Fernstalk awoke when it was still dark. She heard murmurs outside the cave of warriors. All the warriors were asleep.

The gray tabby jumped over the warriors, her muscles tense, and went out into the night filled island. Her ears twitches as she heard something near the Two Trees. She turned her head. A gray and black Tom.

Gorsesky.

There was a second cat with him, but that cat blended in the background. They were chatting.

I wonder who that other cat is...

Fernstalk got a little closer. Closer enough to hear the two cats.

"C'mon, Gorsesky, shouldn't we bring somebody with us?" meowed a familiar voice. Fernstalk guessed that it was Treeleaper.

"Treeleaper, we've been over this. Let's go out hunting. We'll surprise the clan with the overflowing prey!"

That was Gorsesky.

"Okay, okay, whatever you say. You're going to be the next leader, anyway," Treeleaper replied savagely.

Fernstalk couldn't tell if the gray Tom had curled his lip, or had just licked himself. Either way, she didn't like it.

"Okay, let's go."

Fernstalk quietly stalked after the two deputies, wondering how much hunting they had planned to do.

I really don't like this...

As her eyes got more and more accustomed to the darkness, Fernstalk watched Gorsesky and Treeleaper hunt. So far, they both had caught a mouse, vole, snake and two birds. All of them had been sleeping.

"Gorsesky, you were brilliant! This was the best idea ever!" Treeleaper squealed.

It seemed to Fernstalk that Gorsesky had blushed. And then all of the sudden, he grabbed at Treeleaper's throat. She gasped for air, and attempted to claw at Gorsesky's belly. Fernstalk climbed a tree to get a better view of what was happening, and so that she could attack Gorsesky.

"Go-o-rse-skah-" Treeleaper gasped.

"Shh... not now, my starry warrior," Gorsesky replied.

Before Fernstalk had leaped off of the branch, she had heard Treeleaper say something that made Gorsesky stop strangling Treeleaper. This is what she had said:

"I- h-h-have your-rg ki-I-tds!" she stammered.

Gorsesky had stopped his death attack.

"What?"

"I have your kits in my belly!"

"Oh, Treeleaper, you're going insane!"

"I'm not, Gorsesky! I love you! I love you!"

Fernstalk stared, trying not to blink.

If I blink, I might miss something.

Gorsesky shook his head. "No, you don't love me, Treeleaper."

"Yes, Gorsesky, yes I do! I had always loved you! Since we were apprentices!" Treeleaper sighed, remembering those days.

Gorsesky trembled. "I- I'm sorry for... for trying to.. kill you." He gulped. "I didn't know..."

Treeleaper licked his face. "That's okay. I forgive you."

Gorsesky licked her ear. "Thank you. Will you be my mate?"

Treeleaper smiled. "Why do you think I would say no? Of course I'll be your mate!"

Gorsesky relaxed. "Let's go back to camp and bring this prey with us. Remember, that never happened."

Treeleaper laughed. "The only thing that happened was that we're now mates."

Gorsesky nodded and looked at Treeleaper's belly. "And that we're going to have kits!"

Fernstalk carefully climbed down the tree and followed them back to camp.

Fernstalk watched Gorsesky and Treeleaper drop their prey into the hollow part of the Telling Trees. She watched them carefully.

"How are the kits?" Gorsesky asked his new mate. She laughed.

"They're not here yet, Gorsesky!"

The next moment was a blur. Treeleaper yowled in pain, Driftrain ran out of her bush, Gorsesky started going insane, cats woke up, and Fernstalk was only watching from a distance.

"What's wrong, Treeleaper?!" Gorsesky yowled. "Tell me, please!"

Driftrain quickly inspected Treeleaper. "She's having kits." She turned to Gorsesky, a screwed up expression plastered on her face.

"Did you know about this?"

Gorsesky nodded. "I'm the father."

Driftrain took a deep breath in, and spluttered out words.

"Help me bring her to the medicine cat den, would you?"

Gorsesky nodded sharply and helped the medicine cat bring Treeleaper to the medicine bush.

Fernstalk watched in anticipation, but she didn't help Gorsesky. He had tried to kill the she-cat in cold-blood and hatred and fear. A deputy couldn't be like that.

She padded over to the leader and Deputies part of the camp, and saw Hailfall taking a bath. Fernstalk blushed, and quietly walked over to her leader.

"Hail's fall?" She meowed.

Hailfall jumped, her fur on end.

"Oh, it's you, Fernstalk." She relaxed a bit more, her fur flattening back down.

Fernstalk felt a knot in her throat.

"Gorsesky tried to kill Treeleaper."

Hailfall looked like she had just choked on air.

"What?!" she meowed outrageously. "Bring him to me!"

Fernstalk dipped her head, and ran out.

"Gorsesky!" She yowled for the Tom. "I, Uhm, Hail's fall wants to speak to you!"

The gray and black Tom skidded out of the medicine cat den and raced over to where the leader and deputies sleep.

Sadly, Fernstalk wasn't invited to come and speak with the high ranking cats. But she knew that the talk didn't go well, because Hailfall threw Gorsesky onto the ground and told him that he was no longer the deputy, and he now had to do apprentice duties till Treeleaper's kits became apprentices.

A cat or two snickered at this, but most had terrified expressions on their faces. Fernstalk was one of those horrified cats.

She felt the darkness welling up inside her, telling her to enjoy the moment. But she pushed it down and was scarred for life.

Treeleaper's yowls filled the camp in a split second as her fourth kit came. That was the last of it. There were no more yowls, since she had bitten down hard on a stick, but in the end she had had six kits. Six of them.

"Gorsesky!" Treeleaper called for the gray warrior.

He leaped up and ran to the call of his mate.

"Six healthy kits!" Gorsesky yowled at the top of his lungs. "And they're mine and Treeleaper's!"

Fernstalk sadly looked at the ground. She was afraid of that happening to her, but at the same time, she absolutely wanted a mate or at least kits.

"Fernstalk! Come over here!" Treeleaper's shrill voice echoed.

Fernstalk gulped and slowly walked over to the medicine bush.

Two cats there had a grudge on her.

Driftrain, for "killing" Barktwist, and if Gorsesky knew that it was her that had told him off, he would have a grudge against her too.

"Look at these kits, Fernstalk! I want you to kit-sit them!"

Those were the words of horror as Fernstalk looked at the six kits.

Brown, Gray, Black, Light brown, black and gray, white.

And she was being asked- wait, no, ordered to kit-sit them.

All.

Six.

Of.

Them.

Those were the words of horror.

Even darkness was better than that.

But then, it would help with getting the courage to have kits.