P.O.V. Of Moonshadow
Moonshadow padded back in from a dawn patrol with Cloversong, Owleyes, Tawnymoon, and Pebblestep. He gave a yawn as he looked around the still mostly empty camp clearing. There luckily were no more bodies to be tended to, for Longfoot, Mouseleap, and Rowanflame were the final cats to have passed from the sickness. Dustcloud, Doestep, Sparrowtalon, Thornfang, and Acornkit were all back to normal and the whole clan seemed to be healthy again. All the elders had moved back to their den when it was clean again, of course except for his mother who was staying in the nursery.
Fawnheart and Mud were asleep in the clearing and Sootpaw was dragging some prey with Fuzzytail across the camp and over to the nursery. Moonshadow looked up at the remaining faint outline of the moon in the now bright sky. Tonight would be the Gathering.
"Moonshadow!" He looked back at Sootpaw and Fuzzytail when he heard the younger tom call his name. The gray tom waved his tail. "Want to come help us bring prey to the queens before you head to bed?"
"Sure, why not?" He'd love to see his mother. Moonshadow walked over and picked up a few of the somewhat scrawny scraps of prey Sootpaw had been dragging. With leafbare having hit completely, prey was getting weaker and less abundant. He was reminded of this as a buffet of cold air blew through his fur as he followed the two into the warm, welcoming nursery.
"Good morning everyone..." Fuzzytail mewed quietly, as it became obvious that not all of them were awake. Cream and Dark, now known by their new names Creamberry and Darkflame, laid snuggling close together, her bulging belly showing that she would kit any day now. Moonshadow could say the same for Strikefang, who was also still asleep in her nest. As he watched the calico she-cat's chest rise and fall with her breath, all he could wonder was how Fawnheart and Silverberry would assist the she-cat in birthing kits that had been conceived before her spine breaking accident. But that was a question for the medicine cats and not himself.
"Hello." Leafpool greeted with a purr. Moonshadow was a little surprised to see that Acornkit and Briarkit were at the curve of her growing belly and Robinheart was nowhere to be seen.
"Where is Robinheart?" Moonshadow asked, making Leafpool look down at her sleeping grandkits.
"Oh, she needed to stretch her legs. I believe she and Dustcloud went for a walk. I told her I'd keep an eye on the girls for her." Leafpool smiled, then stifled a yawn. It was then Moonshadow noticed Softpaw's small form back in the corner of the nursery, his heart shattering all over again. Sootpaw padded over to his sister as she stirred and murmured something so low that only she could hear it. Fuzzytail and Moonshadow exchanged glances before placing down their prey.
"Thank you Moonshadow." Leafpool mewed after also tossing a glance in Sootpaw and Softpaw's direction. A pregnant apprentice was shock to the entire clan. No one but Softpaw and perhaps the medicine cats seemed to know the father and Moonshadow assumed she would keep it a secret. He blamed himself for her attack and her pregnancy. Maybe if he hadn't run away and if he'd argued her mentor change with his father, she wouldn't have felt the need to rebel as she did, having those kind of relations with whatever tom she had...
"How are you feeling Leafpool?" Fuzzytail's question towards Moonshadow's mother broke him out of his thoughts.
"I'm doing alright, just preparing for the explosion of kits that will join us soon. I have never once in all my moons seen a nursery this full in leafbare. I may speak with Spiderstar about going to the Gathering since I'm still decently mobile." She purred with laughter and took a bite of the tough sparrow Moonshadow had placed in front of her. Fuzzytail dipped his head to her and Moonshadow looked back out of the small opening of the nursery to see his father emerging from his den.
"I can go talk to him for you if you'd like." Moonshadow told Leafpool and squeezed his way out of the nursery. When Spiderstar saw him, the leader leapt down from his perch.
"Moonshadow, just the cat I wanted to see." Spiderstar began and Moonshadow was a bit taken aback. Why would his father want to see him?
"Yes?"
"Moonshadow, Fawnheart and Silverberry have told me something very important about a prophecy they received a few moons ago... And we believe you will want to hear it. Come." Spiderstar turned and led him back into his den where he was greeted by a now awake Fawnheart and Silverberry.
"Hello Moonshadow." Fawnheart greeted.
"Hello Fawnheart, Silverberry. What is going on?"
"The medicine cats had received a prophecy together a while back, all of us together at our visit to the Moonpool." Silverberry began. Moonshadow knew a little about the Moonpool, of course that it was the place where medicine cats went on the half moon to share tongues with their StarClan ancestors. But also he knew from stories in the nursery with his mother when he and Otterstrike were kits that the clans had moved to the lake from an old forest because Twolegs were tearing apart the territory and that Leafpool had found the Moonpool as a medicine cat apprentice and been the one to have named it. Her mentor Cinderpelt had given her the name Leafpool in honor of finding the Moonpool. Moonshadow remembered asking as a kit if the Moonpool was the reason he was named Moonkit. Leafpool had given him a vague response that she hadn't named him, StarClan had.
"Moonshadow, we were told that the Moon will block out the Sun. But StarClan has been giving us more details slowly." Fawnheart mewed. Moonshadow tilted his head to one side.
"What does this have to do with me?" He asked.
"Spiderstar and Leafpool have never told you the full story of your birth, have they?" Fawnheart questioned, glancing at Spiderstar.
"No, we wanted him to grow up as normal as possible, considering..." Spiderstar meowed.
"What are you talking about?" Moonshadow stepped forward slightly. Spiderstar sighed.
"I guess now is as good a time as any... Moonshadow, when you and your brother were born you were very weak. Fawnheart told us you weren't going to make it and to prepare for you to die. And you did die... I remember Leafpool and I sitting in vigil for you in the night, Otterstrike was being cared for by Stormheart and of course was too young to know that this was going on... But Glimmering Light, or Light for short... the founder of LightClan came to us along with some other StarClan cats. Moonshadow, did you know when you were born, you were only dark gray? Light padded over to us and pressed her nose into your belly, turning it darker. Then you opened your mouth and yowled, the first noise you'd ever made. Light looked at us and told you the darker part of your fur now symbolized your victory over the shadows that tried to pull you down. She also told us that one day you would be part of a journey that would save the clans. Leafpool and I were forever reminded every time we looked at you and Otterstrike's bellies... how you two would be like complete opposites..." Spiderstar explained. Moonshadow's head was spinning.
"S-so is this why you always favored me? Otterstrike has always been jealous ever since we were apprentices, telling me that you and mother loved me more. He was right! You have given me more than you ever gave him because you knew I was different!" Moonshadow spat, turning and racing out of his father's den.
"Moonshadow, no. WAIT!" But he didn't turn back.
P.O.V. Of Otterstrike
"Otterstrike..." The tom looked up to see Softpaw standing over him where he laid on the Twolegs' halfbridge, staring out at the now frozen over lake.
"What are you doing out here? You know you shouldn't be leaving camp in your condition. Especially since you're still an apprentice and technically aren't allowed to leave camp by yourself." Otterstrike sighed, ready to heave himself to his paws. But the small gray and white she-cat lowered herself down next to him.
"I just needed to go for a walk and I knew you'd be here... Have you thought about what I asked?" She asked. Otterstrike sighed. It had been exactly a moon since her attack and a few sunrises since she'd asked him to claim he was the father of her kits. He didn't have long to make up his mind. And yet he know that Russetshade was over in ShadowClan, confined to the nursery and about to pop with his kits. What was he to do?
"Listen Softpaw... I can't do that. It's wrong enough that an apprentice is pregnant and the most of the clan thinks that you did it on your own accord... But for them to believe that a warrior like me was one to impregnate you? They will shun us... Can't you ask Branchpaw or Flypaw?"
Softpaw bristled beside him.
"How do you think it feels, huh? Everyone thinks differently of me now. The stares I get... the feeling! No one but you, Silverberry and Fawnheart, and my mother know that it's that disgusting rogue that attacked me... whose kits I'm carrying. No one knows that these kits weren't planned! I wanted to be a mother, but not now! Not like this! The clan will suspect you anyways because you saved me and seemed so concerned about me. I'll act all lovey and flirty with you to further their thoughts, so why can't you go along with it. You make the most sense... My life has been ruined because of your brother, the least you could do is give me this!" She spat. Otterstrike bristled as well at the mention of his brother.
"I should not continuously be given trouble and treated like crowfood because of my brother! You think this is fair to me? Softpaw, I know it's not fair to you and I'm sorry... but I can't do this for you."
"WHY?!" The apprentice queen hissed, teeth bared.
"Because I'm going to be leaving LightClan to join ShadowClan!" Otterstrike growled, then realized his mistake. Softpaw's fur laid flat as her anger turned to confusion.
"Wh-what? Why? Why would you want to do that? Leave your family? For ShadowClan?" She asked. Otterstrike sighed and lowered his head so he didn't have to look her in the eyes. But still, her warm fur pressed up against him and it made him feel like crying. The familiar scent of LightClan wafting off her pelt and the thoughts of leaving his family... he shook his head. No. He had to. For the kits.
"Because I will soon have family in ShadowClan..." He whispered. Softpaw was quiet for a few moments.
"It's that ginger she-cat I've seen you with here, isn't it?" She murmured, making Otterstrike look up in shock. Softpaw continued. "Yeah, I know about her... I followed you out here one night to see where it was you'd been sneaking off to so much... The kits are yours aren't they? I was here when she told you she was expecting. I remember the pain in your eyes when she told you they weren't yours... She lied, didn't she?"
Otterstrike and Softpaw laid together, staring at one another for what felt like moons.
"Yes..." Otterstrike finally told her. The gray and white she-cat bowed her head.
"I see..."
"You have feelings for me, don't you?" Otterstrike asked, placing a tail on Softpaw's growing flank. "That's why you snuck out to follow me. That's why you want me of all cats to claim those kits are mine..."
Softpaw didn't respond at first, just frowned at her paws.
"Yes..." She murmured. Otterstrike wreathed himself around the much smaller she-cat and attempted to comfort her.
"Oh Softpaw... I'm so sorry. I wish I could have come to your rescue sooner and you didn't have to be going through this right now... Really you have no idea..."
"But you won't help me... will you?" Softpaw's mew was barely audible. Otterstrike frowned, starting to groom her. The mixture of the sunhigh Sun and her pelt pressed against his warmed his fur even through the leafbare chill and made him wonder what could have been had he not met Russetshade.
"Please stay in LightClan... if not for your family, for me. A-and the kits. Please. They need a proper father figure and I remember the way you played with me and Sootpaw when we were kits. Whitehawk and Jaysong loved having you around and... s-so did I. Please Otterstrike... forget the ShadowClan she-cat and come back to being the loyal LightClan warrior that I know you are." Softpaw begged, nuzzling him. Otterstrike felt as if his heart was being torn from his chest as he found himself nuzzling back.
"Softpaw I-" But before Otterstrike could finish what he was going to say, the sound of rushing pawsteps through snow raced their way. Otterstrike turned to see Snowbird, barely visible against the snowy terrain, skidding to a stop by the ShadowClan/LightClan border.
"Ott-Otterstrike... good, I knew you'd... be here." She gasped between breathes. "We need your help. Puddleshine needs Fawnheart. Russetshade has begun kitting and something is wrong. Puddleshine is too inexperienced still, we need Fawnheart."
Otterstrike flew to his paws, making Softpaw squeak in alarm.
"Oh StarClan, alright, Softpaw, go get Fawnheart and tell her to meet us back in ShadowClan. Snowbird, let's go." Otterstrike ordered the apprentice. The picture of Softpaw's heartbroken eyes staring at him as he turned and raced after Snowbird back to ShadowClan's camp was burned into his mind. He couldn't seem to shake it, even at the thought of possibly losing Russetshade...
A.N.: Thanks for reading guys! The LightClan short's story will be published soon, so keep giving me ideas for who you'd like to see, feel free to put the ideas in the actual story's reviews when I post it. Also, Queeny, Strikefang will have her kits very soon. If not in the next chapter, in chapter 20. Thank you so much for reading guys, I hope you liked it! ~12HockeyChick21
