Blackclaw and Russetfire

"What do you mean you got a she-cat from FloodClan pregnant?!" Duskthorn, Blackclaw's sister, yowled. Blackclaw flicked her on the muzzle with his tail. "Be quiet!" he hissed. "Do you want to get me exiled?" Duskthorn swatted his tail away with a forepaw. "Yes!" she replied. "You deserve it! Have you ever heard of the tale of Feathertail and Stormfur?" she meowed. Blackclaw growled in annoyance. "Yes. It's one of the hottest nursery tales out there." Duskthorn objected. "It's not a nursery tale!" she hissed. "It really happened. Back in the old clans. They were almost killed by a couple of cats named Blackfoot and Darkstripe." she continued. "You wanna know why?" Blackclaw rolled his eyes. Duskthorn kept going. "Because they were half-clan!" she finished. "Your kits will be half-clan. What if they get killed because of their blood?" Blackclaw lost it. "Don't tell me what I can and cannot do!" he hissed. "I can be mates with anyone I want!" Duskthorn was screaming. "Try telling that to the Warrior Code!" she spun around and headed back to LightningClan camp. Blackclaw was on his way to visit Russetfire, his mate, when his sister stopped him. She questioned where he was going. He replied, telling her the truth that Russetfire would be expecting his kits any day now. She, of course, was furious. But now that she was out of the way, Blackclaw could continue his way to the Ice River, the border between FloodClan and LightningClan. As he stood on the other side, he looked around and caught sight of Russetfire, her belly heavy with kits. Russetfire shouted to him. "Come over here! I can't swim with living creatures in my stomach!" he dove in, the almost unbearable coldness not bothering him anymore, because he was used to it. He had done this many times. When he heaved himself up to crawl back on land to the other side, he heard Russetfire grunt in pain. "What is it?" he asked, worried. Russetfire waved her paw, reassuring him. "It's just a contraction." she stated. "You want to go back to the hollow?" The hollow, Blackclaw thought. That was their secret area where they had been meeting since they were kits. It was a dip at the very edge of the FloodClan border, and inside of it, crystal aligned the walls. There was also a pool where they liked to go swimming once in a while. They had not explored all of it, since it was practically a maze. "Sure." Blackclaw agreed. Then they walked side by side to the south of the border. Blackclaw had been meaning to ask her a question, but always forgot. Now was his chance. "Russetfire," he began. She turned her head. "Yes, Blackclaw?"

"What did you tell the clan, about the kits? Did you tell them who the pretend father was?"

Russetfire nodded. "I told them it was Losteye." she stated. Blackclaw's eyes widened. "And he agreed to this?" Russetfire nodded again. "He's one of my best friends. I told him about our relationship, and he vowed to claim the kits as his own, and didn't tell a single soul." she finished. Blackclaw was bewildered. "Well, that was nice of him." he meowed, not knowing what else to say. Russetfire nodded. When the reached the hollow, they slipped through the dip, like they had always done, and went through the right tunnel to the pool. Russetfire stepped in. "Still cold as always." she shivered, her voice bouncing off of the cave walls. Just then, she grunted, crouching down. "Another contraction?" Blackclaw asked. "I'm not too sure this time." Russetfire puffed. She clenched her teeth, a spasm passing through her body. She gasped. "The kits are coming!" Blackclaw went into 'dad mode'. "What do I do?" he asked as she crawled out of the pool, finding a spot on the ground to lay down. "Go get me some moss to lay on." she meowed, out of breath. Blackclaw sprinted to the other side of the cave and clawed up a couple pawfuls of moss. He spread them around his mate. Another spasm passed through her body, and a tiny black she-cat slithered out onto the moss. She took deep breaths as her belly convulsed. Blackclaw clutched onto her paw. "Just hang on." he advised. "You can do this." Russetfire lifted her head. "How many more?" she asked through her teeth. Blackclaw felt her stomach "Two more I think." he stated. Russetfire yowled as a dark ginger tom slipped out to join his sister. "Start licking them the wrong way." Russetfire ordered. "It will warm them up." Blackclaw did as he was told and set to work. Not too long after, another tom slipped out, a dark grey tabby. Russetfire groaned. "I don't think that's the last of them." she meowed. Almost on cue, a pure white she-cat pushed her way into the world. Russetfire gasped, out of breath. She stretched her head to break the sacs and to start licking them. Blackclaw was worried. "I don't think this one is moving." he meowed, nudging the dark grey tabby tom. Russetfire put her ear to his tiny chest. "He's dead." she stated. Blackclaw looked at her. "Who will claim the kits?" he asked. Russetfire nudged the pure-white and black she-cats to her belly. "I'll take these two. I need a white one to prove that they're Losteye's. And the black one is to remind me of you." Blackclaw picked up the dark ginger tom. "And this is a reminder to me of you." he finished. Russetfire sighed. "I need to get back to camp, and you need to go home." she told him. Blackclaw nodded, helping her up and helping to carry the kits. After that they waved their tails in a good-bye and set off to their own camps.