Frostmask was convinced that the only thing stopping her from imminent implosion was the thin, but immensely strong thread of unabating anxiety that spanned across her entire body. It held her together— tethering paws to legs, pelt to skin, ears to head— without it, she'd just collapse into nothingness as the pressure finally broke her.
As it was though, she was still standing despite her recent string of sleeplessness and the newly ever-present tension in her head. Ever since her meeting with Paledusk, she couldn't dislodge fears about the other clans, and ThunderClan especially, from her mind.
Needing an outlet for the anxious energy, Frostmask's tail began to fidget.
It was just so unfair— as if her normal life of being deputy wasn't hard enough, now she had to worry about ShadowClan's very existence as well? And, there was her anxiety about who had been following her that night when she had left Paledusk to contend with too. Frostmask knew something was there. But, who? A clan-mate who'd finally questioned her occasional solo 'night-hunts?' But, no one had said anything to her so far. If she'd been caught, then why wait to confront her? Then had it been a ThunderClan cat? The next gathering was only a night away, would they demand what ShadowClan's deputy had been doing on their territory then?
Although, if there was one good thing that'd come out out these past few days, it was the fact that somehow Dampfang hadn't undermined her at all during them. Not once had he sent out a conflicting patrol or given out contrary orders. Frostmask wasn't so naive to think that it was because he'd given up— rather she figured that it was because she just hadn't given him the chance. Her anxiety fueled her, and she found herself sending out patrols on a strict schedule, and demanding an equally stringent regular report for every patrol down the border.
Frostmask's whiskers twitched in a flash of bitter humor.
At least I've finally found the key to becoming a good deputy: Existential fear for ShadowClan.
Frostmask huffed miserably and lifted a paw to her face to begin grooming it. The activity would at least offer some distraction from her unhappy thoughts.
It was nearing moonhigh, and most of ShadowClan were starting to turn in for the night. Patrols were returning, and cats lounged around camp with their loved ones, sharing meals or talking before they went to their nests.
But, as her clan-mates relaxed, Frostmask waited impatiently by the thorn barrier for the border patrols to return. She needed to know their reports before she could even consider sleeping. The borders had all been quiet so far, but Frostmask couldn't help but feeling like a storm was brewing.
Frostmask's ears pricked as the thorn bushes rustled. Weaseltail entered camp first, and Frostmask caught his eye quickly as the rest of his patrol scattered.
"Everything fine on the WindClan border?" she asked.
Weaseltail's long tail swished through the air.
"Nothing out of the ordinary, although we did run into a WindClan patrol."
Frostmask tensed.
"Was there a confrontation?" she asked, nervousness swirling in her stomach.
"No fighting," Weaseltail said before he hesitated for a moment, his eyes softening slightly as he stared at her. "…There was a bit of the usual jeering, but nothing we couldn't handle."
Frostmask's pelt itched like there were ants crawling all over her. She knew from Weaseltail's hesitation before answering that WindClan's insults must have been about her— ShadowClan's rogue-born, StarClan-forsaken deputy. Paledusk must be right then, at least about WindClan— they still had it out for ShadowClan.
"Thank you for the report," Frostmask murmured.
Weaseltail hesitated a moment longer before gently touching his tail-tip to her shoulder in a brief, comforting gesture. Then he padded off, joining Redclaw for a meal, while Frostmask resumed her sentry position, waiting for the ThunderClan border patrol to return.
Thankfully, it wasn't long until that patrol also arrived with Thornheart at its head. Frostmask gestured him over, but even as he padded towards her, Frostmask's eyes drifted towards one of the cats who entered camp behind him.
Lizardstrike hadn't seemed to have noticed her. His attention was fixated entirely on Cedarfur, who entered camp next to him. As Lizardstrike purred in response to something Cedarfur signed, Frostmask's eyes skimmed over Lizardstrike's ears, lingering on the one he torn while helping Cedarfur in his frog-brained scheme. Cedarfur's dark tabby tail flicked mischievously, and his fur there was still patchy too—not yet completely grown back after the foxes ripped it up.
I suppose I should just try to be happy none of them were badly hurt. Frostmask reminded herself for what felt like the hundredth time.
But, that thought didn't stop her from still feeling a sting of betrayal as Lizardstrike padded away with Cedarfur at his side.
Frostmask refocused her attention on Thornheart as he stopped in front of her, and her ears pricked up in surprise to see that Murmurstep had joined her former mentor to give the report too.
Frostmask's claws slid out with worry. If two cats wanted to speak to her, something must be wrong.
"Did something happen?" Frostmask asked quickly. "Did you run into ThunderClan?"
Thornheart and Murmurstep exchanged an uneasy look.
"Not exactly," Thornheart said. "But, we did notice something weird. ThunderClan's scent-markers today were strong… Really strong."
"It was like they marked every tree and bush on their border," Murmurstep added, her ears twisting back anxiously. "The reek of the thunderpath didn't even cover it up at all."
Frostmask's brow furrowed, her unease growing.
"I can't imagine the message they're trying to send to be anything but aggressive," she muttered.
Thornheart nodded in grim agreement.
"My thoughts exactly," he growled.
"Should we report to Sedgestar about this?" Murmurstep asked, her tail flicking.
"Yes… Yes. Please do," Frostmask said.
Thornheart and Murmurstep departed from her with a swift nod of farewell and immediately headed towards Sedgestar's den.
Frostmask stared after them unseeingly, her focus turning inward on her growing anxiety.
Paledusk was right. ThunderClan is growing hostile towards us.
…What do I do now? Is it time to bring up the idea of an alliance with SkyClan?
Her pelt bristled out, muscles tensing.
Although this is just the first sign of trouble… should I wait longer until ThunderClan actually does something. Or, is it better to strike before they expect it?
"Frostmask."
"Frostmask?"
"Frostmask!"
Frostmask jerked out of her thoughts, her gaze snapping to the side. Autumnleap stood there, his expression equal parts bemused and worried at he gazed at her.
"I'm sorry, did you say something?" Frostmask asked, blinking at him rapidly.
Autumnleap's amber eyes softened.
"It's not important," he said, waving whatever it was off with a swish of his tail. "Are you okay? You've seemed kind of out of it lately."
Frostmask's ears flattened with uncertainty.
Of course she couldn't tell him about the things she learned from Paledusk, but she couldn't blatantly lie to him either— he'd clearly noticed that she was stressed.
"I'm um… fine. It's just the usual deputy stuff," she said, her tail flicking. "And, I just received reports about a bit of trouble on the WindClan and ThunderClan borders. There wasn't any physical fighting… but it seems like neither are too pleased with us right now."
"ThunderClan, really?" Autumnleap gave a blink of surprise. "Huh… well I'm sure whatever's got their tail in a twist will blow over soon. And, WindClanners always act like we put a hornet in their nest while they were sleeping, so there's nothing new there."
Frostmask nodded, but she was only half-listening to him. Her anxious thoughts still clambered for her attention, and a part of her wanted to get back to her brooding so she could figure out her plan to protect ShadowClan from the growing threats of their neighbors.
But, Autumnleap was still standing in front of her.
"Do you want to go to sleep?" he asked. "Or have you eaten yet? We could share a mouse."
"I'm okay," Frostmask murmured, glancing away from him. "Go on without me. I need to plan some… uh deputy things before I go to the nest tonight."
Autumnleap's brow furrowed.
"Are you sure it can't wait until the morning?" he coaxed.
Frostmask shook her head. "I won't be able to sleep anyway, unless I do this. My thoughts will keep me awake."
"But, you could at least try to relax for a bit," Autumnleap said.
Frostmask's brow furrowed as some irritation began to nettle her.
"I can't. Not right now," she responded, shooting a look back over at him.
Autumnleap was quiet, and for a moment Frostmask thought that she'd gotten through to him, and he'd do as she asked and leave her be for now. But, then Autumnleap lifted his tail, his gaze resolutely meeting hers.
"Okay. If you don't want to sleep, then I'm getting you out of camp," Autumnleap declared, starting to push her towards the thorn tunnel with a few hard nudges of his muzzle.
Frostmask swallowed back an irritable hiss and dodged away from his insistent nudges.
"I told you," she said, lifting her chin. "I'm fine. Just let me do this, then I'll go to the nest later."
"But, you're so not fine!" Autumnleap protested, his stubborn gaze unwavering. "You look two heartbeats away from pulling all your fur out. Just take a break for the night!"
"How's that supposed to help?" Frostmask snapped, her back starting to arch defensively. "I'm stressed because of all the things I need to, but you want me to slack off? You see the contradiction, right?"
"Deputies deserve to relax sometimes too," Autumnleap said matter-of-factly.
"Autumnleap," Frostmask warned, her tension headache growing.
"Frostmask," Autumnleap echoed, setting his jaw in that obstinate way which made him look a lot like Redclaw and Pineshade.
Frostmask sighed, closing her eyes for several moments.
"…You're not going to give up until I agree to go with you." she said.
"Yep!" Autumnleap responded, his tone much too irritatingly cheerful.
Frostmask opened her eyes again to shoot him the most withering glare she could manage.
"Remind me again why I like you?" she asked.
Autumnleap purred, and, despite herself, the sound drained some tension from Frostmask's body.
"I dunno. You're a frog-brain?" he asked, his eyes shimmering.
"Probably," Frostmask grumbled, but there was no real bite in her tone.
Autumnleap purred louder, and she joined in.
Frostmask found the way that he always seemed able to weasel a laugh out of her, no matter how much she wanted to cling to her bad mood, equal parts charming and unbearably annoying. But, she supposed that those contradictions were partly why she enjoyed his presence so much— it at least meant she was never bored around him.
"Fine. We can leave camp," she decided.
Autumnleap's tail lifted victoriously, but Frostmask continued before he could relish in it.
"But we aren't slacking off. Let's patrol down the ThunderClan border."
Autumnleap's nose crinkled up.
"Border patrol?" he echoed. "Is whatever happened today really so bad? ThunderClan is still ShadowClan's friend, right? Can't we at least go for a hunt instead?"
Frostmask's stomach fluttered nervously at the mention of ThunderClan's friendship with ShadowClan.
At least, I certainly hope they're still our friend.
"No. Border patrol," Frostmask meowed firmly. "ThunderClan strongly marked their border today for some reason. I want to check it out. Plus, ThunderClan might be our allies but SkyClan and RiverClan are certainly not, and if either of them are invading, they'd be coming from that direction."
Autumnleap sighed.
"Why do you have to be so smart and dutiful all the time?" he lamented.
Frostmask purred.
"Come on, frog-brain," she meowed affectionately, flicking her tail against his flank and leading them to the thorn barrier.
Their journey to the ThunderClan border passed uneventfully as Frostmask and Autumnleap chatted about nothing in particular. Talking with Autumnleap did relax her a bit, but Frostmask's stress still remained ever-present around her like the humid, green-leaf air— sticky against her skin, clumping in her fur, and warning of rain, or even a coming storm. But, when Frostmask glanced towards the sky, the stars of Silverpelt twinkled down unobstructed, not a cloud in sight.
Rain must be coming though. I wonder if it will disrupt the gathering tomorrow?
Frostmask couldn't tell if that would be a good thing or a bad thing. Maybe it would be nice to put off any potential confrontation with the other clans for even longer, but that could also mean that tensions would just continue to grow if there was no outlet for release.
The scent of the thunderpath and ShadowClan's and ThunderClan's scent-markers warned them that they were reaching the border. Immediately, Frostmask could identify what Thornheart and Murmurstep had alerted her about. The overwhelming ThunderClan scent slammed into her like a wall, rushing into her nose. Frostmask gave her head a small shake, trying to clear her nostrils of the musty odor of leaf-mold and acorns.
"Okay, you weren't kidding about ThunderClan's border marking," Autumnleap said, the bridge of his nose crinkling up. "Did they have the entire clan out here, marking the border?"
Frostmask's tail started to swish from side to side at a swift, agitated pace as unease crawled through her fur.
"I don't know," Frostmask muttered. "This is all very strange."
Autumnleap grunted in agreement, following Frostmask as she turned towards her left and began to trail along the edge of the thunderpath. They were near the edge of the border closest to Fourtrees, but did the ThunderClan scent also extend all the way down to the edge of clan territory?
They hadn't walked for long before Frostmask's nose twitched again as she picked up a new scent— rabbit blood. Her brow furrowing with concern, Frostmask followed the scent, soon catching glimpses of splatters nearby and some tufts of fur scattered about as well. Her pelt prickling with suspicion at the prey killed so close to the border, Frostmask lowered her head towards the fur, trying to see if she could pick up any scents of ThunderClan cats. But, it was so near to the strong scent-markers and the confounding scents of the thunderpath, it was impossible for her to tease apart anything concrete.
"What do you think happened here?" Frostmask muttered to Autumnleap, nodding at the scraps of rabbit fur and blood. "I don't recall any hunting patrols going out to this area today."
Autumnleap's ears flicked thoughtfully.
"Hm… the rabbit was killed by a monster and a scavenger carried it off?" he suggested, but he sounded a but uncertain. "You don't think it was ThunderClan… do you?"
"I don't know what to think," Frostmask admitted, flexing her claws uneasily. "Let's keep going down the border, but keep an eye out for anything else suspicious."
Autumnleap nodded in agreement, and they continued on. This time, they walked for quite a while without anything else stopping them. The ThunderClan scent-markers stayed strong, but there was no more signs of potential prey-stealing at least, or any indications of trespassing.
It was growing quite late into the night by the time that Frostmask and Autumnleap had nearly reached the edge of ShadowClan territory. Frostmask opened her mouth, about to suggest that they return home, but before she could say anything, a distinctly iron tang settled on her tongue. Frostmask stopped walking, fear rippling through her pelt and lifting the hair on her shoulders.
"Do you smell that?" she hissed in a low voice.
Autumnleap froze at her serious tone, opening his jaws to drink in the air.
"Blood. Cat blood," he whispered in confirmation, his eyes widening. "And a lot of it. What do we do? Do we go back to camp for help?"
"No. What if a clan-mate's in trouble?" Frostmask asked, her tail flicking urgently. "We should go investigate, and then one of us can run back if needed."
Autumnleap nodded, grim determination lighting in his eyes. Frostmask leading the way, the two of them sprinted through the dark trees, as silent as owls in flight. The scent kept them close to the thunderpath, leading them down their border, continuing towards the edge of clan land.
A jolt of nervousness gripped Frostmask's chest as sharp as talons, and she flashed a glance over her shoulder just to reassure herself that Autumnleap was still safe and with her.
Are we under attack? Could SkyClan or RiverClan have snuck around the outside edge of ThunderClan territory to invade? Or, has ThunderClan really turned on us?
There was no yowls or cries of pain, but Frostmask couldn't tell if that was a good sign of not. She squashed down her rising fear and focused back on tracking the scent of blood, which was growing stronger and stronger in her nose with every passing heartbeat.
Then her ears jerked up at the sound of a faint cry.
At first, she thought it was a whine of pain, but as the high-pitched squeak rang through the forest again, she realized it was the mewling of a kitten. Her fear took on an edge of confusion.
What's a kit doing all the way out here? Is it hurt?!
Frostmask shot another worried look over her shoulder, and Autumnleap gazed back at her, his brow furrowed, looking equally as concerned. The fear of invasion immediately forgotten, all of Frostmask's attention shifted to finding the kit.
Luckily for them, the kit seemed to have no desire to remain hidden, and it mewled sadly over and over again. It was a desperate, incessant cry, which only drove Frostmask forward faster, her ears pricked and swiveling in a frantic attempt to locate the distressed kitten. As they followed its cries, the scent of blood grew more powerful. It was almost overwhelming by the time they padded up to the thunderpath, the scent and the cries coming from directly ahead of them.
Frostmask hesitated as her paws crossed ShadowClan's scent-markers and reached the smelly, oily grass that bordered the thunderpath, but there was no denying the fact that the cries and the scent of blood were coming from the other side.
Frostmask stared into the foreign territory.
"That's still ThunderClan land," Autumnleap muttered, his tail swishing worriedly.
"What do you think we should do?" she asked, her eyes sliding over to him.
Autumnleap looked uncertain, casting a glance from side to side as if checking to see if anyone else was around.
"The blood scent is strong, and that kit needs help. We can't just do nothing," Autumnleap said finally, turning his gaze back to her.
Frostmask nodded.
"I was thinking the same thing. Let's cross."
After a quick check that there were no monsters coming, the pair dashed across the thunderpath as fast as they could.
When they reached ThunderClan's scent-markers on the other side Frostmask's neck fur bristled. But, her unease was not from trespassing on another Clan's land— rather it was from the feeling of a tacky substance coating her pads and sticking between her toes. She lifted a foot and found the bottom of her paw stained dark. The metallic tang of blood, along with the foul stench of the thunderpath mixed together in her nostrils, making her stomach slosh nauseatingly and bile rise in the back of her throat. Autumnleap was also inspecting his stained paws as Frostmask cast a look back behind them towards the thunderpath. The moonlight illuminated the setting enough that she could just barely make out the large, shadowy smear across the black stone.
Frostmask wiped her paws against the grass, trying to scrub off the blood. But, the resumed squeaking of the kit yanked Frostmask's attention away from her paws. The cries were much clearer now. Hardly paying attention to Autumnleap's low murmur of warning, she pushed through the undergrowth, deeper into ThunderClan territory. Only a few fox-lengths away from the thunderpath, she found the source of the crying nestled in a small patch of ferns.
There were two tiny kits; eyes closed, ears still folded. They couldn't be more than a few sunrises old at the most.
It was a dark tortoiseshell kit that'd been crying, but she quieted quickly as Frostmask lowered her head and gave her and the other kit a sniff. The tortoiseshell wiggled in the direction Frostmask's warmth, but her grey-furred brother at her side was still. Frostmask's stomach started to sink.
Is he… dead?
Frostmask gently touched her muzzle to the other kit's side, expecting the worse, but she inhaled sharply as the kitten twitched, still clinging to life.
"StarClan," Autumnleap whispered, peering down over her shoulder at the kittens with wide eyes.
"We need to help them," Frostmask muttered urgently, curling herself around the kits. "Kits this young can't stay warm on their own."
The little tortoiseshell seemed to finally realize that Frostmask's scent wasn't familiar, and, as Frostmask's fur enveloped her, she let out an indignant squeak, quickly followed by a tiny little hiss, her toothless mouth and bright pink tongue flashing dramatically.
Frostmask would have found her attempt at a fierce protest adorable, if her brother wasn't so worryingly still.
Frostmask focused all her attention on him— if the tortoiseshell was strong enough to cry and hiss, she was clearly in much better shape than her littermate. The grey kit didn't even mew as Frostmask drew him to her and began rapidly rasping her tongue down his side in an attempt to warm and rouse him.
"Where's their mother?" Autumnleap asked, gazing around at the surrounding area.
Frostmask shrugged, her mouth too full of kitten fur to respond.
Beyond the kittens being cold, they seemed to be in good shape— well groomed and at a good weight, so they couldn't have been left alone for long. But what mother would leave her kittens for long enough that they'd begin to get cold, and just sitting in a patch of ferns right next to a dangerous thunderpath, instead of safe in a cozy nest?
There were no clues in the air around them. The acrid fumes of the thunderpath and ThunderClan's scent-markers masked all the other scents, besides the odor of overwhelming blood of course. Although, thankfully, the kittens didn't have a drop on them. Autumnleap prowled forward warily, searching for the blood's source while Frostmask stayed with the kits. Her efforts on the grey kitten were starting to pay off, and now he began squirming, trying to escape her paws and letting out quiet mews as Frostmask kept grooming him. Once she felt like he was back to responding normally, Frostmask released a sigh of relief and loosened her grip on the kit, nudging him and his sister close together and wrapping her fluffy tail around them tightly to keep them warm and comfortable.
Autumnleap had disappeared into the surrounding bushes— the undergrowth was much thicker here than in ShadowClan territory— and Frostmask had lost sight of him. Frostmask's claws slid out warily. She didn't like being so boxed in, and on enemy territory. It felt as if in any moment, snarling ThunderClan warriors may burst out of the bracken.
"…Autumnleap?" she called softly.
Frostmask's ears jutted up in fear as she heard him inhale sharply. She sprung to her paws, although she was careful not to hurt the kits as she did so, and rushed towards his cry.
"What is it?" she gasped, pushing through some bracken.
She froze as Autumnleap's dark auburn pelt appeared through the undergrowth, and she saw that he was standing over the body of a bloodied grey and pale-ginger tortoiseshell cat. Frostmask grimaced as she caught glimpses of stark white bone and deep red viscera peeking out from the patches of drying blood on the cat's pelt.
She'd clearly had been hit by a monster. The damage to her managed body was too great to have been inflicted by any normal animal, and behind her there was a trail of blood through the leaves, showing that she'd somehow managed to claw her way off the thunderpath before succumbing.
Autumnleap circled her slowly, checking for any signs of life, although Frostmask could tell even from several tail-lengths away that her wounds were far too gruesome for any cat to survive. Frostmask couldn't even imagine a leader with nine StarClan-given lives being able to come back from that. On the other side of her body, Autumnleap paused, and his ears flattened against his head.
"Oh no," he murmured. "There's another kit."
Frostmask moved towards him, starting to circle around to the other side of the dead queen. Frostmask caught a glimpse of tiny paws resting in a pool of blood near the she-cat's head, but then Autumnleap swiftly stepped forward, putting himself between her and the body and blocking her view of the kit.
"Don't look," Autumnleap whispered, his tone gentle but firm. "The kit didn't make it. They both were killed by the monster."
Frostmask blinked hard, her ears twisting back.
"…Oh," she said, her voice small.
Autumnleap draped his tail over her shoulders comfortingly, drawing her a few tail-lengths away from the dead cats.
"It looks like she was trying to move her kits across the thunderpath when the monster got her," Autumnleap said. "The blood is still wet, so I think it happened recently."
"She was coming from our territory? Is she a clan cat? Did you… recognize her face?" Frostmask asked.
Autumnleap shook his head.
"I've never seen her before, and she smells like the two-leg place," he said.
A soft mew rang out in echo of him as the tortoiseshell kit began crying again. Frostmask turned back in the direction of the living kits and hurried to where she'd left them in the patch of ferns. When she reached them, she sat and wrapped her tail around them again, and this time she-kit quieted as if Frostmask's touch and scent was already becoming familiar to her.
"We should take them back to camp," Frostmask said, fixing her gaze on Autumnleap as he followed her over to them. "They'll die quickly without their mother, if a fox or an owl doesn't follow their crying and find them first."
Autumnleap nodded, but his ears twisted back to indicate the bodies behind him.
"What do we do with the queen and the other kit?" he asked in a quiet voice. "I mean… they aren't clan cats, so they don't need a death ceremony… But it feels wrong to just leave them here for the vultures. The bodies might also attract predators close to our territory… Dogs. Badgers."
Frostmask's attention was pulled away from Autumnleap and back to the kittens as they squirmed. They were becoming more active as they warmed up, and now they burrowed around in her fur as they searched for milk that wasn't there. Frostmask's heart twisted at the thought of scavengers feasting on the bodies of the kits' mother and littermate— no matter who the cats were, they deserved better than that. But, they couldn't afford to waste time digging a grave on ThunderClan's territory while these kits were left out here in the woods and so tiny and fragile.
"The living kits should take priority. We'll take them back to camp and then we'll ask Sedgestar if we should send a patrol to take care of the queen and the other kit," Frostmask muttered. "He may not want to since they are on ThunderClan land."
Autumnleap nodded, and Frostmask rose to her paws. Reluctant to part with the weaker tom-kit, she gently secured his scruff in her jaws, leaving Autumnleap to grab the tortoiseshell one.
After crossing the thunderpath again without issue, Frostmask and Autumnleap ran in the direction of camp with their two new, little companions in tow.
Although they had a lot of distance to cover to get back to camp, they made relatively quick, uninterrupted progress. The kits were easy to carry— they were light-weight and had instinctively went limp and quiet once they were lifted up. Still though, Frostmask worried about them getting too cold and hungry, and so relief prickled at her when the camp's thorn barrier finally came into view. There they were greeted by Mosspounce on guard duty, and her eyes stretched as wide as moons as she noticed their cargo.
Frostmask carefully placed the kit she was holding down on her paws, freeing her mouth.
"Mosspounce, I need you to go get Sedgestar and tell him I need to speak with him," she ordered.
But, Mosspounce seemed too entranced by the kits to have heard her. She just stared at them, shock and delight in her expression.
"Holy StarClan… I didn't know you were pregnant, Frostmask!" she exclaimed.
Annoyance sparked off of Frostmask's pelt, which only got worse as Autumnleap started to purr loudly in amusement.
"What? No! Do you seriously think that I just gave birth out in the woods without even telling anyone I was expecting kits?" Frostmask demanded.
Mosspounce's tail flicked uncertainly, her head tilting to the side as she finally glanced up at Frostmask.
"Uh… judging by your tone, I guess not? But then where did the kits come from?" she asked, blinking in confusion.
Frostmask shook her head, exasperation rippling off her pelt in waves.
She liked Mosspounce, she really did. But, it was at moments like these when she understood why Swoopstrike had looked like he'd wanted to tear out his own fur those times when Mosspounce had joined in with their training sessions.
"Stars, Mosspounce. Use your nose! We found them by the thunderpath. Now can you please go wake Sedgestar? Like now?"
Mosspounce sprung to her paws.
"Oh okay, wow! That's so exciting! Yeah, alright, I'll get him," she chirped, whirling around and dashing into camp.
Frostmask picked the kit back up and followed Mosspounce through the tunnel, careful to not let any of the thorns snag the kit's pelt. When she and Autumnleap entered into the camp clearing, they found it quiet; everyone else was asleep in their dens. Mosspounce hurried towards Sedgestar's den at the base of the Oak Tree while Frostmask and Autumnleap padded towards the nursery.
Frostmask left the kit she was responsible for by Autumnleap for a beat so she could stick her head inside the den.
"Dewleaf?" she called. "It's urgent."
In only a moment, Dewleaf's head was poking out of the den, blinking in the moonlight as Larkfoot peered out behind her. Dewleaf's eyes quickly found the tiny kits at Autumnleap's paws, and understanding dawned in her gaze.
"Bring them in," she murmured, retracting into the den.
Frostmask and Autumnleap entered to find everyone in the den awake, if not totally alert. Sprucekit, Fogkit, Lichenkit and Mudkit were stirring drowsily in a pile and gazing around, bleary and confused as their mother moved away from them, curling up on a different patch of moss to make room for the newborns to lay next to her instead. Amberberry and her older kits were blinking at Frostmask, Autumnleap and the newborns with undisguised curiosity, while Larkfoot immediately began cooing over the orphaned kits as Autumnleap and Frostmask placed them near her and Dewleaf.
"We found them by the thunderpath. Their mother looks to be a loner or a kittypet. She was killed by a monster," Autumnleap explained concisely.
Frostmask evidently had not done a good enough job cleaning the kits and warming them for Larkfoot's liking because she was already rasping her tongue down their tiny bodies, eliciting mewls of offense as she brushed their fur back the wrong way.
"Are they okay?" Frostmask asked Larkfoot anxiously. "The male was very still when we first found them. I think they got too cold and hungry."
"They seem a bit weak, but I think they'll pull through," Larkfoot reported between licks. "They're lucky you found them so quickly, the poor little dears. But, with a bit of food and love, I'm sure they will perk right up."
"Here, I can nurse them," Dewleaf said, trying to reach for the kits around Larkfoot.
But, Dewleaf huffed in exasperation as she still had to wait a few moments longer, until Larkfoot was done fussing over them, before the newborns were finally ushered to her side. Dewleaf bent her head to give them a sniff, and the little kittens smelled her right back. Just like when Frostmask had first found them, the she-kit recognized Dewleaf's scent as a stranger right away, and she let out a tiny, squeaky hiss. Her brother seemed more even tempered though, and instead of hissing, he squirmed closer to Dewleaf, incited by the milk-scent radiating off of her. Despite her protests, his sister soon followed, and in only a few moments the two tiny kittens were snuggled into Dewleaf's belly fur, kneading and purring.
All the commotion had attracted the attention of Dewleaf's and Poolcloud's kits, who were now very much fully awake, and they scrambled over the moss to see what was going on. Lichenkit and Fogkit hung back a bit, with Fogkit ducking under Frostmask's tail to peer nervously over at the strangers. Mudkit and Sprucekit, however, strode fearlessly up to them, staring at the newborns with wide, wondering eyes.
"They're so small," Sprucekit said in a very loud whisper, prodding at the female kit with a light touch of her paw.
"Not that long ago, you were just as small," Dewleaf purred as Larkfoot swept Sprucekit and Mudkit back with a swish of her tail.
"Give the kits a bit of space, they've been through a lot already," Larkfoot said, gathering up the rest of the litter so they could curl against her flank while Dewleaf was preoccupied with the newborns.
The four kittens were still sleepy enough that they didn't protest, and they settled back down next to their grandmother's side.
"Are they going to stay here forever now?" Lichenkit asked as she eyed where the tiny kits lied next to Dewleaf— she seemed like she didn't love the idea of having to share her mother.
Larkfoot glanced over at Frostmask.
"I don't know. That depends on what Sedgestar decides," Larkfoot said.
A bit of worry stirred in Frostmask's belly. Her thoughts had been so consumed with getting the kits to safety and out of immediate danger, she hadn't yet properly considered what would happen to them long-term.
"What are their names?" Mudkit piped up with a yawn.
He rested his cheek down on Larkfoot's side, but his gaze remained transfixed on the new kittens.
"I don't know," Autumnleap answered this time. "They don't have any yet."
"Ooh! Can we name them?!" Sprucekit squeaked, her gaze lighting up with excitement.
"Maybe that's not such a good idea?" Amberberry spoke up, blinking nervously. "I mean, maybe we shouldn't get too attached yet. Like Larkfoot said, we don't know if Sedgestar will want to keep them."
The fur on Frostmask's scruff began to rise as a sudden flicker of anger appeared in her chest. But, a moment later, she forced her pelt back flat again. Amberberry didn't mean any harm, and the strength of Frostmask's reaction to her question was irrational. But, she couldn't help the fact that the thought of Sedgestar throwing out orphaned rogue kittens hit a little too close to home for her.
"All kittens deserve names," Larkfoot declared, gazing over at the newborns with the same amount of fondness that she showed for any clanborn kit. "They've had a rough start in life, and kittens this young can fade quickly. If they don't make it through the night, we can't doom their little spirits to a nameless eternity."
After a thoughtful pause, Amberberry nodded, easily convinced.
Dewleaf glanced over at Frostmask and Autumnleap.
"You two found them. You should name them," she said.
Frostmask's ears pricked up, surprise and uncertainty rushing through her.
"Us? Are you sure?" she asked.
"Well I'm not going to do it. I already used up all my favorite names with that bunch," Dewleaf purred, giving an affectionate nod towards her kits.
"Just go for it. Picking names isn't hard at all," Larkfoot said with an encouraging blink towards Frostmask and Autumnleap.
"If you want, you can use a theme. I like 'M' names," Amberberry supplied, her gaze lighting up as she got into it.
"Or, you can even just say the first thing that comes to mind," Larkfoot added.
Dewleaf released a dry huff of laughter.
"I'm touched you put so much thought into my name, Mother," she drawled.
"Oh hush!" Larkfoot flicked her tail against Dewleaf's side. "I'm only trying to help!"
Frostmask glanced over at Autumnleap, searching for his input. He inclined his head towards her, a bit of excitement sparkling in his eyes.
"You name the one you carried, and I name the one I did?" he asked.
"…Alright," Frostmask murmured.
Her gazed tracked over to the male kitten, and his smoky-grey pelt. He seemed much more alert that he'd did when she first found him, but worry that he would slip away still lingered in the back of Frostmask's mind. Either way though— if his life was doomed to be tragically short or not— he deserved to have a good name, and one that suited him. But what to pick? Choosing Lizardstrike's warrior name had been easy after Frostmask had taken moons to get to know him. But, Frostmask had only known this kitten for a tiny fraction of the night.
Okay, just do like Larkfoot said then. Don't overthink it.
As Frostmask's gaze skimmed over his grey pelt again, she was reminded of the color of the mist she often saw in the mornings that hung over ShadowClan's pines.
"I like 'Mist,'" Frostmask murmured, glancing towards the queens for approval. "Mistkit?"
"Excellent choice," Amberberry said with a nod as Dewleaf and Larkfoot echoed her with mrrows of support.
"I like it too," Autumnleap added with a purr before bending his head to take a closer look at the tortoiseshell kit.
He studied her closely, his brow furrowed with contemplation.
"Okay… now it's your turn," he muttered, his breath stirring the kit's fur.
He paused for a moment again, his ears flicking as he thought hard.
"The spots of orange on her back remind me of the way some salamanders look," Autumnleap said.
Dewleaf's nose crinkled slightly.
"Salamanderkit is a bit of a mouthful," she said.
"Yeah…" Autumnleap's voice trailed off for a moment, his brow furrowing. "Oh, I know! Then she can be Newtkit instead."
Autumnleap glanced over at Frostmask, searching for a reaction. Frostmask started to purr, and his gaze brightened.
Newtkit is another good name. It sounds very ShadowClan… so does Mistkit actually.
Frostmask's gaze flickered over them both.
Like they belong here.
Dewleaf nodded.
"That works. Newtkit and Mistkit it is," she said, lowering her head to touch her nose to each as she said their names.
Newtkit mewed in offense again.
"Frostmask," Sedgestar's deep voice suddenly reverberated through the den, interrupting the moment.
Frostmask flicked her tail at the queens and Autumnleap in a hasty goodbye as she scrambled out of the nursery. She emerged back into camp to be greeted by Sedgestar and Emberflower, as well as Mosspounce lurking in the background behind them— not too subtly attempting to eavesdrop. Sedgestar beckoned Frostmask away from the nursery with an incline of his head, guiding her and Emberflower towards the foot of the Oak Tree so their voices wouldn't disturb anyone.
"Mosspounce tells me something about found kits?" Sedgestar asked, before glancing over his shoulder back at Mosspounce, who's lurking had clearly not escaped his notice. "You may return to guarding the camp."
Her tail drooping in disappointment, Mosspounce trudged away.
"Yes," Frostmask said to Sedgestar and Emberflower. "We found two newborn kits next to the thunderpath. Their mother was nearby. And, dead. She'd been killed by a monster."
Sedgestar's brow furrowed.
"Who is their mother?"
Frostmask shook her head.
"I didn't recognize her. She smelled of the two-leg place. My guess is a loner or rogue. But, a kittypet is also possible."
"And, she was found on our territory?" Sedgestar asked, the slight frown still on his features.
Frostmask uneasily shifted her weight from paw to paw.
"Er— ThunderClan's actually." As Sedgestar's amber eyes darkened with disapproval, Frostmask continued quickly, "Autumnleap and I could hear the kits crying and scented blood from across the thunderpath. We could tell something bad happened and made the decision to investigate."
"And, you made a good call. A predator could have easily gotten to those kittens before you did, if you waited," Emberflower said, blinking at Frostmask reassuringly.
Her green gaze slid over to her mate.
"You can't really have expected them to ignore distressed kits?" she prodded.
Sedgestar sighed through his nose, his eyes closing for a moment.
"I suppose not. But, I expect that you and Autumnleap didn't have the chance to mask your scents prior to trespassing?" he asked, glancing over Frostmask.
Frostmask shook her head.
"I thought so." Sedgestar sighed again. "We will have to explain to Morningstar why his patrols will find ShadowClan scent on their land. I'm sure he wouldn't be pleased after so thoroughly marking the border today."
"He'll understand once he knows it was because kits were in danger," Emberflower said confidently before turning her attention back to Frostmask. "How are the kits? Do they need to see Elmclaw?"
"No. They were a bit weak when we found them, but Larkfoot seems optimistic. She said all they need is milk and warmth, not herbs," Frostmask said with a twitch of her ears.
"That's good to hear," Emberflower said, giving a relieved purr.
Frostmask glanced over at Sedgestar, searching his expression. He still hadn't said anything about the kits' fate.
"So… the kits… what should we do with them?" Frostmask asked hesitantly.
Sedgestar flicked his ears dismissively.
"What you've already done," he said. "If they don't need to see Elmclaw, then the queens will do a perfectly good job at caring for them for now."
"But, will you allow them to stay? Permanently?" Frostmask prompted, her pelt itching with anticipation.
Sedgestar was silent for a moment as he gave her a long look from the corners of his eyes.
"You know we will have clan-mates who will protest it if I do," Sedgestar responded, not quite answering her question.
Frostmask clenched her paws to stop her claws from sliding out as sudden anger smarted in her.
"Yeah, because letting rogue-borns into the clan is so horrible," Frostmask muttered bitterly, swallowing back a growl.
Sedgestar's sharp amber gaze darted over her, taking in every inch of her face and tense body.
"You know I don't agree with that," he said. "But, we need to choose our battles wisely. Sometimes compromises should be made in the pursuit of keeping peace within the clan. Tensions have already grown high enough."
Frostmask's ears pricked as she felt a small flash of surprise at his words. So Sedgestar did know about struggle for power that'd been happening in the clan— epitomized by the clash between her and Dampfang? She hadn't purposefully kept the information from Sedgestar, but she also didn't proactively bring all of the instances to his attention. Doing so felt like it would make her look too incompetent.
Sedgestar swept his gaze over Frostmask's surprised face and huffed in humorless amusement.
"Do you really think I'm so blind to the goings-on of my own clan?" he asked.
"No," Frostmask said, a touch defensively. "But, I thought maybe you've just been too distracted with Grovepelt's death to have noticed it all."
Sedgestar's lip twitched in the smallest of micro-expressions, and Frostmask immediately regretted clawing at that nerve. But, before she could think of the right thing to say to take the edge off her words, Sedgestar was speaking again.
"I have been distracted by Grovepelt's death for the past moon, and that's exactly why I'm putting in more effort now to make up for it," Sedgestar said cooly.
Frostmask stared down at her paws.
"I didn't mean—" she muttered.
Sedgestar held up his tail, signing for 'Silence,' and Frostmask snapped her jaws shut.
"The gathering is only a day away. We need to prove that we are strong. Although, not only to the other clans, but to our own clan as well. Allowing outsiders into ShadowClan at this time may not give the right impression."
Frostmask's eyes narrowed, the anger and hurt in her chest only growing stronger even as she tried to shove it back down.
"So, you'd throw out helpless kits?" she said in a low voice.
Sedgestar's tail began to twitch as his patience with her waned.
"Of course not," he said curtly. "The kits will be well cared for in the meanwhile. And, even if ShadowClan does not keep them, I will ensure that they will be safe wherever they end up. So, in answer to your question about if the kits can stay: I will think about it."
Sedgestar rose to his paws, arching his back in a deep stretch.
Sensing a looming dismissal, Frostmask quickly spoke up again.
"On a different topic, what do you think we should do about ThunderClan, after what Thornheart's patrol noticed today?" she asked.
"I think that's something I should speak with Morningstar about at the gathering," Sedgestar meowed. "I will explain more in a clan meeting tomorrow about it. Actually, perhaps it would be wise to explain the situation about the kits to the clan tomorrow as well and gauge their reaction before coming to a decision."
Sedgestar gave a nod to himself, thoughts flickering deep in his eyes.
"Yes…" he said. "We will discuss this and the matter of the gathering more then. For now, get some rest. Goodnight, Frostmask."
Frostmask dipped her head reluctantly.
"Goodnight," Frostmask muttered as Sedgestar and Emberflower turned and headed back to their earthen den.
Her tail twitched as she watched Sedgestar's striped coat vanish into the darkness of the tunnel. Frostmask couldn't help but feeling like she'd made things worse by letting her emotions get the better of her as she'd argued with him about the kits.
Maybe now he'll want to keep them less. He just thinks I'm being irrational and projecting.
Frostmask turned away from the den.
But, I am projecting aren't I?
She gave her ears a shake.
But, why does that mean that keeping them still isn't the right thing to do?
Frostmask awoke in the predawn after a short, fractured sleep. Too restless to remain in her nest, she rose to her feet, carefully stepping over Autumnleap as he continued to slumber, and padded into camp.
ShadowClan was just barely waking, and Frostmask found the clearing empty of everyone but Dustleap and Darkpelt— usual early-risers. Frostmask lifted her tail in greeting to them, but her first stop this morning was the nursery.
Anxiety stung at her paws as she approached the den. Had the orphaned kits made it through the rest of the night? Calling out a soft greeting, she stuck her head inside of the thorn bush. Larkfoot and Dewleaf had swapped litters again, and Dewleaf was back to sleeping next to her kits, the motley colored bunch piled up near her belly or thrown across her flanks, snoozing peacefully. Larkfoot had her tail curled around the much smaller newborns as they slept, but Larkfoot's eyes opened and her head lifted from the nest as Frostmask entered the den.
"They're doing well," Larkfoot purred in a quiet voice, sweeping her tail aside to beckon Frostmask over.
Frostmask dipped her muzzle down to give Newtkit and Mistkit a closer look. They seemed much more content than they'd been earlier, their tiny bodies loose and relaxed.
"Good," Frostmask murmured back with a purr. "Sedgestar will be making an announcement about them this morning."
Larkfoot nodded, wrapping her tail around the kits again. "I'll tell the others when they wake."
Frostmask nodded her thanks, returning back out into camp. In anticipation of the meeting, she made her way over to Clanrock, swallowing back a yawn. She waited there, and slowly more ShadowClan warriors trickled out into camp. Soon Sedgestar had also emerged from his den, Emberflower just behind him. Sedgestar headed right for Clanrock, giving Frostmask a nod of greeting as he passed her before springing onto the boulder.
"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey, gather beneath Clanrock for a clan meeting!"
Sedgestar's summon rang out through the camp, and in a matter of moments, all of their clan-mates were streaming into the clearing. Frostmask glanced towards the nursery to see Larkfoot and Amberberry emerge, but Dewleaf stayed inside, presumably to watch over the many litters of kits.
"I have a few important announcements today," Sedgestar said as his clan-mates settled in, his voice echoing through the clearing. "First is on the matter of ThunderClan's displays of aggression. I'm sure you've all heard by now about their overwhelming border marking yesterday."
Affirmative growls rumbled through the camp.
"And, after everything we've done for them!" Marshnose yowled out. "Those ungrateful fox-hearts."
"Should've known better than to ally with ThunderClan from the get-go," Greytail growled from in front of the elders' den, her lashing tail stirring up dirt behind her. "Of course, as soon as we aren't fighting their battles for them, those self-righteous fools turn on us."
"I plan on confronting Morningstar about this at the gathering tonight," Sedgestar said over the grumbling, lifting his tail confidently. "Rest assured, this insult will not go unaddressed."
The grumbling quieted, although Frostmask knew that if Sedgestar's confrontation with Morningstar didn't go the way many of her clan-mates wished, their protests would be back.
"On a different topic, there is one other piece of news to share. Last night, Frostmask and Autumnleap came across a pair of orphaned kits just over the ThunderClan border," Sedgestar said. "Their mother is dead and appears to have been from the two-leg place. Dewleaf is caring for the kits at the moment, but we need to determine a more permanent solution for them."
Frostmask's gaze skimmed over her clan-mates as she watched them exchange surprised and uncertain glances.
"Are you… thinking of keeping them?" Thornheart asked after a hesitation.
"I wish to know what my clan-mates think before making a final decision," Sedgestar answered.
"I think we should," Frostmask spoke up, wrapping her tail tightly around her paws for comfort as the eyes of the entire clan turned to her. "There's no one else to care for them."
"Frostmask is right," Redclaw called out, lifting her chin to project her voice across camp. "The kits have done nothing wrong. We'd have to be a clan of snakes to get rid of them."
"But, you said the kits were found on the ThunderClan side of the thunderpath!" Dampfang's voice suddenly rose up in protest, his brow furrowed as he stared up at Sedgestar. "The answer is obvious! I say they are their problem, not ours!"
A few cats muttered their agreement with him; Marshnose nodded along emphatically. Frostmask locked her gaze on Dampfang, her nervousness at speaking in front of the entire clan fading as she faced down her rival.
"But, they aren't ThunderClan kits!" she said, her fangs clenching with frustration. "It's as Sedgestar said— we found their mother's body, and she's clearly not a ThunderClan cat."
Dampfang ignored her, his eyes still on Sedgestar.
"Why should we waste resources just out of some kind of… misplaced sense of charity?" Dampfang demanded, his tail beginning to lash. "Let's take the kits to a ThunderClan queen, explain that we found them on their land, and tell them to deal with it. Or, better yet, drop the mewling bundles off at some two-legs' den. They aren't Clan cats anyway. Why give ThunderClan more potential warriors?"
"Why should we give away more potential warriors for ShadowClan?!" Frostmask said, leaping to her paws, her fur bristling as her outrage grew.
Sedgestar silently gazed down from the top of Clanrock, his eyes flickering from Dampfang to Frostmask as he weighed their arguments. Frostmask glanced up at him, making eye contact, and she was unable to hide the pleading in her expression. She almost hated how much she burned for this… and how vulnerable it made her to Sedgestar's mercy.
Although Frostmask of course felt for the kits, it was painfully clear that this wasn't just about them— it was also about Frostmask herself. Seasons ago, Sedgestar had faced a similar choice as the one before him now when Frostmask was left in ShadowClan. Back then, he'd chosen to help her, to take her in, but in the moons since he made that choice, had he come to regret it? Would he do the same over again if he could? He made her his deputy since then, sure, but undoubtably there were times when Sedgestar had considered whether or not he ultimately did the right thing in allowing her into his clan.
Although, Frostmask knew Sedgestar must be making other silent calculations too. He wasn't just judging Frostmask's and Dampfang's arguments, but also watching their other clan-mates, even the ones who didn't speak, and assessing their reactions just as closely.
Sedgestar blinked, the connection of their gazes breaking as his eyes slowly drifted from Frostmask and back to Dampfang.
"While I appreciate your concerns, Dampfang, I believe Frostmask is right. It is green-leaf, and prey is abundant. The value of having more warriors will outweigh the amount of resources the kits will use," Sedgestar said. "If Dewleaf approves, then they can stay."
Victory and relief flooded through Frostmask, making her paws shaky even as her tail curled in delight.
Dampfang, however, only looked more incredulous, his lip curling up in disgust as he glared at Sedgestar.
"You'd really force those— those whelps onto my sister?" Dampfang snarled.
Fierce, hot anger sparked in Frostmask's chest, but a new voice joined the discourse before she could respond.
"Dampfang!" Larkfoot said, her tone uncharacteristically sharp as she shot her son a glare. "They're just little kits!"
But, even Larkfoot's scolding wasn't enough to make Dampfang back down. He just gazed around camp, brazenly unrepentant as he searched his clan-mates' faces for support. Frostmask took a step towards Dampfang before he could find it, a soft growl rumbling in her throat.
"And, they need someone to care for them," she added on to Larkfoot's statement. "And, I'm sure that Dewleaf is more than capable of deciding whether or not to help herself."
This, finally, attracted Dampfang's attention. He directed his blistering gaze to hers, foul reproach in his eyes, and Frostmask heard his unspoken words as clearly as if he'd yowled them.
It's bad enough that you're here. But, now there's more?!
"But, does Dewleaf want to keep them permanently?" Dampfang asked, managing to tear his gaze away from Frostmask to sweep it over the camp again. "Has anyone even asked her if she wants them before we decide for her? She already has four others— are you really going to make her raise six kits? For six more moons, when her litter is already two moons old?"
Dampfang's words sent a wave of hesitance rippling through the clan. Frostmask swallowed, her mouth suddenly dry as she noticed a few of her clan-mates exchanging doubtful glances, and a soft, uncertain muttering rose up from the crowd.
"Six is a lot."
"Dewleaf shouldn't have to care for them if she doesn't want them."
"Maybe we should give them to ThunderClan."
Frostmask's pelt prickled, worry and urgency growing in her until she felt like she might burst.
"I want them."
Her words were ringing across camp before she had the chance to really consider them. But, they silenced the protests immediately, and the eyes of the clan turned to her. Frostmask lifted her chin, doing her best to fend off their alternatingly surprised, uncertain, and curious glances, but even Sedgestar seemed a bit startled at her declaration.
"Frostmask, are you sure?" he asked, his unreadable gaze flickering to her.
Frostmask gave a curt, confident nod, although her stomach churned with nervousness.
"Yes. I can't nurse them, but as long as Dewleaf agrees to feed them while they need milk, then I will be their primary caretaker," she said.
Frostmask's gaze traveled over the crowd until she found Autumnleap. His amber eyes were wide with surprise as they met hers, and Frostmask's heart twinged with regret for springing this on him without warning.
I'm sorry we couldn't talk about this first… But, those kits need me.
Autumnleap blinked, the surprise in his expression fading, and he gave her a small nod, as if he had understood her thoughts.
Larkfoot stuck her head inside the nursery for a moment, clearly conferring with her daughter. Only a heartbeat later, she emerged again.
"Dewleaf has agreed to this," Larkfoot announced.
"Is it really such a good idea for our deputy to take over the care of these kits?" Dampfang asked, a sneer plastered over his muzzle as he turned his gaze back to Frostmask. "Don't you have ShadowClan to care for? Duties to attend to?"
Frostmask's pelt bristled, and she opened her jaws to retort. But, before she could say anything, Marshnose was nodding in agreement with Dampfang.
"Somedays Frostmask hardly remembers to send out patrols on time," he complained. "Somehow I doubt her also having kits on her mind will help with her memory."
Marshnose waved a paw dismissively, his gaze flitting away from Frostmask as if she wasn't even worth his time.
"If she really wants to raise them, she can move to the nursery like a normal queen and some other cat can be deputy."
At the suggestion of a new deputy, a tense hush fell over the Clan, punctuated only by a few quiet mutters of agreement with Marshnose. Frostmask's chest tightened in a dismay that she tried to prevent from showing in her expression, but still Dampfang seemed to sense it. His gaze met hers, and he raised his chin, his eyes glowing as if he had just caught the biggest piece of prey in his life.
"I'll help her raise them," Autumnleap's voice suddenly rang out.
Frostmask's eyes flew to him, her belly fluttering as he rose to his paws, his auburn tail lifting high into the air. His amber eyes met hers steadily, and a twinkle of humor appeared in them.
"I mean, I can't nurse them either," he said drily. "But, I can care for them perfectly fine in all other ways when Frostmask is busy. Besides, both of us were the ones that found them and brought them here. It only seems fair that I help take responsibility for them too."
Dampfang turned his ire onto Autumnleap, his smug expression fading to be replaced with annoyance as his tail flicked behind him. His green eyes narrowed critically.
"You? Really? You'd even move to the nursery for them? Be responsible for them full time like a queen?" he demanded.
Autumnleap shrugged, his body-language relaxed, although Frostmask could see his animosity towards Dampfang glimmering dangerously in the depths of his eyes.
"Sure, if I need to. And, Larkfoot, Amberberry and Dewleaf are okay with it," Autumnleap said breezily. "Why do you sound so surprised, Dampfang? When we were apprentices, weren't you the one who was always saying that I take every excuse to goof off and get out of patrolling? Spending the day playing with kits sounds like the perfect job for me."
A spattering of purrs vibrated through the camp at Autumnleap's joke, dissolving the earlier tension. Frostmask gazed at him, her heart swelling with love and admiration.
"Very well then," Sedgestar broke in, nodding down at Frostmask and Autumnleap.
"Their names are Mistkit and Newtkit," Autumnleap added, his chest puffing out as if he'd already entered into the mindset of a proud father.
"You've already named them?" Dampfang hissed incredulously.
Not giving Autumnleap a chance to respond, Dampfang's gaze snapped back towards Sedgestar.
"And, what will we tell the other clans of this?" Dampfang snarled, his tail whipping furiously. "Things are already fraught enough thanks to Frostmask's appointment to deputy. You seriously think letting in more rogue-born outsiders will make things better?"
"Dampfang brings up a good point, Sedgestar," Marshnose said with a solemn nod. "Are these kits really worth the potential of provoking SkyClan into attacking? Or starting a war with WindClan? I was on a WindClan border patrol yesterday, and it's clear that they are still… displeased about Frostmask as deputy to put it mildly. They may see letting in more rogue-borns as a spit in their face, and that could push them over the edge."
Dampfang nodded along in vehement agreement, and Sedgestar hesitated, his tail-tip flicking indecisively.
Frostmask's stomach twisted with worry, but not just for the kits' fate. As much as agreeing with Dampfang nettled her, there was undeniable truth to his and Marshnose's concerns. There was a very real possibility that letting in Mistkit and Newtkit could spark conflict with the other clans.
"…We could say that the kits were born to me," Frostmask suggested hesitantly. "The timeline would work out— the kits are very young, and ShadowClan missed the last gathering, so know no one would have to know that I wasn't actually pregnant."
Paledusk would know.
Frostmask pushed the nagging thought away with a twitch of her ears. He would stay quiet if she asked him to. Letting outsiders into the clan didn't bother him, so why would he care that ShadowClan took in these kits?
"I'm still rogue-born myself, which would not do the kits any favors," Frostmask continued, her ears flattening. "But, at least in this case, they would have been born in ShadowClan, with a ShadowClan father." Her gaze flickered to Autumnleap briefly before she lifted it back to Sedgestar. "That would surely pacify the other clans, at least a bit."
Sedgestar started to nod, his brow furrowed thoughtfully.
"That could work," he said slowly. "Frostmask, you would have to not attend this gathering, or else someone will notice that you do not have the milk-scent typical of a queen."
Frostmask dipped her head in agreement.
"And, everyone else— not a word of the kits' true parentage will be spoken outside of ShadowClan, understood?" Sedgestar asked, sweeping his gaze over the Clan.
"Then how will you explain Frostmask's and Autumnleap's trespassing in ThunderClan territory last night to Morningstar if they didn't go there to retrieve the kits?" Dampfang growled, his tail-tip twitching. "I doubt ThunderClan will appreciate it if you say that they stopped by just for fun."
Sedgestar lifted his chin.
"Autumnleap and Frostmask noticed significant amounts of blood-scent while on patrol, and worried that some cat was in mortal danger, they crossed the border to investigate. After finding the source to be a dead rogue queen, far beyond helping, they swiftly returned back to ShadowClan territory. End of story," Sedgestar said with such cool confidence that Frostmask couldn't imagine any cat hearing it and not being convinced that it was the full, honest truth. "If ThunderClan has not yet found the queen's body, they surely will sometime today, and it will corroborate our version of events."
Dampfang kneaded his claws angrily into the ground, but he seemed to have run out of arguments because he sat down heavily, simply giving a low growl in response.
"It seems it's all decided then," Sedgestar said with a nod, his gaze drifting back towards Frostmask. "Frostmask and Autumnleap will be responsible for the kits."
A few murmurs still whispered through the clan, but no one protested as Dampfang had. Frostmask's gaze met with Autumnleap's again, and a jolt of equal parts anxiety and excitement crackled through her like electricity. But, the burst of energy was soon also tempered by a weight of doubt as the reality of the situation truly began to dawn on her. Just last night, Frostmask had been lamenting about the crushing amount of stress and responsibilities she had to deal with, and now she and Autumnleap were suddenly also responsible for the lives of two tiny, fragile cats…
Oh StarClan, what have I gotten us into?
Author's Note: Now I know what you're thinking: did this fic really need more kittens? Yes… Yes it did.
I'm very sorry that I don't have the time to respond to reviews tonight, but as always, I'm immensely grateful for you all reading! :)