Owlflight's Kits (Book One)

Chapter Twenty One

Cloud felt that it was only right to give two of her kits to MudClan. She wanted them to be warriors, something she never got to do.

She had three kits. One, the youngest, she kept; the others were given to Sunflower, a MudClan queen who'd recently given birth to a single kit, Applekit. Cloud's kits were given the names Oceankit and Turtlekit.

Winter was the only cat to accompany her on her journey to the MudClan camp, apart from the three kits. Cloud carried Oceankit, Winter carried Frost, and Turtlekit, being the largest, stumbled along beside them. Neither cat spoke; they were both on the verge of regretting their decision to give their kits away.

But Cloud wanted them to have a good future. Both Bloodshed and the fact that they were loners put her kits in danger; like any rational mother, she never wanted her kits to be in danger. With an entire clan to protect them, they'd be safe for sure.

As they neared the cave where MudClan had built their camp, Winter stopped, hesitating. "Cloud?" He asked, worry clear in his voice.

"Yes?" Cloud stopped also, turning to look at her mate. "What is it?"

"I... I don't know if I should come to the camp. Stripedstar says that you're always welcome because you're clan born, but.. I'm not." Winter's tail lashed. "What if they think that I'm Bloodshed, and attack me?"

Cloud shook her head. "I need your help to carry the kits. You have to come.. I can't do this alone!" She hissed. "Come on, they don't hate Bloodshed that much. They won't attack any cat that looks like him; they have logic."

Winter nodded and picked Frost back up. They managed to get the kits to the camp despite Turtlekit's attempts to run off. When they arrived, several cats looked up with their fur standing on end.

Cloud explained what she planned to do with her kits. Sunflower was content with the idea that she could have three kits, rather than one. She was more than happy to care for Oceankit and Turtlekit.

"Hey, Cloud!" A familiar voice called as Cloud helped Sunflower settle the kits down in the nursery. Cloud turned to see Spiderpaw padding towards them. "I heard about the kits! Is this their father?" Spiderpaw eyed Winter suspiciously. Cloud guessed that she was thinking what everyone else was thinking; he looked just like Bloodshed.

"Yes." Cloud replied, ignoring the obvious hatred of her mate. "This is Winter."

Spiderpaw dipped her head. "Hey, I'm Spiderpaw. Are you.. Uh, related.. To Bloodshed?" Cloud noticed her sandy brown fur starting to bristle.

Winter sighed. "Yes, he's my father. You remember when he introduced me.."

"How in StarClan did you end up with Cloud?" Spiderpaw laughed, all her hostility towards him gone in a flash. "Last time I saw you, you were a terrified kit who's father had just left the clan for a kittypet."

Winter flattened his ears in embarrassment, so Spiderpaw changed the subject. "So, why did you decide to bring the kits to MudClan?"

"Only two of them. The third stays with us." Cloud said quickly. "I wanted them to grow up and become warriors, something I always dreamed of as a kit. I had to leave the clan with Owlflight, but there's nothing keeping the kits from returning..." Cloud's voice trailed off, hoping she didn't sound like a mouse-brain.

"Well, they're definitely good news for the clan. With Bloodshed's threat, we're going to need a lot of warriors.." Spiderpaw sniffed Oceankit, who had crawled over to meet her. "They have warrior blood in them, both from you and Winter. I think they'll do well, don't you?"

"I hope so." Cloud said, worry making the fur on her shoulders stand up. "I really hope so.."

Spiderpaw seemed to sense Cloud's worry, because she curled their tails together and smiled sympathetically. "You should get going now, if you plan to get back before dark." She said.

Cloud nodded, turning to her kits again. She gave them both a lick on the head, while Winter murmured a final "thank you" to Sunflower. The two left the nursery quietly, saying their farewells to Spiderpaw and their two oldest kits.