Chapter 1: There Will Be Four
Leafpool woke to the aroma of freshly-killed vole wafting under her nose. She blinked her amber eyes and yawned broadly, and the vole’s scent hit the roof of her mouth and made it water.
“Good morning, my lovely,” Crowfeather purred, licking her shoulder tenderly. “I just caught that vole. Eat up. No, really, I’ll catch something for myself in a moment,” he added as Leafpool opened her jaws to protest. “There’s prey crawling everywhere, and they act like they’ve never seen a cat before.” Crowfeather bounded away to fulfill his promise after he saw Leafpool bend over the vole.
Sighing in good-humored defeat, Leafpool took a few mouthfuls of the plump creature. A moon had passed since the two of them had left the Clans, and every step they took the prey seemed to grow fatter and fatter.
They’re not the only ones, thought Leafpool glumly, looking at her belly, which was beginning to swell noticeably. Crowfeather’s tender care of her made her wonder if he had guessed her secret. But how? Leafpool had just realized herself, and she was a medicine cat for StarClan’s sake!
She had been a medicine cat.
Leafpool laid her head on her paws as fresh images of her loved ones popped up in her mind. Her mentor, her mother and father, her sister... Had Cinderpelt found a new apprentice yet? Was Firestar still sending search parties out after her? Have they attacked WindClan? She shuddered, hating to think of a war between the neighboring Clans because of Crowfeather and her. And did Squirrelflight ever get over Leafpool’s disappearance? She had Ashfur now, so maybe it would be easier for her to forget... That’s too easy, thought Leafpool, trading a sister for a mate.
“What’s wrong?” Crowfeather was suddenly beside Leafpool, scaring the latter half to death.
“Great StarClan, Crowfeather!” gasped Leafpool. “You startled me!”
“I’m sorry,” meowed the gray-black tom, rasping his tongue gently over her ear. “But is something on your mind. You can share it with me if you want.”
Leafpool sighed. “I’m just thinking... about ThunderClan, and Cinderpelt, Firestar, Sandstorm, Squirrelflight...” Leafpool’s voice broke.
Crowfeather’s blue eyes were sympathetic. “I know. I miss my mother too. We were really close.”
Leafpool stared helplessly up at him with wide amber eyes. “Are you sure I’m worth it?”
“I’ve never been more sure.” Crowfeather drug over a rabbit that he had just caught. “I’m not that hungry. Would you like to share?”
Leafpool was about to refuse - she was not hungry either - but she needed to feed the tiny mouths inside her, so she said, “Sure.”
Crowfeather took a tiny bite of the rabbit before pushing it to Leafpool with a paw. Leafpool’s heart ached for him when she realized he was using a Tribe custom. He lost so much from helping the Tribe, she thought, taking a bite of the rabbit and passing it back.
They had scarcely finished their meal when a rank scent reached them. Crowfeather leaped, his fur bristling and eyes huge with alarm. “Dogs!” he yelped, nudging Leafpool to her feet swiftly. Leafpool’s ears flattened in fear as she spotted the dogs, three huge brutes. They were racing along the moors as fast as any Clan cat, their tongues lolling lazily as they chased after their prey.
Crowfeather nudged Leafpool along again. “Come on!” Leafpool forced herself into a run. Despite the kits in her belly, she could still run quite fast. Crowfeather was running right beside her. Leafpool knew that he was much faster and could easily run on ahead, but she also knew that Crowfeather would never let any harm come to her or the unborn kits that he was oblivious to. They would live or die together.
Naturally, and just to Leafpool’s luck, her pregnancy seemed to put a halter on her stamina, so before too many monster-lengths, breaths came in desperate heaves.
“ThunderClan cats,” mewed Crowfeather good-naturedly.
But all the good spirits ended when Crowfeather was suddenly not beside Leafpool anymore. The tabby skidded to a halt and whirled around. Crowfeather’s paw was caught in a mouse hole!
She scrambled back to help her trapped mate. The mouse hole swallowed the tom’s front leg halfway, and the more he wriggled, the deeper he became stuck.
The three dogs ran faster and barked louder, their victims’ halt making them overeager.
“Leafpool, run!” hissed Crowfeather, still struggling to free himself.
“No!” mewed Leafpool desperately. She clawed the earth around Crowfeather’s leg in an attempt to free him. “I need you... we need you!”
“We?” Crowfeather blinked. Leafpool kept digging as if he hadn't spoken. If she lost Crowfeather... How could she have risked everything to run away with him, just for him to die? She did not think she would survive the loss. And if she did, where would she go? She could never go back to the Clans; what Clan would accept a pregnant medicine cat? She could circle around and go back to the old forest... Ravenpaw and Barley at the old barn would let her and her kits stay. But she would have to go through the mountains first. Oh StarClan, help me!
That was when Leafpool’s guardian angel arrived.
A tawny streak shot like lightning from nowhere and barreled into the biggest dog’s side. The dog let out a startled yelp and tumbled down the slope. A shape Leafpool recognized as a tawny cat leaped down after it.
“Quick! Run!” hissed a voice from a nearby bush. Leafpool craned her neck to see a pair of brilliant green eyes peering out at her.
As much as Leafpool wanted to turn tail and flee - not just to protect herself but the tiny lives inside her - Leafpool knew she couldn’t. “Not without my mate.”
“Moss! Get her out of here!” yowled the tawny cat. A dog clamped down on the cat’s tail. The tom snarled and fell upon them once more.
“Will he be all right?” fretted Leafpool.
“Never mind that. Let’s get your mate out of here.” A beautiful gray queen slipped from out of the bush and helped Leafpool dig Crowfeather’s paw out.
“Who are you?” asked Crowfeather a little rudely, flattening his ears at the she-cat.
“My name is Moss. Try pulling your paw out now,” the she-cat meowed, apparently unshaken by the tomcat’s aggression.
Crowfeather tugged his paw. The earth around it gave way. He was free!
Leafpool purred happily, but she then stopped when she noticed the dark tom run toward the three dogs and the tawny cat. “Be careful!” she yowled.
Crowfeather didn’t answer her.
“Come on, we need to get you out of harm’s way,” meowed Moss.
Leafpool’s claws sank into the earth, refusing to move unless Crowfeather’s paw steps were alongside hers.
“They’ll be fine. Your mate seems tough enough, and my Sparrow has seen off enough dogs to fill a Twoleg nest with. Now come on! Your mate will feel better if he doesn’t have to worry over you.”
Leafpool nodded, her scent acrid with fear. “Okay.”
Moss led Leafpool to an abandoned Twoleg barn where she said her family lived. Leafpool was at first reluctant, but with Moss’s reassurance, she slowly padded in.
It was a very cozy place. Piles upon piles of hay dotted the space idly, and Leafpool noticed a higher loft a few tail-lengths above.
“We stay up in the high loft at night, and that’s where I stayed when I kitted three moons ago. It’s high enough so dogs can’t get to us and low enough so my kits don’t hurt themselves if they fall. Climb up this ladder to get up there.” Moss pointed a paw at some odd object.
Ladder? Leafpool thought, the odd word bouncing around in her head. All it looked like to her was two sticks as long as a tree branch stretching from the ground to the loft. Connecting to the two sticks were several smaller sticks no larger and wider than a cat's tail. It was certainly too precise to be anything other than a Twoleg object. Leafpool nervously placed a paw on the structure. It moved slightly but didn’t break under her touch. She put all four paws on the first rung, and when it shook, she leaped backwards in surprise.
“You don’t know a lot about Twoleg stuff, do you?” asked Moss in amusement.
Leafpool shook her head. “I was born in the forest. Twolegs usually mean trouble there.”
Moss flicked her tail. “Twolegs mean trouble everywhere. But this place hasn’t scented of Twolegs for many moons. Come on, it’s okay. Climbing it won’t harm your kits.”
Leafpool bristled in alarm. “You can tell?”
“Of course I can. I’ve kitted before, you know,” Moss purred.
Leafpool’s eyes shadowed with worry. If Moss could tell, maybe Crowfeather could tell. Would he leave her because of her kits?
“You haven’t told your mate yet, have you?” asked Moss, guessing the concern in her eyes.
Leafpool shook her head. “I don’t know how to tell him. I’m afraid he won’t love me anymore if I tell him I’m carrying kits.”
“You’re more than a mousebrain if you believe that,” Moss meowed. When Leafpool looked at her in surprise, the loner continued, “If your mate leaves you because of that, you really shouldn’t be with him in the first place. A cat should always love you no matter what. If your mate is anything like my Sparrow, he’ll be overjoyed to hear about it. How many do you think you have?”
Leafpool thought for a moment. “I think there will be four, but I’m not sure.”
“I thought I was carrying just one, so it was kind of a shock to see three that day,” Moss purred.
“How old are your kits? Could I see them?”
“They’re three moons. And you can; you just have to climb that ladder.”
Leafpool looked back up at the Twoleg thing and hesitantly placed a paw on the first rung. It was motionless, so she put another paw on it. The ladder wobbled slightly. “Will it break?” Leafpool asked Moss with a nervous look over her shoulder.
Moss shook her head. “No, I’ve used that ladder for a long time, even while I carried my own kits. It’s safe.”
Leafpool took a deep breath and leaped up on the second rung. Eventually, she got the hang of it and made it to the top in seconds flat.
Moss bounded up beside her. “See, it’s not that hard!”
Leafpool purred at her. If I’m going to be living away from the Clans now, she thought, I must start getting used to these Twoleg things.
“Mother!” squealed a high-pitched voice from the other side of the loft. Leafpool jerked her head in surprise to see three little kits shooting toward them. The first kit rammed full force into Leafpool’s right front leg and nearly caused her to overbalance. The little ball of fuzz looked up at her with the most brilliant green eyes Leafpool had ever seen. “Who are you?” he squeaked, fluffing his golden fur out in what he thought was a threatening gesture, which made Leafpool purr.
“My name is Leafpool,” she chuckled.
“Leafpool?” one of his sisters pealed. “That’s a weird name!”
“Otis! Stormy! Raindrop!” Moss meowed sharply. “I hope you aren’t being rude?” she addressed the she-cat who had spoken up pointedly.
The kit lowered her head mutinously, but the golden tom was as lively as ever. “You smell funny!” he declared to Leafpool, who purred again at the tomkit’s rude behavior.
“Otis! What did I just tell you?”
“It’s fine, Moss. He’s quite the little warrior,” commented Leafpool.
The tomkit, Otis, puffed his chest out so far that he toppled over.
“You mean he’s a pawful of trouble!” corrected Moss, though the affection for her kits was too easy to see in her verdant eyes. “I still don’t know how I can keep up with them. Speaking of trouble, I’d like to know which mousebrain wrecked all the nests back over there,” she added to the three youngsters, flicking her gray tail over in the corner of the loft, where Leafpool could see a pile of moss lying pell-mell, strewed here and there.
All three kits looked at the other, and then they streaked off in the direction of the destruction, their tiny tails waving erratically.
“Great StarClan, if my kits turn out like Crowfeather, they’ll make your kits look like good little ones,” sighed Leafpool.
Moss flicked her ears like she didn’t believe her. “How long until they’re due?”
“About a moon.”
“You might need to-”
A yowl interrupted Moss’s statement.
“Fox dung! I’m not going in any Twoleg place!”
Leafpool breathed silent thanks to StarClan when she recognized that voice. Crowfeather!
“I’m telling you, the Twolegs are long gone. It’s safe here.” A tom who sounded around Leafpool’s age spoke up this time.
“Crowfeather!” she called. “It’s okay! I’m up here!” She padded over to the edge of the loft and peered down. Her mate and a tawny brown tom stood by the ladder. Leafpool felt that familiar thrill when she laid eyes on Crowfeather’s smoky pelt, as though lightning had just arched down her spine. She saw his eyes glow when he spotted her, and that warmed her pelt.
“Did you have fun, Sparrow?” Moss meowed to the tawny cat casually, as though he had just gone on a hunt.
“Those mutts get easier to beat every time!” snorted the tom, Sparrow. “They’re hardly fun anymore.” There was a lighthearted gleam in his bright yellow eyes, and Leafpool took an instant liking to him.
“Well then, brave dogfighter, please come up,” Moss meowed. “There are some introductions to be made.”
Once Sparrow had successfully persuaded Crowfeather to climb the ladder (“You can tackle three dogs without a problem, but one ladder and you’re as paranoid as a mouse,” sighed Sparrow), Moss formally introduced her family.
“My name is Moss,” she said, “and that furball there is Sparrow, my mate.” The tawny-brown tom dipped his head.
“I’m Otis!” squeaked Moss’s son, the sturdy golden tomkit.
“My name’s Stormy!” piped up a dark gray tabby she-kit with dark blue eyes. “And that’s Raindrop.” She gestured with a tiny tail toward her sister, a beautiful light gray she-cat with very light, watery blue eyes.
Raindrop lowered her head and didn’t speak.
“She’s shy at first,” commented Sparrow, “But she’ll be a furball once she gets comfortable with you.”
“I’m Leafpool,” the tabby meowed.
“Crowfeather. Nice to meet you, but we had better get on,” Crowfeather said curtly.
Moss’s eyes widened in alarm. “You can’t yet, Leafpool's ex-”
Leafpool stuck her tail in Moss’s mouth.
“Moss was just telling me about a dog that wanders loose at night. We’d best wait until morning before we decide anything,” Leafpool said quickly, hoping Crowfeather hadn’t heard enough to become suspicious.
Crowfeather’s tail bristled, but he didn’t argue further, to Leafpool’s relief.
Moss’s eyes flooded with gratitude. “That’s good; that dog is huge. I don’t even think Sparrow could fight it off.” Sparrow looked momentarily confused, but he didn’t say anything aloud.
“Anyway,” Moss purred, “I’ve lived in this barn since I was born. I met my Sparrow while I was hunting, and he came to live with me. Then I had my kits three moons ago.”
“Are you kittypets?” Crowfeather asked, a glint in his eyes.
Sparrow snorted. “Honestly, do you think a housecat could fight off a dog?”
Leafpool found herself bristling before she could stop herself. “I know a couple of kittypets who can fight off and have fought off more dogs than you could ever imagine,” she said tightly. “Bigger too. One of them is my father. Do you have a problem with kittypets, Sparrow?”
All the cats - and kits - gaped at the usually soft-spoken she-cat, especially Crowfeather.
“Oh I-I’m sorry,” stammered Sparrow. “I just didn’t-”
“It’s okay,” sighed Leafpool. “I’m sorry if I snapped, but I just... miss them. So much.” Her voice broke.
Crowfeather pressed his pelt comfortingly against hers, and she felt reassured by his familiar warmth.
“Could you tell us what happened?” Moss asked softly, her eyes round with sympathy.
Leafpool and Crowfeather exchanged a glance. “It’s a long story,” meowed Crowfeather. “Our way of life is much different from a loner’s.”
“We’ve time to listen,” replied Sparrow.
“Well, for many countless moons, there have been four Clans of warrior cats, ThunderClan, WindClan, RiverClan, and WindClan...”
And so, Leafpool and Crowfeather explained to the two loners (and their kits) the Clan life, about the three ancient Clans, TigerClan, LionClan, and LeopardClan, and about Clan customs, ending with Leafpool and Crowfeather’s departure from the Clans.
“Sounds complicated,” commented Sparrow, “but not necessarily stupid. It seems pretty smart to me. Safety in numbers.”
“I want to be a warrior!” pealed Otis, his tiny golden tail waving erratically.
“You have to be an apprentice first, mousebrain!” teased Stormy, nudging her brother in the shoulder.
Leafpool felt some sluggish thought in the back of her mind scuttle about like a beetle, but before she could snatch it up, it escaped her. “You wouldn’t become an apprentice for another three moons,” she told them.
“Can you teach us a fighting move?” chirped Stormy.
“I won’t be the one to teach you anything, since I was a medicine cat.” Leafpool glanced at Crowfeather. “But I’m sure Crowfeather can teach you something. He was a warrior.”
Before Crowfeather could accept or deny Leafpool’s suggestion, Otis and Stormy had crowded around him, their eyes bright and eager. The WindClan cat sighed and flicked his tail to the other side of loft. The two kits shot in the direction indicated, and Crowfeather followed, shooting a glance at Leafpool over his shoulder.
Once her mate was out of hearing range, Leafpool sighed. “I’m afraid he doesn’t like kits,” she mewed sadly.
Moss and Sparrow exchanged a glance. “When we were coming back, your mate there - Crowfeather was his name? - spoke very highly of you,” Sparrow meowed softly. “And your story proves how much he loves you. I haven’t seen that kind of devotion in a long time.”
“But he doesn’t know I’m going to have kits, does he?” pointed out Leafpool, too depressed to want to be cheered up.
“Kits are the most wonderful thing that could happen to you.”
Leafpool looked down in surprise at Raindrop. The quiet kit hadn’t gone with Crowfeather to learn fighting moves, and she took in everything Leafpool had said with intelligent sky blue eyes.
“He’ll love you still,” Raindrop went on quietly. “He’ll be happy about this. But I think you should tell him soon. Tonight. He won't be happy if you keep secrets from him.”
Leafpool could only blink at the quiet little kit. Who would have thought that she was so wise?
“Thank you, Raindrop,” Leafpool said slowly. “I’ll try that.”
The silver-gray kit brightened considerably.
The rest of the evening passed by in a blur. Otis and Stormy were demonstrating the moves they learned from Crowfeather. They weren’t exactly top-class - in fact, they were far from it - but they showed good promise. They would be excellent warriors. Leafpool sighed at her foolish thought. What am I kidding? I don’t live in a Clan anymore. There’s just me and Crowfeather.
I'm happy with the length of this chapter. ^_^ This is the first chapter of the story that I've written 100% by myself - can you tell? XD Leaf's being pretty insecure, but that's sorta how she struck me in the books - a little insecure, but she does her best to put on a good front so no one worries about her. And I always saw Crow as not being good with children. XD That could just be me and my little fantasies though. :3
Sparrow and company are my original characters - are they okay? The kits are my favorite, especially Otis, because he's a furball, and Raindrop, because she's so sweet. <3 That's just me liking my characters though. x3
Please read and review, thank you so much for stopping by in the first place~!
Sparrow and company are my original characters - are they okay? The kits are my favorite, especially Otis, because he's a furball, and Raindrop, because she's so sweet. <3 That's just me liking my characters though. x3
Please read and review, thank you so much for stopping by in the first place~!