What if Bluefur didn't give away her kits?

ThunderClan

Leader—Sunstar—ginger tom with golden stripes and green eyes

Deputy- Thistleclaw—a gray tom with one white leg and three darker gray legs (apprentice, Tigerpaw)

Medicine Cat—Featherwhisker—a silvery-gray tom with amber eyes and long, feathery whiskers

Warriors—

Patchpelt—a black and white tom (apprentice, Sparrowpaw)

Halftail—a dark brown tabby tom with half a tail  (apprentice, Frostpaw)

Thrushpelt- a brown tabby tom

Dappletail—a dappled tortoiseshell she-cat

Lionheart—a golden tabby tom with thick fur around his muzzle (apprentice, Goldenpaw)

Redtail—a tortoiseshell tom with a fluffy ginger tail

Whitestorm- long-haired white tom

Runningwind—a swift tabby tom

Queens—

Petalfur—a gray tabby she-cat with white splashes on her pelt (mother of Darkkit, Willowkit, and Brindlekit)

Speckletail—a pale tabby she-cat (mother of Longkit, Mousekit, and Spottedkit)

Bluefur—a blue-gray she-cat with blue eyes (mother of Stonekit, Mistykit, and Mosskit)

Apprentices—

Whitepaw—a white tom with amber eyes

Tigerpaw—a dark brown tabby tom with unusually long front claws and amber eyes

Frostpaw—beautiful white she-cat with blue eyes

Goldenpaw—pale ginger she-cat

Sparrowpaw—brown tabby tom with white chest, white paws, and white tipped tail 

Elders—

Oneeye—a pale gray she-cat missing one eye; virtually blind and deaf

Rosetail—a ginger she-cat with black patches

Smallear—a pale gray tom with very small ears

Crowflight—a dark gray, almost black, tom; oldest cat in ThunderClan

Tawnyspots—a brown tabby tom 

Stonepelt- grey tom 

PROLOGUE

She padded towards the stream, planning the destructive words she was about to speak. Every hair on her pelt; every inch of her heart, longed to turn back and let things stay as they were. Everything was so perfect like this. But deep down, there was an unignorable urge to do what was best for her clan.

"Gotcha." a deep male voice purred, making Bluefur jump.

"You have to stop that." she frowned. The reddish-brown warrior before her just purred again, a mischievious glint in his eye.

"Stop what?" Seeing the look on his mate's face, Oakheart walked over to the she-cat and licked her ear affectionately.

"There's no need to be worried. When will I get to see the kits?" he murmured.

"You won't." the tom stared in shock.

"Sorry?"

"This is the end, Oakheart. We don't belong together." Bluefur hissed, her fur on end. Her body has shaking as much as her trembling heart. All the young warrior wanted to do was to give in to her longing for the Riverclan tom, but she couldn't.

"I thought we said we didn't care? That they were wrong and we were following our hearts. I thought you felt the same." Oakheart growled.

"I was wrong. I'm a Thunderclan cat and you're Riverclan. Can't you see?" Bluefur was going to have to be harsh to make him accept it.

"You said..."

"I lied! You were just a bit of fun, a laugh. Me and my friends, we couldn't believe a Riverclan warrior, a fish-brained piece of crowfood, thought he was good enough for a Thunderclan cat." she didn't mean a word of it. What wouldn't she give to take back those cruel words? Suddenly, she knew. She wouldn't give her kits. Not. A. Chance.

_________________________________________________________________________________

"They're so cute!" Frostpaw fussed, her blue eyes stretched wide.

"Have you named them yet?" Tigerpaw asked, and Bluefur was sure his curiousity sounded slightly false. She dismissed the idea immediately. Tigerpaw was a brilliant apprentice. He was strong and loyal and brave. Despite misteachings from Thistleclaw, he had grown independent and mature. If it hadn't been for Oakheart, she might have loved him despite their age difference. Maybe now it was over between Oakheart, she could become a little closer to the apprentice. But it would be hard to love any cat after Oakheart.

"I've named two. This one is Stonekit, and this one is Mosskit. I can't think what to name this she-cat, can you?" Bluefur asked. She had been considering Wretchkit, since this youngster was constantly wretching, or perhaps Mistykit. But Oakheart had agreed to both and she wanted to forget about him completely.

"I don't know... maybe, Streamkit?" Tigerpaw suggested. Bluefur stared at him. It was the perfect name. It was as if Tigerpaw knew about Streamkit's heritage. Streamkit, the half Riverclan yet Thunderclan warrior, Bluefur thought in amusement. Her heart ached when she thought of Oakheart yet it was better this way. Nothing more to do with him.

"That's perfect." Bluefur agreed. But she eyed him suspiciously. Did he know her secret? She raised her eyebrows slightly, in a subtle gesture for him to explain what he knew. Tigerpaw shrugged slightly and stalked off. What is that supposed to mean? Bluefur thought in despair. ''Oh, why do toms have to be so difficult? Forget that, why does LIFE have to be so difficult? ''she thought of Thunderclan's future, which was now shadowed with darkness. An array of emotions flooded through her veins. Burning fear for Thunderclan's future. Blazing guilt for her selfish descision of keeping her kits to herself. Fiery self-hate for letting Thistleclaw become deputy. These were all very fiery emotions, Bluefur noticed casually. But she'd brought this on herself. Why couldn't she just have given the kits to Oakheart? The only reason was her undying love for her kits. But no; she wasn't even a good mother. Riverclan had plentiful prey and the kits would fare well there. The only reason for keeping them was selfishness. And now her clan was going to suffer because of it.

"Stonepelt, I would like you to lead a patrol. I've heard that Shadowclan have been tresspassing on our territory and I'd like you to investigate. You have my permission to kill any tresspassers. I know we're not meant to kill but I also heard they've been killing pregnant queens just because they're weak." she heard Thistleclaw announce from outside the nursery. Bluefur almost let out a cry of emotional agony. She staggered to her feet. The downfall had begun.

"Thistleclaw, you can't do that!" she yowled, swamped in dizziness.

"Killing pregnant queens! That's disgusting. I bet those bits of crowfood get nowhere near Starclan. How mousebrained can you get? Where do they expect to get more warriors when they're so comtempous of kittypets and they're killing off queens?" Stonepelt mewed in disgust. Thistleclaw replied, but Bluefur couldn't hear his low murmur. Despairing, she wandered out of the nursery.

"Hello, Bluefur." Sunstar greeted her warmly. The two cats had been friends for moons, though most cats didn't know this. As an apprentice, Bluepaw had made friends with Sunfall, and he had pleaded to mentor her. At first, she was given to Stonepelt, but soon was given Sunfall as a replacement. They had been good friends, until it happened and everything changed...

Bluepaw leapt forward suddenly. Her teeth closed round the squirrel's neck.

''"Well done, Bluepaw!" Sunfall mewed in approval. The apprentice mewed her thanks through a mouthful of squirrel.''

''"Any more work like this, and who knows? Maybe we can knock the "-paw" of your name and put in some other suffix instead?" he mewed with a mischievious glint in his eye.''

''"As long as it's not "-kit", I'd like that!" she purred, mock attacking her mentor. He blocked her easily.''

''"Try distracting me, so I'm not expecting it." he advised. Bluepaw studied her paws for a moment. She then had the perfect idea. Giving a sigh, she went to sit down.''

''"That won't do for distracting!" Sunsfall scolded.''

''"I don't care about distracting, not any more. Sunfall, don't even bother looking suspicious. I don't care about stupid battle practice. I'm rubbish at this. There's no point in becoming a warrior. Maybe I'll just become a queen and sit around all day. That's all I'm good for." she mumbled.''

''"That's not true!" Sunfall went to stand in front of her, giving her the perfect oppurtunity. She pounced, and Sunfall toppled over.''

''"Wow, now that's what I call pretending! Bluepaw, I'm sick of pretending. Will you be my mate?" he asked. Bluepaw sighed. She didn't want to be a queen ever, no matter how nice the toms were.''

"No."

"Sunstar, I need to talk to you."

"In private?" she nodded. The two cats padded over to the nursery.

"What's so important that I have to stop leading the clan to listen?" he asked, but his eyes were full of kindness.

"It's my kits. I don't want them." she looked directly into his eyes.

"What?

"I want to give them to another queen. I have to be a warrior." she said quietly. Sunstar looked shocked but didn't make a big deal.

"We'll ask Petalfur to take them." he decided almost inaudibley and Bluefur was shocked to see disappointment blazing in his eyes.

Oh, so many fiery emotions, she thought sadly. If only, for once,  fire could be good...