Chapter Text
The lake territories, two moons before the Dark Forest invasion.
Silver moonlight shone down from above, bathing the landscape in a glowing blanket in its gleaming sheen. The occasional chirping of crickets or scuttling of prey were the only sounds in the otherwise tranquil night; stars glittered on the lake in the centre of Clan territory, turning it into a sea of minuscule white fireflies. Warriors slept peacefully in their soft moss nests, lost in their own dreams. All except one.
A dappled dark-gray she-cat cautiously stepped out of her reed-woven den, treading as lightly as she could to reduce the risk of waking up another cat in the crowded warrior den. One pawstep at a time, she made her way out of the RiverClan camp, her eyes constantly scanning around to make sure that her absence would be unnoticed.
I’ve done this for what, twenty-five moons? At least once per moon since that fateful Gathering I went to as an apprentice. It still hasn’t gotten any less nerve-wracking. I don’t want to think about what my Clan would think if they discovered me.
She pushed her guilty thoughts away as she skirted around the edge of the lake, wincing as she rolled herself in the now-familiar clump of wild garlic before crossing into WindClan. I have to speak with him tonight. Warriors were allowed to cross into other Clans’ territories, provided they stayed within three tail-lengths of the water, but WindClan probably wouldn’t thank her for snooping around their land in the middle of the night, and would almost certainly escort her back to RiverClan, thus blowing her cover. I can’t let any of their cats find out who I am, or why I’m here.
Mercifully, the moor stayed silent, apart from the thrumming of her paws as she streaked across the plains, arriving at the stream that marked the start of ThunderClan territory, a vast expanse of densely-forested woodland, where her vision extended no more than a few paw-lengths. A shiver passed through her at the thought of living there. It’s too cramped. I could never get used to it, no matter how much easier it would make things.
She let out a sigh as she sat down by the waterside to wait. He said he would meet me at moonhigh. The she-cat glanced upwards at the steadily-rising luminescence in the sky, now almost directly above her. Shouldn’t be long now.
The sound of fallen leaves crackling caught her attention, and she dove into a nearby gorse bush, instinctively sliding out her claws in case of an attack. Much to her relief, a familiar scent reached her nose, and as she watched on, a stockily-built gray-and-white tom emerged from the woods. She stepped out of her hiding place gracefully. ‘Mousewhisker.’
‘Minnowtail.’ He touched his nose to hers, and she rubbed against him affectionately, enjoying his presence which she was normally deprived of. ‘I’ve missed you. Sorry I’m not as early as I usually am. ThunderClan has been on guard since the battle with Sol in the tunnels. They’re worried about a retaliatory attack from WindClan. We did have to fight their warriors after all. I only managed to sneak out when Cloudtail took over from Berrynose on sentry duty.’
She purred. ‘I’ve missed you too.’ Minnowtail’s amber eyes rounded. ‘I have something I need to tell you, my love.’ Mousewhisker tilted his head to one side. ‘What is it?’
‘I’m expecting your kits.’
Shock, then joy flitted across her mate’s face, until it settled on a look of uncertainty. ‘W-what is it?’ she mewed, crestfallen. ‘I thought you wanted a litter?’ ‘No, no, I do! It’s just…’ Mousewhisker’s voice trails off.
Minnowtail gazed at him. ‘Whatever’s worrying you, just say it.’ He exhaled deeply. ‘How are we going to manage? The last time half-Clan kits were born were Lionblaze, Jayfeather, and Hollyleaf, and we all saw how that turned out. Hollyleaf was thought to be dead for a long time after entering the tunnels.’ She winced at the memory of the black she-cat announcing her parentage to the Clans a few seasons ago during a Gathering before running away. Poor thing… I hope she’s come to terms with the truth now.
‘Even beyond that… the Dark Forest is firmly against half-Clan relationships, as you should know since we both train there. I don’t know what they’ll do to us if they find out, but it can’t be good. We both saw what happened to Antpelt.’ A shudder passed through her frame at the thought of the WindClan tom, attacked brutally by Thistleclaw and killed over a moon ago. We’ll end up like that if they discover that we’re mates. That cannot happen. Both for ours’ and the kits’s sakes.
The gray tom shook his head. ‘Enough about that. When are they due?’ ‘A bit over two moons,’ she replied. ‘Willowshine says they’re in good health, but I’ll have to go into the nursery soon. I won’t be able to come see you for four or five moons, at least until the kits have been weaned.’ Mousewhisker rested his head on hers. ‘I’m sure they’ll be just as beautiful as you are,’ he murmured into her ear. Minnowtail blushed, but gave a shy nod in return.
‘Do you want to name them?’ ‘We don’t know how many there are, and you should get that honour. You are the one carrying them,’ Mousewhisker answered.
‘I’ll bring them to see you once they’re old enough,’ she promised. ‘For now, I’ll pretend that a RiverClan tom is their father.’ Her mate voiced his agreement. ‘It’s the best way to prevent our relationship from being exposed. Don’t get too attached to them though,’ he mewed teasingly, his eyes glittering with amusement. Minnowtail swiped at him playfully, before tackling him to the ground. ‘How dare you! You know I wouldn’t do that!’ ‘I know, I know,’ he reassured her as she let him get to his paws.
‘I should get back to camp,’ she mewed. ‘I have a dawn patrol at sunrise.’ Mousewhisker brushed his flank against her side. ‘Goodbye, my love. Take care of our kits, and please, stay safe.’ She saw a flicker of unease in his eyes. ‘I promise. Farewell, Mousewhisker.’ The two gray cats hugged each other, basking in the other’s warmth for a moment more, before separating and heading away.
Minnowtail glanced at her belly. It was slightly swelling already, making the slender RiverClan cat look rounder than she otherwise would. She gazed at her future kittens lovingly. I won’t let anything harm you, my dears. I’ll make sure you become warriors that both me and your father can be proud of.