Squirrelflight stared at her kittens, squirming around in a fluffy ball of kit play.

The squirming pale-grey tom with Ashfur's piercing blue eyes, but only deeper.

The orange-grey speckled hybrid she-cat with soft amber eyes.

The flame-coloured tabby tom with Firestar's brilliant green eyes.

Squirrelflight wished they weren't hers, that this was all some fabricated reality.

It wasn't. It really wasn't.

The close her eyes, blocking out the view of her three children.

Ashfur's creative names were only reminders of the ones that had fallen under his demise.

Lightingkit, for the strong flame-tabby, for the yellow and brown furred Lionblaze.

The memory was too strong to bear.

Juniperkit for the pale-grey tom, a constant reminder of Hollyleaf.

She pushed the thought of both of them away.

And for the she-cat... Nettlekit, for Brambleclaw.

Squirrelflight, she guessed, was used to it now. The torture.

After the senior warriors had taken a mysterious disappearance, except Ashfur, had left him to take Bramblestar's vacant deputy spot.

A matching replica of little she-kit squirming at Squirrelflight's belly shouldered his way into the nursery.

Squirrelflight lit up, trying to smile.

"Hey Larkpaw."

Jayfeather.

The medicine cat apprentice touched his nose to Squirrelflight's.

"Hey mother."

Squirrel forced a purr.

"How's your training gong with..."

Her throat was caught in the thickest gorse bush as she managed to utter out "Jayfeather."

Larkflight rolled his eyes, sitting down beside her and observing his younger littermates.

"Ugh, tell me about it!"

He flailed his paws around in annoyance.

"Delusional, as usual. This time, he started muttering about a fire."

A fire? I should tell him to be more careful. I don't want either him or Bramblestar to get hurt.

But instead of scolding her son, she decided to play along as usual.
Crazy old Jayfeather," Squirrelflight agreed.

Larkpaw sat up, letting out a thin wail.

"I'm never going to learn anything at this rate!" he cried.

Squirrelflight rested a paw on his shoulder but added no words of comfort.

"How's Dapplepaw, Barleypaw and Crescentpaw?" Squirrelflight asked, hoping to lift her son's mood a little.

He was the only kit that hadn't fallen under Ashfur's ambitious plans for his siblings.

Larkpaw's mood brightened suddenly.

"Great! They said their warrior assessments were taking place today! I forgot to tell you! Boy, I bet they're almost back by now!"

Squirrelflight purred loudly for her daughter and two sons.

"That's great! Hopefully Bramblestar will still allow the kits and I to witness the ceremony, even though I don't think they can catch prey yet!" she joked.

Larkpaw broke into a grin before pricking his ears.

"I think they're back!"

Squirrelflight stood up, beckoning her kits to follow Larkpaw.

The sun was slowly setting as Barleypaw, Dapplepaw, Crescentpaw and their mentors Dovewing, Poppyfrost and Bumblestripe made their way through the thorn barrier, laden with prey.
"I passed!" Dapplepaw squealed, dropping her thrush she was carrying and running up to Larkpaw to touch noses.

Squirrelflight kneaded the ground excitedly.

"Barleypaw? Crescentpaw? Did you pass as well?" Squirrelflight purred, wrapping her tail around her daughter's shoulders as her three kittens started at their older siblings, bubbling with questions.

Her two sons nodded as the cluster of kits pranced around them excitedly.

"How much prey did you catch?" chirped Nettlekit.

"Did you fight? Who got the most prey?" Juniperkit twittered.

"I bet you slayed each other! Did you fight with your claws sheathed, or unsheathed?" Lightningkit exclaimed.

Barleypaw answered their questions with dramatic answers, and started retelling the whole assessment.

Squirrelflight shouldered her way up to Barleypaw as he was just starting to show some fighting moves to the kits.

Squirrelflight started grooming him, ignoring his protests.

"If your warrior ceremony is at sundown, I don't want you to look like a bunch of hedgehogs!" Squirrelflight joked.

Even though she wished for her kittens not to be hers, she would still love them all the same.

It wasn't their fault they were born.