The small soft bundle of orange fur kneaded her mother's soft stomach as she suckled for the first time. The she-cat looked down at the two heaps of fluff at her belly and then glanced to the other side of the clearing. Her sister, Leafpool, was still heaving with contractions as she birthed the third and final kit. The she-cat named Squirrelflight was joyed and yet disappointed as she knew of what she must now do.
Leafpool let out a sigh as the birthing ceased, she licked the kits until they were dry then pushed them to her teats to suckle. She looked over and caught her sister looking down affectionately at her kits. "You know what we have to do. They'll never believe you had five kits. Three is much more reasonable."
Squirrelflight was on the verge of tears. "Why do we have to save your kits?" She was trying to stall their departure so she could recover and her kits could nourish themselves a little before their big journey.
"You know these three have a destiny beyond starclan, they will save us one day. And you know that Brambleclaw will love him and think them his own." Squirrelflight had no fight left in her and surrendered to the detailed plot they had been planning for moons. "You know, your kits are pretty cute." Squirrelflight had walked over to Leafpool and was looking at the three bundles curled up with her own two. She stood carefully and lifted the two kits by the scruff of their fur. Her sister carefully lifted all three of her kittens in the same manner. Through the soft fur, Squirrelflight heard Leafpool murmur, "Lets go."
