A/N

I'm excited for this chapter because you guys will finally see why Moonlight attacked Stormheart, which caused her to get exiled from SilverClan! And some new characters are introduced..what will you think about those?

Dawn winced as a yowl sounded through camp. Smallfoot had just started kitting, and Nutspring was pacing outside of the nursery, his green eyes blazing with urgency.

"Aren't you glad we don't have to go through that?" Crow asked, nuzzling Dawn with her cheek.

Dawn nooded. "Yeah, that's for sure," she agreed.

Smokefern hurried out of the nursery and into the medicine den; the mates watched as the smoky grey she-cat returned with dark, jagged leaves in her mouth.

"Raspberry leaves," Crow noted. "Great."

They waited for what seemed like forever, and then suddenly the yowls cut off. Nutspring pushed past Whitestorm into the den, ignoring the white-furred warrior's growl to stay out.

Willownose padded out, her dark-furred head bent in tiredness.

"All good?" Dawn checked.

"Yes, three healthy kits," Willownose replied. "You can go in and see them."

Crow sprang up and practically ran to the den. Dawn followed more slowly after her mate.

Inside, Smallfoot was licking three kits that were nestled in her belly while Nutspring wove around her, purring.

One was a small, golden brown tortoiseshell with a split face, onside orange tabby, and the other black spots. Another was a fully golden brown one, with slightly darker ears and tail, while the last was a smoke grey with darker stripes.

"Welcome, kits," Crow purred. "They're very cute," she mewed to Smallfoot. The queen's eyes glowed with happiness and pride.

Nutspring curled around his mate and Dawn turned away to check on her own new litter.

Her new kits had been found on the border by a patrol, and were given to the Dawn and Crow to nurse. Dawn whipped back to Smallfoot as she started talking about names.

"She looks like a honeycomb," the queen murmured to Nutspring, pointing to the golden brown one.

"So Honeykit?" Nutspring asked.

Smallfoot nodded, and Crow seconded the decision with a nod.

"And I think Rainkit for this one," he continued, pointing to their grey tom.

Smallfoot pointed to the tortoiseshell. "I want to name her Bellakit. I've always liked that name."

Nutspring purred loudly. "Perfect!"

"Great names," Dawn noted.

"Thanks, Dawn," Smallfoot murmured, and then her eyes closed and her breathing slowed.

Dawn purred as her kits came up to her.

"She kitted!" Kestrelkit squeaked. "Can we play with them?"

Dawn shook her head. "They're too small," she cautioned. "I'll go play outside with you if you wish."

Tail lashing, Brightkit scurried outside, the rest of them following her.

"Let's play moss-ball," Crow invited, padding up to them with a moss-ball snagged on her claws.

Swiftkit tried to reach it, but Crow tossed it to Dawn and the kits scampered towards her. Dawn flung it to Kestrelkit, and eagerly, he stretched up and caught it, then promptly toppled over. Brightkit ran to him and snatched the moss away. She ran around while Swiftkit tried to take it from her, then tossed it to Crow. They continued like that for some time.

*four moons later*

"Kestrelkit, you are old enough to become an apprentice. Dawn, you have great skills that I hope you will pass on to Kestrelpaw."

Her eyes shining, she walked forward and touched noses with the tabby tom.

"Brightkit, you are also old enough to become an apprentice. Breezefang, you have great knowledge that I hope you will pass on to Brightpaw."

The small she-cat padded forward and touched noses with the black and grey tom.

"Swiftkit, you are also old enough to become an apprentice. Lilyheart, I expect you to pass on your skills to Swiftpaw."

Ashstar sprang off the Boulder as Lilyheart touched noses with her apprentice and cheers rang out.

"Kestrelpaw! Brightpaw! Swiftpaw! Kestrelpaw! Brightpaw! Swiftpaw!" the Clan yowled.

Kestrelpaw turned his face up to Dawn. "Can we explore the territory with Brightpaw and Swiftpaw?" he pleaded.

"Of course," Lilyheart mewed. "Let's go."

Dawn laughed at the apprentices' awe of the forest, Brightpaw was the adventurous one and kept pestering Breezefang if she could climb a tree, and the black tom looked overwhelmed. Swiftpaw was very observant and listened raptly to what the calico she-cat told him. Kestrelpaw was a mix of both and could be quiet when he wanted to.

They traveled to the north border and saw the GoldenClan border, they even saw a patrol, but they caused no trouble. They walked to the east border and saw the MarbleClan border. There they also saw a patrol, who started bristling at them, but said nothing. They walked to the south border, and saw two rouges on their territory, which Dawn, Lilyheart, and Breezefang quickly fought off. They walked home slowly and silently along the Twopawplace border, until Brightpaw mewed, "What is it like to be a kittypet?"

"You'll have to ask Petalstripe," Lilyheart told her sternly. "SilverClan warriors shun the easy life of a kittypet, but when they want to become warriors, they may."

Brightpaw nodded. "Okay!"

Suddenly a fluffy ginger tom leaped up onto the fence they were padding next to, a black and white tom right behind him.

"Hey there, Clan cats," the ginger one mewed. "Catch anything?"

"Jasper, can't you see they didn't?" the other one mewed, giving a purr.

"Yeah, I do, Oreo," he mewed.

Lilyheart growled.

Dawn tried to leap up to them, snarling, but fell back as Jasper pushed her off.

"We don't always hunt, you mouse-brain!" she snarled.

"Oh, you don't?" Jasper mewed. "What do you do then? Sun yourselves?"

Lilyheart gave a growl of exasperation. She leaped up on the fence to balance next to them, and Oreo took a step back at her bristling fur and outstretched claws.

"Anyways, we didn't come here to taunt you," Jasper continued.

Breezefang gave a snort of disbelief. "Yeah, right! Seems to be the only thing you're doing!!"

Jasper ignored him. "Where's Petal? Did you steal her?" he hissed.

"No!" Kestrelpaw spoke up.

Breezefang gave him a cuff around the ear. "No, we didn't," he mewed. "She wanted to become a warrior, so we let her. She's Petalstripe now."

Oreo shrank back as Dawn leaped up beside Lilyheart.

"Um...Jasper?" he mewed.

Jasper sneered at the she-cats. "This should be easy."

"Yeah right," Dawn smirked.

She kicked out at him and he toppled down, on the forest side of the fence. Breezefang fell onto him, his claws ripping gashes in his shoulders.

"Apprentices, do you want to try?" he asked them.

Swiftpaw shook his head, but Brightpaw stepped forward and unsheathed her claws. She gave him a blow to the chest and yowling, he struggled to his paws and jumped up onto the fence again.

"Fine then! Bye!" he yowled, and raced away, after Oreo.

"And don't come back!" Brightpaw screeched after him.

The next few days passed in a blur. Smallfoot's kits opened their eyes and started playing outside of the nursery. Honeykit had green eyes like her mother, Bellakit had amber eyes, and Rainkit had bright blue eyes that showed hints of turning yellow with age.

Dawn was sharing tongues with Crow when Honeykit bounded up, her littermates in tow. No doubt she was the leader of the group.

"Attack!" she squeaked.

Bellakit launched herself at Dawn and laughing, the calico shook her off. Rainkit nipped Crow's tail, she crumpled to the ground as he swarmed onto her back.

Honeykit attacked both of them, once Crow admitted defeat she turned to Dawn and sank her needle-sharp teeth into her foot.

"Ouch," Dawn exclaimed. "I'm a big, hungry GoldenClan warrior, then, and I'm going to eat you!"

Rainkit and Bellakit crouched next to the golden-brown kit, then launched themselves at her.

Dawn let her head rest on the grass as the kits crouched on top of her.

"You've won!" she protested. "Enough!"

Bellakit looked at her. "Are you sure?"

"Yes," Dawn purred.

Bellakit clambered off her.

Suddenly, a snide voice sounded above her.

"Imagine being so weak you've been beaten by kits!"

Dawn scrambled to her paws and Crow took a step closer to her. Needleflight was standing there, Streampelt right behind her. The pale tom looked apprehensive.

"Anyways," Needleflight continued. "I wanted to tell you that Streampelt and I are mates now. And we both have our warrior names, unlike you two!"

"How is that something to brag about?" Crow growled, shaking her head. "Leave me alone, sis."

Needleflight thrust her face forward. "I'll make you pay," she hissed. "I'll get my revenge."

Crow rolled her eyes as the she-cat flounced away. "As if she already hasn't done enough."

Dawn and Crow could hear what Needleflight told her new mate as she walked away, mostly due to the fact that the aloof she-cat spoke loudly for anyone ten fox-lengths away to hear. "Come on, honey, they're not worth our attention."

Crow turned to Dawn, confused. "Isn't Streampelt mates with Acornleaf?"

"Yeah, I thought he was, too!" Dawn answered. "Let's go talk to her."

The two walked up to Acornleaf, her tabby pelt shining in the sun.

"Hello!" The she-cat greeted them with a friendly smile.

"Greetings," the two replied, dipping their heads in a polite greeting. Dawn shuffled her paws. "How are you and...Streampelt?"

Acornleaf's gaze clouded. "We had a fight, but I'm sure we'll be good soon," she mewed, gazing at the ground.

"So, you don't know about Needleflight?" Crow blurted out.

Dawn gave her a sharp glare.

"No, what about her?" the tabby asked, genuinely confused.

"Oh my StarClan - Crow, come here -" Dawn pulled her mate away and they clambered behind the warriors' den.

"She doesn't know that Needleflight stole Streampelt!" Dawn hissed rapidly, aware of the confused glance that the older she-cat was giving her. "We have to do something!"

"I know, but what can we do? We don't want to make Acornleaf unhappy!" Crow seethed. "I hate Needleflight so much!"

"Let's go talk to Streampelt," Dawn decided.

They found him in drinking water from the stream.

"Hi!" Dawn crossed over to him. "Do you still like Acornleaf?"

The pale furred warrior raised his head, muzzle dripping with water.

"Yes," he mewed wearily. "Needleflight heard our fight and barged in on us. She thought we were over for life, but I still want to be with Acornleaf."

"You should tell her that," Crow advised. "She wants to be with you too, and she doesn't know about Needleflight and you yet."

Streampelt looked relieved. "Okay, thanks."

Dawn and Crow watched as Streampelt leaped across the stream to Acornleaf and mew something to her. A moment later, they intertwined their tails and purred. They were back together, and Needleflight had not succeeded.

Unknown she-cat's POV

Darkness fell, and a black and white she-cat walked through the dark woods. Her paws floated over leaves that would otherwise be loud and notify those around her of her presence. She breathed in the chilly air and winced as the cold stabbed her skin, like small needles of ice. She came to a clearing, where the silvery moonlight danced on the ground in patches, similar to the ones on her pelt.

Her eyes narrowed and glisend in the dark and she could make out the shape of a cat hiding in the brush.

"You can't hide from me, we had an agreement, come here!" the she-cat snarled, her fur bristling.

"Oh, for the love of all evil, give me a moment!" The cat shouted back.

The she-cat huffed and rolled her eyes. "Fine, but if you make me wait too long this is called off!"

At these words, a completely black cat prowled out of the bush.

"Hello," it growled.

The cat had deep yellow eyes and a scar running down from above their left eye to the bottom of her muzzle. They had another one running down their flank, almost mirroring her own.

"You say you need BoneClan's help," the black cat meowed with a chuckle. "I guess the mighty NightClan isn't so mighty after all!"

The she-cat suppressed a growl, she needed this cat on her side."Yes, yes, haha. We've come here to discuss terms of our treaty, not make jokes like kits."

The cat nodded. "Fine, here are my terms: Our clan isn't attacked, even though we could kill you all), we get exactly half the land you take, I will still be the leader of my clan, and if you try to take any of my power, we have the right to attack and end the treaty."

The she-cat took a deep breath. "That's a lot," she snarled in annoyance.

"Do you want BoneClan on your side or not?" The cat replied, with a hint of amusement.

The she-cat closed her eyes, clearly defeated. "Fine! But BoneClan has to move closer, so we could find an area for the two Clans to live together. Of course you will still lead your Clan, and I will lead mine."

The cat agreed. "Sounds good, you guys will find the area and we will move there. Now I have a question for you," The black cat meowed, staring intently at the she-cat.

"What?"

"Why do you hate these Clans so much?" the cat, Stone, asked. "And what's your plan?"

The she-cat's lips pulled back into an evil smile as she explained her plan. "A certain she-cat stole my mate from me, so I attacked her. My mate was blinded by her beauty. I figured if she was dead, he would snap out of it and I would have my mate back. My Clan took my noble actions as acts of a traitor and turned against me. They gave me most of the scars I have! So I planned my revenge, I attacked their camp, but then my mother came up to me. I am not cruel enough to attack my own mother so I left, but they had killed my loyal deputy and mate! Their leader is on their last life and I plan to take it from her. Then I will attack their deputy, and rule them all. It will be the worst time of their lives!"

Stone smiled. "I like this idea!"

"Yes, a she-cat like you would understand my pain," the she-cat replied.

Stone drew back their lips. "Oh no, I'm not a she-cat,"

"Oh sorry, a tom like you would understand" the she-cat corrected.

"I'm not a tom!"

"Then what are you?" The she-cat asked

"Neither. I am just a cat. There is no gender in my clan, some cats can have kits and others can't, that has nothing to do with their morals or lives. We are just skin and bones." Stone explained.

"Oh," The black and white she-cat mewed, obviously a bit confused. "Could I still refer to you as She?"

"Absolutely not! I don't call you he, do I? Just use they or them!" Stone growled. "Now, we have some cats to kill, do we not?" their fur smoothed and they looked terrifying.

The she-cat dipped her head. "Just make sure you don't kill my mate. His name is Riverstorm and he is a big, blue-furred cat."

"We'll see about that," Stone smirked, and purring at the she-cat's appalled expression, disappeared like a shadow into the brush.

AH! It's DONE! What did you think of this book? Who do you think the she-cat is, and what is she planning with Stone? What do you think of the kits, and why do you think Needleflight is so...I don't have a word lol...obnoxious! Anyway, I'll see everyone in the third book!