The Exile of the (very) Young Queen

Chapter 1
It was a warm and sunny day. Echopaw, a tortoiseshell she-cat, slipped out of the apprentices' den to meet with her soon-to-be mate, Sparrowpaw.

"I don't see why apprentices can't mate," Echopaw pointed out when Sparrowpaw padded up to her.

"Yeah," he agreed. "The warrior code can't stop us from being mates!"

What are you two talking about?"

The pair turned around. It was Dewstar, leader of ThunderClan.

"Nothing," lied Echopaw. Dewstar mustn't find out about her relationship with Sparrowpaw.

"Hmm.." Dewstar meowed. Then she walked off.

"That was close," panted Sparrowpaw. "Mates, then?"

"To the end," sighed Echopaw.

Chapter 2
That night, Echopaw slept with Sparrowpaw. He was incredibly warm, and had an ambition to sleep till he died.

"But you can't do that," Echopaw pointed out when Sparrowpaw told her.

The next morning, Echopaw went to visit her younger siblings, who were still kits. The smallest kit, Rosekit, had cut her ear.

"Stay here," Harefeather, her mother, told the kits. And with that, she prowled off.

Foxwing, the medicine cat, was in the nursery, tending to Rosekit's scratch. When he saw Echopaw, he screamed.

"What's wrong?" asked Echopaw.

"I'm sorry to tell you this, but..."

"But what??"

"Echopaw, you are pregnant.."

Chapter 3
''Pregnant? I can't be!! No no no no no no!!''

"When are they due?" Echopaw asked, her voice shaking.

"In about a half-moon," replied the red medicine cat. "Here, let me feel how much there are.."

Foxing shuffled over to Echopaw and pressed his paws onto her belly, making her shriek.

"Oh no. No no no."

"What's wrong?"

"There.. are more than 10 kits..."

''More than 10 kits? Oh StarClan, no!''

"How will I tell Sparrowpaw?" she agonised.

"He's the father?" Foxwing frowned. "Just.. tell him slowly, I suppose."

With a heavy heart, Echopaw limped out of the nursery and searched for her mate.

"Hey!" Echopaw called to her friend, Thymepaw. "Have you seen Sparrowpaw?"

"I think he's out hunting," she replied. "I'm not so sure, though!"

Good, she thought. He needs some time to take this in.

Echopaw pulled herself and her sagging belly to the hunting grounds, where she found Sparrowpaw dragging a pheasant to his mini fresh-kill pile.

"Oh, hi, Echopaw!" he meowed, dropping the bird. "What's up?"

"Hi, Sparrowpaw," meowed Echopaw. "I just need to tell you that I'm pregnant."

"Well, isn't that something!" Sparrowpaw squealed.

"Yeah, sure."