Chapter Four, Part Two

“Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath the Highledge for a Clan meeting!” Bramblestar yowled as Poppyfrost and her patrol pattered into the stone hollow. Blossomfall and Mousewhisker separated into their own little group. Bumblestripe excitedly bounded over to Dovewing and Ivypool. Poppyfrost searched for Berrynose and found him herding their kits over to where the rest of the ThunderClan cats were gathered. Poppyfrost joined them with a chuckle.

            “Reluctant to be doing something other than napping?” she inquired, noting Molefoot’s bleary gaze.

            “Meh,” Cherrystem answered for her brother.

            Berrynose rolled his eyes. “I had to wave a dead mouse in front of their faces to wake them.” He unleashed a growl of disapproval. “You two better step up and start preforming good warrior duties soon or…”

            Poppyfrost cut him off, resting her tail on his shoulders. “Hush,” she uttered. Bramblestar was waving his tail, his patience draining as cats persisted to whisper opinions on a ShadowClan cat being in their camp.

            “Icecloud’s kits have been born,” Bramblestar announced. “For the moment they are unnamed.”

            “Actually,” someone interrupted. The fur on the ThunderClan leader’s spine rose. It was Tigerheart. “Icecloud and I just named them. The tabby-and-white is named Puddlekit, the brown tabby is Oakkit, and the white one is named Bloodkit.” Icecloud ducked her head in minor shame as her mate completed the list of names.

            “Bloodkit?” a cat deep in the crowd called out in bewilderment.

            Tigerheart puffed out his chest fearlessly. “Check out his eyes,” he retorted, spinning Bloodkit around with his muscle-thick tail. Poppyfrost closed her eyes and swallowed hard as a gasp rippled through the cats. She squinted and examined Bloodkit.

            His eyes were pink-red.

            Bramblestar bent down from his position up high to see. “Well, t- there you go,” he stammered, shock overtaking his voice. “Anyway…” he trailed off, unable to think of how to explain the rest of the story to his Clan.

            Poppyfrost felt fur brush against her sleek spotted pelt and glanced over to see Berrynose stand up and boldly face Tigerheart. “What else is there? You don’t mean that you’re the father of these strange kits… are you?”

            “Yes, I am.” Tigerheart informed them steadily. “I will not hide it anymore. I am head over heels in love with Icecloud, and now that we have kits… I can’t stop loving her.” He leaned in closer to his mate and purred loudly.

            “I am afraid that I cannot allow this.” Bramblestar dipped his head. “I will not banish you, Icecloud, but I will have to go over this with Rowanstar. Smart of you to not hide it any longer, as you would eventually be discovered.” The tabby paused, taking a moment to look down at his sister’s son. “But you have both betrayed the warrior code. I am disappointed in both of you, having noble parents and kin…” He shook his head. “Icecloud, I suggest you either join ShadowClan or… erm, Tigerheart you could live with your… your mate here in ThunderClan.” Audible breaths of shock eliminated the silence Bramblestar had left hanging in the air for a heartbeat. The biggest one, Poppyfrost observed, came from Dovewing.

            The dark tabby dunked his head in respect directed to the rival Clan leader. “Soon all of the ShadowClan scent will be removed from my pelt. I will join ThunderClan.”

            Berrynose sat back down with a thud. He and Poppyfrost exchanged a fretful gander.

            Poppyfrost could interpret by her Clanmates’ rude attitudes that it was becoming difficult for Tigerheart to fit in. But he attempted not to show his troubles.

            Squirrelflight tried to help him by placing him on the third or fourth patrol, never putting Tigerheart on a group that headed to the ShadowClan border. Bramblestar had traveled to ShadowClan with Jayfeather to discuss the issue with Rowanstar. The dark ginger tomcat had accepted the fact that his son could stay with ThunderClan, but he wasn’t too happy about it, Poppyfrost had been told.

            One lazy, peaceful evening after Poppyfrost had completed all of her assigned patrols and dusk was approaching steadily, the tortoiseshell got the chance to observe Tigerheart interacting with other cats. She couldn’t help but feel curious.

            The dark brown tabby was playing with Puddlekit and Oakkit while Bloodkit sat off to the side, enviously watching his littermates with blood-red eyes as his mother washed him. The Clan was accepting Bloodkit’s eyes and arrogant personality faster than they were accepting Tigerheart.

            Thornclaw was always one of the warriors that had more attitude in him than wisdom. The golden brown tom strutted over as if he were the leader of all Clans and growled, “Lovely day, isn’t it?”

            Tigerheart glanced up and grinned, but Poppyfrost could see the hostility connecting their gazes with invisible cobweb. “It is indeed.” His attention was quickly returned to Puddlekit, who was batting at his ears, and Oakkit, who was nipping his paws. The kits definitely weren’t aware of their being half-Clan. Everything is so obvious. They just don’t realize it.

            The senior warrior settled down on one of the rare patches of sunlight that appeared in early leaf-bare. “Your kits are… er, um, cute.”

            “Thanks” was all Tigerheart said in reply.

            Thornclaw opened his mouth to say something else when suddenly a patrol of three raced in, their paws skidding on the half-frozen earth.

            Bramblestar leaped up from his place beside Squirrelflight and demanded, “What is going on?”

            The leader of the patrol, Spiderleg, had wild eyes. “The lake is flooding!” he exclaimed. “Rapidly!”

            Squirrelflight cocked her head in shock. “You mean it isn’t frozen?”

            Mousewhisker stepped out from behind the older warrior. “It had been last time I checked. But now it’s much farther out than it should be.”

            Toadstep was gasping for air. “We started padding on water a few fox-lengths from the normal shore. Everything beyond that was under water.”

            For a heartbeat Poppyfrost believed that her heart was beating in her throat. What if the water continued into Clan territory? What if their camp got flooded out?

            Bramblestar stepped forward, waving his tail to silence the murmur that had grown in the past few moments. “How deep is it?” he quizzed, tooth digging into his bottom lip.

            Spiderleg was calmer now, but his gaze was still terrified, pupils darting about in fear. “It just about touched my belly fur, and that was when we first entered the flood area. We have to evacuate now, or we’ll all drown.”

            All of the kits huddled under Hazeltail, Icecloud, and Cinderheart in mixed groups. Even the apprentices backed into their den. Cherrystem and Molefoot were wide awake now, soaking in all the info they could get.

            “I need to see this for myself,” Bramblestar decided, walking over to the thorn tunnel. “Spiderleg, you can come with me.”

            The gray-muzzled tom strode back after him, tail swishing from side to side.

            Poppyfrost trudged over to Berrynose, and they tapped noses with each other. She rested her head in his soft, creamy-colored fur. What was the fate of the Clans?