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| - Unemployed Michael finally gets a job, but it involves working in the sewers of Springwood. His fear of the dark makes this job a real challenge. Murray, a sleazy video store owner, angers a video vendor and endures his wrath.
- Team Evil is falling back and regrouping, and the MitD just can't get anything he wants.
- Bramblekit and Tawnykit had just been born, when I see Fireheart come in, carrying two small, helpless kits. His brilliant ginger fur is shining, though his green eyes are tired and desperate. Frostfur's daughter, Cinderpaw, comes in behind him. "Goldenflower," she mews, "This is Featherkit and Stormkit." I stare at the two kits, the silver tabby looks exactly like... "They're Graystripe's kits," Fireheart informs me. "And...Silverstream's." "Silverstream!" exclaims Brindleface, then quickly turns away, noticing that Fireheart's information wasn't for her. She grooms her back, and circles her nest, making enough noise to scare away all of the prey in the forest. Speckletail squints, but Frostfur's just staring at Cinderpaw, her blue eyes dark and sad, as though she can't believe her daughter would be involved in such a crime. "Can you nurse them?" Fireheart asks me quietly. I turn back to him, startled, but the queens around me break out in impatient and annoyed noises. "Absolutely not," Speckletail hisses, lashing her tail. "Of course she won't," spits Brindleface. "Why should she?" Frostfur stays quiet, but I scuff the moss with my paws. "I think--" And that's when Bluestar enters the den. "Goldenflower. Would you please nurse these kits?" Bluestar's blue eyes are clear, and her voice is firm, though still offering it as an option, I can feel that I really don't have any options. I stare at the other queens, both steaming mad except for Frostfur, and then at Bluestar. "She shouldn't," Speckletail snarls. "Hush," Frostfur says, not taking her eyes off of her daughter, who is limping away. "This is Goldenflower's decision." I want to thank Frostfur, but I can't, not now. "Goldenflower?" prompts Bluestar. I turn my gaze back to her. "I'll do it." "Momma?" Bramblekit has woken up. Bluestar stares at him, but Fireheart's gaze is disgusted. I turn to him. "But I won't if you look at my son like that." Bramblekit whines for milk, waking up his sister. Tawnykit yawns widely, and Bluestar stares at the two in tired affection. "Kits," she mutters, and then pads away. Bluestar and Fireheart pad out of the den, and I crane my neck to peer into the camp. "Mother!" "Just a moment, Bramblekit." I spot him. "Wait right here, kits. Frostfur, make sure they don't go away to explore," I tell the white queen, and she nods, eyes still glazed. "Tigerclaw!" He turns, his amber eyes meeting mine, and his eyes soften as he comes to meet me. "Come meet your kits, Tigerclaw. They've opened their eyes." Speckletail stifles a growl as Tigerclaw enters the nursery, his broad frame blocking the light from streaming in to the den. Bramblekit and Tawnykit squirm in the darkness, but Tawnykit blinks and pads toward her father. "W-Who are you?" she mews tentatively, and Tigerclaw bends down to lick her ear. "I'm your father, Tawnykit. And yours, Bramblekit." "You're our father?" squeaks Bramblekit. His dark pelt almost blends in with his father's as he jumps on him, play-fighting. Tigerclaw growls playfully, and paces around in a circle, until Tawnykit attacks his tail. I watch my kits and their father rolling around, and have to supress a laugh. A squealing interrupts me, and I turn, forgetting my other charges. Featherkit and Stormkit are both mewling. The two almost collapse after drinking their fill, and by the time the moon has appeared on the horizon, Bramblekit and Tawnykit stumble into the nursery again, their eyes drooping with fatigue. They settle down beside their new brother and sister, and within moments, everyone's asleep. *** "What are they?" sneers Darkstripe. I turn to him, narrowing my eyes, and herd Featherkit and Stormkit towards Fireheart. "What do you think they are?" snaps Sandstorm. "They're kits." Darkstripe glares at her, but the young warrior turns toward Fireheart, whose apprentice, Cloudpaw, is running around his paws. "Fireheart!" I call out, and the warrior turns. "Goldenflower?" "I think you should properly meet Featherkit and Stormkit." Fireheart's green eyes drop from my face to the brilliant amber eyes of Stormkit, and the piercing blue ones of Featherkit. Both kits stumble a bit on their paws, but are awed by the size of Fireheart. "He's huge," breathes Stormkit. Fireheart beams. "Hey, Sandstorm!" Dustpelt calls. Most of the Clan that is sitting by swivel their heads to look at the dark brown tabby. Sandstorm slowly turns her pale ginger head to face him. "What?" she asks, somewhat irritably. The eyes of the whole Clan are on both of them. Dustpelt falters for a moment, then turns and pads away. The Clan erupts into whispers, most of them amused or surprised. Sandstorm spots me, and heads over to the kits. I can hear Bramblekit and Tawnykit bounding around in the nursery, and Speckletail's occasional hiss of annoyance. "Hi Goldenflower. I thought Bramblekit and Tawnykit were yours...whose are these?" I glance briefly at Fireheart, who shakes his head almost imperceptibly, and I turn back to Sandstorm, at loss for what to say. "I...they're...they're not mine. You should ask Fireheart." I quickly grasp the two kits by their scruffs, and hurry back into the nursery, not letting Fireheart meet his friend's kits. As I enter the nursery, I almost trip over Bramblekit and Tawnykit, who are both bounding around talking loudly. "We should go to the elders!" cried Bramblekit. He began to move away, before Frostfur woke up and gave a startled mew. "Brokentail! I--I--StarClan, no!" she wails, and Bramblekit and his sister press close to me. Featherkit and Stormkit are staring up at the trembling queen with wide eyes. "Kits, go to the elders," I say shakily, and move over to comfort Frostfur. Featherkit and Stormkit bravely pad up to Frostfur, and bury their noses in her fur in condolence. Frostfur sniffs. "She should go to the medicine den," rasps Brindleface. Frostfur shivers, but stands up and pads away towards Yellowfang and Cinderpelt's den. I know she'll find solace in speaking with her own daughter, and maybe having a few poppy seeds to help her sleep. Bramblekit and Tawnykit bash into my shoulder, and I jump up, hissing. They both stop, and cautiously step backward, until Tigerclaw steps into the den. Brindleface and Speckletail crouch, moving away from him, but I let his amber eyes fill my gaze. Without warning, he drops his gaze, picks up his kits by their scruffs, and marches out into the clearing. "You're eating fresh-kill," he announces, and Tawnykit squeals. She flings herself towards the pile, sinks her teeth into a vole, and drags it over to her brother. "I wanted a shrew," whines Bramblekit, and the other queens and I have to stifle laughs. Speckletail trails off into a sort of snort, and then shakes her head and falls asleep. My kits don't come back until sunhigh. *** I'm sitting just outside the nursery, when I hear a commotion, and Leopardfur, the RiverClan deputy, bursts into the camp, followed by Blackclaw and Heavypaw, a warrior and his apprentice. I turn away, thinking they've come for Bluestar, and watch Bramblekit jump on top of Featherkit and wrestle her to the ground, while Tawnykit and creeps up behind her brother and leaps on him. Stormkit attempts to tug off Tawnykit, but fails, and flops back down. I'm surprised when Leopardfur stalks right over to the rolling kits, and I rush over to Bramblekit, Tawnykit, Stormkit, and Featherkit to usher them out of the way of the spotted deputy. She glares at them, and then picks up Featherkit by her scruff, signals to Blackclaw, and begins to leave the camp. Blackclaw takes Stormkit, but the entrance is immediately blocked. "What are you doing?" hisses Runningwind. "Taking the ones that rightfully belong to my Clan!" the deputy replies vehemently. She attempts to push past the tabby warrior, but he pushes her back. "What are you talking about?" demands Mousefur. Thornpaw stands his ground right next to her, digging his claws into the dust. "Those kits are the children of one of our warriors!" "Who?" retorts Dustpelt. "And how do we know you're not lying?" "Their mother was Silverstream," growls Leopardfur, setting Featherkit down. She trembles, and pads over to her brother. "Their father?" Fireheart's glance pleads with the RiverClan deputy, but she seems in vindictive pleasure as she announces to the Clan, "Graystripe." With a collective gasp, we all turn towards the gray warrior, whose head is bowed. His apprentice, and my son, Brackenpaw, looks sadly up at him, and sighs heavily, sorrowful for such a young cat. "These kits should be with their mother's Clan," Leopardfur snarls, and tries once more to exit. Bluestar emerges. "Stop. What are you doing?" "Taking what rightfully belongs to RiverClan," insists Leopardfur. Featherkit and Stormkit are pressing close to each other, their eyes huge and frightened. Suddenly, I unfreeze and hurtle forward. "My kits!" "They're not yours," spits Leopardfur. Featherkit buries her head in my fur, and Stormkit mewls plantatively. "I don't want to go!" "Leave them here," demands Bluestar. Leopardfur stalks up to our leader, and sticks her nose in her face. "No." "Leave them!" "Make me." "I--" "Stop, stop, please!" begs Graystripe, hurrying forward. "Just let them go." Leopardfur smirks, picks up the kits and begins to walk away. Graystripe gives us an anguished look...and follows. "No!" Fireheart steps forward. "Graystripe, don't do this, don't let them take your kits, don't go to RiverClan..." Graystripe's eyes are heavy and sad as he shakes his head slowly, turns, and follows Leopardfur out of the camp, and into the forest.
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