Oh StarClan, make it stop! Mapleshade writhed in agony and sank her claws into the dried moss.

"Relax," Ravenwing instructed, placing one paw on her rippling flank.

You try to relax with this happening to you, Mapleshade wanted to screech at the medicine cat, but she barely had enough breath to survive the spasm that wracked her body. She clenched her jaw and resisted the urge to sink her teeth into Ravenwing's thick-furred black leg.

"It's a tom!" gasped Frecklewish. "Oh, he's magnificent!"

Ravenwing turned to look. Mapleshade sprawled in the nest with her eyes closed, trying not to think about the pain yet to come. Something wet and squirming was shoved against her muzzle. She opened her mouth to protest —and smelled the sweetest scent she had ever known. She breathlessly lifted her head and blinked down at the dark brown bundle of slick fur beside her.

Oh Appledusk, Mapleshade thought through her haze. You have a son. And he's beautiful!

"Lick him, Mapleshade," Ravenwing mewed. "It will help him to breathe."

For a moment Mapleshade wanted to tell the other cats to get out, to leave her alone with this tiny precious creature. Nothing would ever be as special as this heartbeat, when she met her first kit.

But then her body buckled under another wave of pain and she cried out. Ravenwing hastily pulled the kit away. "You take him, Frecklewish," he ordered.

"Gladly," came the she-cat's mew. "Come here, little one. Let's get you clean and dry."

Mapleshade tried to say that she could take care of her own kits, but the spasm grew stronger and suddenly there was another kit lying beside her, his mouth wide open in a soundless mew, his fur patched with tortoiseshell and white like hers.

"Another tom," Ravenwing announced. "You're doing great, Mapleshade." He ran his paws along her body. "One more, and that's it. Come on now, stay focused."

An irresistible longing to be alone with her kits gave Mapleshade a fresh surge of strength and the final kit slithered out almost at once.

"A she-cat!" purred Ravenwing. "Smaller than her brothers, but in excellent shape. Your turn to take over, Mapleshade." He nudged all three kits into the curve of Mapleshade's belly.

She propped herself up and twisted around to gaze at them in dazed astonishment. I did it, Appledusk! Two sons and a daughter!

"They are gorgeous," Frecklewish whispered, her voice husky with emotion.

Ravenwing nodded. "You did a great job, Mapleshade. We'll leave you alone to rest, but I'll come back with some herbs for you after sunhigh. Do you feel okay?" There was a flash of concern in his dark blue eyes, and Mapleshade felt an exhausted surge of sympathy toward the young medicine cat. He had been in sole charge of ThunderClan for just two moons since the death of Oatspeckle, and this was one of the first deliveries he'd had to supervise.

"I couldn't be better," she told him tiredly. Her throat felt dry and sore. "Could I just have some water, please?"

"I'll fetch it," Frecklewish offered, hopping out of the nest and vanishing through the brambles.

Ravenwing watched her leave. "It's so strange," he commented. "It's like your kits gave her life again after her brother's death."

Mapleshade felt a prick of discomfort at his words. She decided to ignore him and buried her muzzle in the soft, damp fur of her kits. "These kits are my gift to the whole of ThunderClan," she murmured. "I will thank StarClan for them every day for the rest of my life."

The medicine cat touched her lightly with the tip of his tail. "And ThunderClan thanks you," he meowed.

As will RiverClan, Mapleshade added silently. The feud over Sunningrocks will be forgotten when the Clans realize that they share these perfect warriors!

"Are you receiving visitors?" rumbled a voice at the entrance to the nursery.

"Of course! Come in," Mapleshade mewed somewhat breathlessly while trying to coax the she-kit off the top of her head. At nearly a moon old, they astonished Mapleshade with their ability to be wobbling all over the nursery at once, while at the same time constantly nuzzling at her belly.

Oakstar's broad dark brown face appeared through the branches. "Hello, little ones," he purred.

The she-kit jumped at the sound of his voice. Releasing her tiny claws from Mapleshade's ear, she slithered onto the moss with a thump. "This is Oakstar, the leader of ThunderClan," Mapleshade told her kits. She tried to nudge them into a line. But a new cat was just too much to resist, so all three tottered toward Oakstar with their stubby tails held straight up, mouths open in high-pitched mews. Oakstar gently herded them back to Mapleshade with his paw.

"I'm not just their leader," he meowed softly to her. His eyes clouded with emotion as he stared down at the kits, and Mapleshade's heart dropped. What does he mean? Surely he doesn't think Birchface was their father, as well? Where did he get that idea? But as she thought it, she knew deep in her stomach. She fought to keep her face the same. Beside her, the kits started nuzzling at her belly and fell silent as they began to suck, and Mapleshade was grateful for the opportunity to duck her head to them.

"My son was a great warrior," Oakstar went on, and as he did, Mapleshade screwed her eyes shut. "The Clan is honored if his spirit lives on through his kits."

How am I supposed to lie to my Clan leader? Mapleshade immediately felt an indignance rise within her. How dare she share that. I'm not the one who lied. I tried to tell her the truth.

There was a rustle of bramble fronds and Frecklewish appeared with a vole in her jaws. She set it down beside the nest. "I took first pick of the fresh-kill pile for you," she told Mapleshade with pride.

"Thank you," Mapleshade meowed hoarsely, attempting to shove her rage down. In its place rose a feeling of betrayal. Even so... How could she? She promised she wouldn't tell anyone! How many others did she tell? She wondered if it would be rude to ask Oakstar to leave. His scrutiny was making her more and more nervous, and she needed to confront Frecklewish.

Frecklewish turned to Oakstar. "Aren't the kits perfect?" she purred. "I can see Birchface so clearly in each of them!"

Mapleshade glanced at the tiny bodies in the curve of her belly. Apart from the tom who was patch-furred like her, they were the exact soft brown shade of Appledusk's fur. Birchface had been a dark brown tabby, almost black. Her heart in her throat, she waited for Oakstar to comment. Frecklewish, what are you doing to me?

Instead of pointing out the lightness of the kits' fur, Oakstar asked if she had chosen names for them. Mapleshade took a few breaths to combat the dizziness that rose in her head and used her tail to indicate each kit without disturbing them. "I thought Larchkit for the brown tom, Patchkit for his brother, and Petalkit for their sister." She paused as her tail-tip rested on the tiny she-kit. She was the fluffiest of all and her ears were so small they barely peeked out of the fur on her head. Mapleshade felt her gaze soften and her shoulders relax. Love burst through her heart. If only you could see them like this, Appledusk.

"Excellent names," Oakstar meowed.

"Didn't you want to name one of them after Birchface?" Frecklewish asked. She sounded disappointed.

Mapleshade didn't lift her gaze from her kits, but a wave of rage swept over her. How dare you ask that after how you've betrayed me! "I want them each to be their own warrior," she explained, her voice soft but pointed as she repeated her words. "Not an echo of a cat that has gone before." She peeked upward and saw Frecklewish freeze. A sliver of pleasure crawled up Mapleshade's spine. Yes. You know what you did.

Oakstar purred. "ThunderClan is blessed to have you as a queen, Mapleshade. I look forward to watching these kits grow up."

"I can't wait to see RiverClan's faces when they hear about them at the next Gathering," Frecklewish hissed, her cowed moment passed, to Mapleshade's slight displeasure..

Mapleshade pricked her ears at her words, however. "I wish I could be there to see that, too. Make sure you tell them that I've had three perfect, strong kits who are going to be great warriors!" she told Frecklewish. Tell Appledusk, she added silently. It would be safer not to mention the warrior.

"Of course." Frecklewish unsheathed her front claws and sank them into the mossy litter on the floor of the nursery. "Our enemies have even more reason to fear us now!"

Mapleshade's ear twitched slightly. They're just kits right now, she thought. There's still at least five more moons before they're even apprenticed.

Oakstar curled his lip, showing a glint of yellow teeth. "It will do no harm for RiverClan to know that they may have robbed us of two fine cats, but thanks to Birchface, there will be three more warriors ready to defend what is rightfully ours."

Mapleshade shifted slightly in her nest. "The warrior code says we must show mercy to the warriors we have defeated," she pointed out.

"Appledusk didn't show any mercy to Birchface and Flowerpaw!" Frecklewish hissed, lashing her tail.

As if my thoughts summoned him to theirs, Mapleshade thought wryly, feeling a sudden surge of protectiveness for Appledusk. It was an accident, her mind protested. Birchface fell, and Flowerpaw should never have followed him into the river. But she controlled herself. It was best to leave her thoughts unsaid.

Oakstar was starting to back out of the nursery. "Right now, the most important thing is that Mapleshade's kits are safe and well," he meowed. There was a grim note to his voice that made Mapleshade's fur stand up. "We will raise them to be great warriors like their father," Oakstar vowed, "and let them avenge his death when they are ready." He turned and vanished into the clearing, leaving the bramble wall trembling.

Avenge his death? They're only kits!

Frecklewish bent over the furry little bodies and touched her muzzle lightly to each squirming rump. "They are my brother's gift to the Clan," she murmured. "And the most precious creatures in the whole forest!"

Mapleshade felt disgust boil up into her stomach, and she fought down the urge to bat Frecklewish away. These are my kits, not yours!

"Why did you tell Oakstar?" Mapleshade's words tumbled from her mouth now that they were alone, and her voice was cold, surprising even her.

Frecklewish froze again, and after a moment she straightened, defiance in her eyes. "These kits are Birchface's," she meowed firmly. "Surely their kin deserves to know, at least."

Mapleshade fought not to narrow her eyes. "You promised me you wouldn't say anything."

"I know," Frecklewish said, her voice softening. "I'm sorry. But how can I know and be happy, and keep that truth from everyone else who is grieving just like me? Just like you, Mapleshade?" The she-cat stared intently into her eyes.

Mapleshade wanted to swipe that look off of her face. These kits are not for you. She thought angrily. They are mine. My gift to ThunderClan, not Birchface's.

She knew that the ginger she-cat's friendship would go a long way toward her kits being loved by all of ThunderClan, but Mapleshade didn't want it to be because of a lie told by her Clanmate.

If only you had listened to me, she thought angrily. But things were the way they were now.

By the time the kits were ready to be apprenticed, the truth about who their father really was would be unable to shake the loyalty of their woodland Clanmates. Even Oakstar would understand, once he valued the kits for themselves rather than any legacy they might carry. And once RiverClan got to know them, those cats would feel the same.