...So uh, I may or may not have started a new story...?

I've actually been working on this for a while, and I didn't plan on posting it until Bleeding Hearts was finished. But I was sick today and had a lot of free time and decided to post this I guess? Lulz. I'm going to be focusing more on Bleeding Hearts because it's almost finished, so this won't be updated as much until that's done. But I do have another chapter of this already finished which I guess I might as well put up in a few days.

But anyway! Uh... enjoy? (:

ShadowClan Allegiances

Leader: Minnowstar- A sleek silver-gray she-cat with stripes of dark gray and black. She has a long tail and light blue eyes.

Deputy: Harestep- A very light brown tom with long legs and big amber eyes.

Medicine Cat: Willowfall- A very light gray, almost white, she-cat with blue eyes and long fur.

Warriors

Weaselfoot- A medium-brown tabby tom with long black claws and bright green eyes. (Apprentice- Olivepaw)

Swallowflight- A pretty tortoiseshell she-cat with leaf-green eyes.

Redwhisker- A handsome and muscular orange tabby tom with stunning blue eyes.

Emberheart- An orange tabby she-cat with a white stomach and paws and pale green eyes.

Owlwing- A she-cat with a pelt of solid light brown and huge owl-like amber eyes.

Briarclaw- A very dark brown tabby tom with dark amber eyes. (Apprentice- Cedarpaw)

Furzetail- A skinny she-cat with a white pelt and several black patches. She has pretty blue eyes and one almost completely shredded ear. (Apprentice- Ratpaw)

Cinderblaze- A light gray she-cat with a tiny white spot on her back. She has blue eyes.

Icewhisker- A large white tom with short fur and green eyes.

Ravenheart- A sleek black tom with amber eyes. (Apprentice- Snowpaw)

Darkstorm- A lean black tom with blue eyes. (Apprentice- Frostpaw)

Apprentices

Cedarpaw- A small tom with a light brown tabby pelt, one white paw, and amber eyes.

Frostpaw- A pretty she-cat with a short white pelt and dazzling blue eyes.

Snowpaw- A pretty she-cat with short white fur and leaf-green eyes.

Olivepaw- A dark brown tabby she-cat with pale green eyes.

Ratpaw- A very dark gray, almost black tom with medium-length fur and amber eyes.

Queens

Bluepelt- A beautiful blue-gray she-cat with wide blue eyes and feathery whiskers. (Kits: Littlekit, Icekit, Brokenkit)

Bramblestripe- A very dark brown she-cat with only a few tiny black spots and pale green eyes. (Kits- Olivepaw, Ratpaw, Oakkit)

Lightstream- A very pale ginger she-cat with a white chest and paws.

Elders

Silvermist- A once-beautiful gray tabby she-cat who is now losing fur in a few places. She has blue eyes.

Clawstrike- A very old white tom with a few ginger patches and dull green eyes

Prologue

She could never undo what she had done. She knew that. She had made a terrible mistake, one that she could never take back. And every time she thought about it, she felt this sharp pang in her heart that wouldn't ago away until she finally closed her eyes to sleep, only to wake up in a panic from her nightmares. Mistakes happen, she tried to tell herself. She was sure that this sort of thing had happened before, and it was just part of life.

So why did it haunt and torment her like this?

It was late at night, the moon high and nearly at its fullest. A few thin clouds drifted by, and she shivered as a cold breeze ruffled her long fur. Leaf-fall was slowly turning into Leaf-bare. ShadowClan's territory was growing barren, and prey was becoming scarce. Snow had yet to fall, but it would only be a matter of time.

The light gray she-cat winced as another wind blew by. She walked alone in the darkness, away from camp where they were still mourning the loss of Badgerkit, who had died from a bad fever. Or, that's what they'd thought, anyway, until they discovered that the poor thing had actually eaten several deathberries. No one knows how the kit had managed to find any, but he had.

Emberheart, the mother, was, of course, a wreck. Her mate had been killed during a ThunderClan conflict, and Badgerkit had been the only surviver in a litter of three. The amount of pity the gray she-cat had for her was unbearable, and she couldn't even begin to imagine what she was going through.

She needed to get away from it all. From the sadness and anger and accusations. She needed to clear her head. She needed to see... him. He would make it all better. She knew he would.

The trees began to thin out as she started nearing RiverClan territory. She squinted her eyes; in the distance, she could make out the shape of the docks where they met every other night. Thank StarClan that they got to meet tonight, because she needed him now. Even more than usual.

She broke out from the darkness of the pine trees, seeing ahead of her the marshes. A few taillengths in front of her was the small Thunderpath that the Twolegs used during Greenleaf- but now that it was so cold, they never saw them. Even so, stepping across it made her spine tingle.

She walked along the path, heading towards the docks. When it was warm, it was always crowded with Twolegs, but nowadays, it was peaceful and quiet.

She felt wood beneath her paws, and she looked around the spacious area- he wasn't here, yet. With a flick of her tail, she slowly walked to the very edge, standing a whisker from the freezing water beneath her. She looked out at the lake; it was beautiful, just like always. The moon and stars glimmered on its surface, and she could nearly see the other side, where the moors lay. But even in all its beauty, it didn't make her feel any better. Not at all. Honestly, for a very brief second, she swore she could have just jumped in, letting her body sink to the bottom.

She winced, another cool air blowing her fur. She prayed that she wouldn't have to wait long. Closing her eyes, she let her mind wander.

And then, a familiar scent wrapped around her...

"Hello," murmured a voice. Her eyes shot open and she looked over her shoulder, blinking softly as she saw him there. He was a large, muscular tom, with sleek, black fur. His green eyes shimmered happily as he approached her, nuzzling her and purring softly. "Sorry I'm late."

She would normally close her eyes, whispering "I love you" in response, but she just sat there, silent. He pulled away, sensing that something was wrong, and sat down beside her.

"What is it?"

She looked up at him, blue eyes shimmering with sorrow. "I failed," she whispered. "I failed, Blacktail."

"What do you-"

"A kit was sick today," she continued quietly. "Badgerkit. I thought that he was suffering from a fever, but he... He'd eaten deathberries." She let out a quick sigh; "I should have known from the beginning that those weren't normal symptoms of a fever. I made a stupid mistake, and now he's dead." She clenched her eyes shut, leaning her head against the tom's shoulder. "He's dead because of me, Blacktail." The tom looked at her, resting his tail on her back. He was silent for a minute.

"Mistakes happen," he murmured. "It wasn't your fault-"

"It is, though," she whispered. "You should have been there. Emberheart was screaming at me, yelling that I should have known better, and that I'd killed her only son-"

"Stop," he muttered, licking the top of her head. "Please, Willowfall, don't be so hard on yourself. Nobody's perfect." She didn't reply, and he said nothing more. They sat together for a few minutes in complete silence as Blacktail tried to soothe her.

Willowfall raised her head, looking at him worriedly. "I-I have something to tell you." He gazed at her.

"Yes?"

"I-I... I'm... expecting kits."

No reply.

He stared at her, his mouth hanging open slightly, his eyes wide in shock. And then, after a long moment, his lips formed a smile, and he leaned over, licking her muzzle.

"That's great, Willowfall!"

"No," she said, pulling away, "it's not. I'm a medicine cat, Blacktail." She stared at him, getting to her paws. "Do you know what this means? ...It's against the warrior code, that's what it means. I'm not supposed to have a mate, let alone kits. How are we going to keep this a secret once I start getting bigger?" She panted, having gotten worked up. He stood up and looked at her.

"Willowfall, calm down. Please. This is great news. You've always wanted to have kits, you've told me so many times. We'll make it through this, Willowfall." He walked over to her, licking her nose and looking at her with a reassuring smile. "I'll never leave you, Willowfall. I promise."

The she-cat looked at him, and after a moment, she sighed, smiling a bit in return. She closed her eyes, pressing her face against his shoulder.

"Thank you," she whispered.

They stood like that for several minutes. And for a few moments, all of Willowfall's worries began to fade. She loved Blacktail. So much. And he loved her, too. So what if she'd made the mistake about Badgerkit? So what if she was breaking the warrior code? Did it really matter, in the grand scheme of things? No. They were there for each other. And when he told her that he'd never leave her, she knew with all her heart that he was telling the truth.

"I should get back," he murmured in her ear, pulling away after a bit. She frowned a little, a pout on her lips.

"Do you have to?"

"Hey," he said quietly, smiling. "Tomorrow night's the Gathering. I'll see you then, don't worry."

She grinned a little at this, nodding. "Alright. I'll see you then."

Blacktail turned and began to pad off, but not before turning around once more, saying, "I love you, Willowfall."

"I love you, too," she replied with a light giggle. Sometimes she felt as if the two of them were just apprentices.

She stood there on the dock, watching him until he was gone. A silly little smile was still on her lips, and she turned back to the water, looking at it quietly as slowly, one by one, her fears began to return.

"So, Willowfall," a voice suddenly said. The medicine cat's blue eyes widened, and she whirled around to see who was there. And when she saw who was at the opposite end of the dock, slowly walking over, her heart nearly stopped, and the blood in her veins turned to ice.

This cat was tall and long-legged, with a coat of silver and darker gray stripes. Once beautiful, this she-cat was beginning to grow old. She was getting thinner, and her bones were more visible. She had several visible scars from all of the battles she'd fought in the past, and in general, she now had a tired aura about her. However, her eyes would still shine with defiance and pride... and proud she was of her Clan.

"Graystar," Willowfall whispered, with some difficulty as she felt her throat tighten up. Why was she here? She couldn't have possibly seen her with Blacktail. Right? Maybe this was just about Badgerkit. Or maybe she had been looking for her. Yes. Maybe that was all. It had to have been all. "D-Do you need something?" she stammered, trying to remain calm as she walked over to meet her.

The leader gazed down at her, her old eyes fiery, her expression hard.

"Don't try to hide it anymore, Willowfall," she said, her eyes narrowing to slits, her tone cold as ice. "I saw everything." The medicine cat stared at her, her mouth agape, preparing to explain herself- but she was cut short. "Let me tell you, I hadn't even the slightest idea that you were meeting a tom from RiverClan. I applaud you for being able to keep it such a secret." Her words stabbed Willowfall like thorns, unforgiving. The light gray she-cat took a step back, her eyes wide and shining. This couldn't be happening. They'd never been caught before. By anyone. And it just so happened that the first one to catch them was her own leader.

"I-I'm sorry, Graystar," she rasped. "I-"

"To think that my own medicine cat would not only have a mate, but a mate from RiverClan!" She loudly spat the last word with resent, making Willowfall jump a bit. Graystar lowered her head a bit, down to her level. Then, she slowly whispered, "You're a disgrace."

Willowfall looked like a lost kitten, her ears flattened and her eyes wide and shimmering with fear and shame. She was even trembling slightly as her leader said these words to her. It took a few moments before she could even speak again.

"G-Graystar... I'm..."

"I heard everything," hissed the old cat. "I heard about the kits." Willowfall froze, staring at her with disbelief. She could no longer speak.

Graystar turned away, her back to the medicine cat. She took one step forward before quietly murmuring, "The minute those kits are born, they are to be killed. I cannot have such filth as the children of a medicine cat and a RiverClan tom in my Clan. We are not like ThunderClan."

"No!" Willowfall screamed, her voice cracking with horror and desperation. She ran over to face Graystar, her eyes huge. "You can't!"

"I am the leader of this Clan," Graystar snarled, unsheathing her claws, her blue eyes blazing with rage. "You will obey me."

Willowfall stepped away, terrified as she tried to find her breath. Her head was swirling, and she could barely even see straight. A sudden hatred for her leader hit her like a monster on Thunderpath, and before she could even think about what she was doing, she launched herself at the older she-cat with fury, so hard that she was pushed off the edge of the dock. A second later, there was a splash.

Willowfall ran over to the edge, looking down with horror at the water, several taillengths below. In the bright moonlight, she could see as the dark shape of her leader emerged from the surface. She was gasping and coughing and panting, and the medicine cat thought she could see a flash of fear going through the eyes of the she-cat.

"W-Willowfall!" the old cat coughed, struggling to stay above the water. "Help!" But Willowfall did nothing. She only stood there, frozen, as she watched her leader begin to choke and hack. She tried to get her paws to move. Part of her, as a medicine cat, had an overwhelming desire to dive down and try to save her.

But then she thought of Blacktail. Of his soothing voice as he whispered "I love you." And she thought of their kits. If she saved Graystar now, her kits had no future. They would die the minute they were born, shattering her happiness and life with Blacktail.

No. She couldn't do that. To herself, to Blacktail, or her kits. It wasn't fair. It wasn't right.

And so she backed up, turning and running away, leaving Graystar yowling and coughing as StarClan took away the very last of her lives.

Well. That's that. Uh, sort of angsty I guess? ...Lulz I haven't had a new story in so long it's such a weird feeling I don't even know what to type lolol.

It would be lovely if you were to review. (: Willowfall plushies for everyone!

Till next time,

Pearly