Warriors | A Prophecy Reborn: Book 3. (A Dead Star)

~A Dead Star: Chapter 20~ (FLASHBACK)

"You can't leave me," she cried. "The kits will wonder who their father is... It'll be impossible to lie to them."
"I don't want to leave, Lily," said the wild cat. "I want to see the kits grow, but my Clan... There's too much going on. I may not be able to see you as often anymore..."
"Stay here," Lily pleaded. "It's safe here, Rockhopper, and your kits are inside."
"I want to," Rockhopper said, looking away. "I really do, and I care about the safety of our kits more than my own life, but Leafstar... Tomorrow, no cat will be able to leave camp. He's ordering us to stay in camp while we sort everything out to prepare for the attack. I want you and the kits to be safe, and I can't keep coming back if I want you all to live."
Lily bowed her head sadly. She didn't want him to leave... She wanted him to stay with her, to raise the kits without them wondering who their father was.
But she also couldn't deny that he had to leave... She wanted him to stay alive, and to live a long life, even if it meant him being kept away from her and the kits.
"I understand," she said shakily. "Please... Stay safe, Rockhopper. Please live."
"I have one more thing to do before I leave," Rockhopper said. "You can't think of a name for two of the younger kits, can you?"
"No," Lily admitted, letting out a half-hearted chuckle. "The blue-gray one, and the second white one. I can't think of any names for them."
"A friend of mine had a most fitting name for her eyes and coat," Rockhopper said. "But the other..."
Rockhopper thought for a short moment, feeling happy to spend this last moment with his mate.
He said, "For the blue-gray she-kit, Rose, after my sister. Unlike my sister, she will live past her life as a kit. She will make it. For the youngest..."
Lily waited apprehensively. She awaited his answer in silent, somewhat joyful patience.
"Sphinx, after my old friend," Rockhopper said slowly.
Lily flicked her tail happily as Rockhopper ran away, back to his Clan. Lily was happy for the moment, sitting outside and watching the moon and stars. A tear ran down the side of her face and she slunk away, back to her kits.

The kits were almost a moon old now. Rockhopper still hadn't come back. She wondered whether or not his Clan had been attacked, hoping he had survived if they had.
"Wherever he is, I hope he's safe," she said aloud to herself. The kits couldn't speak yet, and they couldn't quite understand what she was saying.
She heard something coming from outside in the garden. Her housefolk weren't home... Maybe it was Rockhopper?
Turning around to make sure her kits were still asleep, she left through the cat flap and crept around to the garden.
"Who's there?" she growled, unsheathing her claws.
She heard rustling from behind the fence and charged into the garden, hissing. She looked around and saw a strange, black cat cowering by one of the plant bushes.
"Don't attack!" the black she-cat yelled. "I'm coming out!"
Lily sat down, staring in disgust at the she-cat. She was dirty and her fur was matted together. She knew wild cats were untidy from time to time, but this she-cat wasn't even carrying the scent of a wild cat! She was just... dirty.
"Why are you in my garden?" Lily growled, flexing her claws.
"I was running," the black she-cat said.
"What from?"
"Another cat."
"What did the cat look like?" Lily asked dully. The black she-cat shrugged and said, "Gray."
"That's... Maybe you could be more specific?"
"I couldn't see his face," the black she-cat said with a shrug, evidently calming down.
Great gardens! Lily thought in disbelief. This cat's an idiot!
It wasn't until the she-cat stopped to groom her paw that Lily saw her swollen belly. This she-cat was expecting kits!
To break the awkward silence, she asked, "Who's the father of your kits?"
The she-cat put her paw down and looked away. "He, um... He's dead," said the she-cat. "He was one of those wild cats that go to the island every full-moon."
"How did he die, if you don't mind me asking?"
"Killed," said the black she-cat simply. "My name's Salem, by the way."
"Lily," she said with a slight flick of her tail.
"Nice to meet you, Lily. Do you have kits of your own?"
"I do," Lily replied cautiously. "Three she-kits and two toms."
"And the father? Is he alive?"
"I hope so," Lily said. "He was also a wild cat. He left so me and the kits would stay safe..."
"Oh," said Salem. "I'm sorry about that."
A long silence lingered around the two she-cats. "So who were you running from?" Lily asked curiously.
"Other wild cats," Salem responded. "Cats from my mate's Clan. He said he lived in a Clan called ShadowClan."
ShadowClan! Lily thought, suddenly hostile. ThunderClan's rival! This she-cat bears kits with ShadowClan blood!
She was torn between attacking her and leaving her be. She wouldn't like if she were attacked while expecting her kits, and she knew it wasn't good to wish ill fate on another she-cat who was expecting.
She shook her head slightly, deciding it would be better to leave the other she-cat alone.
"How was your mate killed?" she asked Salem.
"He went to try and warn the Clan they were attacking, but his Clan found out and killed him. I've been running from his Clan since it happened, since they found out about me and the kits."
Rockhopper said his Clan was going to be attacked when he left, Lily thought in horror. ShadowClan... Of course.
One good cat in ShadowClan though... That's... surprising.
"You could stay here and hide," Lily offered. "It must be safer here than out there."
"You'd offer me shelter?" Salem said.
"Of course," Lily said. "You may end up being pampered 'til you drop by my housefolk, but at least it'll be warm for your kits."
"I'd appreciate that," Salem said gratefully. "I'll leave as soon as I've had my kits and they're old enough to come with me."
Lily nodded and led the black she-cat inside.