Amberkit sighed loudly and took a swipe at Duskkit, who lunged back in pain. Darkstorm hissed at them. "Stop it!" she ordered. "We are near our destination, I can feel it. But I don't want anyone else dying or getting hurt, do you hear me?" Duskkit nodded.

"Okay, sorry," she mewled. Amberkit said nothing, giving his littermate a glare. 

"You haven't even opened your eyes yet. You can't make promises!" Duskkit flattened her white ears.

"I know, I know!" she wailed, and Darkstorm instantly felt ashamed. I'm too harsh, they're just kits! "I know. It's been several moon-highs since we were born. And Mama isn't back yet, she's still asleep." Amberkit snorted.

"Do you know what dead means?" he asked, flicking his claws in and out. I have to sto- I can't. They have to know sooner or later, and if I try to stop Amberkit, Duskkit will know something is up. Wait... how does Amberkit know what death is? And does he know that Shellstripe is dead? A furious amber gaze entered her mind, and she shoved it aside. He wouldn't do that. She watched silently, regretfully, as Amberkit went on.

"Dead means that a cat is asleep, and will never wake up." Amberkit giggled, and closed her eyes.

"I'm dead, I'm dead! New game! Coralfall's kits will play it with us when they're born, too!" Amberkit snarled.

"Mouse-brain! Our Mama is dead! There are ways to die, of old age, of sickness, or of someone- or something- killing you." He stalked closer to the frightened kit. "An eagle killed her." 

"You mean... She'll really never-"

"She's dead, Stupidkit!" Amberkit yowled, lashing his tail angrily. "And it's their fault!" He swept his tail again, gesturing to the gathering cats. "They didn't save her!" Duskkit stepped back, stumbling into the wall, and Darkstorm remembered that she was less than a moon old.

"Is it true?" Duskkit squeaked, sniffing at Darkstorm. She sighed.

"Yes. Your mother is dead. But it isn't anyone's fault," the black she-cat added quickly. "And we care about you. You're not alone." Duskkit scrambled back, her eyes peeling open. Darkstorm scrambled back now. The kit's eyes had two colours, and ones unheard of in cats. They were each blue-violet, with silver specks. Duskkit batted at her face suddenly.

"It hurts!" she yowled, her fur spiking. "It hurts! It burns!" Shadeflight rushed over, sniffing her.

"Something's wrong." He swiped a cobweb from an old tree and put it on her eyes, licking them closed. He's still a medicine cat, even without his sight, Darkstorm realized. She shook her head; this wasn't the time.

"It hurts,"

"Does this help?" Shadeflight put more cobwebs and applied pressure, and Duskkit darted back.

"No!" she screeched. "It hurts! Stop it! Help me!" Coralfall sucked in a breath and ran to the white she-kit, licking her eyes open. "That's good," Duskkit breathed. Coralfall suddenly yowled, doubling over, and Mosstail licked her head.

"Coralfall?" His mew rose in horror. "Coralfall!" She was panting and screeching.

"Her kits," Snarlfang mewed. "They're too early!" He and Cloudstorm heaved her up behind a tree, away from the staring cats.

"She needs her privacy, let's go," Thorntail ordered. Darkstorm picked up Duskkit in her teeth, and Thorntail took Amberkit. 

...

"It's alright," Shadeflight murmured. He had gone to take water for Coralfall and was returning from the tree. "Coralfall will live, and as will three of her kits. There... were four. A tom." Darkstorm gasped and rushed to the queen, who was licking her kits.

"I'm so sorry," she mewed, her heart breaking. "He should've lived!" Coralfall was silent, licking her kits. "You didn't deserve this. He didn't deserve this."

"Finkit was killed," Coralfall spat suddenly. "We thought he would die, but he hung on, and I looked away to see the rest of my kits for the first time. When I looked back, his throat had been slit." Darkstorm's jaw dropped.

"What? A cat killed him? He didn't just die?" Coralfall nodded slightly, staring off into the distance.

"I won't let these kits die. My other one, Weedpaw, did. That stinking otter. These won't die!" she repeated forcefully, snarling. "Whoever killed Finkit will die!"

Who would kill an innocent kit? Who hates Coralfall so much? An amber gaze filled her mind again, and she sighed. It's not him. Is it?

"This is Fishkit," Coralfall announced to the clan four sun-downs later. 

"For Fishstar," a cat breathed.

"Let Fishstar be remembered. He probably would've come..."

"RiverClan needed a leader."

Fishkit, a brown-and-silver tom, squealed and licked his paw. Coralfall gently nosed a red tom ahead of her, continuing. "This is Riverkit, in memory of the old RiverClan." The blue-eyed ginger-and-brown tom ruffled his pelt. "It had it's flaws, but my clan was honorable and proud. May we cross paths again." The former RiverClan cats dipped their heads, murmuring quietly. "One of my kits died. He was called Finkit, for our brave medicine cat Finspot. He stayed because StarClan knew it was the right thing to do."

"Good names," Troutfin commented. "These kits will help us remember."

"And my last kit, a she-kit, will be Starkit." Gasps rose from DarkClan.

"Starkit?"

"A compliment or not?"

"An insult to StarClan!"

"Is she one day to be called Starstar? She'll be shunned!"

"A disgrace!"

"Beautiful!"

"Suits her, with such a star-coloured silver pelt."

"Those kits are adorable, but Starkit? What kind of n-"

"Coralfall's kits are an honor to be in our clan! Starkit will grow up to be a great cat!" Darkstorm screeched. Amberkit and Duskkit nodded.

"New kits! Yay!" Amberkit sat down, studying Starkit, while Duskkit ran around them. Coralfall glared at the angry cats.

"Starkit is my kit. Harm her, and you will see what happens. Kits, Amberkit and Duskkit too, come. You need milk. One day you will all be heroes."

Coralfall has... A lot of expectations for her kits. Hmm... Who do you think killed Finkit? Do you like the names Riverkit, Duskkit, Starkit, Finkit, Amberkit, and Fishkit? I juggled with calling one of them Dustkit, actually. I know a lot of Warriors fans don't like Dustpelt too much, and I don't love him as an apprentice, but after that he becomes one of my favourite characters. I'll probably name a kit Dustkit if there's another in this book, because I did not want Dustpelt to die. I feel that no one gave hime a lot of attention in real life, not the books. Not even Erin Hunter- he was just a character to not like and who died a pointless death. Rowanstar didn't even want to accept help, so they should have just let it be- he would've agreed eventually, and the other clans could help, and Dustpelt wouldn't have to die. Hmm. That's a long rant about an unliked character, but too bad! I like him! (Now, going on. The next chapter!)

-Shadowstorm