DarkMoss grabbed a vole out of the fresh kill pile. She picked it up and carried it over near the entrance, to where Silverpatch and Patch was waiting. Patch was sharing a squirrel with Silverpatch. The prey pile was slowly losing how full it was every day, but not enough to be concerned yet.
"Good morning Silverpatch, Patch." DarkMoss greeted. She laid down next to Silverpatch. She glanced over at Patch, then back over to DarkMoss.
"Good morning DarkMoss." Patch said in a normal matter, not trying to pull some game for once. What is he planing, he's never like this. DarkMoss thought.
"DarkMoss, I need to tell you something. Well, we, I guess." Silverpatch stated after a moment.
"Go ahead, I'm listening." DarkMoss swallowed a bite of her vole, waiting for Silverpatch to tell her whatever it was.
"I'm expecting kits." Silverpatch quietly mumbled.
"That's awesome!" DarkMoss responded louder than she would've liked. "When are you due?" DarkMoss asked.
"Blacktip thinks about two moons, maybe a moon and a half." Patch told her.
"That's too long! I bet they'll be adorable."
"I think I'll move to the queen's den in a few more days. It's going to be so lonely!" Silverpatch rolled onto her side, looking up a DarkMoss.
"I'll visit you as much as I can, I promise." DarkMoss told her.
"Why can't you have kits? They can grow up as litter-mates!" Silverpatch stared at DarkMoss with pleading eyes.
"I don't want kits though." DarkMoss laid her head on Silverpatch's shoulder.

"Maybe this would mean that Patch would quit calling me 'sweetheart'." Silverpatch glared at Patch.
"Patch stop tormenting my friend." Silverpatch told him.
"It's not my fault DarkMoss can't get along with me." Patch defended himself.
"Can't you guys get along for once in your lives?"
"That's impossible." DarkMoss added. She looked up, small snow flakes were slowly drifting down. The snow had melted a day after Coontail had died, which that was about a quarter moon ago. Blazefire wasn't taking the death of his brother well at all. He barely ate and only left his nest for a bit of hunting every day. The new deputy was Branchwalker, a black and white tom. DarkMoss thought Ashstar could have done a better job at choosing a deputy though.

"Hang on, you couldn't have just figured it out now, so when did you know?" DarkMoss asked, cutting Patch off from whatever he was going to say.
"About a moon ago." Silverpatch answered.
"Why didn't you tell me?" DarkMoss begged.
"I'm leaving the clan." DarkMoss was surprised by Blazefire's voice.
"What?" Silverpatch, Patch and DarkMoss spoke at the same time.
"I can't take it anymore. Everywhere I look, all I see is dead memories. It's just tearing me apart." Blazefire explained.
"We're coming with him." Fox informed the shocked cats. Sootnose stood at his side.
"Will you be back?" DarkMoss asked. With a sigh, Sootnose answered.
"To visit, but we'll probably never stay."
"Dose Ashstar even know?" Silverpatch asked.

"No, not yet. I didn't want her trying to talk me out of it." Blazefire responded.
"Dose anyone else know?" Patch asked. Blazefire just shook his head.
"I guess this is goodbye. Good luck with the kits, Silverpatch." Blazefire held his head low.
"I'll visit in a moon or so." Sootnose said after a moment of silence.
"Come on guys, let's get going. I have a place in mind, but it's kind of far away."
"Bye DarkMoss, Silverpatch and Patch. I hope StarClan lights your path." Fox nodded in agreement after Sootnose's statement.

With a sigh, DarkMoss wished them well and tried to get them to stay. As DarkMoss had expected, they left shortly after. DarkMoss quickly finished her vole in silence.
"How about a final hunting patrol?" Patch broke the silence. Large fluffy snowflakes started to come down heavy. Silverpatch looked at the snow, almost looking as though she would say no. After a moment of her debating, she stood up and stretched. Patch was up in a heartbeat and DarkMoss stood up and stretched as well.

***

"Dawnpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code, even at the cost of your life?" Ashstar called out. It was just the night after Silverpatch had told DarkMoss about her kits, and when Blazefire left the clan.
"Yes." Dawnpaw answered.
"Then from now on, your name will be Dawnwhisker. I hope StarClan lights your path. Clan dismissed." Ashstar jumped off of high rock as the rest of the warriors scattered into groups or headed to their nests. DarkMoss, Patch and Silverpatch has only caught a vole, two mice and nearly had a squirrel. Randomly, they had bumped into the boarder patrol with Aquaspear and Brambletail in it.

"It's going to be boring with out you on patrols." DarkMoss told Silverpatch once they were snuggled up in their nests. Thistle was already asleep, Sootnose's, Fox's and Blazefire's nests where all empty. Brambletail and Aquaspear where talking to each other about something, DarkMoss was too tired to east drop on them though.

"I know, I know. That's why I think you and Thistle need to have kits though! They'd be so cute!" Silverpatch whispered.
"I've probably told you this hundreds of times. I. Don't. Want. Kits."
"Why?" DarkMoss was surprised that she couldn't come up with an answer.
"I just don't want any." She said after a moment.
"Are you sure?" Patch added in randomly.
"I thought you were asleep." DarkMoss looked over at the grey tom, his fur looking black, especially where it's a darker grey.
"Let's just go to sleep." Silverpatch nestled down in her nest, covering her face with her tail.
"Yeah, Patch." DarkMoss smirked.
"Shut up!" DarkMoss felt someone kick her back. She looked behind her awkwardly. She saw the faint pattern of Aquaspear's white and grey pelt.

DarkMoss stirred from her sleep. Someone had gotten up and nearly tripled over her. She saw the moon-lit clearing and a cat outline went by DarkMoss. The ever so familiar scent of Thistle wafted around her. She was curious on where he was going, but it could wait until the morning.