Silvertail shifted uncomfortably in her nest. Slashkit was sleeping, tired out from wrestling with Briarkit, who needed a new playmate since Bluepaw had left the nursery. Whitefeather was quietly grooming her two kits, who were napping in the afternoon heat. The newest addition to the nursery was Sandstripe, Graystar's daughter, who was carrying Braveheart's kits. Ferntail was outside with Briarkit and Orchidkit.

Silvertail longed to take a good run through the forest and stretch her legs. She had been cooped up in the nursery for so long, yet the queen was afraid to leave Slashkit on his own for too long.

"Silvertail?" Whitefeather asked, looking up from her two she-kits. "Is something wrong?"

"No!" Silvertail said. "I mean, no, of course not. I'm just a little sick of lying in the nursery."

"Would you like me to watch Slashkit while you go hunting or something?" Whitefeather offered.

"I… I, uh…" she stammered. The offer was tempting, but what if… while she was gone…?

"He'll be fine," Whitefeather assured the silver queen. "I won't let anything happen to him." Silvertail reluctantly agreed. She trusted the white-furred queen, and she needed to get out of the nursery.

As Silvertail trotted through the forest, delighted with the fresh breeze on her pelt, she heard the pawsteps approaching from behind. She turned around, picking up PineClan scents. Windystep, Brookfur, Cedarheart, and Crowflight were racing through the forest toward the CliffClan border.

"What's wrong?" she asked, seeing the tense looks on their faces.

"Whitespot and Otterpaw just came back," Cedarheart explained. "There's trouble on the CliffClan border; something about a black loner."

Heart in her throat, Silvertail followed the patrol toward the CliffClan border. A black loner? Could it be Doom?

Crowflight glanced back at her, but didn't ask why she was tagging along, or why she looked so worried.

As they neared the border, Silvertail knew her greatest hope and worst fear had been realized. She could see them, about half way between the river and the forest. A patrol of dripping CliffClan cats had cornered a black loner, a little on the small side, with red eyes and long fangs and claws.

The PineClan warriors stopped at the border. The CliffClan cats and the loner looked up when they scented the newcomers.

"Ah hah!" crowed a ginger-striped warrior named Orangestripe. "So the PineClan patrol has come to rescue their border-crossing piece of foxdung."

"That's no warrior of ours," Windystep explained. "He's a loner, by the looks of it."

Silvertail's heart started beating overtime. Doom had singled her out, his eyes lighting up. Silvertail longed to run to him, to bury her face in his fur....

"So he's just a trespassing piece of foxdung," snarled Orangestripe. "Maybe we should teach this little chunk of crowfood a lesson." Silvertail gasped as the CliffClan warrior raked his claws across Doom's shoulder. Doom growled, his eyes glowing dangerously. His strangely long claws slid out of their sheathes, and he bared his huge teeth. Doom threw himself and Orangestripe, clawing and biting for all he was worth. The other warriors, CliffClan and PineClan alike gasped or yowled in surprise. The CliffClan patrol joined the fight, trying to subdue the black loner. The PineClan cats raced over the border to help. Silvertail ran the fastest, passing the patrol. She reached the brawling cats long before the others, and leaped into the fray, determined not to let them kill her Doom. One of the warriors of CliffClan bit down hard on her left foreleg, injuring it enough to make it practically useless. At her screech of pain, Doom looked up from his opponents to see if she was alright. Orangestripe took this opportunity to pin him down. Silvertail, who had fought her way to the edge of the river, slipped on a spray-wet rock and plunged into the raging water.

The silver cat opened her mouth to yowl with surprise, and the chill water rushed into her mouth, choking her. Her maimed foreleg was useless in her struggle to paddle to the surface. Silvertail had never swum before, and it took everything she had to get her nose above the water. The current pushed her along the river, away from the edge. Silvertail paddled with her three good legs, but it was no use. The river was winning, and her strength was fading fast. I'm going to drown, she thought. Only then did she feel the teeth grasp her scruff and drag her through the water.

When Silvertail and her rescuer reached the shore, the PineClan toms and Doom helped to pull her onto dry land. Silvertail collapsed onto the dirt, gasping for air. Then she saw that her savior was a stone-colored CliffClan tom who had broken away from the battle and jumped into the river when he saw her fall in.

The cold, early leaf-fall winds chilled her to the bone. Pain shot through her leg and her lungs with every breath.

"I'm not going to make it, Doom," she whispered. The black loner stopped trying to lick her pelt dry and tenderly touched his nose to hers.

"Yes you are," he said firmly. "You have to." When she didn't reply, he went on, "Please don't die, Silvertail. I've only just found you again…."

"It will be all right," the queen said softly. "I will watch over our son from DreamClan."

"Our son?"

"Yes…. He is in good paws – Whitefeather will take care of him…. Doom, I've named him Slashkit." Doom's eyes stretched wide. Silvertail was the only one who knew his real name … that the title "Doom" was only that – a name given to him by his admirers.

"Silvertail! Don't go," Doom begged. "I love you!" Silvertail hated the pain she was causing him. This cat was the love of her life. She knew every scar on his pelt. She saw past his tough-guy front and into the loving, caring cat inside. If only things had been different…. Oh, how she hoped that the Clan wouldn't be too hard on Slashkit. It wasn't his fault that his sire is a loner. But she knew that Whitefeather would be a good mother to him. Whitefeather would make them see.

"I love you too, Slash," Silvertail whispered. The use of his real name was only for her mate to hear. "Good bye."

Silvertail never heard the loner's cry of anguish as she slipped away, or her Clanmates' hisses of horror and shock as her head thudded to the ground. She only saw stars….

"Whitefeather?" Slashkit prodded the queen's flank with one small silver paw. "When is Silvertail going to be back?"

"I don't know, Slashkit," Whitefeather said. She tried to keep the anxiety out of her voice. She had been gone an awfully long time, but she didn't want Slashkit to worry.

Slashkit looked around. The nursery was empty except for Whitefeather, her kits, and himself. Sandstripe, who had moved to the nursery much later than queens usually did, was basking in the sun with Ferntail. The silver-furred kit watched the white she-cat's kits wrestle on the nursery floor. Frostkit, the only male, was white-pelted like his mother, with long fur and bright brown eyes. Skykit was white with patches of dark blueish-gray fur on her back and amber eyes. The eldest, Heatherkit, had stunning blue eyes, and her fur was mottled, with splashes of white, brown, and dark brown.

"Slashkit!" At the new voice, Slashkit looked up from the small kittens. Briarkit was standing in the entrance of the nursery, his tail waving in excitement. The two kits had become friends when Briarkit's playmate, Bluepaw, had been apprenticed. Slashkit was strong, and able to play with his new friend, even though they were about four moons apart in age.

"What's happening?" Slashkit asked when he had joined Briarkit at the entryway.

"A patrol's just got back," Briarkit explained. "You can hear them from here." Slashkit and Briarkit hovered near the nursery entrance, listening to Windystep and Graystar converse.

"...Graystar, you have to understand," the deputy was saying. "I had to let him come. I've lost my mate too, and if I weren't allowed to see my own son.... You're a father, Graystar. You understand, right?"

Graystar sighed heavily. "All right. Go ahead." Slashkit heard a set of pawsteps coming closer to the nursery. Briarkit squeaked in surprise and the two kits dashed farther into the nursery, unwilling to be caught eavesdropping.

A black-furred tom with a strange scent stepped through the small entryway. When Whitefeather caught his unfamiliar scent, she leaped to her paws. Slashkit was surprised at the change in the gentle queen. Her pelt was fluffed up so that she seemed much bigger, her claws were out, her teeth were bared, and her tail lashed angrily through the air. She was ready to protect the kits from harm.

The tom ignored her. "Hello," he said to Slashkit.

"Hello," Slashkit replied. He wasn't afraid of this black stranger at all. "We have the same color eyes," he observed. The tom began to purr, but he stopped when Whitefeather hissed and advanced.

"Who are you?" she demanded. "What do you want with Slashkit?"

"Slashkit," echoed the tom. "I knew it. He has his mother's pelt, but my eyes... and seemingly my stature. Sorry." Slashkit only then realized that this cat was a little on the small side, yet the way he held himself and the fire in his eyes made him seem as big as the fiercest warrior.

"What are you talking about?" the queen demanded. "If you even touch him, I assure you that you will not see the next sunrise."

"Please calm yourself," said the tom smoothly. Whitefeather seemed to relax in spite of herself. "I am sorry, I have not properly introduced myself. I am called Doom by most. I have permission from your leader to visit my kit."

"Your kit?" asked Slashkit and Whitefeather in unison.

"You're my father? Silvertail never told me." Slashkit waved his tail in delight. So this was his father. He had always wondered. "Speaking of Silvertail, have you seen her? She's been gone for a while."

Doom's ruby eyes filled with an emotion that Slashkit could only identify as pain – or more like agony. "Slashkit," he said softly. "Silvertail is not going to come back."

"What do you mean?" asked the kit.

Doom sighed. "Your mother has gone to watch over you from DreamClan," Doom said gently. Whitefeather and Briarkit beside him froze. Slashkit did not understand.

"She went away? Why?" he asked, confused. "I want her to come back."

"She can't," Doom said, forcing the words out. "I know she hates to leave you here, but she knows that Whitefeather will take good care of you."

"But I need her!" Slashkit wailed. "I need her."

"I know," Doom said, his silky voice cracking.

"I have to go look for her," Slashkit said. "I'll make her come back." He dashed out of the nursery before any cat could stop him and stumbled into camp. He spotted a familiar silver pelt shining in the sunlight from the middle of the clearing. Cats were gathered around, grooming her fur tenderly.

"There she is!" Slashkit cried, his tail waving with happiness. "I knew she wouldn't really leave me." He trotted toward the form of his mother. She appeared to be sleeping. Slashkit wondered why her fur was wet, and why Blossomfur wasn't putting herbs onto the nasty-looking gash on her leg. "Mother!" he called out, running faster. Windystep tried to restrain him, but Slashkit slipped out and pressed his nose against his mother's pelt. "Silvertail! Wake up!"

She didn't stir.

"Silvertail! Silvertail!" He prodded her with a forepaw.

No response.

Slashkit looked up at Windystep and Crowflight, Silvertail's brother. "Why won't she wake up?" The toms exchanged glances, both of their eyes filled with pain.

"Slashkit…" Windystep began.

"Why's everyone so sad?" Slashkit asked. "And why won't Silvertail wake up?"

Crowflight sighed. "Slashkit, Silvertail is dead."

"Dead?" Slashkit turned back to his mother, eyes wide. "But she can't be. She can't die. She can't leave me here all alone." He pressed his nose into his mothers familiar pelt. "Silvertail!" he cried. "Silvertail, wake up!"

The queen didn't move. Slashkit realized that Silvertail, if she really was alive, wouldn't ignore him if he was calling. "Silvertail!" he screeched in desperation. "Silvertail! Wake up! Wake up, please. Silvertail! Silvertail! No! No!" Slashkit sank to the ground and curled up next to his mothers unmoving body. He stared into space, shaking, not seeing the other cats come to mourn for their lost Clanmate. He didn't hear Crowflight telling him to get up, to come back to the nursery. All he knew was that Silvertail was dead, and she was never coming back. She would never tenderly groom his fur when he woke up in the morning. He would never hear her wonderful purr again, or see the love shining in her eyes when she looked at him.

He was alone.