Sorry for not updating! My only excuse is that I got busy, and didn't have the time. But the chapter's here, and I should be giving you another in a few days or so.

Review Answers:

Ambershine200: Thank you so much! Ivypool will get a happy ending... sort of... I'm still working out all the details. We'll just have to see. ;)

Erin Hunteress: Yeah, there's a reason to hate everybody. I luv Tigerheart, though! And Dovewing! And Ivypool! And EVERYBODY! Sorry. XD I would love to read your story! I'm so sorry it took so long to update.

Rosie: So sorry that I made you wait so long! (Not that my writing is that good.) Yes, I luv Dovewing too! And the kits are coming soon, I can't wait either! Do you have an account?

TEDDYBEAR: Whoa! I've never met anyone so anti-Dovewing before! I hope to use my crappy writing skills to kind of change her personality, and channel your hate elsewhere. But she had a lot of hardship coming to her. I mean, a lot. Your story sounds cool! What is your account called?

Dovewing POV

The silver she-cat trudged back to camp, paws dragging behind her. She had gone out too long, and her paws were aching after having to support her swelling belly-full of kits. She could feel them moving, exploring and growing, so tiny and naïve.

Tigerheart had betrayed her! Well, not really... We aren't together anymore, Dovewing reminded herself, letting out a deep sigh.

She looked at the ground, feeling Ivypool's jeers truly sinking in, sending her heart plummeting. But what had she been hoping for? That he would just wait until she admitted to herself that she still loved him?

It was stupid. This whole thing was mouse-brained! Cats from different clans couldn't be mates or have kits! That was against the warrior code! But where was she now? Huffing and puffing because she could barely carry the weight of a ShadowClan tom's kits.

I wish I'd never even met him! she growled to herself, though she knew it wasn't true. But what did it matter when no one could hear her thinking? She could think anything she wanted, and it wouldn't affect anything anywhere, except herself.

She didn't regret her romance with Tigerheart. She had fallen in love with him, and she loved the kits growing inside of her. They weren't Bumblestripe's, but they were hers, and they would be perfect.

Now her head hurt along with her paws. These thoughts racked around in her mind painfully and exhausted her brain. She just wanted to curl up right there and sleep off all the tiredness. But it had grown horribly cold, and the sky was darkening with clouds promising snow.

Leaf-bare's coming, she thought grimly as she lugged herself through the undergrowth, nearing camp. Now there'll be less prey and more sickness, on top of everything!

Finally, her legs gave way. They just collapsed beneath her, and she didn't try to get back up. How many kits was she going to have? Five?

Her pelt was rumpled and thorns and leaves were tangled into it. She rasped her tongue over her matted gray fur, yanking out brambles. She combed through the sleek strands gently on her stomach, where the fur was thinner. Mud was caked between her claws, and she had to use her teeth to scrape it out.

Bumblestripe's tabby form startled her as it swept through the ferns. "There you are!" he exclaimed, immediately at her side. "You're alright, aren't you? You're not feeling contractions?!"

The concern in his eyes made Dovewing smile. "No, I'm just fine. Just a bit tired, that's all," she assured him, and went back to grooming her pelt. Her belly was so enlarged that it was impossible to reach the fur near the base of her tail. She stretched her neck backwards with her tongue outstretched, and felt her ears burn with embarrassment as she struggled.

Bumblestripe let out a purr of amusement. "Here, let me help you," he offered, and bent over her, running her tongue along the stray parts of her pelt. Dovewing appreciated his aid, but she couldn't meet his eyes while he licked over flank.

"Are you sure you are okay?" Bumblestripe asked, brow creased with worry. Dovewing nodded. Bumblestripe gazed at her with warm yellow eyes. "Just be careful with those kits you're carrying!"

"Of course," Dovewing laughed, and gave her stomach a fond lick. She could hear Bumblestripe shifting on his paws, and looked up to see a very sad smile on his face.

"What is it?" she asked, tensing. Bumblestripe looked from her face, to her belly, to her face a again.

"They-they're not m-mine, are they?"

Dovewing opened her mouth, but she couldn't think of a cover-up. Her brain was as blank as the surface of a stone, lacking any idea or anything else. There was only one thing to do: tell him the truth. Dovewing's heart ached, and she could feel the grief stabbing into her soul.

Dovewing didn't know why she told the truth. It was such a mouse-brained thing to do. He might never forgive her, and he might tell everyone, and get her exiled. But looking into his eyes, his knowing but gloomy expression stopped her from lying.

"They're not yours."

Bumblestripe looked at the ground, letting out a sigh that snapped Dovewing's heart in two. "I thought so. It just couldn't be... It all just happened too fast..."

"Please don't be mad, Bumblestripe," Dovewing pleaded, though she knew she didn't deserve his mercy. "I'm so sorry! But I don't love Tigerheart anymore! I love you."

Bumblestripe's head snapped up. "Don't you dare tell me that! Don't make this any harder than this already is. I get it, okay? But I'm not about to ruin your life and tell everyone. I'm not a jerk, like some."

Dovewing looked away, stung terribly. The kits squirmed inside, as if they could sense the tension in the atmosphere. She heard Bumblestripe slinking away, his tail dragging.

How long did I think I could keep it a secret? But how did he know? she wondered, as she lay her head down on the forest floor miserably.

Then a horrifying thought crept into the back of her mind. She knew in her heart that Tigerheart would never tell in a million years, but... Ivypool!

How could her sister betray her? How could she be so heartless? First she stole Tigerheart, now this! Well, she didn't steal Tigerheart. Tigerheart wasn't hers. She had made that clear to him, and herself. But then why did she feel a pang of jealousy whenever she thought of her sister curling around her former love?

Because he's not your former love! her conscious screamed. Dovewing groaned. She had been through all of this before, arguing with herself into the very depths of the night, and still undecided in the morning. Would it ever end?

The ground was slowly turning her underbelly numb with cold. A silver flake danced down from the sky, followed by another, and another. The tiny white ice formations clung to her silver fur, giving it a shiny, lunar appearance.

The snow was beautiful but her body was aching with the cold. She felt exhausted and freezing, and hungry. Though she knew that food was scarce. Fear suddenly pricked her when she thought of her kits.

What if they die from the cold? Or what if they die before they're born? Why did her kits have to be born in leaf-bare, of all times. There was the cold, the sickness, the lack of prey, and everything else that could go wrong just because kits were so fragile.

I need to stay strong for my kits, no matter what! she vowed. Her muscles shrieked in protest as she rose from the cool earth. Her pads felt dry and chapped as they dragged through the quickly-growing blanket of snow. Her slender legs shook under the weight of the kits.

When Dovewing neared camp, Mousewhisker, who was on guard, let out a mew of surprise, and rushed over to her. "What in StarClan are you doing in this weather?! You'll freeze to death!" he exclaimed as he allowed Dovewing to lean on his shoulder for support.

When they entered the stone hollow, Dovewing spotted Bumblestripe crouched near the tiny fresh-kill pile, talking quietly with Blossomfall. When he saw Dovewing, he rapidly shifted positions so that his back faced her.

Dovewing swallowed, feeling more discouraged than at any time in her life. It was pure torture. Mousewhisker led her to the medicine den, where Jayfeather, Leafpool, and Briarlight were chatting grimly.

"Are you sure that's all the catmint that Cherrypaw and Seedpaw could-" Leafpool was saying, until she caught sight of Dovewing and Mousewhisker. Her amber eyes flickered with alarm. "Oh no! Are two coughing as well?"

Dovewing noticed Daisy, Purdy, Molepaw, and Brackenfur all nested in the back of the den. She heard dry coughs erupt from one of the three; she couldn't tell which.

"No," Mousewhisker told her. "Dovewing was outside of camp, and she seemed weak with cold, so I brought her here," he mewed, glancing anxiously at Dovewing.

Leafpool's fur lay flat, and she closed her eyes with a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness. I don't think we could manage another patient, let alone have room them in here. Jayfeather, could you grab the herbs for Dovewing?"

Jayfeather nodded, his blue eyes dancing from each figure in the room. Dovewing shivered as it reminded her of his new sense of sight. His eyes no longer looked onward in a ghastly way, but it seemed unnatural for the medicine cat to see in the wakeful world.

The tabby tom disappeared into the back of the den, and returned with a variety of herbs clamped in his jaws. "Here you are," he said as he passed them to Dovewing. She licked them up, shuddering at the unpleasant bitter flavor.

Mousewhisker exited after that, and Dovewing turned to follow him, only to be stopped by a quiet mew from Jayfeather. "Hold on a second, Dovewing. I want to examine the growth of your kits," he said. He ran a gray paw along her belly, and pressed his ear against her flank to hear the tiny heartbeats drumming faintly inside.

"They sound healthy. At least two, I should think. Probably three or four. They're due a bit earlier than I expected, though," he informed her. Dovewing bit her lip.

"How early?" she asked, a feeling of dread passing through her. Would everything go smoothly?

"A moon, at the most, actually. I'd say at the least a half of a moon. I don't predict any complications; everything seems fine," Jayfeather soothed. Leafpool put her tail around the young she-cat shoulders.

"And should there be any complications, Jayfeather and I are right here whenever you need us. My advice is to keep those outings less frequent. It's safer, and it'd ease poor Bumblestripe," she said with a purr. Dovewing's insides lurched at the sound of Bumblestripe's name, and she held in a wail of despair.

Briarlight merrily began discussing names once more, but her words jostled together as a long stream of conversation poured out of her mouth. Briarlight had always been so cheerful, even in times of great sadness. But at this point it was starting to get of Dovewing's nerves. She yawned, feeling her eyelids droop.

"Alright, I'm gonna get some shut-eye. I'm asleep on my paws already. Thank you for the herbs, Jayfeather, Leafpool," she announced her thanks, and then bounded away as quickly as she could with her load.

When she was half-way to the nursery, Lilypaw caught her. "Wait, Dovewing!" she mewed through a mouthful. Dovewing halted, and turned to her former apprentice. The tabby and white she-cat lay down a miniscule vole at her paws. "It was the only prey I found. I wanted to give it to you!"

Dovewing began her reply, but was interrupted by a sudden bout of coughing from Lilypaw. The little apprentice's chest shook, her lungs heaving and her legs trembling. Dovewing's eyes widened in horror as she fought to stay upright. The fit threatened to unbalanced her, and Lilypaw's pale ginger sister raced to her side.

"C'mon, Lilypaw! You have to go to Leafpool and Jayfeather!" she pleaded. Lilypaw began a protest, but couldn't speak through the violent sneezes as her lungs tried to expel their contents.

Sorreltail, the apprentices' mother darted into camp and grabbed Lilypaw by her scruff like she would a kit, and began dragging her to Leafpool's den.

Soon, everyone will be sick, and I'll have to try and eat enough for my kits, and keep them healthy. Why does it have to Lilypaw? she thought disparagingly. She began to make her way to the nursery again, but Squirrelflight stopped her.

Dovewing felt a prick of annoyance. Why couldn't she just get to the nursery already?

"Bramblestar would like you to come to the gathering tomorrow," Squirrelflight told her. "If you think you can make it. After all, it'll be your last for a while. You'll need to stay in camp for the six moons before your kits are apprenticed. Plus, its the first gathering since the battle, and you're one of the heroes," she said, approval clear in her voice.

Dovewing smiled at her. She would get to the gathering. It would be an interesting one, no doubt. She guessed that all the other warriors would be wanting to go as well, and she wondered who else would be chosen.

A commotion arose abruptly from the entrance to the stone hollow. Ivypool and Toadstep entered camp. The salty tang of blood hit the air, and panic rose in Dovewing's chest as she saw the scratches that crisscrossed her pale tabby sister's pelt.

"... fine. I really am! I took a tumble, that's all," Ivypool was saying. Toadstep tail was wrapped protectively around her, and Dovewing suddenly wondered if Ivypool had gotten over Tigerheart.

But that was crazy! She had just spoken with her, and she had said that she loved him and had just secretly met him. She wouldn't change her mind like that in the course of less that an hour. The tiny wisp of hope that had glittered in the back of her mind shattered into tiny particles, stinging.

But it shouldn't sting. Because she was over him. She didn't love him anymore. She loved Bumblestripe. But he didn't love her. Anger overwhelmed the sadness she was feeling. And she channeled the anger toward Ivypool.

This is her fault! she thought. If she didn't love him...

But it was all so mixed up and muffled so that she couldn't think clearly, tiredness made her feel dizzy, and she slipped into the nursery, and was asleep before she lay down.