Full Summary: On the night of one cold leafbare, eight kits are born around the same time. Such an event is unheard of throughout Clan history. Many cats are afraid of what these kits will bring. And some want them dead before they have a chance to live. But there are bigger secrets revolving around these kits, secrets that can't stay hidden forever. Sooner or later these kits will have to decide the fate of the Clans, and in the end, only four will survive.

Allegiances

ThunderClan

Leader: Hollystar – light golden she-cat with green eyes

Deputy: Quickbreeze – lithe black tom with amber eyes
Apprentice: Mudpaw

Medicine Cat: Grayleaf – pale gray she-cat flecked with silver around the ears and muzzle; has a white strip on her nose and dark green eyes

Warriors:

Sorrelfern – tortoiseshell and white she-cat with amber eyes

Coalheart – dark ginger tom with green eyes

Ashfall – dappled ginger she-cat with brown splashes and amber eyes
Apprentice: Fallenpaw

Tornclaw – gray and white tom with yellow eyes
Apprentice: Plumpaw

Olivelight – speckled pale gray she-cat with amber eyes

Nutwhisker – golden brown tabby she-cat with amber eyes

Leafstorm – dark brown tabby tom with amber eyes

Fuzzytail – light gray tom with yellow eyes

Mintleaf – silver she-cat with light green eyes

Apprentices:

Mudpaw – dark brown and white tom with amber eyes

Fallenpaw – tortoiseshell she-cat with green eyes

Plumpaw – dusty brown she-cat with blue eyes

Queens:

Fernshadow – gray and ginger dappled she-cat with amber eyes. Mother to Poppykit and Wrenkit by Tornclaw.

Whiteflower – creamy white she-cat with amber eyes. Mother to Blazekit, Mossykit and Oakkit by Coalheart.

Amberlight – pale golden she-cat with amber eyes and a white underbelly. Expecting Quickbreeze's kits.

Elders:

Lilyheart – small dark tabby she-cat with amber eyes

Snowstorm – white tom

Dewstep – gray and white tom

Kits:

Poppykit – small tabby she-cat with amber eyes

Wrenkit – dappled brown and white she-cat with amber eyes

Blazekit – ginger tom with piercing green eyes

Mossykit – brown and white she-cat with amber eyes

Oakkit – light brown tabby tom with amber eyes

ShadowClan

Leader: Scorchstar – very old dark gray tom

Deputy: Wolfheart – light brown tabby tom with amber eyes

Medicine Cat: Bumblewind – small dusky brown tom with amber eyes

Warriors

Flamestrike – pale ginger tom with green eyes
Apprentice: Patchpaw

Spottednose – gray she-cat flecked with lighter gray specks on her muzzle

Streakfur – gray tom with streaks of dark gray running through his fur
Apprentice: Honeypaw

Dapplepelt – tortoiseshell she-cat with blue eyes

Volewhisker – dark brown tom with amber eyes
Apprentice: Rainpaw

Firewing – ginger she-cat with piercing amber eyes
Apprentice: Buzzardpaw

Bearclaw – large dark brown tabby tom with amber eyes

Jayheart – gray and white tom with amber eyes

Sparrowpelt – lighter gray tom with yellow eyes

Apprentices:

Patchpaw – small black tom with specks of white mixed in his fur

Rainpaw – dappled gray she-cat with amber eyes

Honeypaw – light golden she-cat with amber eyes

Buzzardpaw – pale ginger tom with green eyes

Queens:

Featherstorm – very pale gray, almost white she-cat with light blue eyes. Mother to Nightkit and Fadekit by Streakfur.

Redsky – dark ginger she-cat with a single white paw. Expecting Volewhisker's kits.

Elders:

Sootfall – light gray tom with a white splash on his chest and one yellow eye. His other eye was clawed out by a badger.

Kits:

Nightkit – dark gray she-cat with blue eyes

Fadekit – lighter gray, almost white she-cat with blue eyes

WindClan

Leader: Oatstar – pale brown tabby tom

Deputy: Ivywing – gray-brown she-cat with amber eyes

Medicine Cat: Eagletalon – dark brown and white tom with amber eyes

Warriors:

Palefur – dusky brown tom with amber eyes

Wingshadow – dark gray she-cat with yellow eyes
Apprentice: Pouncepaw

Owltuft – gray tom with unusually long ears
Apprentice: Petalpaw

Fallowleaf – light brown tabby she-cat with amber eyes

Willowstorm – pale brown she-cat with a white underbelly and blue eyes

Harefoot – gray tabby tom with yellow eyes
Apprentice: Sprucepaw

Adderpelt – dark gray and white tom with piercing yellow eyes

Pollenfur – golden brown tabby she-cat

Dustcloud – light brown and white tom with amber eyes

Apprentices:

Sprucepaw – gray and white she-cat with amber eyes

Petalpaw – pale gray she-cat with amber eyes

Pouncepaw – large gray and white tom with amber eyes

Queens:

Cherryfoot – dark ginger she-cat with green eyes. Mother of Breezekit by unknown tom, nursing Hazelkit.

Elders:

Slightstorm – black tom with a flash of white on his chest

Kits:

Breezekit – light ginger tom with green eyes

Hazelkit – silver tabby she-cat with blue eyes

RiverClan

Leader: Streamstar – silvery gray she-cat with blue eyes

Deputy: Duckfeather – golden tabby she-cat with amber eyes
Apprentice: Seedpaw

Medicine Cat: Sweetbriar – very pale ginger she-cat with light green eyes

Warriors:

Sandrush – ginger tom with darker ginger paws
Apprentice: Icepaw

Tinystep – very small gray tom with amber eyes

Pebblefur – black she-cat with green eyes
Apprentice: Goldenpaw

Tanglethorn – golden tabby tom with amber eyes

Rushcloud – creamy white tom with blue eyes
Apprentice: Toadpaw

Shinepool – white she-cat flecked with gray

Heronflight – very pale gray and white she-cat with amber eyes

Pikefur – dark gray tom with pale yellow eyes

Splashnose – speckled tortoiseshell she-cat with amber eyes

Apprentices:

Icepaw – small white tom with amber eyes

Goldenpaw – pale ginger she-cat with white paws and white splash on her chest

Toadpaw – light brown tabby tom with amber eyes

Queens:

Heathershine – pale brown she-cat with lighter amber eyes. Mother of Dunekit, Mangokit and Otterkit by Sandrush.

Pondripple – silver tabby she-cat with green eyes. Mother of Hailkit and Smokekit by Rushcloud.

Cinderbreeze – black and white she-cat with amber eyes. Expecting Tanglethorn's kits.

Elders:

Blueflower – once beautiful gray-blue she-cat with amber eyes

Nightwater – black tom with amber eyes

Kits:

Dunekit – sandy brown tom with amber eyes

Mangokit – ginger she-cat with green eyes

Otterkit – dusky brown she-cat with sleek fur and webbed-like paws

Hailkit – pale gray, almost white she-cat with piercing blue eyes like ice

Smokekit – darker gray she-cat with blue eyes

Cats Outside Clans

Ruby – dark ginger she-cat with green eyes who lives at the horseplace

Shadow – smoky black tom with green eyes who lives at the horseplace

Prologue

Barely a claw-mark of a moon hovered in the night's sky. Early leafbare winds pierced the forest down below. A fresh blanket of snow had fallen the night before, making it feel even colder than it had before. Despite the cold air and the fact that it was leafbare, creatures were scuffling about in the middle of the night.

A cat poked it's head out of the bush he was hiding in. His pelt was quivering with anticipation as he waited there for the next few heartbeats. After the day's events he had called for every leader to meet despite it not being a full moon. This was not a Gathering, but they would be meeting in peace. Hopefully. Only a few selected warriors were standing behind him just in case.

"Oatstar!" The pale brown tabby tom's ears pricked forward at the sound of his name. It didn't take long for the first cat to arrive; a beautiful light golden she-cat with bright green eyes. Standing behind her was a small group of warriors that looked as agitated as she felt. "I trust you have a good reason for holding a meeting, right after two of our queens had kits?" She kept her voice icy calm, but there was a hint of worry within it.

"That's exactly why I've called for this meeting," he rasped. "Two of my queens have given birth as well. But one has died giving birth to her kit."

The bitterness in his voice reminded them all of that tragedy. The WindClan cats bowed their heads, remembering how Cherryfoot had willingly accepted nursing the kits. But the mother was still dead, and that didn't make things any easier.

"I am sorry to hear that," the light golden she-cat murmured sympathetically. Leafbare had been hard on all of the Clans. To have two queens give birth at once was unheard of, and now they had extra mouths to feed.

"And here I was hoping the rumors weren't true." Both cats stiffened as a younger light brown tabby tom with amber eyes approached them. His tail whipped from side to side as he looked at the two cats coldly. "Hollystar." He nodded towards the light golden she-cat, whose ears flattened with annoyance.

"Wolfheart," she nearly spat the name. His pelt prickled with fury; he was only the deputy of ShadowClan after all. But Hollystar had made it sound like an insult more than anything else. "I thought Scorchstar would be joining us," she added after giving her chest fur a few quick licks.

"Unfortunately Scorchstar could not make it tonight," Wolfheart explained, ignoring the look she was giving him. The hostility between ThunderClan and ShadowClan was obvious. The two Clans had been fighting over territory for the past few moons now, resulting in bloody battles and border skirmishes. "He has been complaining about his bones not reacting well to the cold."

The two other leaders shifted uncomfortably at this news. Scorchstar was the oldest leader amongst the four Clans. Everyone knew how desperate Wolfheart was to become the next leader. It was only a matter of time before the announcement was made that Scorchstar had lost his final life. After that there was no telling what would become of ShadowClan.

All three cats stood there in awkward silence as their warriors whispered to one another. Wolfheart had come here alone. He stood apart from the two leaders, his whiskers twitching every now and than with envy. Soon the fourth leader had arrived, Streamstar of RiverClan. She had the longest journey of them all, and it looked like she had arrived on her own as well.

"I believe we should start this immediately, so that we can get back to our lives," Streamstar meowed in a formal tone. The other three cats nodded in understanding; her patience was wearing thin after everything the journey she had made.

"I will speak first," Oatstar announced. None of the cats argued; he was the youngest leader around the lake next to Streamstar. But Hollystar was in no mood to argue, and it wasn't in Wolfheart's place to argue either. "Has anyone other queen given birth this morning?" Normally his question would have made everyone feel uneasy, but Streamstar's ears pricked forward almost instantly. Wolfheart's eyes lit up with interest as Oatstar continued, "Two of my queens gave birth almost at once early in the morning. But one did not survive the kitting. Two of her kits were stillborn, and one survived, barely."

"No such thing has happened in ShadowClan," Wolfheart spat. "Why would such a thing happen so suddenly, and in the middle of leafbare of all times?"

No one had an answer to his question. Wolfheart's lips curled in satisfaction. He may be viewed as the youngest cat here, but he did have a valid point.

"Two of my queens gave birth this morning as well," Streamstar murmured. "Heathershine's kits weren't even due for another moon. It took us all by surprise when she started kitting almost right after Pondripple kitted."

"It's an omen." All four cats looked at the WindClan cat who spoke up. "Think about it: No queen has ever given birth at the same time, let alone the same day. It's unheard of. It's a message from StarClan."

"If that is the case than why did we not receive any warning?" Hollystar demanded.

"Perhaps StarClan is waiting for you to make the decision yourself," meowed a gray she-cat flecked with silver along her muzzle.

The four cats representing their Clans looked at one another warily. If this was true than they would have to decide the fate of these kits. They had already caused trouble and this was only their first day in the Clans.

"I say we kill them now," Wolfheart hissed.

"You don't have a say in this decision, deputy!" snapped Hollystar.

Wolfheart's eyes glowed with fury as he was ready to make a retort, than thought better of it. Soon enough he would have a say in what happened to these kits. He was sure of it. Scorchstar would be dead in the next few days anyways. Why couldn't they just let him make the leader's decision now and be done with it?

"We should give them until the time they are apprentices," Streamstar suggested. "If they truly are an omen, that is when we will see it. Until than, let them live. They deserve that much."

The other three cats looked at Streamstar warily. Hollystar was thoughtful about what fate would fall upon these kits. Oatstar just looked annoyed that Streamstar had made the suggestion. Wolfheart's lips were curled in annoyance when he realized that Streamstar had a good point. At last Hollystar, the eldest of the three standing there, raised her chin.

"I believe that Streamstar is right," she announced. "We should at least give these kits a chance. If they do not prove to be a threat, than we will let them live. But we must not tell them about this meeting, or that will influence their lives."

Annoyance flared within Wolfheart, but he made no move to challenge Hollystar. He knew that she was right. The Clans would hate him if he killed innocent kits. But sooner or later these kits would die, he was sure of it. Even if he had to kill them himself, that day would arrive.

AN: Originally this wasn't going to be posted, but I couldn't resist. I know I'm already working on Sharpest Thorn and Darkness Within, so updates on this will vary depending on how many reviews I get. Also, I know that there are so many plots similar to this one, but things will take a different turn here. Hopefully.