Squirrelflight walked the vacant field. It was dotted with flowers, and Silverpelt shone above.
"Hello?" She called. A mewling made her jump. Squirrelflight began to search the field, trying to find the source of the noise. At last, she discovered a familiar shape, but instead of being inactive, the shape bounced to and fro after a bright-winged butterfly.
"Starkit!" Squirrelflight gasped, overjoyed.
"Who're you?" The tiny kit asked. With a jolt of pain, Squirrelflight realized the kit had never known her.
"I'm your mother." She replied.
"Are you sure?" The she-kit looked skeptical. Instead of looking like an ordinary StarClan cat—stars filling her fur—Starkit looked just like she had when she'd been born.
"Who brought you here?" Squirrelflight changed the subject.
"A silver she-cat with stripes and stars in her fur."
"That was Silverstream." Squirrelflight told her, remembering the things she'd heard about the RiverClan cat that died giving birth to Stormfur and Feathertail. When she turned to Starkit instead of seeing the kit, she saw nothing but air in her place. Squirrelflight spied the energetic kit going after the butterfly again, and she began to go after Starkit, but stopped as the field began to fade away.
"Squirrelflight? Squirrelflight? Are you okay? Oh, StarClan! Daisy get—" Squirrelflight woke up to her Ashfur's anguished mews.
"Ashfur?" Squirrelflight rasped. "What're you doing here?"
"I came to check on you!" He gasped. "Oh, Squirrelflight, I'm just glad you're not dead!"
"Yes, she's not dead!" Ferncloud swept Birchkit closer to her with her tail. "Now you can go, Ashfur!" She chided her littermate.
"Okay, okay!" Ashfur muttered, stealing one last glance over his shoulder.
"Thanks, Ferncloud!" Squirrelflight dipped her head gratefully.
"He would've driven me crazy!" The gray-flecked queen purred good-naturedly.
"Guess what?" Birchkit purred.
"What?" Squirrelflight replied, glancing down at her kits. Yes, all three were there, healthy and suckling.
"I'm going to be an apprentice today!"
"Wow!" Squirrelflight exclaimed. "Do you know who his mentor will be?" She asked Ferncloud. The queen shook her head.
"Probably an experienced warrior like Thornclaw." Ferncloud guessed. "I think it would take the whole Clan to control him sometimes!" She purred affectionately. Dustpelt slid through the bramble tendrils.
"How's my son?" He asked, dropping a huge starling.
"Great!" Birchkit pranced around, happily.
"Careful!" Ferncloud warned as he drew close to the new kits. Squirrelflight pulled the new-borns closer with her tail.
"Want to learn a hunting crouch?" Dustpelt asked.
"Really?" Birchkit purred.
"Sure, in the clearing." The two tabby toms slipped out of the nursery.
"What do queens do?" Squirrelflight asked, looking after them.
"Feed our kits, play with them, and watch them…" Ferncloud sighed, her mind clearly still on Birchkit. "I hope he makes a good apprentice." She murmured, half to herself.
"He will." Squirrelflight reassured her. "Will you have anymore kits?" She asked.
"Definitely!" Ferncloud answered. "I prefer nursing over fighting."
"Really?" Squirrelflight sighed. "I don't know if being a queen is my calling."
"Well at least you had kits." Ferncloud replied. "Now you know for sure that being a warrior is your calling."
"I guess you're right." Squirrelflight looked at the wriggling bundles of fur. Cloverkit was struggling to get past her littermates. Squirrelflight nosed a path for her and gave the gray she-kit a gentle nudge. Cloverkit crawled forward and mewled happily when she found milk.
"How long until his ceremony?" Squirrelflight asked Ferncloud, certain the young kit was still on her mind.
"Sunhigh, I think." The gray-flecked queen replied. "Why don't I see how high the sun is?" She slipped out through the bramble tendrils into the camp. Looking down once more at her kits, Squirrelflight sighed.
"A little bored?" Ferncloud guessed.
"How'd you know?" Squirrelflight eyed the gray queen.
"It always is the first day, and the sighing was another hint."
Squirrelflight felt hot under her fur.
"Sorry, Ferncloud." The dark ginger she-cat muttered. Ferncloud touched her wet nose against Squirrelflight's ear to show there were no hard feelings.
"Do you want me to go see if Ashfur can visit you?" The gray-flecked queen asked. Squirrelflight hesitated; Ashfur had been more of a pest than a friend lately, but it would be something to do. Besides, it would look better for them if Squirrelflight appeared to like him; after all she was pretending to be his mate.
"Okay." The dark ginger she-cat muttered ungraciously. "Bring him in then." Ferncloud got up and was about to leave when she mewed something and sat back down. "What is it?" Squirrelflight asked. "Why didn't you go outside?"
"He was already out there." Ferncloud replied. "I guess I'd better leave you two alone." Squirrelflight squirmed uncomfortably, unable to turn him away without arousing suspicion. Ashfur shuffled his paws nervously until his littermate left the nursery.
"Squirrelflight." He said quietly. "I-how…Squirrelflight, there's a problem with these kits." The dark ginger she-cat tried not to flinch.
"Wh-what?" She stammered. "I haven't the foggiest idea of what you're talking about."
"Do you? Squirrelflight, we never mated." Squirrelflight shifted nervously, incapable of looking into her Clanmate's dark blue eyes. "Squirrelflight, who's the real father?"