Sootheart looked adoringly at the four new bundles of joy suckling at Rosepetal. He couldn't resist the purr that rose in his throat.

"They're beautiful," he whispered.

"What are you going to name them?" Sootheart hadn't even noticed Jayfeather enter the Nursery. The tom was staring at the kits, perhaps feeling a sense of pride and happiness that he had gotten to welcome his grandkits into the world.

"This one," Rosepetal pointed to a very dark brown tom with black spots so subtle you could barely see them, "is Nightkit-after my father. This little one is named Willowpaw." A light gray she-kit suckled at her mother's belly, kneading the soft skin with her tiny paws.

Rosepetal looked up at her mate with warm, loving eyes. "You can name the other two."

Sootheart took a long look at the two kits-a tom and a she-kit. Finally he came up with two names.

"She's named Twigkit," the resemblance between Twigkit and his sister was uncanny-besides the fact that his kit had all four legs, "and his name is Eaglekit."

"He'll be a strong one," Jayfeather admired the name Sootheart had chosen for the tom, "and she will be gentle," Sootheart observed Twigkit suckling softly-Jayfeather was right. Yet something about her seemed… wrong.

"Twigkit?" Sootheart nudged her. She had stopped suckling and was lying on the floor, still as stone.

The father grew frantic and began to lick the kit against the lie of her fur before Jayfeather pushed him away and held his head close to the kit's body.

The medicine cat retrieved some herbs and coaxed them down Twigkit's throat with his paw. He tried everything Sootheart would have thought to try and more, but finally he looked up and shook his head.

"There is nothing we can do for her now-" Sootheart's grief-stricken cry rang out into the clearing and into the forest. Somewhere in a camp nearby, his sister heard the agonized wail and felt sorrow for the cat who sounded so distressed.

"No! There has to be something!" Sootheart muzzled the kit as the rest of his clanmates gathered around and peeked heads in through the entrance. The gray tom could tell by the low wails and the soft voices that the news was traveling fast.

"I'm sorry, Sootheart. StarClan has taken her-I cannot get her back." He laid his tail over his son's shoulders. "I know Cinderheart will take good care of her." At the mention of his mother's name, Sootheart moaned out, realizing he had lost his mother and kit to StarClan and his sister to ShadowClan. Why must everyone take his family from him?

Sootheart laid down beside his mate and she soothed him. Soon he was calmed down-thanks to the herbs Jayfeather gave him-and left to join his clanmates in the warriors' den.

"I'm sorry," the cats seemed to take turns apologizing for something beyond their control, and after a while Sootheart only heard murmurs that blurred and rushed together. He no longer heard individual cats, but a whole Clan of cats. His clanmates had stars in their fur and they began to take on the shapes of old ThunderClan cats. Bluestar, Lionheart, Whitestorm, Redtail, and many more.

Then the cats faded and somewhere inside Sootheart he felt peace. Peace for his mother's death and the passing of his kit.

Before he knew it, his eyes shut and darkness slammed into his eyes, but only for a moment.

"Sootheart!" A warm purr made the gray cat open his eyes and look around. Stars danced in the grass and a gray she-cat sauntered toward him.

"Cinderheart!" He greeted his mother affectionately. She returned his purr and then suddenly grew very serious.

"That was a sign!" Cinderheart's eyes stared into her son's, begging him to understand what she meant. Of course he didn't, though.

"What? What was a sign?"

"Twigkit's passing! You must save-" A yowl cut the former ThunderClan warrior off. Bluestar stood at the top of a ridge, staring down at Cinderheart angrily.

"You have told him enough!" Cinderheart looked at Bluestar with pleading eyes.

"Please? I can't just sit back and know that my kit has died because I provided her brother with too little information!" Sootheart was confused. As the she-cats bickered, he began to put two-and two together. Twigkit's death, Cinderheart's kit dying… Twigfall! Twigfall was in trouble!

Sootheart laid down and begged sleep to come so he could find out what had happened to his sister.

But it wouldn't come. Desperately, Sootheart sung a lullaby from his childhood in his head, but still nothing worked.

Finally, after what had seemed like moons had passed, sleep overcame the gray tom.