(A little light on Cherry's past and all. Ya know, the little stuff)

Cherry sighed tiredly as she walked ahead of the group. She was dwelling again on her thoughts, past, mate. She almost whimpered like a kit. Oh how she missed him. She missed sharing prey with him and fighting with him. She missed hunting and training, missed the small harmless arguments they had over nothing. She missed patrolling with him and sneaking out at nights and she misses cuddling. She definitely missed cuddling. How he wrapped his tail around her comfortably and protectively, even when she was upset. How he shadowed her from the sun with his bulk and his fierce yellow gaze. And his voice was so smooth, like the soft web of the soft worms that spun their webby nests. Well, not all the time it was. Usually it was hard and grating and commanding. Like a deputy. Like a leader. Like a Rīdā.

She remembered when she was a kit and he was a apprentice, how he trained her after his training with his mentor. How he played with her and her only when no one else would. How he simply adored her mother, even though she was clan marked. How he stayed by her and mourned with her when she died, giving her life for the past Rīdā in a clan attack. Cherry smiled. One thing was for sure, if her mother knew she was going to die she took a cat or two with her.

Whitethunder had told her that. It made her fall all the more for him when he asked her to be his mate. She remembered it so clearly.

Cherryblossom was grooming her fur when Whitethunder walked over to her, nervous and fidgeting. It struck Cherryblossom as odd. Whitethunder was never nervous. Ever. She waits for him to speak, but all he did was stare at her. It was actually making her fur hot underneath. Why was he staring? Was something on her?

She slapped him with her tail and he looked startled. Oh that was cute. "Err, sorry. Daydreaming, the works." Oh, nice excuse.

She began to get annoyed when he started staring at her again, this time her face. It kinda worried her. Maybe he was losing his mind finally? PSH. Yea right. She growled at him. "What do you want Whitethunder?!" She didn't care about the look he gave her. She was just as deadly as he was. He could try and scar her. Yea, try. She was taken aback when he wanted to talk to her, in private even. What for? Was Bloodclaw messing with him again? Didn't the loony she cat get the message? Whitethunder didn't want her. End of story.

She followed the tom into the forest and sat in front of him. She looked him over admirably as he closed his eyes. He was tall and buff. He was strong, powerful and just down right intimidating. Not to her no, but to others. She liked that. It meant he could protect his mate and his future kits. He could protect her. Fight for her. And his fangs, how they hung over his mouth like they did, how they caught the sunlight. They were beautiful. And his black stockings showed off his white claws. His white long claws. Deadly claws. She shivered. Oh the image of cats falling under those claws. Powerful. Deadly. Death. And for the fact that he was so nice and sweet, well to her really. For being a big scary cat, he had a big heart. There were times when he wasn't a total menace to the others, and that attracted Cherryblossom even more.

Cherryblossom took a deep breath. She admitted that she had a small, teensy weensy crush on Whitethunder. No big deal. It wasn't that she watched his muscles as he walked or latched onto his voice as he talked, or got into fights with Bloodclaw over him.

No.

Nothing like that.

Impossible.

But their kits would be so adorable...

Cherryblossom looked around quickly, trying to distract herself from her thoughts. And it worked. This lush part of the forest was all too familiar. And the flower patch beside them... Cherryblossom looked up at Whitethunder, curious, confused.

"Why did you bring me here Whitethunder, to my mother. Why?"

Whitethunder looked into her eyes and she was instantly captivated. Those yellow pools, as fierce as the sun was now as soft as honey. They were filled with nervousness and determination and, was that love? Oh no. Won't believe it. Just imagining things. She watched him swipe his tongue over his fangs, his oh so beautiful but deadly fangs.

"I told your mother before that I would ask for you in front of her didn't I?"

Cherryblossom rolled her eyes. "Yes, but that's when we were kits, joking." Cherryblossom gave him a stare, a 'are you kidding me' stare. He came all the way out here to quote about something when he always said when they were kits. Seriously? She blinked, then her eyes widened. He was serious.

"Are you serious?!"

Her heart leaped when he started reciting the mating vow while looking so strongly in her eyes. He was asking her to be his mate! Her! Cherryblossom, a half Sunclan half Moonclan cat! The kit of a marked mother! Her! Her body was humming with excitement, happiness, love. Her brother Brightfur always told her she would find a mate before him and Leaffall, but she never knew it was true. She never believed it. Aside from the fact that everyone knew Starcloud was going to choose Whitethunder to be her deputy when Flowerrīdā died, and the fact that Whitethunder was the strongest cat in the clan and that there were plenty of better, Moonclan only she cats around, he had only chosen her. She pounced on him, more like tackled really, and covered him in licks and nuzzles. She was so happy!

"Yes great Skyclan yes Whitethunder! I would be honored!"

She purred as he returned her love, looking up as she felt the wind tug at her fur. Flowers floated in the air around them before drifting away and Cherryblossom smiled. Her mother approved. She closed her eyes happily. Now if only at least one of their kits had Whitethunder's fangs, she would be content.

~end~

Cherryblossom sighed sadly. Such a good memory. A beautiful day. She relished in the shock of other cats that she was mated to Whitethunder, especially Bloodclaw's. The grey she cat's envy was like the juiciest prey in the pile. Too bad it had to end like it did. If he had kept to his vow, they would be doing this together, with all three of their kits.

Cherry bumped into something fluffy but stern. She fell back on her tail and shook her head. She ran into someone while daydreaming. Great. She looked up to see four cats in front of her, all giving her weird looks with their blues, green and mismatch eyes. "What is wrong mother? Why do you keep sighing like that?"

Ravenpaw tilted his head. "Is something the matter Cherryrīdā?"

Cherry stared at him with wide eyes. "Where did you learn that?" Ravenpaw shrugged. "Ocean was teaching me about the ways of your clan. He said the Rīdā are the leaders. So I have to call you Cherryrīdā," he flicked an ear "right?" Cherry chuckled. The tom didn't know how cute he looked with his head tilted like that.

"No, Rīdā are leaders of the clans. I don't have a clan with me at the moment." Luna flicked her tail.

"Then tell us why are you sighing like that. Are you finally hitting your depression stages?"

Cherry sighed. They weren't going to leave her alone until she told, and she knew it. She walked past them. "Walk with me kits. This will take a while to explain." They did, two on each side of her, girls to the right, boys to the left.

Sakura tilted her head. "Why will it take a while?"

Cherry batted her tail with Sakura's sadly. "Because Sakura dear, I'm going to tell you about you father, and about why we are in this predicament."

Sakura's eyes lit up. "My father! Whitethunder is a strong cat right?" She jumped forward and slashed in the air with her claws. "You told me enough about him already mother. I don't need to know more about him. He is a deadly and fierce warrior. That's all I care about."

Cherry shook her head. "No Sakura. You need to know the truth now, about why we are here, about why you don't have your siblings with you."

Sakura stared. "I have siblings? Where? When?"

Ocean and Luna looked just as stunned and Ravenpaw looked completely confused. Cherry nodded. "Yes. Now keep walking." Sakura fell back in place beside her mother, all of them walking leisurely. Cherry looked forward. "When I was birthing you, you had two siblings before you, a red tom and a white she cat, or if you want to call them, your big brother and sister. I was so happy because you all came out so beautifully, but they weren't breathing. No matter how many times I licked them, pushed on their tiny stomachs with my nose, they didn't wake up. They didn't even squirm. They were just...still. I didn't have time to mourn them, because I was on the run from the clan, from your father. So I buried them and fed you, then I carried you to the place I felt was safest. After you was asleep did I cry. I knew it would happen anyway, but it still hurt me, my precious things, my kits."

Sakura was shocked. She had siblings that died before her, siblings she had never seen before. "They were red, and white?"

Cherry nodded."I had names for them when they came out. My tom would be Flamekit, because he was the spitting image of his father. He just didn't have the fangs. It didn't mater though. I knew he was going to be wild when he grew up, and flames are wild. It fitted him so perfectly. The other, my she cat, was Killerkit."

Raven frowned. "You name your kits so viciously?" Cherry smirked as she looked over at him.

"Our clan is a vicious clan. Why not intimidate the enemy with names too?"

Ravenpaw nodded. "That makes sense," he mutter.

Cherry continued. "Anyway, I names her Killerkit because of her fangs. She had her fathers fangs, just as you do Sakura. You father was deadly in battle, and he loved to rip apart his enemies with his claws and fangs. A killer she would be, definitely, though I had a strong feeling she was going to be a medicine cat. Its so bad that I had to lose them."

Sakura whimpered as she shook her head. So the cats that she dreamed of, those cats were, were her actual siblings? Not just made up dreams, her actual siblings? From Skyclan? Sakura hissed. "What does this have to do with my father?" Cherry's eyes darkened.

"Your father caused their deaths, that's what."

The cats around her yowled in surprise. Ravenpaw snarled. "He dare put his paws on a pregnant queen?!" Ocean was tearing the ground underneath angrily. Luna's tail lashed and Sakura was frozen.

Cherry smiled slightly and shook her head. "No he didn't hurt me physically." The cats calmed down some, though still glaring. They continued walking. Luna frowned.

"Then how did he cause their deaths?" Cherry looked up briefly to the sky. "In all of the clans, there is a ritual, a mating ritual. A tom is suppose to ask a she cat to be his mate, to say the mating vow. If she agrees then they are given the blessing of Skyclan under the full moon at the Skygaze, where the medicine cats have their meeting every half moon. They then make promises, more vows to each other for all of Skyclan to hear, for the Great Dapplefur to hear. Then she gives her blessing and warning. Should they break the laws, they would be punished. Me and your father made that trip to the Stargaze Sakura. We exchanged our vows, our promises. And, your father broke them, rather harshly."

Sakura narrowed her eyes. "How?" Cherry flicked an ear, but stayed silent. Sakura nudged her mother, voice soft. "How mother?" Cherry whimpered softly.

"There are rules to mating. You cannot hurt each other in anyway nor harm each other, especially the she cat. You are to be there for each other for whatever reason, for you are to be mated for moons to come. NEVER abuse or attempt to abuse a pregnant queen or their kits. Protect your family. Separation must be mutual and noticed by the Rīdā of the clan."

Ravenpaw snorted. "Those sound like orders. Can't you just say you are mates and be done with it?"

Cherryblossom shook her head. "Moons ago, two cats said they were mated. They also said it to three other toms and she cats. It didn't end well."

Ravenpaw shook his head. "You clan cats are messed up."

Cherry grinned. "That we are."

"So, which mating law did father break?"

Cherry growled. "All but the last one. We never really did separate. I just, well, ran away. While I was on the way kits. Yea."

Ocean growled. "So he did hurt you!"

Cherry looked at the ground. "He sentenced me to clan marking, for sneaking out to another clan, for being with my brother. I knew it was wrong to share secrets but, but I had to. Brightfur and Leaffall was there yes, but it didn't feel right telling them, one because Leaffall was so obsessed with the code of the clans, another because Brightfur wasn't the first born. I couldn't talk to Wheatripple because he was the medicine cat of his clan. There was no way to getting to him. Goldenfur was like Leaffall, obsessed with the clan codes. Autumnspot seemed the only one who would listen. I was right." Cherry didn't mention that it was also because Whitethunder had a strong hunger for power in her clan, the he chose the clan's approval over her cry for help.

Ravenpaw looked ahead, eyes hazed over in thought. Ocean frowned. "So you betrayed your clan? Cherry that's bad, wrong. You were asking for punishment."

"I know that, but like I said I had a good reason to. Skyclan said I could tell one cat, in case something happened. I just chose to tell Autumnspot. I didn't know it would lead to us swapping secrets about our clans. The idea to leave my clan for his was tempting on many occasions." Cherry winced. If she chose to leave her clan, the situation would be a lot worse.

Luna narrowed her eyes as she stopped and bristled. The others stopped too, looking around warily. Something smelled, off. And disgusting. Ravenpaw yowled as he heard a large bang. A door opened, a human coming from it. The human started screaming at them, waving its paws around.

"Human!" Luna screamed. Cherry took off running.

"Dog!"

A dog ran out from where the human came from, barking its head off. It was a tall grey dog, standing almost to the human's elbow. The dog chased them until the ran up a tree, snapping at Ocean's tail as he scrambled up the bark. They stayed in the tree, hissing and spitting at the dog until it went away, then jumped down and continued walking.

"Never again will we walk behind a human place." Ravenpaw grumbled. The others agreed and continued walking. Luna tilted her head at Cherry.

"So he told secrets too? Did your father know about this?"

Chery shook her head. "Autumnspot didn't tell father. He would be clan marked and labeled as a traitor if he did." Ocean snapped at a dragonfly that chose to fly in front of him.

"So you said you had a reason for all of this. Out with it."

Cherry gave Ocean a look. When did he turn into a judge? "A prophecy. I was a big part of a prophecy to stop a clan war."

Ravenpaw looked over at her. "A war you say?"

Cherry nodded. "When the clans move to their new place, they will start a war with these foreign clan cats, cats of a forest. That is why we are on the move. We are to get there before that happens. Good thing is we will arrive before they do, way before." She looked at Sakura."I'm sorry if this wasn't what you wanted to here dear. I felt it was time you knew." Sakura nodded curtly. Her mind was swimming. Cherry muttered to herself. "Maybe I told more than I should have..."

Sakura stayed quiet, her ears twitching. Luna shook her head. "Why can't everyone just get along? Not only are you clans killers, but they start wars and have difficult rules. Yikes."

Ravenpaw agreed. "And why are the mating laws like they are? It sounds like a human ritual, and I've seen plenty of those."

Cherry sighed. "Yes I know. Our founders, Sun, Dark, Moon and Sand were heavily influenced by human ways, since that's how they grew up, but that doesn't matter. What maters now is getting the forest clan cats. Plus I don't feel like explaining how we came to be. The sooner this is over the better." The dismissal in her voice left no room for more talking. Sakura whimpered. Her mother sounded sad, tired. They kept walking, only stopping to make camp. The next day they continued on as usual. Sakura was grouchy though, and upset. She didn't dream of her siblings that night.