Finding the Father-to-be of RiverHeart's unborn kit

RiverHeart looked up at ShadowFang. "But Shadow," she said. "I don't want others to know about RavenFang being the father, but they're obviously going to ask who he is, so what should I say when they ask me?" RiverHeart lay down and worried about the difficulties that her beloved kits would go through.

Shadow hissed quietly to herself. "Most cats won't bother to ask." she said, starting to walk towards the gorge. "The ones that do, he's..." she turned her head to look straight into Riverheart's eyes, "Just a cat." she turned and lead Riverheart to the gorge where Raven lay asleep.

"You needn't tell them which clan he is from, or his name." she nudged Ravenfang with a paw and said, "Come. We're moving now."

Ravenfang groaned and sat up. He had been enjoying his dream until ShadowStar woke him up. Yawning, he reached River's side and followed the other cat to the safe crossing place across the gorge.

Once on RiverClan territory, he bristled. "How are we going to get me to camp without someone seeing us?" he asked.

RiverHeart thought hard. She looked around. She saw a piece of branch and then looked at Raven. Of course! she thought to herself. That's it! "I have an idea!" she cried, running over to the rope and picking it up in her jaws.

"Shadow, I need your help." she said. "We need to tie this rope loosely around Raven's neck, okay?" Raven and Shadow looked confused. "We're going to pretend that Raven was on our territory without a reason and his 'punishment' will be to look after a single mother that is giving birth, and guess who that mother is going to be." River explained, looking into Raven's eyes.

Shadowstar nodded and gently took the twine from Riverheart. She lobbed it so that part of it fell onto Raven's shoulders and tied it up around his neck using her fangs and paws. Then, she got some mud and smeared it over Raven's distinctive markings, before mushing some red berries under her paws and making it look like blood on his torn ears. "Take that length, and let's go." she said, taking part of the 'leash' in her mouth.

Luckily no cats paid them any heed, and they went straight to the leader's den. It was large and spacious, and Shadow pinned the long leash under a heavy rock in the corner of the room. "Just to make it look real." she assured them. "I've made the knot so that you can untie it in an emergency." she turned to Riverheart. "Sleep here for the next 2 dawns." she said. "Then you'll move into the nursery."

Raven flinched every time Shadow's lethal fangs came near his neck, but trusted that she wouldn't kill him. He followed them into the camp and then the clan leader's den. Shadow pinned his lead under a heavy stone, and he sat down at the length of the vine. "I'll sleep now." he said to the she-cats, "Goodnight." he stretched out on the floor and fell into a shallow sleep.

RiverHeart nodded to Shadow, licked Raven goodbye and headed for the nursery. "Don't worry, dear kits," she mewed to her belly. "I shall take care of you, be with you through thick and thin and I know that Raven will be a wondeful father." Just then, the four kits began kicking. "Ow! Not so hard, my darlings," she yowled quietly. "Sleep now, dear ones, we must rest."

It was a long night as the kits remained awake inside their mother stayed awake, trying to kick each other. River imagined them in her stomach, playing with balls of yarn, but kicking her stomach rather than the yarn.

Shadowstar lay down in a thick pile of ground-dust, and stretched out. She closed her eyes and settled into a calm dream.
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The leaves were thick on the ground. It was brownleaf, Shadow's favourite season. The trees were half-naked and the leaves were fiery brown and wet from the autumn rain. The weather was cold, but warmish too, and Shadow remembered how she loved kicking up the fallen leaves from the ground as she ran. She was 3 moons old again, back when she lived in Shadowclan. There were few trees in the wasteland, but there was a whole collection near the camp. The kitten Shadow mewed in pleasure as she romped through the leaves with her brother...her brother. His face was a blank, but she remembered his tawny pelt and distinctive scent even now. He called to her, and she raced after him, quickly overtaking him...fun days...Before the leafbare season came...

Ravenfang rolled over and over, dreaming about Riverheart and the unborn kits, before waking up. "The patrol!" he realised. He had promised Frostclaw that he would go on patrol that night. He carefully slipped the rope over his head, and mumbled to Shadow where he was going - explaining that he'd be back in a few hours.

He slipped out of the den, and raced out of the camp...

[Leaves Topic for 'Hunting Along the Border']

About three and a half hours later, Ravenfang returned. His pelt was muddy and bloodstained, and three long gashes ran down his back. Both his claws and fangs were stained with blood too. He had seen the Windclan medical cat and his wounds had been tended to. Without a word, he slipped the vine over his head again and stretched out, falling into an exhausted sleep.

(Topic cont. in RiverClan Main Camp)