Disclaimer: I based the Clan structure on the Warriors books by Erin Hunter.

Now here is the next chapter. Enjoy and please review.

Chapter 5

Hawkfeather swallowed hard and looked at her paws. She had always known that sooner or later someone would find out about her and Talonwing.

"How long have to two of you been meeting?" Falconstar asked her sister. Anger made her fur stand on edge.

"About a moon." Hawkfeather couldn't look her sister in the eye.

"Why him? Why not someone from our Clan?" mewed angrily.

"I don't know. It just happened." the deputy's answer was barely audible.

"I thought you hated him. You said he was an arrogant furball."

"He isn't arrogant at all, just clumsy." Hawkfeather purred. "He tried to get my attention with his rude behavior."

"Do you understand that you are breaking the warrior code by seeing him?" Falconstar pressed.

"Yes."

"Then you know that it has to stop?"

"Please don't ask me to stop seeing him, Falconstar. I love him. I can't live without him." Hawkfeather pleaded with her sister.

"You are from different Clans. You are both deputy. You have responsibilities toward your Clan and your Clan leader."

"I know all this, Falconstar. But I cannot be without him."

"How did you two manage to go by until now? I never noticed any strange behavior of you. If I hadn't woken up that night, I still wouldn't know you were seeing Talonwing."

"That's actually quite simple. Being deputy we get to assign the patrols in our Clans. We don't assign ourselves for the dawn patrol of the day when we meet. And we only meet every couple days so that we can catch up on some sleep." Hawkfeather explained.

"Well, thanks for the explanation. I still disapprove of you meeting him." Falconstar mewed sternly.

"You have never been in love, Falconstar. I have to see him again." Hawkfeather begged.

xxx

Another moon had gone by. Hawkfeather and Talonwing would still meet in the woods. Falconstar thought it was a miracle no-one else had discovered them yet. She and Hawkfeather had argued about the forbidden relationship many times. In the end, Falconstar gave in. She loved her sister too much to see her suffer without Talonwing and she didn't want to quarrel with her anymore. Leaf-fall was here and the nights were getting colder; Falconstar worried about the young cats' health.

"It's getting too cold to sleep out in the open, Hawkfeather." she told her sister when they sat together in Falconstar's den and shared two mice at the end of a long day.

"We are sheltering from the cold. There is nothing to worry about."

"What kind of shelter? When you came back this morning you were frozen to your bones. I don't want you to get sick, Hawkfeather." Falconstar gave her sister a quick lick.

"Can I come in?" Grasswhisker's voice sounded from outside and made the sisters jump.

"Come in, Grasswhisker." The Clan leader called to the medicine cat. "What can I do for you?"

"Actually, it's Hawkfeather I am looking for." The black-and-white tom mewed.

The deputy blinked confused. "Me?"

"Yes, I wanted to know how the lucky tom was."

"I don't understand, Grasswhisker. What are you talking about? What lucky tom?"

"The tom who has fathered your kits. And don't tell me it's someone from our Clan. I may be old, but I am not mouse-brained. You don't have a mate in MeadowClan."

Hawkfeather's jaws opened but no words came out. Falconstar rose to her paws.

"Are you saying that Hawkfeather is expecting kits?"

"That's precisely what I am saying. I thought you had discussed it by now." Grasswhisker sat down and licked his pelt.

"But I cannot have kits." Hawkfeather had regained her voice. "I am the deputy."

"Well, the only thing I can tell you is that you are expecting kits. I am surprised you haven't realized." The medicine cat looked up from his wash. "So, are you two going to tell me who the father is?"

Grasswhisker looked between Falconstar and Hawkfeather.

"It's Talonwing." Falconstar mewed at last. She was certain that they could trust the old tom. They had always been rather close. Perhaps because of the prophecy the medicine cat had had when they were born.

"Talonwing of ForestClan? I see." Grasswhisker mewed more to himself. Falconstar thought it had more meaning to him.

"I suggest that you move to the nursery soon." The old tom sniffed along Hawkfeather's body and placed his paw at her ginger belly. "Yes, your kits will be born quite soon."

"I am not ready to have kits." Hawkfeather mewed desperately. "And what will happen to them. They are half-Clan."

"Don't worry about that. We won't tell anyone that Talonwing is the father." Falconstar told her. "The kits will be MeadowClan."

"But what will we tell our Clanmates when they ask who the father is?"

"I will think of something." Grasswhisker mewed. "You stay in camp and rest. That's an order from your medicine cat, Hawkfeather."

"Okay." The deputy looked sad. "How can I let Talonwing know about the kits?"

"In less than half a moon there is another Gathering. You can tell him then." Falconstar decided.

"I was supposed to meet him in three days in the woods." Hawkfeather replied.

"I will go and tell him that you cannot see him anymore." Grasswhisker mewed. "There are herbs that need to be collected at night. No-one will suspect anything. Tell me where you used to meet."

xxx

It was the night of the Gathering. A few days ago, Hawkfeather moved to the nursery and officially announced that she is expecting kits. Almost immediately, cats started to wonder who had fathered Hawkfeather's kits. The deputy had no mate. Grasswhisker had told their Clanmates that StarClan approved of the kits and that it was unimportant who the father was. Falconstar thought it was a lame explanation, but her Clanmates didn't question the word of their medicine cat.

While the cats were trekking to the Chestnut Hollow, Falconstar walked closer to her sister and whispered to her.

"Try and keep your talk with Talonwing without attracting too much attention, Hawkfeather. We don't want any of the other Clan's to notice something."

The black queen nodded.

They were the last to get to the Gathering, and Falconstar and Hawkfeather went to take their places at the boulder underneath the chestnut tree. The MeadowClan leader was the first to share her news with the other Clans; however she had nothing to report. When it was Hawkstar's turn, she announced Suncloud as a new warrior. The pretty tortoiseshell she-cat sat proudly among her Clanmates as the rest of the cats cheered. At last Rabbitstar introduced three new apprentices for HedgeClan: Windpaw, Stormpaw and Breezepaw.

Falconstar jumped off the boulder to signal the end of the Gathering. Hawkfeather and Talonwing, who had sat quietly beside their Clan leaders rose to their paws and the MeadowClan deputy pointed her tail to a sheltered place behind some brambles. The two cats vanished behind the thicket.

"What happened, Hawkfeather? Why did Grasswhisker tell me that we can't meet anymore?" The black tom asked his voice full with pain.

"I am expecting kits, your kits. I moved to the nursery. Grasswhisker and Falconstar said I had to rest."

Talonwing's jaws dropped open as he stared at his mate.

"We have to go. I promised Falconstar not to draw any attention to us." Hawkfeather mewed and was about to leave.

"We are going to have kits. I am going to be a father." Talonwing's eyes shone with happiness and love.

"Wipe that look off your face and go the other way. We mustn't be seen together. We'll talk at the next Gathering."

Talonwing gave a brisk nod and briefly brushed his pelt to Hawkfeather's.

"I'll always love you. You know that, right?"

She purred in reply and pressed her muzzle into his fur.

"Now go."

Continues soon...