//-:-::-:-//

"This was the best night of my life, thank you Dovewing,"

I purred and inched closer to my love. We spent the whole night playing games in the twoleg den and cuddling with each other, now the moon was sinking into the shadows.

I sighed,"I guess it's time to go,"

Tigerheart nodded,"Yeah, we should get going,"

As the Clans' territories came into view I felt a feeling of dread wash over me.

This can't be the last night. I need him now more than ever!

"Ti—Tigerheart,"I murmured quietly .

He glanced down at me with those big, warm amber eyes,"Yes, Dove?"

"Let's keep meeting. I—I can't bear being away from you,"

Tigerheart smiled so brightly I thought I might go blind,"I knew you'd change your mind! Let's meet here again—"

"Tomorrow?" I ventured hopefully.

He shook his head, much to my disappointment,"Let's try once every quarter moon. You think you can last that long?"

I reluctantly nodded, and we padded home in comfortable silence.

//

"Dovewing? Dovewing wake up!"

Letting out an irked groan I opened one eye to see my apprentice looking down at me,"What?"

"My dad wants to talk with you,"She replied and backed out of the den.

Feeling sick with dismay, I got up and padded into Bramblestar's den. The dark brown tabby was grooming himself, eyes halfway open.

"B—Bramblestar?"

"Dovewing, how is Sparkpaw's training going?"

I had been the scrappy cat's mentor for two moons, and I hadn't been paying much attention to her due to my steamy thoughts about Tigerheart.

"Oh, it's doing great!"

That was lie. Well, I think it's a lie. I took Sparkpaw out to train by the ShadowClan forest often, but she learned almost everything she knew from the other apprentices. I wasn't sure how well she was doing.

Bramblestar smiled,"That's good. Squirrelflight will be pleased to find out that both of her kits are excelling at their duties. You are dismissed."

I nodded and got out.

Whew.

I looked up at the sky, and realized with a shock that it was past sunhigh!

Oops, I must have slept in. I was with Tigerheart all night.

While stretching, I saw a proud Molewhisker carrying a fat mouse to his mate, Ivypool, who was heavy with his kits.

I padded over to my sister, still feeling sleepy. It turns out that Mousewhisker and Ivypool weren't a couple. The gray and white tom was most likely with RiverClan, since a rouge who had their fishy smell appeared at the Gathering one moon ago and claimed he was. My guess was that Mousewhisker probably thought if every cat believed he was with Ivypool, no one would suspect his relationship with Minnowtail.

"Hi Ivypool,"I nodded to the cream and brown tom next to her,"Molewhisker. Any news about the kits?"

"Leafpool says they'll arrive any day now. I can feel them moving around. Put your paw right here,"She purred and pointed to a spot on her bulging belly.

I obeyed and was astonished to feel something roughly poke my paw through Ivypool's fur,"They're really kicking,"I gasped.

Molewhisker lifted his head, amber eyes shining,"That means they'll be amazing fighters,"He bent down to nuzzle Ivypool affectionately,"like their mother."

She batted him away gently with her silver paw,"Oh stop it!"

Molewhisker was about to reply when Bramblestar announced that the Gathering party was leaving.

"Hopefully there will be more news about RiverClan," I muttered.

For once I wasn't going, and for once I was actually sad about that. I wanted to see my Tigey-Wigey again!

//

Almost a moment after Bramblestar left, Ivypool went into labor. Thankfully Leafpool was so unbelievably old she couldn't get her fat rump to the island anymore so she could help Ivypool. Molewhisker, and the rest of the Clan, was nervous. I was worried too, but not to my sister's mate's extent. The cream and brown tom was darting around to and fro while fetching wet moss and herbs from the medicine cat's den.

By the time Bramblestar and the Gathering patrol returned, Ivypool had given birth to four tiny kits. Molewhisker almost trampled poor Leafpool as he rushed into the nursery. When the brown tabby she-cat righted herself, she nodded to me.

"You can see your sister now,"

As I walked towards the den of brambles, I started to feel distressed. Only two of Squirrelflight's four kits survived their first moon of life. If Ivypool lost any of her kits . . . She'd whine and complain about it for moons and I didn't what daydreams about my darling to be dampened by her foul mood.

"Three she-cats and one tom," Molewhisker was meowing when I crawled inside,"I'm so proud of you, dear,"

Ivypool gently licked the biggest kit and nudged him so a smaller kitten could feed,"I'm sorry I couldn't give you the brace of toms you wanted,"

Molewhisker let out a frustrated mrrow,"They're perfect Ivy. I'd be just as happy if you'd given me ten she-cats to look after!"

They nuzzled each other, eyes shining. There was a sudden flash, and the cream and brown tom and the silver and white she-cat vanished. They were replaced by a muscular, brown tabby tom . . . and me. There were two kits tucked into my belly fur. My heart twisted and the nursery den started to sway. I backed out of the nurses frantically, feeling giddy. I'd give anything to be with Tigerheart, to raise his kits in—in ShadowClan! I glanced around the somewhat empty camp. Ivypool had a new family, and Whitewing was having a second litter . . . Bumblestripe . . . I spied the idiotic tabby sharing tongues with Rosepetal. They didn't need me. I could join ShadowClan, and nobody would grieve!

I purred joyfully, It's been decided! I'm joining ShadowClan tomorrow!

//

"Have you thought of any names for them?"Birchfall meowed.

Molewhisker's parents and Whitewing and Birchfall had attended the Gathering yesterday so they were shocked to see the new kits when they returned.

Ivypool was lying in the sun, her little gray and white tom-kit stumbling blindly over splayed legs. She carefully pulled him closer with her forepaw and started to groom him,"We aren't sure about all of them, yet,"

"They're really beautiful! I've never seen a cat with this color fur,"Poppyfrost exclaimed. The she-cats were tortoiseshell, but instead of orange and brown splotches, they were cream and blue.

"Jayfeather said they're called diluted tortoiseshells,"Whitewing informed them.

"Ow! You should name this one Bitekit" The kit with the least amount of white had her claws in Berrynose's ear.

Molewhisker chortled and pulled his daughter off his father,"We were thinking Wildkit for this one, but thanks for the suggestion."

"And the tom's name is Graykit," Ivypool murmured.

The six cats fell into a somber silence as they remembered the humorous tabby tom. He'd died in his sleep this morning. Millie didn't seem too affected; she was busy fussing over Briarlight.

It's about time that fatty died. He was always stuffing his face like there was no tomorrow. He was a waste of prey and speaking of prey wasters, Briarlight—

"Dovewing!"

"Huh? What?"

Ivypool and Molewhisker were looking expectedly at me,"What do you think we should name this one? I was thinking Morningkit, but Molewhisker thinks Spottedkit would suit her better."

I stared at her in silence. I could imagine Tigerheart plain as day playfully arguing with me about our kits' names. She was the in the ShadowClan nursery with all the other piney smelling queens.

"Dovewing? Hello?" Birchfall waved his tail in front of my face.

"I don't know! I snapped and took off.

I asked Thornclaw if I could go on a patrol so I could blow off  some steam.

"You can go on Larkshadow's patrol with Leafdance and Honeyfrost, and tell them that ShadowClan reported the smell of badger on our territory!"

//

Even though the night air was freezing and every bramble wanted a tuft of my fur, I was ecstatic.

Rowanstar will have to accept me! I'm the greatest warrior ever!

When I realized there was a cat standing at the border of ShadowClan, I started to call for Tigerheart and then stopped. It was her, the she-cat who also had eyes for my senpai, but there was something different about her. The smell of milk was coming from her . . .

"You scent it, my milk,"She purred smoothly, her amber eyes sly like a fox's," the milk for my kits. Tigerheart is watching over them as I stretch my legs, like a good father."

I couldn't speak, I was frozen. The arrogant she-cat smiled.

"Let me guess, you're going to join ShadowClan so you can be with Tigerheart. I'm not sorry to say that you're too late!"

"Liar!"

I flailed into her without warning, and the surprised she-cat hit the ground. I didn't give her a chance to land a blow on me. I raked my claws through her face viciously, her pleas making me dig them even deeper into her skin.

"Shrewfoot? Mama?"

The shrill cry came from a ShadowClan thorn bush. A tiny tabby kit was crouched under its branches. He looked just like Shrewfoot . . .

I crept toward the tiny kit, and prepared to give it the deathblow.

"Dovewing!"

//

??? P.O.V.

I stood atop the Twoleg Place border, eyes narrowed at the dark furred cat below me.

"Has the promise been kept?" I asked quietly.

"The winged tramp flys with the seed. The seed will be his flower,"He confirmed in our secret code,"The darkness will claim the light and the mighty will take the swift, correct?"

I nodded, and just when I was about to dismiss him I got curious,"Tell me, what glows so brightly in the light that the darkness craves it this much? The light is arrogant and truly weak."

His eyes became fiery pits of contempt,"A thief wallows in their midst. The thief stole something precious from me."

I didn't press, and I sent him away.

I jumped over the border and back into the Twoleg Place.

//-:-::-:-//

Who saw Dovewing?

Who were those cats in the Twoleg Place?

What were they talking about?

//VOTES, COMMENTS, AND CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM ARE GREATLY APPRECIATED//