The green-leaf heat is what finally drives Mistyfoot into the cool, empty Nursery. There's still not been an official announcement that she's expecting but it would be pointless to make one now. There's no hiding her swollen belly.

"I know it's rude to ask," Mothpaw begins quietly, "but do you know who the father is?"

Stormfur and Feathertail exchange looks. Feathertail answers, simply, "Blackclaw."

"Oh! I didn't know they were mates."

"They're not," Stormfur cuts in. "They just… they used to be mates. I don't think they were planning on having kits again."

"Again?" Mothpaw repeats, eyes widening. Feathertail shoots him a look.

Frog-dung. Me and my big mouth.

"They died," Feathertail says, blunt. "Nobody likes to talk about it."

"I understand," Mothpaw says, nodding. "Well, I hope her delivery goes smoothly. Maybe Mudfur will even let me watch it."

"Let you watch?"

"Yeah, I've started helping him with some of his chores since he doesn't have an apprentice. It's mostly just gathering herbs whenever Emberdawn gives me the day off, but still." She smiles to herself. "I really enjoy it."

"You judged Mothpaw and me the same way that everyone has always judged you and Featherpaw! How does that make you any different than them?"

Stormfur has tried hard to forget everything about that night, but he can't forget the expression on Hawkpaw's face as he snarled those words; hurt, angry, betrayed. Stormfur can't forget his expression because he knows exactly how Hawkpaw felt.

And he was right.

Finally, he gives in. Hawkpaw is chewing on a bone but raises his gaze as Stormfur approaches. "Come to boss an apprentice around?" he asks, sarcastically.

"No, actually. I came to ask you if you wanted to escape this awful heat with me and go swimming."

He's painfully aware of his Clanmates' stares; he's avoided Hawkpaw ever since that night in an effort to not fuel the gossip-starved rumors going around camp about them, but some things are worth a little bit of teasing.

Curiously, Hawkpaw doesn't even seem to notice the stares. He's only got eyes on Stormfur as he stands to his paws and asks, "Where at?"

It's a coincidence that Stormfur enjoys swimming near the ThunderClan border most; that's what he'll tell Hawkpaw anyway, except Hawkpaw doesn't bring it up. He steps into the river and it welcomes him like a friend, pulling him out gently.

Watching him now, no one would ever suspect that he's half-ThunderClan. No one would ever suspect he has kin just across the river. Stormfur envies him for it, a little bit.

"How do you like being a warrior?"

"It's great. I love the freedom; no one waking me up at the first ray of dawnlight for training, no picking fleas and ticks off the elders, no replacing bedding-"

"You can stop bragging," Hawkpaw deadpans. "I was only asking to break the awkward silence."

Stormfur cracks a grin. "Sorry." He wades into the river behind Hawkpaw, relaxing as the water soothes his muscles. "You're probably not far from your warrior assessment yourself, though. Especially with Leopardstar as your mentor, I'm sure she's just dying to get rid of you."

It's a joke but Hawkpaw's whiskers don't even twitch. "Yeah, I'm sure she is."

"I'm kidding, Hawkpaw."

"It's true, though." Hawkpaw treads water, not making a splash. "If I just up and left RiverClan I doubt she would care. I'm just a secret she has to keep, anyway. What good is a warrior that you won't let patrol Clan borders or attend Gatherings? Just a waste of fresh-kill."

Stormfur eyes Hawkpaw for a moment before asking, "You really think it's because Tigerstar is your father?"

"I know that's why." The certainty in his voice catches Stormfur off guard. "I overheard Leopardstar talking to Sasha before she 'disappeared'. Leopardstar wore her down and demanded to know who our father was; Sasha finally told her. But Sasha lied and said that Mothpaw and I didn't know that he was our father so there was no reason to take it out on us. Leopardstar agreed, but she was still furious, and she said that if Sasha still had feelings for Tigerstar, if she missed him, then she didn't have a home in RiverClan."

"So, what? Sasha said good-bye and then-"

"Nope." Hawkpaw's voice is as cold as his ice-blue eyes. "She never said anything to Mothpaw or me. Didn't even give us the opportunity to go with her. She just left."

Stormfur can't help but be reminded of Graystripe. It's not exactly the same, Stormfur understands why Graystripe was exiled from RiverClan, but he does ask, "Would you have gone with her if she'd asked you to?"

Hawkpaw shrugs, staring off into the distance. "I guess I'll never know."

Silence falls between them. Stormfur had hoped that swimming would be light-hearted fun and that it would soften Hawkpaw up, but this isn't the time for a splash war. Instead, he decides to take the plunge and hope for the best.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't give me some pity apology, Stormfur. It's not your fault that Sasha abandoned us."

"That's not what I'm apologizing for." He swallows, then says, "I'm talking about the night when I brought you to Bonehill."

Hawkpaw looks at him sharply, but he doesn't interrupt. Stormfur takes it as a sign to continue. "When we were fighting, you said that I judged you for your father the same way that Feathertail and I have been judged our entire lives, and you were right. That's exactly what I did, and I feel terrible about it. I never should have held any of Tigerstar's actions against you, or Mothpaw. I'm sorry."

Hawkpaw is staring at him still, but Stormfur can see as slowly, he begins to soften. Then he hides his face and in a quiet voice, he says, "Thank you."

"You're welcome. And if you ever need to talk to somebody who understands at least a little bit of what you're going through, you can always talk to me."

Hawkpaw opens his mouth to respond but then he closes it again. For the first time ever, Stormfur has rendered the other tom speechless. It makes him grin and he's ready to tease Hawkpaw relentlessly for it until a voice screeches,

"Help me!"

Both of their heads shoot up at the same time; the voice is coming from further down the river. Without hesitating, Stormfur pulls himself onto the shore and darts off in the direction of the voice, Hawkpaw hot on his heels.

Racing alongside the river, his heart nearly stops when he spots a limp, pale gray cat being swept away: "Dawnflower!"

She's unconscious, Stormfur realizes, panicking. He scans his surroundings wildly, searching for something, anything, useful. It's fruitless; there are no long sticks or vines that he can use to pull her to shore. Nothing on the land to help them. I'm going to have to carry her to land, Stormfur realizes.

As if reading his mind, Hawkpaw takes a flying leap and hits the river with a splash. For a moment Stormfur's heart does stop beating as Hawkpaw disappears under the current, but he pops up quickly and starts striding towards Dawnflower. Stormfur pumps his legs harder, running faster, trying to get ahead without losing sight of them.

There's a ledge that extends across the river coming up. He races towards it, leaving Dawnflower and Hawkpaw behind; he climbs onto the ledge and tenses his muscles, prepared to grab Dawnflower as she passes underneath him; his timing has to be perfect.

Each heartbeat feels like an eternity until he finally spots Dawnflower and Hawkpaw again; Hawkpaw has her across his back. "Hawkpaw!" Stormfur shouts, fighting to be heard over the rushing river. "Swim this way!"

He doesn't know if Hawkpaw can actually hear him or not, but Hawkpaw starts swimming towards Stormfur, dragging Dawnflower's unconscious body with him. Stormfur is terrified that any moment now her weight is going to pull him under and then they'll both be lost, but Hawkpaw manages to stay above water.

They're coming at him fast; Stormfur counts to three in his head before lunging and grabbing Dawnflower's scruff. He braces himself and digs his claws into the ledge as the river tries to suck him in, but he's got a good grip. He starts to heave Dawnflower out of the river and Hawkpaw is still underneath her, pushing her towards him.

Finally Stormfur pulls Dawnflower onto the ledge with him, unconscious and soaking wet but she's still breathing, at least. Hawkpaw has an easier time scrambling out of the river; he lands beside Stormfur gasping for breath. "Thanks," he manages to get out.

"Don't mention it," Stormfur pants, just as breathless. "Come on, we have to get her back to Mudfur."

By the time Mudfur emerges from his den and announces that Dawnflower is going to make a full recovery, it's dusk. Relief fills the camp as cats are able to relax; Stormfur falls against Feathertail, finally able to breath easy again.

She's steady against him as she murmurs, "You did good, Storm."

"I couldn't have done it without Hawkpaw; he jumped into the river and carried Dawnflower on his back all the way to me."

Feathertail hums and Stormfur doesn't even care about the teasing note in her voice as she replies, "It sounds like you two make a good pair."

She's not wrong, though. Hawkpaw leaped into the river the instant that Stormfur had the thought; it was like he could read his mind. Stormfur has never felt that in sync with a cat other than Feathertail before. He's too exhausted to dwell on what it means.

Mudfur sends for Stormfur a little while later. When he walks into the medicine den Dawnflower looks up at him and even though Mudfur had already said she was going to live, it's another feeling of relief entirely to see her for himself.

"Hey," he says, breathless.

"Hey yourself," Dawnflower replies, mustering a grin. "Thanks for saving my life."

"Don't mention it. What knocked you out?"

"She inhaled too much water," a different voice answers, and only then does Stormfur realize that Mothpaw is in the den, too. He's surprised to see her there, but nobody else seems to be.

Mudfur asks Mothpaw to grab Dawnflower some juniper berries, and Mothpaw knows exactly what that is. Stormfur watches her, recalling how she'd said that she started helping Mudfur with some of his chores. It seemed like his work was rubbing off on her.

Stormfur looks back at Dawnflower and asks, "Well, did you at least catch whatever you were fishing?"

"Nope, the darn trout lives to swim another day. I'll get it next time, though!" They share a laugh, and when their eyes meet again, Dawnflower's are soft. "I know you said not to mention it, but seriously, thank you."

Stormfur's skin feels warm underneath his pelt. "You're welcome, although Hawkpaw deserves most of the thanks. He swam with you on his back all the way downriver. He deserves his warrior name."

Dawnflower's eyes widen slightly. "No kidding! Bring Leopardstar in here and I'll tell her that myself!"

"I don't think that's going to be necessary," Mudfur speaks up. His eyes glitter knowingly in the dusklight. "I overheard Leopardstar talking to Emberdawn about two warrior assessments in the next few days."

"The next few days?" Mothpaw echoes, and Stormfur agrees; such an act of heroism should be enough to immediately grant a warrior name.

Mudfur looks gently at Mothpaw, and suddenly Stormfur doesn't know if they are thinking the same thing after all. "Yes, in a few days," he repeats. "If you don't feel ready to commit to being a warrior, then you need to talk to Leopardstar."

There's a conflicted expression on Mothpaw's face now. Dawnflower notices and says, "Don't stress over it, Mothpaw, I'm sure you'll do great! Emberdawn brags about you all the time."

Mothpaw just nods. Mudfur seems to understand something that Stormfur doesn't. He clears his throat and says, "Alright, that's enough for one night. Dawnflower, I'm going to keep you with me overnight just to be sure you don't develop any complications, but Stormfur, you're good to go."

He takes his cue and leaves to turn in for the night.

Hawkpaw isn't thrilled that he still has to take an assessment, but it's merely a formality; he and Mothpaw pass with flying colors. The entire Clan gathers to watch them receive their warrior names.

"Hawkpaw, from this moment on you will be known as Hawkfrost. StarClan honors your loyalty and your ambition, and we welcome you as a full warrior of RiverClan."

Hawkpaw - Hawkfrost - licks Leopardstar's shoulder when she places her muzzle on his head, and Stormfur has to remind himself that it's not time to cheer his new name just yet.

Leopardstar turns to face Mothpaw.

"I, Leopardstar, leader of RiverClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. She has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend her to you as a warrior in her turn. Mothpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

The silence stretches on longer than it should. Shadepelt begins to shift beside him; Feathertail whispers, "Did she not hear Leopardstar?"

Leopardstar raises a brow. " Ahem. Mothpaw, do you promise to-"

"I don't want to be a warrior," Mothpaw blurts out, and it's like the air is sucked out of the camp in one collective gasp. Hawkfrost spins to face his sister, shocked.

Emberdawn takes a step towards her apprentice, frowning. "Mothpaw, what's gotten into you?"

"I don't-" She flattens her ears against her head. "I thought I wanted to be a warrior but I was wrong. I want to be a medicine cat."

Leopardstar narrows her eyes. "You would have to undergo a completely different sort of training. Are you sure this is what you want?"

Mothpaw looks nervous with so much attention focused on her, but when she nods and says, "Yes, it is," Stormfur believes her.

Leopardstar looks at Mudfur. "Would you accept Mothpaw as your apprentice?"

Mudfur, old and proud, nods. "I would be honored to." A smile flits across Mothpaw's face.

"Wait one moment," Blackclaw speaks up, commanding attention. "Everybody knows how important medicine cats are to the forest; they're just as important as leaders. How can an apprentice with no Clan blood just decide to become a medicine cat?"

"What does blood have to do with anything?" Stormfur demands, hotly.

"The fact that you have to ask just proves my point," Blackclaw retorts, and the fur along Stormfur's back bristles. "Think about it: when in our history has a medicine cat not been Clan-borne?"

Silence falls upon the Clan. Even the elders can't recall such a thing. Blackclaw shrugs as if his point is proven. "Well, there you go."

"Then what do you propose, Blackclaw?" Mudfur asks with a scowl. "I'm not getting any younger. Should we force one of your kits into the position once they reach six moons?"

Blackclaw stiffens; Stormfur realizes that this is the first time anyone has publicly acknowledged Blackclaw as the father of Mistyfoot's kits. He looks across the Rockpile, where Mistyfoot is staring at Blackclaw so hard that he might combust. The entire Clan is waiting for his answer.

Then he asks, "Why don't we let StarClan decide?"

"StarClan?" Mothpaw echos, uncertain.

"That would make sense," Sedgecreek speaks up. "Medicine cats share a sacred bond with our warrior ancestors. If they approve of Mothpaw then they will send a sign to Mudfur." Sedgecreek's agreement has a ripple effect amongst their Clanmates.

"Blackclaw has a point," Heavystep rumbles. "What if StarClan refused to communicate with Mothpaw?"

"Mudfur has interpreted signs before, he knows what to look for," Skyheart adds.

Frowning, Mosspelt asks, "Is it really necessary though? ThunderClan's leader was once a kittypet, after all!"

Loudbelly shakes his head. "Medicine cats are different, though. Their connection to StarClan is unlike anything else."

Leopardstar raises her tail for silence. "Then it's settled," she decides. "If StarClan approves of Mothpaw then they will send a sign to Mudfur, and she will be allowed to train as his apprentice. Until then, however, you've already proven yourself as a warrior." She holds Mothpaw's gaze as she recites the traditional words: "Mothpaw, from this moment on you will be known as Mothwing. StarClan honors your intelligence and your honesty, and we welcome you as a full warrior of RiverClan."

She rests her muzzle on Mothwing's head. After a moment, Mothwing licks her shoulder. The Clan takes up the chant, and after such a tense ceremony, Stormfur shouts as loud as he can to make up for it. Still, he can sense the unease that's settled over the camp, and he doesn't blame either Hawkfrost or Mothwing for looking troubled.

Leopardstar decides to have Hawkfrost and Mothwing stand vigil on opposite sides of camp. Stormfur thinks she's wise to keep them apart; he hasn't seen them exchange one word since the Ceremony.

He slips past Mistyfoot after she's shown Hawkfrost to his post. "Hey."

Hawkfrost turns to him. "Hey."

"Congratulations on your name. I admit, it is pretty cool."

Hawkfrost snorts. "At least your name has meaning. Where did Leopardstar come up with 'frost'?"

"Your eyes?" Stormfur offers. It pulls a smirk from Hawkfrost.

"You like my eyes?"

"Those words have literally never left my mouth."

"No, but apparently you've noticed them before."

Stormfur rolls his eyes. "Here I am congratulating you, and you're making fun of me. This is why you don't have friends."

Hawkfrost tilts his head to the side, studying him. "We're friends, aren't we?"

Stormfur remembers the night he sat vigil and Hawkfrost had come up to congratulate him, and Stormfur had the same thought; they were friends. The thought makes something inside his chest swell. "Something like that."

"Stormfur!" Mistyfoot shouts as cats retire to their dens for the night. "Let Hawkfrost sit his vigil in silence, please!"

"Oops," Stormfur mutters. He looks back at Hawkfrost. "Good luck tonight."

"As if I'll need it," Hawkfrost snorts. "I'm just guarding the camp."

"Yeah, but you have to do it silently, and we both know that you can't keep your mouth shut for longer than a few hours."

"Stormfur!" Mistyfoot shouts again, sterner this time.

"I'm coming!" Stormfur shouts back. He looks back at Hawkfrost, who's smirking slightly at him, and Stormfur finds it difficult to leave the other tom. He wants one last word, one last moment. But he knows better than to test Mistyfoot much longer.

"Night," he says finally, reluctantly. Hawkfrost simply waves his tail, mouth clamped shut.

Mistyfoot shakes her head as Stormfur pads into the warriors' den. "For StarClan's sake, I thought I was going to have to drag you to your nest."

"I just feel bad that he has to sit vigil by himself, that's all."

Mistyfoot snorts. "Whatever you say, Stormfur."

Feathertail may have just been teasing when she said that Stormfur and Hawkfrost make a good pair, but she wasn't wrong. They work well together once they get out all of their insults and maybe a strike or two.

It's not the same feeling as being alone with Feathertail; it's not a bond built on trauma and survival and something unbreakable. He doesn't know quite know how to describe it, except that there's a familiarity with Hawkfrost that seems to have come too easily, too quickly. It's the kind of friendship that feels like it should take a lifetime to build.

Stormfur remembers when he was a kit and Graystripe would tell them stories of Firestar; a friendship as easy as breathing and as deep as the gorge and as solid as stone. A Brotherhood. Stormfur thinks that maybe Hawkfrost will be his Firestar.

He's willing to find out, at least.

"Mind if I steal you for a bit?"

Stormfur looks up. Feathertail is all smiles but he can tell when her smiles are forced and she's trying to hide something. He straightens up and says, "You're not stealing me from anyone." He starts walking nowhere in particular, just away from camp, and Feathertail follows him.

"You just have a lot of new friends now, is all."

"New friends?"

"Yeah. Whenever I go to ask you to fish with me, or swim, or just take a walk, you're always with somebody else. Hawkfrost, Mothwing, Dawnflower, even some of the senior warriors have taken a shine to you."

Stormfur looks at Feathertail. "You know, not all of our Clanmates tried to kill us."

"Nobody tried to protect us, either."

"Dawnflower was still an apprentice herself, and Hawkfrost and Mothwing weren't even with the Clan back then-"

"I know you think I should try harder to be involved with the Clan," Feathertail interrupts. "But I'm fine keeping to myself. I have you and Mistyfoot and that's enough for me."

It doesn't sound like it, Stormfur thinks. But he's been pushing Feathertail to come out of her shell for moons now and it hasn't worked. He knows that at least right now, it's not a battle worth fighting.

"If you say so. What did you want to steal me for, then?"

Feathertail's ears flick back, as if she's nervous. "I had a strange dream last night."

Stormfur blinks. "What kind of strange dream?"

"I dreamt that Oakheart visited me. He told me that I… I need to meet three cats at the new moon to listen to what midnight has to tell us."

She talks quickly, trying to get everything out at once. It takes Stormfur a few moments to process what she's said. Then he says, "Wow. That is a strange dream. Did your trout sit in the sun for t

Feathertail shoots him a look. "I'm being serious, Stormfur."

He stops. "You do believe that was just a dream, right?"

"I mean, it didn't feel like a dream."

"What do dreams feel like?" he presses.

"I don't know," she snaps. "It felt like, like I wasn't dreaming at all! And Oakheart, I mean, why would I dream about Oakheart of all cats when we never even met him? And why was that dream so specific? Three other cats? Talk about midnight? None of that makes sense!"

Dreams usually don't make much sense, Stormfur wants to point out. Feathertail is clearly annoyed, but underneath that he can tell that she's worried. The dream sounds silly to Stormfur but she truly believes it means something important. He thinks about it for a long moment, and then he asks, "You said on the new moon, right? Well, did Oakheart say where to meet these other cats?"

Feathertail shakes her head. "No, he didn't."

"Then I guess you need to figure it out."

At that, she looks back at him. Her blue eyes are wide with hope. "You believe the dream was real, then?"

"I believe that you believe it was real," Stormfur says slowly. "I don't know what to make of it, but you're a logical cat. I know you wouldn't just make something like this up."

That's good enough for Feathertail. She bumps their foreheads together, purring. "Thank you for not making me feel fish-brained."

"Of course. Just, promise to tell me before you wander off to meet these other cats, alright?"

"Promise," Feathertail purrs.

The full moon glows overhead, lighting the way for the Gathering patrol. Feathertail runs alongside him; Hawkfrost and Mothwing are behind them, practically trembling as it sinks in that they're finally about to attend their first Gathering.

"Everyone is really able to fit in Fourtrees?" Mothwing asks in disbelief.

"The hollow is huge," Stormfur confirms. "It's twice the size of camp."

Hawkfrost snorts. "Don't joke, there's no way it's twice the size of camp."

"Just wait until you see for yourself since you're such a know-it-all."

"Can you two not do this tonight?" Feathertail interrupts. "It's a night of peace, after all."

Hawkfrost sends Stormfur a smirk that makes his heart thump and says, "Lucky you."

Stormfur's retort dies on his tongue so it's a small mercy when Leopardstar kinks her tail over her back; the entire patrol falls into a crouch. In need of a distraction, Stormfur opens his mouth and sorts through all the different scents. ThunderClan and ShadowClan are already present. He exchanges a delighted look with Feathertail.

Leopardstar waves her tail and the patrol descends into the hollow in one graceful line. Stormfur and Feathertail follow Mistyfoot to the base of the Great Rock where Graystripe and Russetfur are making polite conversation about the absurd green-leaf heat. Graystripe's entire face lights up when he spots the trio.

"Stormfur, Feathertail, you're both here! And Mistyfoot- you look ready to kit any day now!"

"Don't remind me," Mistyfoot says, touching noses with Graystripe. "I had to fight to be able to attend tonight."

"She put a few cats in their places," Feathertail adds, rubbing her head against Graystripe's shoulder.

"I'm sure she did," Graystripe purrs. He takes a step back so that he can look properly at his kits. "Stars, you two look like you've gotten even taller since the last time I saw you. How is life in RiverClan?"

"It's fine," Stormfur answers.

"Don't be so humble, Stormfur," Feathertail says, turning to face Graystripe. "Did you hear that he saved one of our Clanmates from drowning?"

"Are you kidding? I found out on a passing patrol and I went right back to camp and told everybody who would listen!" Graystripe looks at Stormfur with such pride shining in his eyes that it's hard to hold his gaze. Stormfur looks down at his paws, warm all the way to the tip of his tail.

"Thanks, dad." For once, he doesn't feel the need to add that Hawkfrost did most of the work.

Hawkfrost and Mothwing, he remembers suddenly. He'd wanted to introduce the new warriors to Graystripe and Sandstorm and the rest of their friends in ThunderClan. He scans the sea of cats for their pelts but it's impossible to distinguish them.

Graystripe notices his searching. "You two go and mingle. We'll talk some more before the Gathering is over."

Feathertail goes to greet Rainwhisker and Sorreltail while Stormfur hunts for the littermates. He eventually finds them on the outskirts of the hollow. "Are you two alright?" he asks, observing their defensive body language.

"Everybody is staring at us," Mothwing mutters. "It's weird."

"You knew this would happen," Stormfur says, gently. "It's unusual for two brand new warriors to appear out of nowhere. They're just curious."

"No, they're not curious," Hawkfrost says, glaring. "They're suspicious."

"Hawkfrost, be serious. Why would they be suspicious of you?"

Hawkfrost turns his glare to Stormfur and demands, "Do we look like him?"

It takes a moment for Stormfur to realize what Hawkfrost is asking. He hesitates before answering, "In some ways, yes. He was a dark brown tabby like you, Hawkfrost, and he had amber eyes and a similar build to you, Mothwing. But lots of cats have brown tabby pelts and amber eyes!"

"But none of them are kin to Tigerstar," Hawkfrost hisses.

"Yes they are," Stormfur says, confused, before realizing. He's never told them about Brambleclaw or Tawnypelt before. Stormfur wants to take the words back as soon as he realizes, but Hawkfrost and Mothwing are staring at him so intensely that he begins to feel hot like he might combust.

"What?" Hawkfrost asks, deathly calm.

Stormfur takes a deep breath. "Yes, some of them are. Tigerstar had- has, two other kits. Another son and daughter."

If the wind picked up just a little bit it would knock Hawkfrost and Mothwing over. "He has- we have half-siblings?" Hawkfrost demands, voice low. "Stormfur, you never told us that!"

"Honestly, it never seemed important-"

"Shouldn't we be able to decide something like that for ourselves?" Mothwing asks, hotly.

"What was I supposed to say?" Stormfur huffs. "Hey, I know I just found out that Tigerstar is your father but I think you should know that you have a brother in ThunderClan and a sister in ShadowClan?"

"Yes!" Hawkfrost snaps.

"Well I'm sorry, but I didn't do that!"

Mothwing interjects, "What are their names?"

Hawkfrost starts as if he hadn't thought that far yet. He looks expectantly at Stormfur.

"Brambleclaw of ThunderClan, and Tawnypelt of ShadowClan."

"I can't believe I have a brother," Hawkfrost murmurs, and something ugly rears inside Stormfur.

"Hey, I've been looking for you three! Meet,-" Feathertail pauses as she surveys the scene. "Uh, am I interrupting something?"

"No, you're not," Stormfur says quickly, shooting the littermates a pointed look. "They're just uncomfortable being around so many strange cats."

"Yeah, that's the problem," Hawkfrost grips.

Feathertail isn't fish-brained, but she also knows better when to press for the truth. She meets Stormfur's eye before saying, carefully, "Well if you would like fewer strangers, I found Sorreltail and Rainwhisker; they're ThunderClan's newest warriors. I could introduce you to them."

Hawkfrost and Mothwing exchange looks; they weren't going to continue arguing in front of Feathertail but Stormfur knew they weren't happy with him. "Sure," Mothwing finally agrees. "Let's make some new friends, Hawkfrost."

It's an eventful Gathering. The green-leaf heat has almost completely drained WindClan's territory of water and Leopardstar grants them permission to enter RiverClan territory and drink from their streams. Blackstar stubbornly refuses to reveal if ShadowClan are facing the same trouble, but it's clear that their cats are skinner than usual. Firestar only mentions that prey is not as plentiful as in previous seasons, but he's not concerned; at least that's what he claims.

And yet Stormfur can't bring himself to focus on these reports; beside him, Hawkfrost is silent and cold. Stormfur knows that it's because of the revelation that he has half-siblings. Stormfur also knows that Hawkfrost is furious at him. Even when Leopardstar announces that RiverClan has two new warriors and Stormfur shouts their new names the loudest, Hawkfrost still refuses to look at him, instead raising his head and soaking up the attention with a proud look; Stormfur knows it's just for show.

When Hawkfrost leans towards him and finally acknowledges his presence, it's to gesture to a dark brown tabby and ask, "Is that Brambleclaw?"

Stormfur's mouth goes dry. What if he agrees and then Hawkfrost makes a scene and is never allowed to attend another Gathering? What if it's accidentally revealed that he's also a son of Tigerstar? Stormfur will be the first to admit that he silently judged Brambleclaw and Tawnypelt for their parentage for moons before finally making peace with it.

But to lie would be pointless. Hawkfrost and Brambleclaw share the same dark brown pelt, the same tabby markings. There's no denying who they inherited it from.

Stormfur nods, subtly. And then, because it's better to be as open and honest as possible now, he also points out the she-cat whispering to Brambleclaw. "That's Tawnypelt beside him."

Hawkfrost narrows his eyes slightly. "She doesn't look like me or Mothwing."

"No, she doesn't. When we lived in ThunderClan, we were told that she resembles her mother's side."

"Their mother is a tortoiseshell?"

"No, but she had a litter before those two." Before Hawkfrost can ask where those half-siblings are, Stormfur beats him to it. "They died before they became warriors."

He expects Hawkfrost to lose interest. Instead, a strange new look enters his eyes and almost to himself, Hawkfrost whispers, "Like Tadpole."

Stormfur frowns. "Who's Tadpole?"

"Who?" Mothwing asks suddenly, staring at Hawkfrost. They're starting to attract stares.

"Nobody," Stormfur says quickly.

"Nobody?" Hawkfrost repeats, somehow defensive.

"Stop," Mothwing says, her voice firm. "Don't- not here, Hawk."

Hawkfrost clamps his jaws shut so tight that Stormfur can see the tension there. Whatever, he thinks, frustrated beyond belief. Let Hawkfrost sulk like a spoiled kitten. He's so immature.

The Gathering comes to an end soon afterward. Feathertail immediately goes to say goodbye to Graystripe but Stormfur hesitates; he'd wanted to introduce Hawkfrost to Graystripe. He wanted Graystripe to know that maybe he had found his own best friend, his own Firestar.

Hawkfrost is staring intensely at Brambleclaw and Tawnypelt, as Mothwing whispers into his ear. Hawkfrost couldn't care less about meeting Graystripe.

Whatever, Stormfur thinks, angry. Whatever.

"I figured it out, Stormfur," Feathertail whispers to him on their journey home. "It's Fourtrees."

"Come again?"

"Fourtrees is the only place in the forest where Clans can come together peacefully. It must be where Oakheart wants me to meet the other cats!"

Stormfur wants to groan, You're still thinking about that dream? But Feathertail's eyes are bright with excitement, and it's been such a long time since she's been genuinely so excited about something. Stormfur doesn't have it in him to stamp this out for her.

"On the new moon, then," Stormfur says. "We'll return to Fourtrees on the new moon."

Hawkfrost is ignoring Stormfur. Hawkfrost has never ignored him before; not after their fight at Bonehill, not after Stormfur threatened to tell everyone about his father, not even after Leopardstar told the entire Clan that they snuck out of camp in the middle of the night because they were in love.

But somehow the fact that Stormfur didn't tell Hawkfrost about a pair of half-siblings justifies ignoring him. Somehow this is what crosses the line.

The longer he thinks about it the angrier he becomes until finally he can't stand it. He waits until Hawkfrost slips out of camp by himself, and then Stormfur corners him.

"Why are you ignoring me?"

Hawkfrost looks at Stormfur like he can't believe he has to ask. "You can't possibly be this fish-brained."

"So what if I didn't tell you that you have half-siblings? They're both in different Clans, anyway!"

"I know you're not trying to say that borders sever blood-ties," Hawkfrost retorts, quickly growing irritated. "Not with how you and Feathertail search Sunningrocks for your father every time you go near it."

"That's different, I actually have a relationship with Graystripe; you've never even spoken to Brambleclaw or Tawnypelt before."

"How could I, when I've never been allowed near another Clan until a few days ago?!"

Hawkfrost is coiled so tightly that he looks ready to snap, and Stormfur has to remind himself that he doesn't really want to argue; he just wants things to go back to normal. So he inhales deeply and starts over. "Look, I realize I could have told you and Mothwing about them sooner. I just- I just don't think that it's worth being this upset with me."

Hawkfrost glares at him. "Then you don't realize how much this means to me. Stormfur, there are two more cats who understand everything that Mothwing and I have gone through, they understand exactly what it's like to know that the most hated warrior is our father. They understand-"

"I thought I understood," Stormfur cuts in, and he doesn't mean to sound petulant but he can't hide it. "That's what you told me at Bonehill, that I should know better than anyone-"

"I didn't know "anyone" included a brother and sister!"

"So now what I am?" He demands. "If I don't understand you anymore if I'm not even allowed to know who Tadpole is-"

"I'll tell you what you're not," Hawkfrost snaps. "You're not my brother, Stormfur!"

Logically speaking, Hawkfrost is right. They're not brothers, they're not kin at all. Maybe they're not even friends. Maybe Stormfur was just a placeholder for Hawkfrost until he found somebody who could understand him better.

Logically speaking, Hawkfrost is right. But that's not the point right now.

"Well," Stormfur starts, the petulance and the hurt gone from his voice. "Good luck trying to get to know two cats that don't even care that you exist."

He turns around and stomps all the way to camp; Hawkfrost never tries to call out to him. Not even once.

Stormfur and Hawkfrost don't speak again after that. His Clanmates tease him, ask if they're having their first lovers' spat, and Stormfur wants to tell everybody who shoots him a knowing smirk that Hawkfrost is the son of Tigerstar, and the brother to Brambleclaw and Tawnypelt, and the only reason that Stormfur didn't correct Leopardstar that night is that he didn't think that Hawkfrost and Mothwing deserved to be chased out of RiverClan.

And now the only thing stopping Stormfur from revealing the truth is that he still thinks Mothwing doesn't deserve to be chased out.

Stormfur actually comes to look forward to this meeting at Fourtrees, even if he still thinks Feathertail just ate some bad fresh-kill before going to sleep; it helps that Feathertail is looking forward to it too and is less reclusive. It's nice to see her look happy, even if it's just until they're the only ones to show up on the new-moon.

Stormfur stares.

Brambleclaw of ThunderClan, Tawnypelt of ShadowClan, and Crowpaw of WindClan stare back at him.

You have got to be kidding me.

If you don't want to wait for updates here, I suggest reading my works on AO3, since that's where I update first. FAB is a couple of chapters ahead over there!

Drop a review and let me know if you enjoyed this chapter!