Chapter 6

...

Leafpool grinned. She was in her den alone.

Everything was going as planned. No one was suspecting anything. Mousefur was starting to get plump.

Only three cats knew besides her. Squirrelflight, Mousefur, and Ferncloud. Ferncloud had kept her word.

Leafpool grabbed a squirrel from the fresh-kill pile and waited for Mousefur to come to her den.

When Mousefur came, Leafpool gave her the squirrel. Mousefur ate it slowly.

"Tell him today, Mousefur."

Mousefur paused, then nodded. "I guess so."

"Good. Thanks. Squirrelflight will bring a lot of fresh-kill later. She's in on the plan."

Mousefur left the den. Leafpool sat back. She sighed. Another litter of kits that would grow up without knowing she was their mother.

She rose to her paws. She should stretch her legs instead of staying cramped up in her den all day.

"Hello, Leafpool." Hollyleaf mewed.

Leafpool gave her daughter a quick nod.

Jayfeather returned with a mouthful of leaves. "Are these the right ones?" he asked.

Leafpool checked. "Mallow. Just what we needed. Great job, Jayfeather."

"No problem."

Leafpool wondered what she would do when her kits were born. How would she keep parsley in the den without Jayfeather finding out?

She walked by the elders' den. Squirrelflight was leaving it.

"I'd better make sure the kits haven't gotten into trouble, now that their eyes are open." she murmured.

Leafpool laughed, then quieted as she heard Longtail's voice from inside the elders' den.

"Mousefur, if you keep eating so much, you're going to get very plump. Not that you're not already."

"Well, about that, Longtail...to tell you the truth, I haven't been eating very much."

"You haven't?"

"No, actually. I'm having kits."

Longtail fell for it.

Leafpool walked away, purring. The plan waa still going strong.

...

I need ideas for the names of Leafpool's kits.

By the way, Jayfeather didn't become full medicine cat until partway through Long Shadows, which I just realized. My bad! So for this story, let's just say he got his name just after Eclipse.