight?" she asked Brambleclaw.

"She's a good cat," he mewed not meeting her eye, "Yes I will miss her company but you and your kits are more important to me." He licked her behind the ear.

"I want to share tongues with StarClan before we leave," she mewed determinedly.

"We shouldn't hang around," Brambleclaw warned, "Ashfur will be at camp by now. Warriors will be all over the territory soon."

"Then lets go!" she mewed picking Sparrowkit back up. Brambleclaw smiled.

"If there's anything I admire about you its your spirit," he mewed softly and she blinked at him lovingly. He picked up Bramblekit and he followed her to the Moonpool. They met no trouble getting there but Leafpool's paws were getting anxious, the trackers would be out now and their scent wasn't hard to find. They both scurried into the cave where the Moonpool was and she put down Sparrowkit next to Brambleclaw.

"You wait here," she mewed, "I will only be a heartbeat." She padded down to the pool, feeling her paws slip into the marks made by ancient warriors. Her fur tingled with the familiar excitement of going to see StarClan. She laid down next to the pool and drank from it. Her eyes filled with stars and she put her head on her paws and slept.

"Leafpool," mewed a voice, so hauntingly familiar. She spun around.

"Cinderpelt!" she cried with joy, "Oh Cinderpelt, I've missed you so much!"

"I know," she mewed softly touching noses with her apprentice, "I've missed you too. But there isn't much time." She flicked her ears towards the pool and Leafpool peered into it. "A patrol consisting of Firestar, Squirrellfight, Sandstorm, Ashfur and Whitewing is coming after you, they will be here soon."

"Are we doing the right thing?" she asked, "Will StarClan go with us still?" Cinderpelt laid her head on top of hers.

"You are making the right decision," Cinderpelt answered softly, "For you, Brambleclaw and your kits. Follow the path that forms on the other side of the pool out of the Clans territories. Then follow my pawsteps and I will lead you to your new territory." Leafpool nodded.

"You will come with us?" she asked.

"Yes," she mewed, "Myself, and a few other warriors have agreed to go with you and watch you start a new Clan. Now go!" Leafpool's eyes shot open. She leapt to her paws and dashed up to Brambleclaw and her kits.

"We have to cross the Moonpool," she mewed to him, "Then follow the trail that leads out of the Clans territories. Then Cinderpelt said she will guide us through the rest to our new territory."

"StarClan is going with us?" he mewed in shock.

"Yes, Cinderpelt and a few warriors are coming with us," she mewed, "But we must hurry. Firestar has a patrol coming for us and there not far off!" Brambleclaw's eyes widened and he quickly scooped up Bramblekit. She scooped up Sparrowkit and they dashed back down to the Moonpool. She set paw in the water first and was surprised to feel it was warm. They waded across, keeping the kits out of the water. As they got out Leafpool's blood ran cold.

"Their scent leads in here," she heard Firestar's mew from outside the cave. Without hesitation both cats sprinted for the exit, pushing their way quickly through the bushes. Gasping for breath the hid in the bushes to their left, listening for the voices inside.

"Leafpool!" she heard Sandstorm call.

"Brambleclaw!" she heard Squirrelflight call.

"We must get out of her now!" Brambleclaw hissed in her ear, "Come on, follow me as quietly as you can." She did as she was told, keeping all the weight she could on her haunches. They crept like this until the passed the WindClan marker, they had left the clans territories! Suddenly she spotted the patrol coming out of the entrance to the Moonpool. Realising they could be seen both cats ducked, flattening themselves to the floor.

"They obviously really don't want to be found if they crossed the Moonpool," Whitewing mewed gently to Firestar, "Perhaps we should go back to camp." Firestar nodded resignedly and gathered his patrol with a swoop of his tail. Sandstorm looked devastated and Squirrelflight had her head and tail down sadly. Ashfur on the other hand looked furious that they had got away. Firestar let out a mournful cry to the glory of StarClan and lead his patrol back to camp. The two tabbies slow sat up as they watched them go.

"Are you sure you want to come with me?" she asked watching him carefully as his amber eyes followed Squirrelflight. He looked at her.

"Never surer," he mewed with a gleam of excitement in his eyes, "Now where do we go from here?"

"Cinderpelt told me to follow her pawsteps," she mewed and Brambleclaw searched the ground for any signs of pawsteps. Leafpool looked up at the glory of Silverpelt, would she ever see it again? Just then a trail of glittering stars flashed through the sky dark.

"Brambleclaw!" she called, staring at the sky in awe, "Brambleclaw the trail!" Brambleclaw looked up and his amber eyes widened and his jaw dropped. She followed the trail with her nose and she realised the trail ended at the rising moon.

"It heads towards the moon!" she mewed, "We're supposed to start a clan called MoonClan!" Brambleclaw nodded excitedly.

"Does this sort of stuff always happen to you?" he asked and she nodded, "It almost makes me regret not being a medicine cat." She purred and twined her tail with his. They looked lovingly into each others eyes, not needing words. In silence, they picked up the two sleeping kits and followed the trail made by their warrior anscestors. And hence came MoonClan, started by the lovers with stars in their eyes.