Three moons have passed and Dawnflower's kits are now five moons old. Nightclaw continues to leave her kits, but now days at a time. She practically raised the poor kits and she doesn't know what will happen when she leaves the nursery. She noticed many changed about them as well; Otterkit has been spending more time in the medicine cat den with Flamepelt and her four other kits have been spending more time with Nightclaw's kits. Blackpaw should be a warrior any day as well, so Dawnflower is happy about that. And in a moon, her own kits will be apprentices.
Dawnflower was currently eating a mouse. Prey is starting to become scarce once more as the cold weather picks up. Leafstar called to the queen and Dawnflower noticed how frail her leader has really become in these last moons. When she was an apprentice, her leader seemed strong but now, she's just gotten old and weak as the moons go by. Dawnflower followed her leader in her den and sat down in front of her. "I've noticed that you've been caring for Nightclaw's kits. I noticed this in the beginning and I'd hoped it would get better but I only see now that it's gotten worse. I should've done something earlier." Her dappled leader said and Dawnflower nodded.
"You won't have to stay in the nursery for another moon, I'll have another she cat look after them. You've done enough, Dawnflower. You are a strong she cat who will do great things one day." Leafstar said and the orange and white queen noticed something in her leader's eyes that she couldn't place. Dawnflower nodded in thanks and smiled. "If I may be honest, and I wouldn't tell anyone else this, Dawnflower. I only trust you. I don't even trust Whitestorm and he's my own deputy." Leafstar exclaimed.
Dawnflower flet pride surge through her veins at her leader's words and a smile spread across her lips. "But I doubt Nightclaw's loyalty to this clan." Leafstar admitted and her gaze turned serious. Dawnflower nodded in agreement. "As do I, Leafstar. She leaves days on end and if it weren't for me, her kits wouldn't have made it past their first moon!" She exclaimed in disbelief and Leafstar nodded. "I know. It's a shame." She said with a frown. "But I have manners to discuss with you, Dawnflower." She said and Dawnflower nodded for her to go on.
"I would like you to train Darkkit. I fear she may turn into her mother and I would like a strong, loyal cat like you to bring her on the right path." Leafstar said. It felt rude to discriminate against Darkkit only because of her pelt. The other three are just as likely to turn out like their mother but Dawnflower accepted anway. Leafstar smiled and nodded. "I also have a request." Dawnflower stated and Leafstar willed her on.
"Otterkit seems interested in being a medicine cat, as I observe, and if she wants to be a medicine cat, I was hoping she could train under the guidance of Flamepelt." Dawnflower hoped. She knew the rule about kin but she just had to try. Leafstar let out a breath and thought for a moment. "Well, kin aren't supposed to train kin but who else will do it? Shadowclan's threat is still hanging in the air and if, StarClan forbid, Flamepelt happens to be attacked, she won't have an apprentice to take over. The other kits don't seem interested and who knows when another she cat will have kits? This once, I will let Flamepelt train her kin." Leafstar said with a smile and Dawnflower smiled wide.
"Thank you." She said with a purr and Leafstar nodded with a smile. "And also, I would like if Blackpaw could train one of my kits." She said and Leafstar nodded and Dawnflower smiled once more. She said thank you and then padded out of the den and into the medicine cat den. Flamepelt was explaining what juniper berries were to Otterkit and she could see a spark in her daughter's eyes that wasn't there before with her siblings and fighting. She smiled and purred. "Oh, hey Dawnflower." Flamepelt said after hearing her sister purr.
She smiled and padded in more. "I need to speak with you." She said and Flamepelt nodded and padded out of the den with her sister. "I just spoke with Leafstar and she said that Otterkit could train under the guidance of you, if both of you would like." She said and a wide smile spread across Flamepelt's face. She nodded eagerly and Dawnflower giggled a bit and padded back into the den. "Otterkit, come here." She said and Otterkit obeyed.
"I see you like working in the medicine cat den." She started and Otterkit scraped dirt with her paw and nodded slowly, seemingly ashamed. "What's wrong?" Dawnflower asked and Otterkit looked up at her. "You aren't mad?" She asked and Dawnflower gave her a look of disbelief. "Oh honey no, why would I ever be mad at you for doing something you love?" She asked softly and Otterkit shrugged. "Everyone else is going to be big strong warriors and I'm going to be a medicine cat." She said and Dawnflower shook her head.
"Otterkit, I don't care what you do, whether it be a medicine cat, warrior, permanant queen, loner, I don't care. I love you for you and that's all that matters." Dawnflower said softly and lovingly as she nuzzled and licked her kit. Otterkit laughed softly and purred. "And Leafstar said you can train under Flamepelt's knowledge." She said with a smile and Otterkit smiled wide and jumped around excitedly. Dawnflower giggled and headbutted her kit gently. She padded back to the den and excitedly exclaimed what Leafstar had said to Flamepelt. Dawnflower chuckled and padded back to the nursery.
It seemed crowded in here with her four big kits in the nursery. "Go play outside or something." Dawnflower said and her kits groaned and rested their heads back down. She saw that Brookkit and Thornkit were grooming each other and Bramblekit and Tawnykit were giggling and whispering in each other's ears. Hawkkit and Honeykit were wrestling and Darkkit and Mudkit were spectating and cheering on both Hawkkit, from Darkkit, and Honeykit, from Mudkit. Honeykit was currently winning until she triumphantly won the playfight and Honeykit and Mudkit nuzzled each other while Darkkit licked Hawkkit's ear.
Dawnflower realized what was happening between the kits and a sinking feeling settled in the pit of her stomach at the sight. She quickly padded out and a couple tail lengths out of camp. She took deep breaths and the black cat herself appeared in front of her. She bumped into Nightclaw and the black cat hissed and stepped back. Dawnflower growled and then went back to hyperventilating. Aside her better nature, Nightclaw reluctantly asked what was wrong. "Our-our kits are falling in love." She announced and Nightclaw's green eyes went dull and then bright with anger.
"Show me." She growled and they padded to the nursery together and Nightclaw peeked in. She turned to Dawnflower, eyes dull and filled with annoyance. "Great! My kits just have to fall in love with the she cat's that I hate!" She snapped, her eyes filled with anger again. Dawnflower scoffed and rolled her eyes. "My thoughts exactly." She said and started pacing. Nightclaw growled and stormed into the nursery.
"Ok, that's it!" She yowled and, withshock and disbelief written on her face, Dawnflower padded in after her to see her yelling and seperating the kits. "Of all cats, her's!" She yowled and with unsheahed claws, slashed at her kits, drawing blood. Dawnflower growled and jumped on Nightclaw's back. The two wrestled like before and they ended up outside of the nursery. Dawnflower slashed at Nightclaw's underbelly, feeling the blood drip down her claws, and bit her neck hard. Nightclaw yowled in pain and a cat knocked Dawnflower off of the black cat before she could do any real damage.
Dawnflower realized it was Whitestorm and, once on her paws, growled at the deputy, her neck fur bristling with anger. The white cat ignored her and grabbed Nightclaw roughly by the scruff and dragged her to the Highrock, where Leafstar was standing with a look of horror. Dawnflower saw Flamepelt and Otterkit rush to the nursery and bring all the kits to the medicine cat den. She focused her attention back to Leafsar, who yowled for everyone's attention.
"What happened, Dawnflower?" Leafstar asked and Dawnflower stood and padded forward. "I noticed that both of our kits had been getting rather close with each other in these last moons. She suspected love between them and she snapped and attacked her kits." She said, meeting the gaze of every cat. "Is this true?" Leafstar asked, and there was an edge to her voice that was dark and filled with disbelief. Nightclaw only growled and Whitestorm and Brackenfur clung to her on both sides, causing Nightclaw to hiss at the toms. "I take that as a yes. Nightclaw, you have dishonored your clan. You made a promise to protect this clan with your life but you've only destroyed it. You've lost everything, Nightclaw." Leafstar spat with a menacing tone to her voice that laced with venom.
"And now you, Nightclaw, are exiled from ThunderClan. Your wounds will not be treated and you will be sent on your way as is. If we scent you on ThunerClan territory or even see you, we will treat you as another cat who has stumbled onto our territory and we will not hesitate to attack you. Now leave ThunderClan, Nightclaw, and never return." She said, authority and a sense of demand in her voice. "I'm not leaving without my kits." She growled and Leafstar scoffed. "You are not taking those kits with you. They don't deserve you as a mother. If they leave with you, they won't even last a day." Leafstar hissed and Nightclaw growled. "You'll pay for this, ThunderClan!" She yowled as she bounded out with a limp.
Leafstar beckoned for Dawnflower and she padded with her leader to the den. The orange and white queen sat down, curling her tail around her paws. "Before you assume anything, you're not in trouble. I understand why you did what you did and I'm glad you did. She really is an evil cat and she deserved what she got." She said and Dawnflower nodded in agreement. "You've grown to be a loyal ThunderClan cat; a cat that every clan wished they had." Leafstar said and Dawnflower smiled proudly. "Thank you." She said and Leafstar nodded. "Now go check on the kits and explain everything from the beginning." Leafstar said and Dawnflower nodded and quickly padded to the medicine cat den.
Otterkit was comforting the kits and her own were huddled in a corner, shaking and traumatized. Nightclaw's kits were also huddled together and Flamepelt were tending to their wounds, putting poultices on their scratches and cleaning up the blood. They were deep cuts and Dawnflower thought they would probably leave scars. "Are any of you hurt?" She asked her kits as she looked them over, but they shook their heads. She frantically licked her kits and then padded to the others and Flamepelt. She licked Nightclaw's kits comfortingly and they asked why she did that. Dawnflower sighed and sat down. "Kits, come here." She called to her own and they huddled up with Nightclaw's.
"Well, Nightclaw was never a good mother. She always left you and even for days on end. I ended up taking care of you four for most of the time, as well as my own kits. And when we got in that fight the first time, it was because she saw that I had nursed her kits when she was gone and she got mad and so I told her who was boss. And she continued to leave for days on end and then today, she saw that some specific kits were falling in love and she just couldn't have that. She hates me and she didn't want her kits to fall in love with mine." Dawnflower explained and the kits had wide, scared eyes. "And now she's exiled. You'll never have to worry about her again, alright? You're safe here." She said as she nuzzled the kits.
The kits nodded and yawned and Flamepelt suggested that the four of them stay there until tomorrow to see how they do. Dawnflower took her kits to the nursery and had them go to sleep. They've had a long day and they needed sleep. She laid down and watched her kit's breaths even out into sleep. Tigerstorm returned later than normal and she explained to him what had happened. "Wow. She's finally gone. I can't believe they fell in love with each other." He said quietly in disbelief and Dawnflower nodded. She then laid down and before she could comprehend what was happening, she fell asleep.
Threats linger in the air but she knows that as long as she's by the kit's sides, nothing bad will ever happen to them, and she promised herself that. Dawnflower's sorrow had trapped her but she was now free of her chains that were restricting her. She has a mate, kits, a family, and she is free; what more could she want?