Winterpaw's wish

Chapter 14 ( Though to be gone, but his blood lives on )

I held my tongue tight, I couldn't tell a single cat. Then I turned around and saw Coguarclaw, glaring at me her nose a tail length from my face.

" Hello, Winterstorm." She purred, I tried encouraging myself she really tried to be friendly but I could see her eyes burning and claws digging into the earth. " I was wondering, want to go hunting?" I gritted my teeth, out of all things I wouldn't go hunting alone with Coguarclaw.

" I was actually going to go back to the nursey to Ravenkit, Frogkit, and Sweetkit. They need must be hungry." Coguarclaw narrowed her eyes and nodded. I padded towards the nursery and I could still feel her eyes burning into my pelt.

I walked into the nursery to see Ravenkit, Sweetkit, and Frogkit looking up at Leopardnose with shining eyes.

" Then," Leopardnose mewed. " The badger hobbled over to the cat and slashed his eye right out! The cat was furious and took one of its teeth in return. The cat couldn't be a warrior anymore so he moved to the elder's den for the rest of his life. He still kept that tooth in his nest though, to know what really happened." Leopardnose finished. The kits gasped and they stood up their fur on end.

" What was the cat's name?" Sweetkit asked.

" If the nest still in the elder's den?" Ravenkit gasped.

" IS he watching us from Starclan?" Frogkit whispered. I glanced at Frogkit and I could see his eyes were clouded. Unlike Sweetkit, and Ravenkit Frogkit had almost been killed by Scourge. If I didn't know what he would have done, he wouldn't be here. I licked Frogkit's head and curled my tail around my kit.

" Oh course he is." I promised. Leopardnose was nodding at Frogkit.

" His name was Whisperingeye, and no the tooth is no longer there." Leopardnose purred to Ravenkit. He frowned and his tail and head fell in disappointment.

" I wish I could something that brave!" Sweetkit boasted. Her tabby black pelt was ruffled, puffing out to twice her size. " I would give a badger some wounds to remember me by!" She purred. I smiled at her and licked her ear.

" I'm sure a badger would go running at the sight of you!" I mewed in mock fear. Sweetkit smiled.

I looked at my three kits, so precious to me. I watched them head outside to play and I could only think about what if I lost them? Would Tigerstar kill one of my kits? Or Darkstar? My heart dropped. Maybe not TIgerstar, but Coguarclaw do that?

It had been a day later and Leopardnose was kitting. I made sure my kits stayed away from the nursery, I didn't want to show them how bad her kitting was going. She had been there since dawn and it was know sun high. Rosepool came out of the nursery her eyes gleaming.

" Leopardnose is fine! She has had three toms and a she-cat!" I smile and enter the nursery to see my friend. Four kits were suckling at her belly, Leopardnose's eyes were glazed and her fur was ruffled in exhaustion.

" They are beautiful, Leopardnose." I purred. The only she-cat was a cream color, with brown paws. The smallest tom was a dark brown, almost black with one white ear tip. The biggest tom, his tail was nothing but a stump, and his fur was a hazel color. The last tom stood out from his siblings. He had ginger fur, and his tail was fluffy and longer then his litter mates.

" What are you going to name them?" I asked Leopardnose. She smiled at that and looked at her kits.

" The she-cat, Dawnkit. The dark brown tom, Tigerkit." I gasped and I looked at Leopardnose to see her eyes fully of sympathy and I smiled.

" The ginger tom wil be Flamingkit, and the biggest tom?" Leopardnose hesitated and I gritted my teeth.

" How about Fallenkit? His fur reminds me of the crisp leaves that fall in leaf fall." Leopardnose smiled and nodded.

" Perfect." She agreed. Leopardnose then looked at her paws.

" Their father will never be proud of them." She whimpered. I looked up with pricked ears.

" Who was their father?" I asked gently. Leopardnose narrowed her eyes and sighed.

" I met this tom, handsome, brave, everything a she-cat could want. Then, I found out he was evil, I met him all the time in my dreams, and I couldn't stop seeing him. Winterstorm, the tom's name was Scourge."

I looked at her in wide eyed, I shook my head in disbelief. These were Scourge's kits? His blood still lived, what if these kits follow his paw prints?

What if they are destined to ruin my life?  I knew I couldn't blame these kits, but I knew that dark brown tom with the white ear tip looked strangly familair. I looked at the kits suckling at Leopardnose's belly and I thought about their future. Wanting nothing but to kill me for their father's sake.

I bolted out of the nursery and I saw Coguarclaw leaning against Darkstar, her eyes gleaming with lose. Darkstar looked annoyed and ate his finch in silence while Coguarclaw went on.

My life would never end, never be normal! Coguarclaw was now trying to steal my mate, and now Scourge's blood lies in Leopardnose's kits?

" You must believe that their loyalty will be stronger then anything." I head a whisper. I whimpered.

If only I could believe it was true.