Moonpaw at Midnight

Prologue

A dozen star-speckled cats gathered around a lake with stars swirling in the depths of the water, and their eyes glittered.

"It is about time to see the power-filled kit be born," a tom said, looking up at the eleven other cats by him.

"Unless she has already been born, Blackwhisker." A she-cat replied, glancing up to the tom. "Really?" Blackwhisker asked, ears perking.

"I had thought we had to watch her be born."

"No," the she-cat said. "She is already born. We just need to see her."

"Who will you take with you, Dawnstar?" Another she-cat spoke up, blinking blankly.

     "I'll take Blackwhisker, Duskstep, and Kestrelfeather." Dawnstar meowed. "We must go now, surely they'll name her soon." The leader led the three cats away from the lake, and the other nine cats watched as they padded away.

    
      "This is her?" Blackwhisker asked eagerly.

      "Yes," Dawnstar replied. "Now shush."

      The four StarClan cats watched a queen nursing four kits quietly, and then perked their ears when a tom entered the nursery. "Which one is the male?" He spat.
       "He seems awfully cruel, Dawnstar." Kestrelfeather mewed, and Dawnstar nodded. "The deputy of the Clan, actually. When I used to be leader of this Clan, he was just a wee kit. But as he grew, tension formed between me and him. Something happened between us, actually." Dawnstar looked down. "What happened?" Duskstep, her brother, asked.
     "I can't believe you never told me," he snorted a few moments after. "I'll tell you all later." Dawnstar murmured, hushing the warriors with her fierce glare.

      "This one, Snakefoot." The queen mewed, nudging a pale brown tabby tomkit towards the tom. "Only one?" Snakefoot growled. "I expected them all to be males. Especially this one." He swiped a dark gray she-kit away from the queen's belly.
     "She looks like a weakling," Snakefoot bared his teeth at the tiny she-kit, and the tiny scrap started mewling. "Snakefoot stop!" The queen rasped. "Please, don't kill her." She sat up, but laid back down again when the other two kits cried.
"I don't see why you want any of them except the tom alive." Snakefoot hissed, throwing the she-kit back to the queen. She licked the little kit several times, then nudged her to her belly. "Shush now," the queen scolded. "We must name them."

"What about.." Snakefoot nudged the tomkit. "Adderkit in honor of me," then he smacked the bluish gray she-kit from earlier. "Dirtkit," Snakefoot growled. He looked at a creamy white she-kit. "Stemkit," and lastly, he looked to a gray tabby she-kit. "Grasskit."

"No, Snakefoot, no! Please," the queen's eyes were filled with tears. "Please just let me name them." She pulled 'Dirtkit' towards her, and licked her kit's ears.

"Snakefoot, what are you doing! He's going to die! Please let him go!" Snakefoot took Adderkit in his jaws, and padded out of the nursery with him. The kit mewled helplessly, and the queen sobbed, grooming her kits quietly.

"Poor Cherryblossom," Dawnstar sighed. "All she wanted was a happy life with her mate and kits."

"How did they even become mates?" Kestrelfeather ventured.

"Snakefoot used to be a nice fellow, and all he cared about was his beloved sweetheart, Cherryblossom," Dawnstar meowed. "Tsk tsk, I don't know whatever happened to that boy." Duskstep spat.

"What that rat of a cat is going to do next is going to devastate us all. Especially his kits." Dawnstar growled. "Let's go now, we don't want to know what he does." She led the StarClan cats away in regret, and took one last glance to the crying queen before walking off.

***

Cherryblossom hugged her kits closer. She had already named them before her mate had ruined their names. The bluish-gray she-kit was Moonkit, the creamy white she-kit was Rosekit, and the gray tabby was Silverkit.

She let out more sobs as she heard Snakefoot cry worriedly, "help! Some cat help! Cherryblossom is attacking our kits!" Suddenly, a bunch of cats entered the nursery.

"Get her away from Moonkit!" Brookwhisker meowed, snatching the dark gray kit from her.

"Take care of them, please!" Cherryblossom cried as she was dragged away. All three kits mewled loudly, and Snakefoot put Adderkit down by his sisters. No one can protect the she-kits now. He had thought with a smirk.
     Moonkit mewled several times, and Brookwhisker passed her off to Lionblossom. She approached the other queen, Lightpelt, and meowed, "please, nurse them. They might die." The medicine cat's eyes were cold and sorrowful, and Lightpelt nodded. "Losing my kits would be the worst thing that could happen to me, and I don't want to watch my best friend's kits die. Please, give them to me." The queen agreed.
     "Thank StarClan." Brookwhisker breathed, and then placed all four by Lightpelt's belly. "I just hope you don't run out of milk. It's leaf-bare after all." Brookwhisker muttered, and the crowd of cats followed the medicine cat out of the nursery.

     Lightpelt stared at Cherryblossom's kits with a frown plastered upon her face. I don't believe she tried to attack them at all. She's the kindest cat I've ever met..
     Lightpelt shook her head, letting out a hiss, and then lapped at Silverkit and Moonkit's fur. But the deputy's words must be true, right? The queen had thousands of questions, yet no cat to answer them. She looked up at the starry sky, and breathed slowly. Oh StarClan, who should I trust?
     By the time Lightpelt had looked down from praying to StarClan, the seven kits were squirming among each other, trying to find good spots to sleep. Copperkit and Moonkit were hissing and mewling at each other, and Lightpelt chuckled. As if they were talking yet. She shut her eyes, and laid her head down on her paws. By the time Silverkit had snuggled up to her face, Lightpelt was sound asleep.

     The clearing was deserted. The walls of the camp were ripped apart, and leaves were scattered all over the ground. There in the middle of the clearing stood Snakefoot. His tail lashed happily, satisfied it seemed.
     "Ghostpelt?" He called out, looking around. "Ghostpelt! The plan worked. She is no longer a queen, but a prisoner among ForestClan." Suddenly a white cat with ghostly yellow eyes appeared, a smile on his face.
     "Good job, Snakefoot," he meowed. "Now we must get rid of the most dangerous threat. Your daughter, Moonkit, and all the ones who will support her." Then Ghostpelt disappeared, and Snakefoot narrowed his eyes and grinned. "Yes, Ghostpelt."