So this is going to be a long note, but it should set the background.

This is basically a "What is Leaf and Crow stayed together" AU. Basically they run off, the badgers never attack, and two months later, Holly, Jay, and Lion are born.

The story is set when the Three are six moons old. A key difference is that Hollyleaf is one of the Three. I've got a pretty good idea about her power, but it's up for change. Another difference is that Cinderpelt is still alive, because she's my baby.

This fic will mainly focus on gen relationships (friends, family…), but I might decide on including romantic relationships later involving the main characters. They will, however, not be the main focus of the fanfiction.

Anyways, I haven't read past the Last Hope, so a lot of my information is from the wonderful Warriors Wiki.

Thank you, and enjoy!

(Warrior Cats belongs to Erin Hunter, not me. I am a fan producing non-commercial fanwork.)

"We should practice what we're going to say when we get to ThunderClan," Hollypaw says, as the three of them walk past a sunny clearing.

Lionpaw groans, his paws scuffling the ground. "We've done that like three hundred times already."

"Eleven times," Hollypaw says, flicking her tail at him. "Besides, it's always better to get more practice in."

Jaypaw rolls his eyes. His sister is precise and organized at the best of times, but borderline obsessive at the worst of times. "Oh, for StarClan's sake, why are we even bothering?" he asks. "It's probably not even going to go according to your script, anyway."

"But…" Hollypaw's voice trails off.

"But?" Jaypaw prompts.

"But we get there tomorrow. What if we mess up? What if they hate us? What if they don't want us? What will we do, then?" The black she-cat sounds like she is close to tears. With a pang, Jaypaw realizes how hard this journey has been on his sister, who always holds herself to perfection.

Lionpaw sighs. "Hollypaw, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it."

She shakes her head. "But I don't ever want to cross that bridge."

Jaypaw can feel the sharp waves of distress rolling off of Hollypaw, cutting into him. He hates seeing her like this, out of control and scared. Hollypaw is his sister, and no matter how much he doesn't want to go through the script again, he wants her to be her usual happy, confident self. So he takes a deep breath and gives her a lick on the ear. "If it makes you feel better," he says, "we'll go through the script one more time."

"But just once," Lionpaw says quickly.

As they start to rehearse for the twelfth time, Jaypaw feels a sudden surge of affection for his littermates deep in his chest.

That night, while the three cats curl around each other in their makeshift nest, he can hear sounds all around him — the rustling of the leaves, the chirping of the crickets, and the occasional hoot of an owl. The air is crisp and cool, with just a light breeze that feels wonderful on one's fur. It is a picturesque green-leaf night, one full of beauty and life, but there is tension in the air. He can sense it in the way that Hollypaw's black pelt presses tightly to her body, and in the way that Lionpaw cannot stop shifting in the nest.

"Stop moving," Jaypaw says. "I'm trying to sleep."

With a burst of satisfaction, he feels the shifting cease. Closing his eyes, he tries his best to slip into sleep, but his attempt is unsuccessful, because after a few moments, Lionpaw begins fidgeting again.

"Lionpaw," Jaypaw says, irritated. "If you keep doing that, I'll claw you."

The golden tom sighs. "I can't sleep," he says, his words muffled by the damp bracken of the nest.

"What's wrong?" Hollypaw's voice is soft and slightly slurred with sleep.

"I just—" Lionpaw trails off, hesitating. "I just miss Leafpool and Crowfeather."

Jaypaw rolls over and closes his eyes. As much as he doesn't want to admit it, he also misses his parents. He misses Leafpool's warm amber eyes and soft pelt, the way he and his littermates would bury themselves in her silky fur as she told them stories. He misses Crowfeather's steady presence, and the way that the dark gray tom would play with his kits, teaching them new things every day. There is so much I miss, Jaypaw thinks. Was it worth it, leaving it all behind?

"I miss them, too," Hollypaw says, wrapping her tail around Lionpaw. "But this is what we've always wanted, isn't it? We begged them for moons to let us see the Clans one day. And this — this is our chance to journey somewhere new. This is an adventure. Aren't you excited?"

"I guess," Lionpaw says. "But what if we get to the Clans and they don't like us?"

"Then we go back," Jaypaw says. "It's mousebrained to stay where we're not wanted."

"Do you think we'll see Squirrelflight and Sandstorm and Firestar and all of Leafpool's family in ThunderClan?" Hollypaw asks, her green eyes bright.

Jaypaw ponders her words. He knows his mother has kin — kin that she left behind when she sacrificed everything to leave the Clans with his father. She told them stories about her family when they were kits, and he and his littermates never tired of hearing about their grandfather's battle against BloodClan, or about the journey to the sun-drown place. But never has these kin seemed so close, so in reach, and it scares him.

"Do you think Leafpool misses them?" Lionpaw asks.

"Misses who?" Jaypaw prompts.

"Her parents. Her sister." Lionpaw says. "She left them behind to have us."

"Don't be stupid," Hollypaw says. "Of course she does. But they probably miss her, too. And they'll be happy to see us, because they'll know she's okay."

Would they really? Jaypaw wonders. Would they welcome them with open arms, or would they resent them — resent the reminders of their daughter's abandonment?

"We're almost seven moons old," Hollypaw continues. "Isn't it time we have some adventures of our own?"

Jaypaw buries his face in his sister's soft flank. "I'm fine with whatever adventures we have as long as we don't have to go through the script again."

"Seriously." Lionpaw nods in agreement. "It's so boring."

Hollypaw sighs. "I'm sorry. I just want this to be perfect."

"We don't need a script for it to be perfect," Lionpaw says. "We have me, and you know how absolutely perfect I am."

"Oh, please." Jaypaw rolls his eyes. "You act and smell like a badger."

"Shut up, Jaypaw."

For a moment, there is silence as the three cats ponder the great adventure that is ahead of them.

"Let's get some sleep." Hollypaw's voice sounds suddenly, soft and tired. She curls herself tightly around her brothers. "We'll get there by tomorrow, and we need all the strength we can."

Jaypaw feels Lionpaw's body press into his back, and Hollypaw's warm fur tickle his flank. He'll never admit it, but moments like these with his siblings are the ones he most enjoys. No matter how infuriating Hollypaw and Lionpaw can be, they're his littermates and nothing can change that. What would I do without them? he thinks to himself, whiskers twitching.

Closing his eyes, he falls asleep to the soft sounds of his littermates' breathing.

"This is it," Hollypaw whispers, as the three of them stand on top of the boulder overlooking the landscape. "We're here."

"We are?" Lionpaw cranes his neck to take in the view below them.

Jaypaw rolls his eyes. "Of course we are. The lake is literally right in front of us."

"But you can't see."

"But you can," Jaypaw retorts. "Honestly, Lionpaw, pay attention."

"Anyway," Hollypaw says, interrupting her brothers, "Leafpool said that the ThunderClan border is just past those clumps of trees. I say we go over there and wait for a patrol to pick us up."

"Why don't we just go into the territory?" Lionpaw asks. "There's more of a chance we'll run into a patrol."

"I'm sure ThunderClan would just be falling over with joy to welcome three strange cats who trespassed on their territory." Jaypaw says, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"That's why we wait at the border," Hollypaw says. "To show respect."

Jaypaw hears Lionpaw grumble something under his breath about bossy littermates, but he ignores him. Instead, he takes a moment to take in his surroundings. The air is fresh and crisp, and he relishes in the way the wind brushes his fur. Around him, there is the woody scent of the forest, and he feels right at home.

Of course. Because this is where his mother is from. The forest is in his blood. It flows through his veins, rejuvenating him in a way he doesn't understand.

"It's beautiful." Hollypaw's voice echoes his thoughts. "It's just like Leafpool told it."

"It's like we're coming home," Lionpaw says, taking in the view around him. "Except this isn't really our home."

"Maybe it will be, one day," Hollypaw says offhandedly, though Jaypaw can sense her excitement in the air. She is trying not to have hope, he realizes, so it will not be shattered by whatever comes next. He knows that he should do the same, but he cannot quell the excitement that is rising up within him.

They wait by the ThunderClan border until the sun has almost set, until the sky is streaked by violets and yellows and oranges. By this time, Jaypaw is tired of waiting, and Lionpaw will not stop pacing the clearing, and Hollypaw jumps at every little sound she hears. He begins to think that maybe ThunderClan is not going to come, maybe they are in the wrong place, maybe it doesn't matter because the Clans won't want them anyhow —

"This isn't working," Lionpaw says, as the sky grows dimmer, as the sounds of the night begin to set in. "Should we come back tomorrow?"

Jaypaw's paws ache and his body is begging him to eat, to rest. But he does not yield to this desire. "Just a little longer," he insists.

Lionpaw huffs. "Fine."

Just when he is about to give up, to admit defeat and find shelter for the night, a rustling noise sounds in the underbrush.

Hollypaw leaps forward, careening into him in her surprise. Her eyes that were half-closed from exhaustion just moments earlier are wider than it has ever been. "They're here," she hisses to Jaypaw, pressing herself close to him anxiously.

Jaypaw smells the mingled scents of several different cats — three or four, he estimates. He cannot see them, but he knows they are there. They smell woody and earthy, like the forest, like Leafpool. These cats, he realizes, are his kin, bonded to him in more ways than one.

"Who are you, and why are you at our border?" masculine voice sounds across the clearing. He can smell the apprehension in the air, coming from both the ThunderClan cats and his littermates.

"Hollypaw," Lionpaw hisses, "You're not supposed to tell strange cats your name."

"Oh, good job, Lionpaw!" Hollypaw says sarcastically. "They definitely don't know our names now!"

Jaypaw wants to smack both his littermates over the head with his tail to knock some sense into them, but he doesn't get the chance. For he senses the cats moving towards them, in front of them, to examine them more closely.

"Wait." This time a different voice sounds. It is higher-pitched, coming from a she-cat. "You three have Clan names?"

"Are they ShadowClan? Can we drive them off, Squirrelflight?" asks a younger voice, one that is flying with excitement.

"No, Mousepaw, not so fast," replies the she-cat (Squirrelflight — this is his mother's sister, his kin).

"Who are you?" asks the first cat — the older tom. "Are you from the Clans?"

Jaypaw's tongue feels like it is glued to the top of his mouth in his anxiety. He cannot speak to defend or explain himself. Briefly, he curses himself for being so useless.

Luckily, Hollypaw — brave, responsible Hollypaw — is ready for this. She stands up straight and clears her throat, expressing an aura of confidence. "We're not from a Clan," she answers, keeping her voice steady and calm in a way that Jaypaw has to marvel at. "But we want to join ThunderClan."

"Then why do you have apprentice names?" Mousepaw, the young tom, asks. "Have you been spying on us?"

"Of course not," Hollypaw says, pressing herself against Jaypaw for stability. "Our parents gave these names to us when we turned six moons old."

"Your parents?" Squirrelflight prompts.

Your sister, your family, your kin, Jaypaw wants to scream at this cat who is so unfamiliar but is connected to him in so many ways that she is unaware of. But he restrains himself, instead choosing to say a simple, "Our parents were from the Clans."

"Really?" the tom asks, his voice laced with disbelief. "How do we know you aren't lying to us?"

"Calm down, Spiderleg," Squirrelflight says, to Jaypaw's relief. "Let's hear them out first."

"So you're not ShadowClan?" Mousepaw interrupts excitedly. Jaypaw can feel the young tom's entire body vibrating with energy. "Are you joining the Clan? Oh, I can't wait to tell Berrypaw and Hazelpaw about this!"

"Mousepaw," Spiderleg says warningly, fixing the apprentice with a glare.

"Sorry."

Squirrelflight turns to the three cats, moving closer. At this point, her scent is so strong and it reminds Jaypaw of Leafpool so much that his heart aches with longing. He feels Lionpaw's shivering pelt brush his, and he lets his brother lean against him and seek comfort.

"Who are your parents?" Squirrelflight asks. Her voice is serious and anxious. Jaypaw can feel the eagerness radiating off of her in waves, but there is something else. It is bright and warm and fleeting, and he realizes it is hope. He wonders if she knows, if she suspects, that her sister is still alive and well, her legacy carried on the three half-grown kits standing in front of her.

He nudges Hollypaw, because she is their voice, the one who speaks for them. But for once, his sister is without words as she gazes into the burning intensity of Squirrelflight's eyes.

"Who?" Squirrelflight repeats, and Jaypaw can feel her desperation.

"Our parents," Hollypaw says matter-of-factly, as if she is ignorant to the impact this will have on everything. "Are Leafpool and Crowfeather."

And then the world goes silent.

Please remember to review with your feedback/suggestions! It would mean a lot to me!

- likeaprilskies