"Why are you so big Softpaw?" Cloudkit asked curiously.
"I'm going to give you some brothers or sisters." Softpaw replied. Birdkit sniffed her mother's belly. "I don't smell anybody in there!" She mewled disagreeably. Softpaw licked her daughter gently on the head. "You'll be able to see them in a few sunrises. Then you can meet them."
Birdkit shrugged and jumped on her brother's back. "Stinking Windclan cat! I'll teach you to stay off of our territory!" She pretended to claw him and bite his ear. Softpaw knew she had some prejudice towards cats in other clans, but she didn't think they should be playing like that. "Kits, if you're going to play like that, then you can't play as Thunderclan warriors."
"Okay." Birdkit sighed. "I'm Lilystream of Riverclan and I'm going to defeat you easily, you puny Windclan cat!" She yowled.
"I'm Snowfall of Windclan!" Cloudkit cried. "I'm going to defeat you, fishface!"
Softpaw hadn't realized that Snowpaw had become Snowfall. She licked her round belly and felt the kits kicking, it was time to eat. She squeezed out of the nursery entrance and started to pad over to the fresh-kill pile.
"Stop." A deep voice meowed. "Do not take another step."
Softpaw froze and turned around slowly. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw who it was. Tigerpaw purred and licked her on the top of the head. "Sorry I scared you, but you don't need to be getting your own food right now. You already have two kits and you're going to have more, so stop moving!" He commanded jokingly. Softpaw chuckled and sat down. "Well go get me some fresh-kill then!"
Tigerpaw purred again and padded over to the fresh-kill pile. He picked out a juicy looking vole and carried it over to his friend.
"Thanks." Softpaw mewed happily. Tigerpaw was so nice to her, even though she made so many mistakes. She knew that Tigerpaw was in love with her, but he knew she wouldn't return it, and her friendship seemed to be enough for him. Softpaw touched noses with him gently and carried the vole back into the nursery.
"Kits, stop fighting. I have a nice juicy vole for us to share." She meowed. Birdkit and Cloudkit stopped play-fighting and bounded over to their mother. "We don't want to share." Birdkit whined.
"Yeah. We want to share with each other, not you." Cloudkit agreed. Softpaw sighed in exasperation. "Fine, go get something off of the fresh-kill pile, but don't bother anybody. Get it and come straight back here."
The two kits cheered excitedly and raced each other to the fresh-kill pile. Softpaw ate the vole hungrily and lay down. She was drifting off into sleep when a cat prodded her in the stomach.
"Don't do that." She growled and opened her eyes a little bit. "Ugh, Silvertail. Go away."
Silvertail hissed quietly. "I just want some quality time with my kits."
"No." Softpaw replied firmly. "They are Whitefoot's kits, not yours. Please stay away from them."
Silvertail nodded understandingly. "I'm sorry. I made a stupid mistake not wanting to stay with you and now I have to live with it. I won't bother them anymore."
"Thank you." Softpaw meowed in surprise. He had really matured, but she had Whitefoot now and she didn't need him.