The Heart of a Lion
Chapter 4: Unexpected News
"That is quite some thorn you have there." Barkface was marveling at the large thorn he had just pulled out of my paw with wonder. "I have never seen one this big."
"Unfortunately it got stuck in my paw," I complained, and licked at it fiercely, trying to soothe the bolts of pain that came after Barkface took it out. "Can I leave now? I promised I would go hunting with Breezepaw."
"Yes, if you feel up to it. If you are limping too badly, Breezepaw will understand if you stay in camp," he advised. "I also noticed something else. Congratulations."
"Noticed what?"
"Like you don't already know," he purred. "So whose kits are they?"
It was like the whole world stopped turning, and I jolted to my senses. Did he just say kits? "What?"
Barkface's warmth and pleasure only made me feel worse. "It may not be too obvious yet, but medicine cats can tell these things. You are expecting kits," he meowed. "You didn't know?"
To be honest I had no idea. Kits? It still sounded like some foreign language that I couldn't comprehend. There was just no way. How was it possible? I wanted to say all these things and tell him how wrong he was, but I couldn't deny it. There was someone…
Lionpaw. They were Lionpaw's kits. Now I knew.
Realizing I was staring off into space, I constructed an answer fast. "Yes, of course I know. I would rather not say whose they are."
"I understand. This is terrific. WindClan needs more kits at the moment. Congratulations. This must be a happy day for you," he added.
It was happy until I heard the part about having kits.
"Yes, I need to go now. Thanks." I backed out as fast as I could while still being inconspicuous, and raced across the camp to the apprentice den to think, all the while my mind raw from thinking.
What was I supposed to do now? I never intended for this to happen, and soon my whole Clan would know! One night of pleasure was about to result to a lifetime of mistakes.
Hey readers. I know this chapter was really short, but I wanted to cram all the action in the next chapter instead. Oh geez, Heatherpaw. What are you going to do now? Only the next chapters reveal the answers to your questions! Also, tell me what you think through reviews if you haven't already!
-wandu-