Chapter 8- Troutleap

He was pacing outside the nursery wondering what was going on. Dawnstream had started kitting that morning and he could hear her cries of pain. He longed to go in there and take the pain away but there was no way he could. Sageclaw and Smalllily would periodically come over to him and offer him some prey, or ask him on a patrol, but he wouldn't go. He was too worried for the cat he loved most. She was also the only cat that knew the truth about Leapkit and Palekit besides Cloudpaw, who wouldn't tell, and his mother, who had been waiting for the right time to tell him. After what seem like moons of waiting, Daisypaw popped her cream and white head out of the nursery. "Congratulations Troutleap, you have three sons and a daughter."

Troutleap walked in and saw a silver and white tom like him, a silver tom with black markings on his face and a stripe going down his back, a black and white tom and the she-kit who was a white tabby like her mother but thin like Bell and silver markings like the ones Cast has. Even they had their place in his kits. "Aren't they precious?" Dawnstream asked. Her eyes were full of love and compassion for them.

"Of course, and they're all ours." He looked at each of them. "What should we name them?"

Dawnstream purred and looked at the silver and white tom. "He was born first and he looks like you, so I thought we could name him after a fish. How is Minnowkit?"

He looked at the tiny tom but saw he was bigger than the others, especially the black and white tom and the she-kit who both looked very tiny. "That is a great name. What about the silver and black tom?"

She looked at him and thought about it before turning to him. "You decide."

He looked at his son whose black markings were crisscrossing over his face, leaping over one another making him look handsome, each marking adding to the grace of the last. The mark down his spine made him look thin and lean. He also had long legs like a WindClan cat that would be great for fishing in the water. "His name should be Rushkit."

Dawnstream looked at the tiny black and white tom. He looked muscular and stocky like Troutleap, though he was small in size. Maybe he would grow to be bigger. "Beetlekit. His name is Beetlekit." Troutleap purred and placed his tail tip over his son's nose. He sneezed and Troutleap laughed. Dawnstream shook her head but was still purring and smiling. "What about our daughter?"

He looked at her carefully. The pretty white fur weakly shined in the light that leaked through the tightly woven reeds and rushes that made up the nursery. The silver on her legs looked like willow branches. "What about Willowkit? The silver on her legs look like willow branches in the wind." Dawnstream looked at the she-cat.

"Willowkit it is. So we have Minnowkit, Rushkit, Beetlekit and Willowkit. We're the luckiest cats alive." Troutleap sat next to his mate as the clan slowly poured in to see the newest additions to RiverClan.

Among the last to arrive was Ripplesong, Dawnstream's littermate. She looked down at each of the kits and rubbed her sister's muzzle affectionately. Dustypaw was in the nursery cleaning up the bedding. He was often loaded with that chore. It wasn't his fault he was born with a brown pelt. "Congratulations you two, those kits are absolutely perfect." She lingered on the word and Dustypaw looked up from weaving swan feathers into the already perfect nests. Dustypaw took pride in his work, making sure the nests he made were nice and comfortable, though his own was little more than a pile of broken reeds. "They each have a fine silver, black and white pelt. You two make a good match." Dustypaw finished working the feathers into the moss and exited as quickly as he could. Troutleap looked at Dawnstream, touched her ear with his nose, and padded out of the den following Dustypaw.

"Dustypaw!" The apprentice stopped, looked down and looked guilty.

"Yes Troutleap? Did I do something wrong?" Dustypaw asked the warrior. Dustypaw was serious but he never did anything wrong. He was just blamed for everything because of the color of his pelt.

"No Dustypaw. I've got to show you something." Troutleap padded out of camp. Dustypaw looked at the sky and shook his head and continued down the path. They leaped across the streams which were shining in the dawn light. Each step they took, took them closer to the barn. Dustypaw was looking around anxiously, like he was waiting for something.

He took a deep breath and stood by the mouth of the barn. "Dustypaw, this is where my father, sister and brother live. My mother gave Leapkit and Palekit to him after the clan shunned Palekit. She took me too, but my father told her to keep me so they wouldn't be completely forgotten." Dustypaw's eyes widened and he looked shocked but Troutleap kept talking. "I want you to know I am always going to treat you like a normal cat, because you are. You are a great cat with a great spirit and regard to the rules. I know what Ripplesong said in there was not necessary and I will talk to her about it but don't let it get to you. Know StarClan has a plan for you." Dustypaw nodded and started to pad off away from him and into the rising moon. "Wait. Dustypaw, I want you to meet them."

He hesitated then ran up to him. Inside the barn Ian, Cast and Bell were laying down sharing tongues. Ian looked up and saw his son, a familiar sight now, and greeted him. Hailey was padding out of the straw with a thin belly. She greeted Troutleap with tired eyes then looked at the young tom. "Who is this?" She asked.

"This is Dustypaw. He is one of the two cats in RiverClan with brown pelts. Dustypaw, this is Hailey, my father's mate. I see you've kitted." She nodded her brown head then looked at the RiverClan cats.

"Would you like to meet them?" Troutleap nodded and started to go into the straw den, "Dustypaw, why don't you go too. It'll do you good I think." Inside were two kits, both she-kits. Both were small and petite, one had pale brown tabby fur and the other was calico. "This one here is Farryn." She pointed to the pale brown tabby who batted her paws. Troutleap noticed Dustypaw couldn't take his eyes away from the brown she-kit, maybe because he felt a mend in his heart. She looked at the little calico. "Farryn was named by her father, and I was going to name this one but I cannot seem to find a good name for her? Can you help me?"

Dustypaw locked his eyes on the calico. "Her name could be Farley. Moonshine told me about a loner who saved her life named that." Troutleap nodded his head in approval.

"I like that. Farryn and Farley, welcome to the world little ones." Troutleap padded out of the den with Dustypaw behind him.

"Dustypaw, this is my brother, Leapkit, who is now known as Cast, and my sister, Palekit, who is now known as Bell." Dustypaw nodded at the two cats. "This is my father, Ian." He looked at the cat with respect and shock. He couldn't take his eyes off his bright green ones. "Thank you, we must be going." They padded out of the barn and sat down in the grass.

"How would you like to visit them with me more often? I'm sure Farryn and Farley will be pleased to see you as they grow." Troutleap asked the tom who couldn't take his eyes off the moonhigh moon.

"That would be great." Troutleap followed Dustypaw's gaze to where there were three shapes. Dustypaw's eyes grew big as the three shapes came closer, revealing Snakepaw, Mosspaw and Fernpaw.

Hey I am still looking for a beta and people have been telling me that the multiple points of view is confusing. It was only suppose to be Dustypaw and Troutleap's point of view but I had to let the others have their visions. Be sure to vote and please send me a pm if you want to beta.