Nightfang
"Papa watch this!" Wishkit said right before she fell into a sloppy hunting crouch and pounced on a ball of moss. "I got you bird" she growled playfully.
"Very good, but if that was a real bird you would had scared it off by now." I chuckled, she started to pout and I immediately felt bad, "Oh, I didn't mean that you were a poor hunter you just need a bit of practice, here watch me." I demonstrated the proper crouch, "See how my tail is low and straight, this will give your sharper turning power if it tries to flee, also look at how my shoulders and legs are hunched, this is for jumping power." She nodded and tried to replicate my position the best she could, she was still growing and her limbs were not used to this sort of movement.
"Hey I wanna try!"Silverkit said abandoning the thistles I brought for them to play with. "I can do a badger roll!" he boasted running and then tumbling like a strong wind had blown him over. Also a sloppy roll but I didn't want to hurt his feelings like I did Wishkit, "Great son, want to see me try?" Wishkit and Silverkit squealed in delight as I dashed and rolled about, landing a perfect dismount in front of them.
"Oh wow! You looked like you were flying papa!" they said begging me to do it again. "How about a different game kits, how about I tests those hunting skills? Want to play hide the feather?" I winked and picked up a nearby pigeon feather. "Here get a good smell, and I will hide it then you have to sniff it out ok?" and they nodded, I looked around for Ravenkit who was looking at the stars with Morningdew.
"Ravenkit, come play!" Silverkit mewed, "But mama is talking about Starclan." He answered but Morningdew nudged him forward. "Go play dear, I will tell more about them later." He smiled and bounced over to his siblings and took a deep whiff of the feather. "Ok, I want you to close your eyes and count to 10 and then you can look, no peeking! A warrior never peeks." I said and picked up the feather as they went into a chorus of counting. Stashing the feather under a bush I pranced back just in time for them reach 10, then they squealed and dashed of in an eager search.
"Your so good with them." Morningdew said coming up to rub her pelt with mine. Spring was in full swing and I was ecstatic when she finally arranged the rocks for a meeting. The kits had gotten so big! I could hardly believe they used to be so small, Silverkit was bigger than most Windclan apprentices, he was so confident and strong. I had no doubts he would be a great warrior. Ravenkit was quite but very observant, he reminded me of myself at his age, thin and lean but long legs and hunger for knowledge. Wishkit was so passionate, she loved everything even the dirt under her claws, her eyes sparkled like her mothers despite their orange contrast. She still looked like she was made of bright snow that was dipped in shadow but it only gave her more personality.
"I wish I could see their apprentice ceremony." I said sorrowfully, I hated that I had already missed so much of them growing up. Morningdew pressed herself tighter against me and I returned her embrace. "You are there in spirit. The kits ask about you all the time. I have almost run out of stories to tell them." she giggled.
"Really? I was worried they had forgotten me over the past winter."
She shivered next to me, "Ugh, what a horrible season. Thunderclan struggled this year with greencough but we made it through without loosing any cats besides elders." She did look thinner than I remembered, "Did you get enough to eat? Do you want me to hunt for you? Im sure I can-"
"Nightfang Im fine. The kits are too, food was scarce but we have been through worse." She laughed, her eyes glowed with love and happiness. I had her face burned into my dreams but they were nothing like the real Morningdew. I rubbed her chin with mine and groomed her ears, "Your so strong my love, I am truly blessed."
She purred against me, "So how is your apprentice doing? Whats her name Lemonpaw?" she asked, not breaking our embrace. "Lemonshade you mean, she was made a warrior a few nights ago." The pride evident in my voice, "I can finally get some peace." I added when she gave me a raised look. "Youll have to point her out to me at the next gathering, Bramblestar promised I could go now that the kits are about to be apprenticed."
"I think you two would get along, your both more stubborn than a badger." She swiped a paw at me, I ducked out of the way, "And more clever than a fox and, and more beautiful than a sunset rainbow!" I threw in. She laughed, "A sunset rainbow? You sound like one of our apprentices Sunpaw."
"I bet your excited to get back to your warrior duties after all this time." She nodded but her expression was sad, "I am but I will miss spending so much time with the kits. They wont need me to watch over them anymore and there are so many dangers in the forest."
"I am sure they will be fine. With your talent and skill in their genes I doubt they will have any trouble." I said licking her cheek. "With your speed and genius I bet they could outrun a thunderstorm." She added licking my cheek in return.
"Morningdew, there is a little problem."
"What?" she said her tone rising with concern. "Well, a tree fell near our cave over the winter and a few of our warriors found it. Our scent was faint but they could make out Thunder and Windclan." She tensed
"What did Onestar say?"
"Well I have been keeping him undecided right now. Nightcloud is demanding retaliation but not many in the clan support her, for now. She has done nothing but remind every cat of Thunderclans past deeds and I am worried Onestar will give in to at least an investigation."
"What are we going to do? If there is a fight then the kits may be involved, they could get hurt Nightfang!" she was getting frantic now, she began to pace and I could see the potential disasters running through her head, because I had thought of them to.
"Calm down love, it may not come to that. I have been combating her propaganda with some of my own, if anything the clan is divided and its up to Onestar and he is getting too old for battles." I tried to sound confident but to be honest I wasn't sure what was going to happen.
"But what if-"
She was cut of because just then Silverkit burst through the grass carrying the feather in his mouth, Ravenkit and Wishkit right behind him.
"Look I found it, I found it!" he jumped up and down,
"You didn't find it! I smelled it under the bush first." Ravenkit glared at his brother
"Well I was the one who guessed it was under the bush before you two where even there!" Wishkit said pushing in.
"Well I found it first which means I still win." Silverkit said pushing out his chest and looking to me and his mother for praise. "You all worked together and you all found the feather. That makes you all winners of the game." I said licking them all on the nose.
I looked at Morningdew who was smiling at the kits but I could tell she was very worried. I rubbed my head against hers in comfort and I felt her pelt relax a little, "We will figure this out, we always do." I breathed into her soft fur, wishing I could do more to reassure her.
I looked at the moon and saw that it was beginning to descend, the sun would be up soon. "Now kits I have to leave soon but I want to say something to you first." They stopped bickering and all looked at me their eyes serious.
"You aren't kits anymore, your going to be apprentices and then warriors, dedicated you your clan and to the warrior code. Even though I am in Windclan I want you to know I am and will always be proud of you." they smiled but I went on
"I want you to make me a promise, and trust me that I will know if you break it." I said sternly and they suddenly looked a little afraid.
"I want you to respect you mentor, listen and train hard. Respect your leader and most importantly respect and mind your mother, they will always be there to guide you when I cant. Understood?" I finished and they all nodded, all playfulness gone,
I then wrapped them up in my tail and pulled them close for a hug, "Ugh, papa I cant breath!" Wishkit laughed. I let them go only to have all of them jump on me, "Get the fox get the fox!" they cheered.
If only every night can be like this but now that Nightcloud was on a war path I knew anymore meetings would have to be carefully planned and further apart. I gave each kit a goodbye lick and my gaze lingered with Morningdews, the fear she held before was replaced with stern resolve. I knew now that I didn't have to deal with this alone, I could rely on her for anything and above all else we would keep our kits safe even if it meant our lives.
Starclan
"Did you see that? This is going to far! If we don't do something now our entire way of life will collapse!" Raggedstar snarled, gazing down at Nightfang and Morningdew in their embrace.
"Your over reacting, nothing has happened that would upset the balance we have created." Yellowfang's aged voice did little to calm the angry tom. More cats appeared, Firestar's burning pelt stood out even encased in starlight. "I agree with Yellowfang, many cats have been in this situation and it always leads to them breaking up. These two just haven't excepted that yet."
"Firestar, that horrible." Feathertail said, her gaze locked with the Thunderclan warrior. "He is right Featherail. There has never been a couple who has lasted much longer than this." Bluestar spoke letting her tail drape around the silver she cats shoulders.
"But the kits are fully aware of who their father is and they feel no shame, they are actually proud to be half clan! its absurd." Blackstar said, shaking his head in disgust, Raggedstar snorting in agreement.
"Need I remind you that you are half clan Raggedstar?" Bluestar pointed out harshly,
"Yes but I never kept ties with my father, I hated the fact that I was not a full blooded Shadowclan cat." He spite back.
"Blood has nothing to do with a warriors heart and spirit." Firestar said looking at the ragged tom boldly.
"It doesn't matter, you cant raise kits on different sides, and look the two even plan on interfering with the warrior code! They have been discovered and instead of begging for forgiveness from their clan and us they want to continue this blasphemy!" Tallstar said in a disbelieving tone, "my own kin, ruining the Windclan name."
"Nightfang and Morningdew are upstanding warriors, they have proven it time and time again. I think what their doing is progress not distructive." Feathertail countered, her blue eyes shone brightly.
"Progress? How can you say that? they are going against everything we believe in!" Blackstar hissed.
"Believe in what? Death, hatred and separation!? Our clans have spent years believing one clan is better than the other, thinking their blood makes them better than any other cat. Its ludicrous!" Hollyleaf said, speaking up for the first time.
"It's the way things are and have always been. A warrior fights for his clans honor and is to defend the warrior code to the death." Blackstar shrugged.
"It wasn't always supposed to be that way." A voice spoke from the darkness and a dark gray shadow appeared, "Graywing, what an honor." Bluestar said bowing to the senior spirit, one of the original cats who formed the clans.
"What do you mean?" Raggedstar said confused.
"When we originally settled in the forest we were supposed to live is one group, there was enough food and space to feed everyone. There was never any need for borders and fighting, just unity and peace."
"Always the peace seeker, you never change brother." Another voice broke the circle and a thing gray spirit appeared, his starlit fur shimmered.
"The separation meant survival and protection! Even you admitted that there should be warriors to protect every cat from predators." Clearsky scoffed.
"We still didn't need the borders and hostility you enacted Clearsky, you were fighting against your own kin and for what? Power and greed have taken your reason." Graywing said calmly despite his brothers icy glare.
"Oh really? And what about River and Thunder and Shadow? Do you consider them greedy too?" he hissed back.
"The borders and clans formed because of you! if we had all stayed together shared the forest then who cares if one cat prefers to live by the river while others like the trees? There is greater strength with grater numbers." Thunder said materializing next to Graywing, his eyes burned into his fathers.
"Spoken like a coward, not a leader." Clearsky said, turning his nose up at his son.
"What does any of this have to do with these two lovers?" River said appearing next to Bluestar, his voice smooth like water over stone.
"They appear to be attempting to live as if the borders weren't there. Clearsky has always been threatened by free thinkers." Shadow said with a snicker appearing next to Blackstar and Raggedstar. Clearsky puffed out his chest clearly insulted.
"So do you agree then, we should just let these two break the code we have all bleed and died for?" Yellowfang asked.
"If the borders weren't in place then there wouldn't be a problem would there." Feathertail stated.
"What are you saying?" Raggedstar asked.
"I think we should let them be, they are going to unite all the clans." Graywing answered and the whole circle fell silent.