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

Thanks everyone for following my story. And special thanks to Willowdream of ForestClan; I really appreciate your comments :)

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

Chapter 19

"I can't believe you're expecting kits again, Hawkfeather." Falconstar told her sister. It had taken her several moments to recover from the shock of hearing these news. After all, Hawkfeather's mate was Talonwing, the deputy of ForestClan.

"Please don't be mad at me, Falconstar." her sister pleaded. "It just happened."

"It just happened?! Hawkfeather, these things don't just happen! After Cloudpaw was born I had asked you to be more careful and not have kits again. This will make everything so complicated. And remember, you officially don't even have a mate. What are we going to tell our Clanmates?" Falconstar furiously slapped her tail across the floor and Hawkfeather flinched at her sister's anger.

"I am very disappointed in you, Hawkfeather. I thought you would be more responsible. After all, you are my deputy. We will have to find someone to step in for you while you're in the nursery. But most importantly, we – or rather, you – need to come up with a plausible explanation why you are expecting kits. I don't want to ask Grasswhisker again; his story was ridiculous." The black-and-ginger she-cat continued her rant.

Hawkfeather had listened to her sister's words silently. When the Clan leader had finished, the black deputy slowly raised her head and looked at her sister.

"You are right, Falconstar. I am irresponsible. But I am in love with Talonwing just as you are with Bouldertail."

"I am not in love with Bouldertail. I haven't seen him since I found out I expected his kits." Falconstar was angry that her sister had brought up Bouldertail and that she assumed the two of them were still mates. The gray HedgeClan tom still walked in Falconstar's dreams, but the Clan leader had decided to give up her love for the good of her Clan. She was no ordinary warrior; she had to look after her Clanmates as well. "Now what do you want to tell our Clanmates, Hawkfeather?"

"I don't know." The deputy mewed quietly. "Perhaps I could tell them that a StarClan warrior had visited me in my sleep and that he fathered my kits."

"That's as ridiculous as the story Grasswhisker told the Clan when you had Cloudpaw." Falconstar snorted.

"But it worked, didn't it?" Hawkfeather replied.

xxx

It was a few days since Hawkfeather told her sister that she expected kits again. Falconstar had taken the news rather bad, Hawkfeather thought. But then, her sister had to carry a heavy burden herself. Tonight a full moon shone over Silverpelt. The three Clans would meet in the Chestnut Hollow for a Gathering. Falconstar told her deputy that she would take all her kits, who now where the only apprentices in the Clan, to the Gathering. Falconstar had dreaded the day when her kits would meet their real father for the first time. Almost everyone in MeadowClan believed that Whiskerheart was their father; only Grasswhisker and Hawkfeather knew that Bouldertail, the deputy of HedgeClan, had fathered Falconstar's kits. Filled with guilt, Falconstar had told Whiskerheart the truth a few moons ago. However the brown tabby tom had already known the truth and promised not to tell anyone. Nonetheless, Falconstar decided not to take Whiskerheart to the Gathering tonight. She had plenty of warriors to choose from and also wanted to take Pebblefur and Stonepelt to attend the Gathering now that they were full warriors.

"Falconstar, are you ready? We need to leave soon." Hawkfeather poked her head into her sister's den. The Clan leader lay in her nest and stared at the wall in front of her. Hawkfeather slipped inside and gently nudged Falconstar.

"We need to leave. Don't worry about what will happen at the Gathering, Falconstar."

The black-and-ginger she-cat looked at her sister, her eyes clouded with worry.

"I hope Bouldertail will stay loyal to me and won't cause any trouble." Falconstar confessed.

"I don't think you need to worry about him. And you aren't taking Whiskerheart along. It'll be fine. Now let's go." Hawkfeather mewed.

Yes, Falconstar had deliberately avoided naming Whiskerheart to come to this Gathering. He always boasted about Redpaw, Nightpaw and Rockpaw being his kits. It made Falconstar feel uncomfortable; especially since both cats knew that it was a lie.

Falconstar led her Clan down the slope into the Chestnut Hollow. The three apprentices stayed close to their mentors as the MeadowClan cats mingled with those from ForestClan and HedgeClan. Falconstar and Hawkfeather headed straight for the Boulder where the Clan leaders and deputies sat. Falconstar mewed a greeting to Hawkstar and Leafstar as she jumped on the huge rock and the Gathering began.

Hawkstar was the first one, to address the Clans; she introduced Willowstem's new apprentice Graypaw. The young tom would train as a medicine cat apprentice. Leafstar stepped forward when Hawkstar had finished, but he didn't have much to report. When Falconstar's turn came, she announced Pebblefur and Stonepelt as new warriors for MeadowClan and her kits as new apprentices. She watched her kits sitting up proudly next to their mentors and was overwhelmed with joy that her once tiny kits were growing into fine warriors. She glanced briefly at Bouldertail, but the gray tom sat motionless between Hawkfeather and Talonwing. Falconstar stepped back, indicating the end of the Gathering.

Hawkstar let out a soft purr. "Your kits are already apprentices, Falconstar?"

"Yes they are. They will be a credit to MeadowClan once they are fully trained warriors."

"I am sure they will. The gray tom looks like he could be a warrior already." Bouldertail mewed. The Clan leaders had jumped down from the rock and were standing amid their deputies.

"Yes, he's huge." Talonwing commented. "What did you say his name was? Rockpaw?"

"Oh yes, Rockpaw will be an enormous cat." Hawkfeather answered. "Good thing he has his sisters to keep him in his place."

Falconstar let out a mrrow of amusement. Hawkfeather was right: Redpaw and Nightpaw would put their brother in his place. The two she-cats didn't seem the slightest bit intimidated by Rockpaw's size. Leafstar snarled at the whole conversation. He had always loaded the she-cats' talk of kits around him.

"Bouldertail, let's get going." He called to his deputy who dipped his head to the remaining Clan leaders and then headed after his own leader.

Falconstar was glad that she didn't have to talk to Bouldertail anymore. It had made her uncomfortable that the Clan leaders and deputies took so much interest in her kits.

"It's a pity that Whiskerheart wasn't here to see his kits being introduced to the Clans." Hawkstar mewed thoughtfully.

"Yes, he has a wrenched paw and couldn't make the journey." Falconstar lied. She bit the ForestClan leader goodbye and called to her Clanmates to leave.

xxx

Hawkfeather had moved to the nursery shortly after the Gathering. Her kits were due in soon and Grasswhisker insisted that she would get some rest. Hawkfeather had told her Clanmates that a StarClan tom had fathered her kits. Grasswhisker, who seemed to know what was going on, had taken the lead and told their Clanmates how blessed Hawkfeather and all of MeadowClan are. He even went to the Sacred Stone to share tongues with their warrior ancestors and then confirmed the miraculous events that led to Hawkfeather's unexpected pregnancy. Falconstar couldn't believe that her Clanmates had accepted their deputy's kits so easily. Didn't they know where kits come from? Or perhaps, they didn't want to know the truth and believing in some strange StarClan story made things easier for them.

Falconstar had named Birchheart and Featherstorm to replace Hawkfeather as deputy. It was a difficult decision. Since Rainpaw became an apprentice, all her senior warriors were currently training an apprentice and the Clan leader didn't want to slow down the young cats' training in naming their mentors deputy. In the end, Falconstar had decided to let two warriors share the responsibility.

Grasswhisker and his apprentice slipped out of the nursery and walked toward Falconstar. Alarmed, the black-and-ginger she-cat approached the two medicine cats.

"Grasswhisker, Cloudheart, is there a problem with Hawkfeather or her kits?"

The black-and-white tom shook his head. "Everything is fine, Falconstar. We will keep a close eye on Hawkfeather. I think she might have her kits sooner than I thought at first." His apprentice stood beside him with shining eyes. A few days ago, the black she-cat had been given her full name as medicine cat. When Cloudheart told her mother, Hawkfeather had purred and licked her kit's ear. Cloudheart was happy that she could help her mother with her second kitting as a true medicine cat.

Continues soon...