"We're going to play with Crowkit and Lilykit," squealed Brightkit. 

            "We want to come too!" cried Daisykit. 

             "But you don't know them," pointed out Brightkit. 

             "So?" snapped Daisykit. "You don't know them either." 

            "We've talked to them," Brightkit said, sticking her tongue out. 

              "Don't argue," warned Cloudbreeze amused. 

              "But Daisykit and Heatherkit don't know the WindClan kits, they might not like them," Brightkit pouted. 

                "Brightkit," Heartstorm said. "You have to be nice. Why don't you introduce them to Crowkit and Lilykit then?" Brightkit shrugged. 

               "Ok," she said. Together, the four kits bounded out of the nursery and towards the medicine den. Silverdrop purred and got up followed by Acornheart. 

               "We're going for a walk," meowed Silverdrop. "We need to stretch out legs." 

                "You toms better take care of the kits. I don't want to find them attacking ShadowClan when we get back," said Acornheart. Cloudbreeze licked Acornheart on the ear, chuckling. 

               "We'll be fine," he assured her. Heartstorm smiled at Silverdrop. She tipped her tail at him and slipped out of the nursery. 

                 "When do you reckon the WindClan cats will leave?" asked Cloudbreeze. 

                 "When they're better," Heartstorm said. 

                  "They should be good to be going soon," Cloudbreeze said. 

                  "Yeah...," shrugged Heartstorm. Part of him didn't want to see them go. They were sort of part of the Clan. Well, not of RiverClan, but part of life at RiverClan. 

                 "They seem healthy enough to go back to their Clan," said Cloudbreeze. "They don't need us to nurse them back totally to health." 

                 "Maybe Lilykit is too weak to make the journey," suggested Heartstorm.

                   "Of course not," he said. "Somebody can carry her. Ravenfall can carry her. I certainly do agree that Ravenfall and the kits are being very friendly but they are taking our food. We need that food. For ourselves. For the Clan. And Ravenfall and the kits, no matter how friendly, are not our Clan." Heartstorm had to admit Cloudbreeze was right. 

                 "I'm sure Frogleap knows what's right," Hearststorm shrugged. 

                  "I sure hope he does," huffed Cloudbreeze. Heartstorm and Cloudbreeze padded out of the nursery. The air was cool and a gentle breeze blew. Light snow covered the ground. It shimmered in the sunlight. Heartstorm let the sun warm his neck for a while before staring towards the fresh-kill pile. A sorry looking sparrow and a skinny mouse were lying in the hole. He sighed. His stomach grumbled angrily but he knew he couldn't eat. Not when there was the whole Clan hungry. He'd already gone hunting the morning. They had been forced to double the amount of hunting patrols which meant cats went out hunting at least twice a day. Heartstorm yawned. He hadn't had a good night's sleep in days. He kept thinking back to the Gathering. He was certainly glad they had the fearsome ThunderClan by their side but he still didn't think that would stop ShadowClan. ShadowClan had a plan. He didn't even know why they hated him so. The more he thought about it, the more worked up he got. ShadowClan had, in the end, chased him out. They couldn't be regretting their decision. They hated him so much. They loathed him. He sighed. Just then, Reedstar trotted to Heartstorm. 

                "Hey," he said. "Where is Silverdrop?" 

                "Out for a walk," Heartstorm told Reedstar. 

                 "I need to talk to you about the kits," said Reedstar. "About their mentors. Blacktail and I think we have the perfect cats to mentor your kits. I thought to consult you first maybe. Just so you know our choices." Heartstorm nodded, he felt excitement bubbling in his stomach. 

                "Both your kits want to become warriors right?" Reedstar questioned. Heartstorm nodded. He had seen Brightkit training with Thornstar for fun. She was natural. Bumblekit was just as lively and excited. 

                "Blacktail and I were thinking Hawkflight for Brighkit perhaps," Reedstar said. Heartstorm's eyes lit up. He trusted Hawkflight to mentor his kits. Afterall, he had mentored Hawkflight. He nodded vigorously. 

               "I know Hawkflight can do it," Heartstorm said. 

                "Yes, he had you and Wolfstep as mentors, I know he is a great warrior and would be a great mentor," nodded Reedstar thoughtfully. "And for Bumblekit, we have Mudclaw or Smoketail." Heartstorm knew they were both formidable warriors. Mudclaw was strong and determined and Smoketail was good natured, wise and intelligent. He could trust both of them to mentor Bumblekit as well. But, he realised, he trusted all his Clanmates. He trusted them all to mentor his kits. 

              "Yeah great, they'd both be great," Heartstorm nodded. Reedstar smiled. 

             "Great then. In two moons, your kits will be apprentices," Reedstar said and padded off. Heartstorm smiled. Apprentices... He felt pride bubbling inside him. He heard squeals and spotted Brightkit, Crowkit, Heatherkit, Daisykit, Bumblekit and Lilykit running through the clearing. Cats turned around to watch them, their eyes sparkling in amusement. Heartstorm chuckled. They barged towards him and stumbled into the nursery. 

              "I was first!" Heartstorm heard Brightkit announced from inside. He poked his head into the nursery where Bumblekit and Lilykit were sprawled on the soft sand. 

            "NO I was," Crowkit said. 

              "I could have beaten both of you!" replied Heatherkit. 

              "No you couldn't," Brightkit said indignantly. Heatherkit stuck out her tongue. Heartstorm smiled. Bumblekit spotted him and trotted towards him. 

               "I don't like racing with them," He huffed. "Brightkit is so competitive." 

               "That'll make her a good warrior. One to reckon with," smiled Heartstorm. Bumblekit walked alongside him. They headed for the small stream. 

               "What is it like? RiverClan," asked Bumblekit. Heartstorm imagined RiverClan stretching out. It's big river flowing quickly, it's large trees, the flowers...

                 "It's beautiful," Heartstorm said. "Perhaps the most beautiful of all the Clans." 

                "Is it true you were ShadowClan?" asked Bumblekit, his eyes wide. 

                  "I er..., yes," Heartstorm said with a small frown. He wondered how his kit knew. Nobody ever talked about it. 

                  "Frogleap told me," explained Bumblekit. "But he said that it wasn't something bad, where you had come from. What mattered was what you did and you chose to stay with RiverClan and be loyal to RiverClan." Heartstorm smiled. 

                 "Yes, Frogleap is right," he nodded. He couldn't imagine an old grumpy cat like Frogleap protecting him. 

                "How was it in ShadowClan?" asked Bumblekit. Heartstorm thought for a while. They reached the stream. 

                "It was... it was different. They weren't mean... they were my Clan. They were just like this I guess... but ShadowClan wasn't- isn't my home," Heartstorm said. "Never has and never will be." Bumblekit nodded thoughtfully. 

                "Is that why you left ShadowClan?" asked Bumblekit. Heartstorm found memories fresh in his mind of his time in ShadowClan. He hadn't realised they had been there for a long time. He hadn't talked about his past to anybody for a long time. He realised of course, one day, he had to talk about it to his kits. He only realised this now. But somehow, it didn't scare him. 

                "No," admitted Heartstorm. "they threw me out."

                "Why?" asked Bumblekit. Heartstorm thought back about falling in love with Ivyvine. He thought about their meetings together. About Lionbreeze finding out. He remembered his punishment. It had only been temporary. Until the rogues attacked. Then they had banished him. Forever. 

                 "I fell in love," Heartstorm said half truthfully. It had started because of that. "I fell in love with the wrong cat." 

                "Wrong cat? How come?" asked Bumblekit, confused. 

                 "I fell in love with a WindClan cat," Heartstorm said. There were no secrets. He didn't have to keep his past from his kits. His Clan knew about it already. And still, they accepted him. He was part of them. 

                  "You did?" gasped Bumblekit. Even he knew it wasn't supposed to happen. "So they exiled you for that?" 

                   "Yeah." 

                   "That's mean." 

                  "It's not.. well it is. But if I had wanted to stay in ShadowClan, I wouldn't have fallen in love with another Clan cat. It doesn't work that way. I cannot be part of one Clan and love another." 

                   "But you met Silverdrop. And you love her." 

                   "Of course I do. I will never stop loving her." 

                   "It's good that you left ShadowClan." 

                     "I think so too." 

                      "If you hadn't, Brightkit, Sagekit and I wouldn't have been born." Heartstorm's heart ached at the mention of Sagekit. He closed his eyes and imagined his kit, running next to Brightheart up in StarClan. He imagined Sagekit close to him, licking his fur. 

                     "Yes, I'm so glad you three were born..," Heartstorm said. Tears brimmed in his eyes. Sagekit. 

                     "I miss Sagekit," Bumblekit said. "But you said he's in StarClan. You saw him right?" 

                    "I did."

                      "And he's happy." 

                    "He is." 

                     "The next time you visit StarClan, will you say hi to Sagekit for me?" 

                     "Of course," choked Heartstorm. Bumblekit smiled and snuggled next to Heartstorm who had stopped walking and lay on the ground, watching the water trickle by.