"Do you ever notice them looking at you in a funny way?"

Featherkit was jerked from her thoughts as her sister, Nightkit, asked the question. She turned towards her, and then saw the medicine cats staring at her. Peachfur was especially looking at her weirdly. Then, she turned towards Flamedawn and whispered something to him.

"Well yes. Especially Peachfur. And they whisper about me. It's weird," Featherkit mumbled, glancing at her sister with nervous eyes. 

"They probably think you're like... special or something," Nightkit purred, her amber eyes shining with amusement. 

Mudkit padded up to them, his jaws gaping wide in a yawn. He blinked sleepily at his two sisters. 

"Well look who's up for  their long nap!" Nightkit mewed, purring. She gave her brother a teasing look, but Featherkit couldn't join in with her amusement. Her thoughts were fixed on something else.

"Nightkit, Mudkit? Do you ever wonder who our father is?" She asked, shifting her paws.

"I don't have to wonder. Moonshine never wants to admit, so I don't prod into her business," Mudkit mewed, curling his tail over his paws.

"Well I wonder," Featherkit mumbled. "Isn't it strange how she acts secretive about who the father is? And isn't it strange how the medicine cats stare at us?" She asked, glancing at her siblings.

"Well they don't stare at us," Nightkit mewed. Her gaze rested on Featherkit. "They stare at you."

Featherkit realized that her sister was right. "I'm going to speak with mother," she mewed. She padded past her siblings and saw her mother, who was speaking with Whitewing, another queen in the nursery whose kits would be born any day now. 

"Moonshine!" Featherkit squeaked, racing up to her mother. She pounced at her mother, landing on her back.

"Oh, Featherkit! What is this all about?" Moonshine asked, glancing at her daughter.

"I just wanted to ask.... who is our father?" Featherkit asked, blinking at her. She waited for her mother to respond.

Moonshine's eyes rounded, and she avoided her daughter's gaze. Her eyes clouded. "I-I can't say," she mumbled, looking guilty.

"Why? Is it that secretive?" Featherkit asked, feeling slightly unimportant. My own mother won't even tell me! 

"Yes, it apparently is. Featherkit, just go play with your siblings," Whitewing meowed, glancing at her. 

Featherkit reluctantly turned around and headed back to her siblings. All I want to do is find my father...

Mudkit lifted his head at his sister's approach. "Featherkit? Did she say anything?" He asked.

"No, she said she can't say who it is," Featherkit sighed. She sat beside her brother. "Where did Nightkit go?" She asked.

"She went to the elders. She was bored and wanted to hear a story," Mudkit meowed, laying his head on his paws.

Featherkit thought for a moment, then glanced at her brother. "Hey, do you want to sneak out of camp?" She asked. 

"No! We'll get in big trouble!" Mudkit mewed, glancing at her.

"But isn't it bored in camp? There's no other kits to play with, and the games we play get boring," Featherkit sighed, curling her tail around her paws. 

Mudkit sighed. "Uh, well, ok. Maybe tonight," he meowed, curling up.

Featherkit then lay down and curled up beside her brother, her eyes closing. Darkness swept over her vision and she finally fell asleep.

"Peachfur, come quick, please!"

Featherkit jerked awake as she heard a yowl of pain. The cat calling for Peachfur was Moonshine, who sounded panicked. She opened her eyes and saw that the sky was an orange-pink color. How long had she slept? 

Peachfur rushed into the den. "What's happened?" She asked.

Moonshine glanced at her, her eyes wide. "Whitewing is kitting!" She gasped.

Peachfur rushed into the den. "Go and fetch a stick for Whitewing to bite down on," she meowed quickly. 

Featherkit saw Nightkit standing by her mother and then prodded her brother awake. "Mudkit! Whitewing is having her kits!" She meowed.

Moonshine padded up to them, her eyes clouded with anxiety. "Kits, please, get out of the den," she pleaded.

"Why?" Featherkit asked, glancing at her. 

"I don't want you in there while Whitewing is giving birth. Please, just go somewhere else. Maybe go hang out with the apprentices or something," Moonshine pleaded, heading out of the den. 

Featherkit looked at her brother, who was awake. "Come on," she meowed. Nightkit rushed up to them. "I hope the apprentices teach us a battle move or something," she mewed.

Featherkit rushed towards the apprentices' den. Burntpaw and Pearlpaw, two kittens that were found outside the Clan a few moons ago, were talking outside the den. Pearlpaw was noted to look a lot like Frostheart, a cat of the Clan that went rogue. 

"Burntpaw! Why don't you teach us a battle move?" Nightkit asked, looking eagerly at the dark flame-colored tom. 

Burntpaw looked down at her, amusement shining in his eyes. "Well, what are you doing out of the nursery?" He asked. 

"Whitewing is kitting, and Moonshine told us to get out," Featherkit answered. "Where are the other apprentices?" She asked, glancing at Pearlpaw.

"Well Dustpaw, Graypaw, and Lilacpaw are out having their warrior assessments," the pure white she-cat answered, curling her tail around her paws. "And Beepaw and Tuftpaw are out hunting with their mentors."

Burntpaw glanced at his sister. "And don't forget about Blackpaw and Smokypaw," he mewed. "Weren't you going to go out hunting with Smokypaw later?" He asked.

"I was," Pearlpaw meowed. "But not sure where he is," she sighed, curling her tail around her paws. Her blue eyes shimmered with longing.

"Kits! Come back if you'd like to see Whitewing naming her newborns!" Peachfur called. 

Featherkit snapped around quickly with her siblings and raced back towards the nursery. Birchfall was in there, along with Ivypool, their first daughter. Whitewing was stretched out in her nest, five kits suckling at her belly.

Birchfall was crouched over her, kicking her head gently. "I'm proud of you," he purred.

Featherkit was surprised. She'd never seen a cat give birth to five kittens! 

"We must name them now," Whitewing purred, licking her mate's cheek. 

Ivypool stepped forward, her eyes clouding as she looked a small pale gray she-kit. "This one reminds me of Dovepaw," she whimpered. "Why don't we name her Dovekit?" She suggested, glancing pleadingly at her mother. 

"That's a perfect name," Whitewing purred. "You're right, she looks so much like your sister," she agreed. 

Birchfall glanced down at a white she-kit with dark gray flecks. "Let's name this one Granitekit," he purred. 

"It's perfect," Whitewing mewed, her eyes shimmering. Her eyes rested on the next kit, a very dark brown tabby tom-kit with tufted ears. "I think I'll name him Copperkit."

Featherkit glanced at her siblings. "I can't wait to play with them!" She purred.

"Me too!" Mudkit purred, lifting his tail.

"I'll name this one Quartzkit," Whitewing meowed, looking down at a pure-white she-kit.

"I'll name the last one Oakkit," Birchfall meowed, glancing at the biggest of the litter. It was a brown tabby tom with a lighter colored belly. 

Featherkit ran forward to get closer to the kits. They were suckling and purring slightly.

Moonshine curled her tail around her daughter. "It's almost like it was yesterday when you were this young, suckling at my belly," she purred.

Featherkit didn't respond. Instead she watched the kits with interest until it was finally time for bed.