Hello dear readers! I know, I know: I'm a terrible person for not updating A Symphony of Secrets but I'm at such a writer's block for that story that I decided to put it on a temporary hiatus and start another story. Hopefully my muse will return soon. I have no idea where this story is going to go-or if it'll go anywhere for that matter. This is just something I thought of to keep me busy and to get me back on track with my writing :)

Summary: This story takes place in the future when the four Clans have fought themselves into near extinction. Just before StarClan fell, they gave one last message to the Clans:Merge together or die. ShadowClan and RiverClan became BrokenClan (their name signifies that nothing can ever be truly fixed) and ThunderClan and WindClan became StormClan (because wind and thunder make a storm). Few cats still believe in their ancestors but almost every cat has prayed to them at one point or another.

Every season, three she-cats are chosen in each Clan to mate with a tom from their own Clan so that their kits are born close to one another. The mothers are taken away to unknown territory to give birth to their kits that spend their first few moons there. After six moons, they face initiation, which is a series of brutal tests that go on until they reach twelve moons of age. They are pushed to the maximum of physical, emotional, and mental strength. If one cat cannot go on or refuses to continue, they are punished either by death or exile.

If the initiates survive the six moon training, they become Followers and get their warrior names. Then the whole thing starts all over again.

Enjoy my lovely readers!

Prologue

The ice-cold breeze flowed swiftly through the trees, howling eerily in the heavy blackness that even the full moon could not penetrate. Brittle leaves crunched under the paws of four cats that made their way a few tail-lengths from the churning river. The snow on the ground was slick and made the cats shiver violently, their fur fluffed up against the Leaf-Bare weather.

"Tawnyflame, are we almost there?" asked one she-cat, breaking the silence. Her pale coat was stark against the darkness that surrounded them and her belly, round with expecting kits, protruded out on both sides.

"We're nearly there, Ryefeather," the smallest of the four, a dark tortoiseshell, replied softly as she led the way through the quiet pine forest.

"If we don't get there soon my paws are going to fall off!" a white she-cat complained, her black underbelly not quite as round as Ryefeather's. "This is insane. Why in StarClan is Ceaderstar making us walk to some unknown piece of territory in the middle Leaf-Bare?"

"Swiftpetal, this is how it has always been," the fourth cat scolded, her silver tabby fur gleaming in the weak moonlight. "You know that."

"Skywhisper's right," Tawnyflame meowed, ducking under a low-hanging branch of a pine tree. "I know this is only your first litter but you'll have plenty more so I suggest you get used to doing this."

Swiftpetal sniffed. "You say that like giving birth to kits is the only thing we're good for."

"We're Providers," Ryefeather pointed out. "The name itself states that our purpose is to give the Clan new life."

"But it's not fair!" Swiftpetal cried, tail lasing back and forth. "In initiation, they didn't tell us that we'd all have to mate at one point or another and have kits. I never even wanted kits!"

"It doesn't matter what you want, Swiftpetal!" Skywhisper snapped, painstakingly making her way over a dead log. Her stomach was far larger than the other she-cats', indicating that it wouldn't be long before she gave birth to her kits. "Do you think any of the she-cats in BrokenClan wanted to have kits so early in their lives? Of course not! But it's our duty to the Clan; it's part of how we have survived for so long. What do you think would happen if every cat could just mate whenever they wanted with whoever they wanted? It would be chaos!"

"Redfern told me once that that's how we used to live," Swiftpetal protested. "That there used to be four Clans instead of two and the cats where free to do whatever they wanted as long as the hunted and protected their Clan."

Ryefeather flicked the younger she-cat with her tail. "Redfern was a crazy old cat," she reprimanded. "She was old and her mind was going. Ceaderstar did us a great kindness by exiling her."

"Which you would do well to remember," Skywhisper stated flatly.

Before anyone could say anything else, Tawnyflame halted and turned to face the three Providers. Her green eyes were sorrowful but determined. "This is where I leave you," she told them calmly.

Swiftpetal gasped. "What? You're not going to stay and help us give birth to our kits?"

"Of course not," the Medicine Cat Trainee snorted, glancing at the youngest queen. "The only ones who are allowed past this point are Providers and kits." When she noticed Swiftpetal's look of terror, she added kindly, "Ryefeather and Skywhisper have done this many times before, Swiftpetal. You have all the herbs you'll need and two experienced she-cats to help you. I have no purpose but to lead you here and make sure you don't get lost."

Skywhisper dipped her broad head to Tawnyflame. "Thank you Tawnyflame. We'll see you again in six moons."

Tawnyflame nodded once and padded back the way they had come, soon disappearing into the shadows of the forest. All was silent expect for Swiftpetal's ragged breathing.

"Come now, young one," Ryefeather mewed gently, wrapping her tail around the she-cat's shoulders and leading her into the unknown territory. "Everything will be fine, you'll see."

Skywhisper followed her friends, careful not to step on any thorns or stumble into a bramble bush. This was her fourth time as a Provider but she still could never get used to the clear, clean scent of the forest. The familiar smell of her Clanmates and of the BrokenClan border clung faintly to her tabby fur, the only sign that she had not been born in this part of the territory.

She felt a little nudge in her side and she thought sadly, I'm sorry kits. I wish I could bring you into a better world. She had been like Swiftpetal once, angry at everything and feeling the injustice of their "duty to the Clan". She'd hated that their futures were already placed, that they had no choice no matter what Ceaderstar led them all to believe.

But that was a long time ago and Skywhisper had learned the hard way that you either accepted your fate or faced immediate death. Ceaderstar always told them, "The only way to survive is to set aside out selfish wants and focus solely on our Clan. That is why we have thrived for so long and how we will continue to grow. If any cat feels differently, they will face harsh punishment, exile, or death."

He made it sound like there were three consequences, but there was really only one. "Harsh punishment" almost always meant death, and if you were exiled then you were as good as dead. So it was really just a thinly veiled threat of death that made it sound as if there even a slim chance you'd survive.

Ceaderstar had a wonderful way with words.

Pulling herself back to the present, Skywhisper shook her head to rid it of the unwanted memories. That was the past and right now she had to focus on getting to the single den that she knew stood slumped against a pine tree and was made out of compacted mud and twigs. It was hardly a safe place to raise newborn kits, but they had no other option.

By now, Swiftpetal had stopped hyperventilating and was back to her whining. "How do they expect us to hunt for prey when we're expecting kits?"

"BrokenClan specifically chose this spot for Providers to kit because it's the only place in the forest that has so much prey that it's easy to catch. Even in Leaf-Bare," Ryefeather explained. "Usually the one who is the farthest from giving birth is expected to catch most of the food for the other two. But since that doesn't always work, there are a bunch of herbs to keep away hunger until one of us is able to hunt."

This didn't seem to reassure the younger she-cat. "So since I'm the one farthest from kitting, I'm the one who has to hunt for you two?" Swiftpetal exclaimed in disbelief. "But that's ridiculous!"

Skywhisper's whiskers twitched in faint amusement. "I remember when I was in your position. There was all this pressure on me because if I didn't catch anything then my two friends might starve. But don't worry; like Ryefeather said, there's plenty of prey here."

Swiftpetal pointedly glanced around and then narrowed her eyes at the silver tabby. "It sure doesn't seem like it."

Skywhisper rolled her green eyes. "Maybe if you shut your mouth for once you'd be able to realize that-" Her voice broke off as a sudden, painful contraction took hold of her.

"Skywhisper?" Ryefeather demanded worriedly, she rushed forward and pressed against her. "What is it, what's wrong?"

"Kits…" she whispered as a fierce shudder rippled through her. She let out a low groan and her legs buckled under her. Only her friend's sturdy shoulder kept her from collapsing into the marshy ground underneath her.

Swiftpetal glanced from one she-cat to the other, her amber eyes wide with fear. "What's happening?" she asked frightfully.

Ryefeather immediately took control of the situation, a grim expression on her features. "Swiftpetal, hurry and go find the thickest stick you can! Skywhisper's kits are coming."

"B-but she's not due for another moon-"

"There's no time for that!" Ryefeather snapped as Skywhisper wailed in agony when white-hot pain spread throughout her entire body. "We need to get these kits out now before they die!"

Without another word to the black and white she-cat, the old Provider turned to Skywhisper whose flanks were heaving for breath. "Skywhisper, you need to lay down, okay?"

The silver tabby nodded once and, with the help of Ryefeather, slowly lowered her aching body to the muddy ground. She curled up slightly to try and ease the pain radiating from her stomach and terror started to take hold of her. "Ryefeather…" she gasped in a strangled voice. "Don't let…them…die…"

Her white and cream friend gazed down at her with grave blue eyes. "I'll do my best Skywhisper. I will do whatever it takes to make sure your kits live, I promise." She placed her paws on the queen's flank and felt around, noticing how one of the forms was turned the wrong way. Oh StarClan, help us.

Swiftpetal suddenly appeared dragging a large thick stick in her jaws. She placed it by Skywhisper's head who gratefully took it. "What's wrong with her?" she breathed softly, eyes wide with anxiety.

"One of her kits is turned the wrong way," Ryefeather meowed. "Swiftpetal, I need you to come around on her other side and help me try and work it back the right way."

"Are you sure this'll work?" Swiftpetal murmured as she did as the older she-cat instructed. She put her paws tentatively on Skywhisper's side and began to slowly message her stomach.

Ryefeather didn't even look up from where she was doing the exact same thing as Swiftpetal. "It has to," she answered quietly.

After a few moments of messaging, Ryefeather stopped and felt around once again, nodding slightly. "Good, we turned it around the right way. But Skywhisper, you need to push now or else you'll lose them. Do you hear me?"

Skywhisper nodded as her body contracted again. Her eyes were determined but grim.

"Okay on the count of three, start pushing. One…two…THREE!"

Skywhisper bit down hard on the stick and she pushed with all her might. Swiftpetal was positioned by her other end and caught the first kit in her jaws. Ryefeather told her to nip the sack and start licking it right before the second kit slid out. With one last hard push, the third and final bundle plopped out and Ryefeather caught it and started to lick it urgently.

Soon, the tiny newborn raised its head and began to mew pitifully. The sound sent a jolt of happiness through the white and cream she-cat. They had done it!

Except…where were the other two sounds of life that should have filled the silence around them? Ryefeather lifted her gaze, confused. Surely the other two should be squealing just like this little kit was, right? But what she saw instead made her heart plummet.

Swiftpetal was still furiously licking the two kits, desperation clouding her amber eyes. Skywhisper, however, lay staring at the queen and her kin with a grief-stricken expression etched onto her pretty features.

No…

Ryefeather placed the mewling kit the curve of its mother's belly and it began to suckle right away. Then she padded slowly to where the black and white she-cat had not yet given up.

"Swiftpetal…" she whispered, touching her tail gently to her friend's shoulder. "Swiftpetal, they're gone."

"No!" Swiftpetal cried, nudging the dead kits with her muzzle. "No, I just need to keep licking them! They're alive, they have to be!"

Ryefeather placed her paw on the she-cat's, waiting for Swiftpetal to tear her gaze away from the stillborn kits before meowing harshly, "They're dead, so you hear me? There is nothing more you can do for them!"

"How can you say that?" Skywhisper mewed wretchedly, causing both heads to turn to look at her. Her green eyes were filled with grief and pain and she was glaring at Ryefeather. "There's still hope for them Ryefeather!"

Ryefeather crouched down in front of the queen who was struggling to stand up. The single living kit mewed in protest as she was jarred from her comfortable position. "Skywhisper!" she hissed, looking directly into her friend's eyes. "Listen to me: Your kits are gone, okay? No, listen," she added when Skywhisper opened her mouth, "I know this is hard for you. Trust me, I understand."

"No you don't," the tabby she-cat whispered. "How could you possibly know what this feels like?"

Ryefeather's blue eyes flashed. "Don't I? I lost a kit once, Skywhisper. Four were born but only one survived. And I was devastated. How could I possibly go on when one of my kits had never had the chance to live?" Her gaze grew unfocused as she relived the memories of her past. "It wasn't fair that I had my whole life ahead of me when one of my kits never did. And then I realized, he was only one of my kits. I had three other who had survived and I didn't even notice because I was so consumed with the death of that kit.

"What I'm trying to say, Skywhisper," she continued, blinking and shaking herself out of her past. "Is that you have one healthy kit who survived. You need to focus on her now because there is nothing else you can do for the other two, do you understand me?"

Skywhisper looked at Ryefeather for a long moment and her friend held her gaze steadily. Finally, the silver tabby closed her eyes for a heartbeat and then reopened them. She glanced at her two stillborn kits and murmured, "I want to name them."

"Skywhisper-"

"I need to, Ryefeather," she pleaded. "Please."

After a moment, the white and cream she-cat nodded reluctantly and brought the two kits over. The largest one resembled his father, Buzzardstrike, with his smoky long dark gray fur. She touched her nose tenderly to the tom's little head and breathed, "I'll call you Featherkit. I know you would've made a great warrior." Then she turned to her slightly smaller daughter, who had inherited her mother's silver coat dappled with white. "And you shall be Aspenkit. I know you would have made me proud."

Skywhisper bowed her head and was silent as a shudder passed through her. She opened her eyes and turned away from her dead kits, instead focusing on the squirming bundle that was still suckling eagerly. The she-cat was the smallest of the litter, and her long wispy pelt was a light gray and dark tabby stripes lined her whole body. The silver was only broken by a tiny white chest that moved up and down with the kit's steady breaths.

"What are you going to name her?" Swiftpetal questioned, a look of fondness already adorning her features.

Skywhisper bent down towards her kit who lifted her small head and let out a loud mew. A loud purr suddenly erupted in the queen's chest as she stared lovingly at her daughter. "She will be named Silverkit, because of her gray fur."

Ryefeather's tail curled up in amusement. "She's got the spirit of a fighter already. Best be careful with that one, Skywhisper."

Skywhisper never took her eyes off of her precious kit when she answered, "I'll never let anyone hurt you. I'll protect you, little one." She gave Silverkit's head a small lick as she gave the most important vow of her life:

"I promise."

Ta-da! So what did you think? Like it? love it? hate it? just wanna throw a shoe at me? Well, I wanna hear your opinion! Besides, the review button is looking pretty lonely ;)