Chapter Sixteen:

She felt the sound exploding from her lungs, filling the air with a terrified wail, but she did not hear it.

She smelt nothing, but the heavy reek of blood.

She saw nothing but him.

Acornpaw, with death berry juice running down his cheek and into the moss nest under him; looking helpless, looking deranged... Looking relieved.

His mother and father, Littlesplash and Gorsebelly, sat close to one another grieving. Littlesplash had her face buried in Gorsebelly's shoulder, while the white tom licked her ears, as if the action would comfort his mate the slightest bit. But even Whitepaw -who wasn't even over by either of the cats- knew that the action wouldn't help her; only time would do that.

And now wasn't a good time.

"Whitepaw! You're awake!"

The excited mew of a familiar voice rang in her ears, though she barely heard it. She was focused on Acornpaw... the cat she'd refused when he confessed his feelings for her. It was as if her mind was backtracking, causing her to rethink her decision even though she knew it wouldn't bring him back.

Littlesplash's eyes darted to her, the dark blue orbs blazing with a intense fire. "You." she snarled, unsheathing her claws. "You made my son die!"

Whitepaw cowered against the ground, having no idea what was going on. She couldn't even see the light brown tabby on her right side, so she didn't know if she would attack there or not.

Wait a minute... She couldn't see out of her right side!

She felt the bristling pelt of Shadowpaw against her own, the black tom shielding her from whatever was in front of her. "She was unconscious when it happened," he meowed calmly, as if the argument wasn't any value to the situation. "So there couldn't be any possible way that she killed Acornpaw."

"She didn't have to be awake," Littlesplash snarled. "I know she killed my son!"

"How could I have possibly killed him?" Whitepaw retorted, rising shakily to her nimble paws and leaning against Shadowpaw for support. Her chest was tight, burning with a fire she had never felt before... What was happening to her? "I wasn't even near him!"

The entrance to the medicine den swayed for a moment before Cliffstar, Skystorm, and Rushstar entered the den. Rushstar was glaring at Shadowpaw, Skystorm was hanging her head in shame and Cliffstar... well, Cliffstar did nothing but stare at the walls of the den.

"Gorsebelly." Cliffstar meowed, sounding distraught and hurt. "Take Littlesplash outside, please..."

"No!" Littlesplash yowled, her ears flat to her head as she twisted her head around to glare at her leader instead of Whitepaw. "I deserve to stay in here with my son!"

"Your son is dead!" Cliffstar growled, lashing his tail. "There isn't anything to stay for!"

Littlesplash gasped, her eyes flashing with sorrow yet anger. Before the she-cat could reply to her leader, Gorsebelly hushed her and ushered the light brown tabby out of the den hurriedly, wanting to get away from the tension that was clear in the air.

"Now," Cliffstar meowed, as if the prior matter hadn't even happened. "back to business."

"Father..." Shadowpaw mewed, shaking slightly beneath his pelt. "What are you doing here?"

"Silence," Rushstar ordered, flicking his tail-tip. "we will discuss this in private." He sent a glance Cliffstar and Skystorm's way, then returned his gaze to his son.

"Where?" Shadowpaw asked, sitting down beside Whitepaw and wrapping his tail over his paws.

"Back home," Rushstar replied with a blink of his green eyes, now slightly narrowed. "in SunClan, where no cat can hear."

"I don't want to go back home!" Shadowpaw growled. "I want to stay with Whitepaw!"

"And cause trouble for our Clans?" Rushstar retorted, glaring at the white she-cat who lay beside his son.

Shadowpaw opened his jaws to reply, but Cliffstar cut the black tom off. "He has a point," he meowed calmly, flicking an ear. "you two both staying in HailClan will only cause trouble."

"And Whitepaw joining SunClan would cause havoc, so there isn't any possible conclusion for the matter." Skystorm added.

At this, Whitepaw let out a small and pitiful mew, and all the cats' attention were on her for a moment. She suddenly hissed, pawing the air for some cat to help her. She rolled around in her nest, writhing and mewling in pain as if she were a small kit in need of assistance.

"Whitepaw?" Shadowpaw mewed, ignoring the hiss that came from Rushstar and focusing on the cat he loved. He watched, helpless and worried, as Whitepaw continued to writhe and mewl and hiss in pain, pawing at her stomach and at the air. "Some cat help her!" he yowled, not wanting to see Whitepaw suffer any longer than he needed too.

Skystorm -being the medicine cat in the situation- briskly shoved Shadowpaw away from the white she-cat. SHe bolted from the white she-cat's side and immediately went to get herbs; poppy seeds were soon being forced down Whitepaw's throat, Shadowpaw wincing at the painful wails that escaped her as the seeds were passing down and into her stomach. Finally, Whitepaw's eyes drooped closed and Skystorm padded over to Cliffstar, murmured some things into his ear, and then padded out of the den, her head and tail down.

"You both must leave," Cliffstar meowed, his eyes wide and his tail bristling.

"Why?" Shadowpaw demanded. "What's wrong with her?"

"Shadowpaw." Rushstar growled and swept his tail around the black tom's neck to silence him. He turned to Cliffstar and dipped his head. "Thank you for allowing me into your camp to fetch my son and for that HailClan cat bringing him to your camp."

Cliffstar said nothing and only nodded, his amber eyes narrowed in a silent challenge.

"Come, Shadowpaw." Rushstar ordered, his green eyes flashing.

Shadowpaw stole one last, longing look at Whitepaw before following his father out of HailClan's camp, away from the cat he loved so much.

* ( ) *

When the white she-cat awoke, she was in the calm recesses of quiet.

The calming quiet was shattered as a voice crept into Whitepaw's ears. "So I see you're awake."

She turned her head to find Skystorm sitting before her, the silver tabby's tail laid soothingly across Whitepaw's belly. Her eyes were a sad, dull chestnut; no longer the bright and happy color they used to be.

"Skystorm," a pain crept into her belly and she hissed, unable to finish her question. After a few heartbeats, the pain subsided, and Whitepaw could finally talk. "Skystorm... What's wrong with me?"

"Whitepaw..." the medicine cat's voice was sad as well. "I'm sorry, but you're expecting kits..."

Whitepaw beamed with excitement; she was having Shadowpaw's kits! "Oh, I've got to go tell Shadowpaw! Where is he?" she asked, rising to her paws, ready to bolt out of the den.

Skystorm held her tail out to stop Whitepaw and made the white she-cat sit back in her nest. "They're... They're not Shadowpaw's, Whitepaw... They're Acornpaw's."