The moon hung high over the clearing, leaf-bare had come, and the prey was scarce. Leafpool was sharing tongues with her mother, and Berrynose was padding to the nursery with the plumpest vole he could find for Hollyleaf.

"The kits are coming." Daisy called from the nursery to Jayfeather who was carrying a mouth-full of borage leaves so that Hollyleaf's milk would come easier. His sister was having her kits, he could feel the excitement bustling from the nursery as Berrynose sat outside patiently.

"Jayfeather, take good care of her please. I know she's strong but I know she's nervous." Berrynose mewed softly. He pressed his nose into Jayfeather's fur gratefully.

Hollyleaf lifted her head as her brother nosed his way into the nursery. "I'm glad you're the one delivering my kits Jayfeather, I know our mother would have been a good medicine cat like you for this, but I'm glad it's you." Her mew was soft from exhaustion; Jayfeather could sense that his sister had been having spasms before he had come in. He pressed his paw lightly on Hollyleaf's bulging stomach and felt a spasm.

"Here comes one Hollyleaf, push carefully and slowly, don't hurt yourself doing so." Jayfeather mewed calmly. He leaned down to find the base of his sisters tail and nipped the sac the kit was in, releasing it, he began to rasp his tongue over the kit, drying off its' fur and drying it off before it wiggled over to his mother's belly for milk. "It's a boy Hollyleaf." He felt for another spasm, and soon after the first kits sister was born. "Here they are, one boy one girl, what are you going to name them?"

Hollyleaf looked wearily at her newborn kits, one looked just like his father, "I think I'll name the boy, Mothkit, he looks like his father, the girl has patches of cream, black, and brown, I'll name her Patchkit." Her mew was very happy as she laid her nose over both of her kits. A purr rose in her throat as sleep drifted over the three.

Berrynose poked his head into the nursery, his eyes wide with excitement, "What are their names?" He looked at both of them a purr seemed to almost roar in his throat.

"The one that looks like you is Mothkit, the one with mixed fur is Patchkit." Daisy replied as she stared in awe at both of them. "It makes me miss my kits, they all get so big so fast." Jayfeather detected a bit of sadness in Daisy's mew and padded back to the medicine den.

Jayfeather's ears pricked as he heard Icecloud happily padding over to him, "There you are! I've been looking for you everywhere. I found Lionblaze laying in the training clearing covered in blood, come quick!" Icecloud sounded in pain herself. Quickly he raced after her, when he got to the clearing Icecloud had said he could smell the reek of blood in the air.

"Lionblaze, what happened?" He asked calmly. He could smell the scent of WindClan on his fur and assumed he had been sneaking around to see Heathertail again. He could feel the guilt Lionblaze felt as he lifted his head to speak.

"I crossed the border to see Heathertail one last time, and I was caught by a patrol. Don't worry I'm fine, just sore." He said with pain in his mew, he was heartbroken. "Heathertail was in the patrol, and she's the one who did this to me. But I deserved it, and I'll accept any punishment that Firestar gives to me."

As if he had been summoned by Lionblaze calling out his name, Firestar appeared through the thorn tunnel. "Lionblaze, I am very disappointed in your poor sense of judgment, I heard every word you said, but," there was a pause in Firestar's lecture, "I am not going to punish you, because it seems the she-cat you love so dearly punished you enough. I can only hope you have learned your lesson, and that StarClan forgives you."

Icecloud pressed herself against Lionblaze to help him back into the camp, Squirrelflight and Leafpool dashed across from the warriors den when they saw Lionblaze being dragged back into the camp. "What happened to him?" Leafpool asked with worry.

"He crossed the WindClan border to see Heathertail and got ambushed by a border patrol." Icecloud answered. She dipped her head to Leafpool and padded off with Jayfeather into the forest. The wind buffeting both of their fur, Jayfeather pressed his pelt close to Icecloud to keep her warm, something seemed different about her, but he couldn't tell what.

"I love you Jayfeather." Her mew was tender as she sat down beside him staring out at the lake. "I always have. No other cat is like you, you're just so unique." She laid down beside him on her side and licked his paw.

Jayfeather laid beside her resting his head on her shoulder and listened to her steady breathing, she had fallen asleep. He closed his eyes and opened to find himself standing in front of the starry pelts of StarClan, Bluestar and Spottedleaf soon appeared in front of him, a mouse length from his nose.

"Welcome Jayfeather, how are things in ThunderClan?" Bluestar was the first to speak. She pressed her nose to Jayfeather's and looked at him with worry in her eyes. She almost looked as if she was looking through him.

Spottedleaf looked at Bluestar then to Jayfeather, her mew was stern but had a hint of fear behind it. "I am glad to see that things are going good with your sister, she is a strong cat, and will one day make a great leader. Firestar is very close to his last life, and there is danger coming, your clan needs to be ready Jayfeather, Icecloud will make a good mother, and you will make a great medicine cat, do you have an apprentice in mind?"

"I do. Blossompaw shows much promise. And with the way that everything has gone, I think she will be the best choice."

Spottedleaf nodded her head and the two cats disappeared from his sight.

Jayfeather woke to Icecloud prodding his side with her paw gently, he pressed his nose into her fur before the two of them headed back to camp. Leafpool padded up to the two of them when they emerged from the thorn tunnel, pressed her nose against Jayfeather's and asked to speak to him alone.

"Icecloud is with kits Jayfeather, Spottedleaf came to me in a dream last night, I may not be the medicine cat anymore, but StarClan still speak with me, she told me that great promise comes from the smallest kit of my own kit. I expect you to still tend to your medicine cat duties though. But I am very proud of how well you have managed so far. It seems this leaf-bare, and new-leaf will bring many new cats to ThunderClan." She licked between his ears and padded to the dirtplace.

Jayfeather raced back into camp and lifted his nose to find Icecloud, she was sitting outside the medicine den, her warm gaze felt almost as if it was penetrating Jayfeather's fur. He padded up to her and pressed his muzzle warmly into her fur and purred. "Why didn't you tell me?" He looked up at her.

"I was unaware myself, but it seems StarClan have granted every cat in the clan a bout of happiness for the leaf-bare to come." She licked her paw and ran it over her ear. "I'm sure Hollyleaf will be excited to hear, go tell her, I'll go tell Foxleap." She padded off quickly, her pawsteps as light as air.

"Hollyleaf?" Jayfeather mewed as he poked his nose into the nursery. "Guess what?"

She lifted her head and looked at her brother, noticing how bright her brother's eyes were. "What?"

"Icecloud is with kits!"