Chapter Text
The moon was high in the sky, and the trees howled in the wind.
Pawsteps were heard padding toward the twoleg palace.
A silver and grey she-cat tabby with black speckles and green eyes looked back at a silver tom with gold eyes who was following up behind her.
“What did you want to talk about?” The silver tom meowed, looking back toward the aspen forest behind them.
“Something important,” the green-eyed molly replied.
“Make it quick I gotta-”
“SILVERSHELL!” A call was heard. The silver tom turned.
“Don’t leave me!” The she-cat cried in hope and uncertainty.
“I need to, Swiftstep,” the tom stated plainly. Swiftstep’s eyes widened, her emerald green eyes filling with tears.
“Please, I need you!” Swiftstep mewed softly. “Last night, I had 4 kits.”
But he was already gone. His pelt no longer shining in the moonlight as he stepped into the shadows. And now she was alone. She sighed, then turned back to the twoleg palace. She padded back to her sister, Twig, who was curled around the kits.
“Did you talk to him?” Twig mewed softly, her head tilted curiously.
“No, he just ran off before I could say anything,” Swiftstep sighed.
“I can take care of them! Unless you want them to know who you are.”
This was tearing Swiftstep apart. Would she give up her kits for her cause? It was a mouse-brained thing to do.
“I’ll take one, but please take care of the others for me.”
“Alright, which one will you take?”
Swiftstep stared at the four kits, mewling at each other. Her eyes were clouded through tears. She then looked at the smallest kitten. She picked it up in her jaw and placed it near her.
“I’ll take this one.” She said.
“ I can take care of them. Maybe you could visit sometime,” Twig said, nudging the three other kits closer to her belly. “Why don’t you name these three?”
“Alright,” She looked at the three small kits.
“This one is Coral,” Swiftstep pointed to a rosy-colored molly kit. It was salmon, a strange shade of orange and pink with a white tail tip.
“This one is Luke,” She pointed to a silver tabby tom who was mewing as he tried to get to Twig’s milk. Then she turned to the last kitten, who was a black and white molly, who was trying to get to the kitten in Swiftstep’s jaws. “And she is Winter.”
Swiftstep forced herself to turn away from Twig and the three other kittens. As she turned to leave she heard Twig. With a sigh, she stopped, itching to get back to Arabiaclan.
“Wait!” Twig called, and Swiftstep faced toward the former kitty-pet.
“What?” She wondered.
“What about the tabby kit? What’s her name?” Twig asked, tilting her head. Swiftstep took a deep breath. She’d been deciding for a while and now she knew. The little black kitten meowed, squirming towards the tasty smell of milk.
“I was thinking about Nightkit but,” Swiftstep was cut short when the sunrise came into view. Twig took a sudden gasp, still staring at “Nightkit”. She looked at Swiftstep, who was staring at the transforming kitten.
Nightkit who used to be a fuzzy, black, and grey kitten was now a fuzzy, silver, and black kitten. At night she used to be black with grey ears, grey stripes along her back and legs, and two strange shapes under her eyes. But now she was black in the sunrise with silver ears and two strange silvers shapes under her eyes along with silver tabby stripes along her back. She looked quite a lot like Swiftstep and Twig but had a slight difference. There were black and silver. So there was a bit of her father. No hint of her uncle.
“I think I’ll name her Shadowkit.” Swiftstep murmured. Twig looked up with tears of appreciation in her wide blue eyes.
“That’s perfect,” she mumbled. A mew came from the little kit. Her ears were laid flat against her fur, and even though her eyes were closed, Swiftpelt could tell she sensed something wrong.
“SWIFTSTEP!!!” someone bellowed.
“Splashstar! Darkfang!” Swiftstep muttered under her breath, in terror. She felt Twig leaving with Luke, Winter, and Coral, she felt Shadowkit quivering by her side. Yet something was different. She certainly had affection towards someone who could stay there all the time. Unlike Twig or even Shadowkit’s father.
“Coming!” Swiftstep called back as she headed confidently into the forest, with the soft padded feet of a kitten by her side. “I want you to meet someone.”
***
“Everyone! I want you to know that Swiftstep has had a kitten,” Splashstar announced to Arabiaclan. Murmurs and gasps ran chills along Swiftstep’s spine. “And I have agreed to let the kit in, still letting Swiftstep be a warrior.” This brought even more eyes upon Swiftstep and Shadowkit. “ If she would like, Swiftstep may become a queen and move to the nursery but if not, she may let another queen adopt the kitten, clan dismissed.“ Spashstar finished.
“ Congratulations, Swiftstep!” Her clanmates came to her one by one, she smiled, hoping no one would ask who the father was.
The tiny kit brushed against Swiftstep’s legs, purring. Her eyes were open now and the wide golden eyes reflected the love Swiftstep felt for her.
She smiled at Shadowkit, licking her head.
As much as she wanted to keep her kit, she had to take care of her clan, as deputy. Maybe she could hand her over to Roseheart, who had just recently had a litter of kittens.
“I’m sorry, Shadowkit,” she meowed, picking her up by the scruff. She padded over to the nursery, seeing Roseheart.
“Roseheart, I need a favor. A huge one,” she said, setting Shadowkit down.
“What’s up?” the she-cat said.
“Well, I need you to take care of Shadowkit, because I can’t. I’m not ready yet,” she said, her eyes clouded.
“I understand, but will she ever know who you are?” Roseheart said with a concerned gaze. Her two kits were sleeping, curled against her. Mayflower turned to watch them, her two kits suckling against her belly, trying to get as much milk as possible.
“I, I hope so. but for now, she will just know me as a warrior.”
“Alright, take care, Swiftstep.”
Swiftstep turned back to the nursery entrance trying to hide the tears rolling down her face as the cold breeze hit them.
“I’m sorry, Shadowkit.”
A mewl came from the small kitten's mouth as Swiftstep left the nursery. She sighed. The poor kitten. She wouldn’t even know. Suddenly Blazestorm growled. Swiftstep hurried toward the sound.
“I don’t want a leader who lets a queen be a warrior.” He snarled. Swiftstep let out a small gasp as she realized they were talking about her. Splashstar frowned.
“Then why are you in Arabiaclan?” Splashstar asked, keeping her cool, but her blue eyes flashed.
Blazestorm frowned, “Good point.” He jumped onto highrock. “Everyone who disagrees with Splashstar’s decision is welcome in, Duskclan.”
He scowled, staring up at the colors in the sky, his eyes the color of the gold. An audible gasp came from the cat’s gathered down below. Then Splashstar leaped up to talk to her cats.
“Leave if you must. You won’t be welcomed back,” she hissed in warning. Then Arabiaclan parted in two.
Blazestorm’s, Duskclan, now had almost everyone Swiftstep knew. Snowheart, Quietrock, Feirceclaw, Mintfur, Tinytail, and Darkflower. The most unsurprising and relieving of all was that her enemy, Darkfang stood by Blazestorm’s side. Then she saw him. Her only other friend and her mate, Silvershell, went over to stand by Blazestorm’s other side. Graywhisper, her best friend had already stepped back, toward Duskclan.
“Silvershell. No,” she hissed with anger, but deep down she was sobbing.
Her world was tearing apart, as they left. And then Splashstar came over.
“Starclan has decided to make you leader, Swiftstep. I am now Splashspirit, and you are now Swiftstar. We’ll travel to the moonstone with the rest of the clan tomorrow night,” she mewed.
More quietly, she added,” I know you don’t want to be a leader, it’s not my choice. Sorry about Graywhisper and Silvershell.”
Swiftstar stood there in shock, as Splashspirit, Roseheart, Mayflower, Cloverclaw, Blizzardwatcher, and Pouncepaw, Quietrock’s apprentice, who no longer had her mentor in Arabiaclan, shared tongues with her. Mayflower’s two children, Meowkit and Willowkit stood by her side. Roseheart was curled around Shadowkit. Her other two kits, around 1 moon old, Goldenkit and Rockkit, had gone to the leaf pile to play in.
As Swiftstar stared at two of the kits she knew that they would change everything. She knew they would be the destruction or savior of the two clans now in the war. Swiftstar leaped onto highrock and glanced down at what was left of Arabiaclan.
How do I know that? Starclan was that you? Swiftstar wondered with a small jolt. But she agreed. This clan was no longer Arabiaclan.
“We are no longer going to be known as Arabiaclan, the clan tore in half. But as Fernclan, the clan who stayed strong and true.”Swiftstar decided. Fernclan let out a cheer.