Jaywatcher's Love [Old, DISCONTINUED]

∆ prologue ∆

Thunder rumbled in the dusky clouds above. The night itself was dreary. No cat was outside, because of the stormy weather. Though the weather was not perfect, it was peaceful without cats everywhere around the camp.

All that silence was interrupted, however, when a dark brown tom came crashing into the ShadowClan nursery.

His pelt was drenched in water, making it look almost black in color. He was holding a little bundle in his jaws. Smokeflame could barely tell the little squeaking bundle that swung from the tom's jaws was a kit. A grayish-blue kit, at that.

"Pinewhisker?" Owlfang, the other queen in the nursery, mewed with a shocked tone. "Is that you?"

Pinewhisker coughed and shivered. "It's me. I'm here. I brought her." He croaked out. "Her name-...her name is Jaykit."

He dropped the kit on the damp moss nest under him, and Jaykit squeaked with suprise. "Is this your kit?" Smokeflame asked the tom, her tail sweeping protectively over her two newborn kits, Wolfkit and Blackkit.

"She's mine, yes." Pinewhisker coughed again, whiskers trembling. "You cannot know her mother. As far as Jaykit knows, she's dead."

"But why?" Smokeflame queried as she grabbed Jaykit by the scruff and began to lick her fur dry.

"Who is her mother? Why must she think she is dead?" Owlfang mewed from the other side of the small nursery.

"Trust me. You can't know." Pinewhisker hissed, beginning to lick his chest fur. "Just tell her that her mother is dead."

"Fine." Smokeflame agreed. "I will foster Jaykit and go by your rules." She meowed to Pinewhisker between licks.

Jaykit looked better already. The little gray-blue kit was still shivering, but she looked less like a wet rat and more like a fluffy kit now.

"Is she really the only one in the litter?" Owlfang asked. "No littermates?"

Pinewhisker dipped his head. "One unnamed one was stillborn." He murmured, green eyes full of sadness.

"Oh my..." Owlfang whispered, pulling her own kits closer. "I'm so sorry. May that kit rest in StarClan."

Smokeflame dipped her own head as well, but said her prayers to their warrior ancestors in her head.

She dropped Jaykit with her other kits, and they all began to suckle at her stomach, like any kit would do.

"I'm sorry you have to take on an extra kit because of me, Smokeflame." Pinewhisker apologized, sitting down in the nursery and continuing to groom and dry his fur.

"It's quite alright, dear." Smokeflame purred. "I don't mind. But I would appreciate if you did me a favor."

"And what would that be?" Pinewhisker inquired, tilting his head to the side and pricking up his ears. "I'll do anything."

"Go get some rest. You look exhausted." Smokeflame mewed to the tom sternly. Pinewhisker only nodded and stood up. As he exited the den, he spoke.

"And remember-"

"We know, we know." Smokeflame interrupted. "As far as Jaykit knows, her mother is dead."