Guess who's back from the dead? Mhm, StarClan's [worst] Nightmare (and I get to do some serious StarClan bashing in this installment...yes!) I can't apologize to/thank my reviewers enough for sticking with this story. You guys are the BEST. I hope this makes the wait worthwhile.

Disclaimer: I've stopped reading Warriors, so why would I own it?

I leapt to my paws as Mudfur emerged from the nursery. He didn't look surprised at all when I planted myself in front of him and began an interrogation. "What is it? Is everything okay? What do you need? Herbs? Prey? Bedding?" I shifted rapidly from paw to paw as words rushed out of my mouth with increasing speed.

"Forestcloud, you look extremely tired," Mudfur meowed patiently. He lightly stepped on one of my paws to keep me from moving. "I know you're just trying to help, but please...we've got everything covered, believe me. Get some rest."

Despite Mudfur's soothing tone, the worry in his eyes shone brighter than he realized. I knew they certainly did not have "everything covered." Two days after the birth had begun, no end was in sight. Birchfrost howled all day and moaned through the night. It got to a point where Larchsting had to be moved into the medicine cat den temporarily so she could rest properly. I heard she had requested otherwise; she insisted she could assist with the birth. This was a sharp contrast to the nature of the Larchsting I knew, simply proving how a crisis could bring our Clan together.

"Stop lying to me, Mudfur," I said, ducking my head to hide my quivering whiskers. "Tell me the truth." I took a trembling breath. "Birchfrost is dying, isn't she?"

"She will not die." The voice belonged to Crookedjaw. He padded up and pressed his warm pelt against mine. I leaned into him, soaking up his comforting scent. "She will not die," Crookedjaw repeated.

Mudfur didn't argue or even reply. He dipped his head slightly and walked off in the direction of the medicine cat den.

"But what if she does?" I asked in a weak whisper. I knew it was the question no one would answer. Without speaking, Crookedjaw uncovered a gleaming fish beneath his paw.

"I knew you would be hungry," he said, licking my ears tenderly.

I hesitated for barely a moment; he had guessed right. Hovering outside the nursery became my top priority after Brambleberry forced me out last night. Still, however much I tried to stay calm and collected, the sound of Birchfrost wailing in agony pushed me over the edge. The herbs I brought were all wrong; the bedding, damp; the amount of water insufficient.

Despite his concern for his sister, Crookedjaw possessed the good sense to resume his warrior duties after a day. Yet he obviously hadn't forgotten my distress. He curled his tail around me protectively while I gobbled up the fish.

"She'll live. I know it. She's strong." After a brief pause, he continued, "You know, not all births are like this. I'm sure when Larchsting has her kits, and Swanfur, and you-"

His unfinished statement quashed the enjoyment the meal had brought me. "Wait a minute," I meowed slowly, leaving the fish for a moment. "You're expecting me to have kits? I don't remember agreeing to that. When did we even talk about it?"

"Uh...well, we never did, but...I'm sorry, Forestcloud. I just assumed-"

"Assumed I'd want my body to be torn apart? Assumed I'd delight in howling till the whole Clan cringes? Assumed I'm so in love with you that I'd do whatever you want?" The nerve of him! I narrowed my eyes and backed away from him.

Crookedjaw's mouth twitched in amusement, impervious to my outrage. "I kind of hoped the last one came with the package."

All anger left me. I purred and playfully butted him with my head. Laughing, he insisted that I finish my fish before it spoiled.

Seeing as I was so in love with him I'd do whatever he wanted, I complied.

Crookedjaw, naturally, nursed an ulterior motive. Somehow he managed to coax me away from the nursery into sleeping in the warriors' den for the first time in days. Once my head touched the soft moss, I was gone-literally. When I opened my eyes, I was sitting in the middle of Fourtrees.

Yet it wasn't the Fourtrees I knew. I saw no other cats around me which, it being Fourtrees, seemed odd in itself. No stars glistened in the sky above; I stared at an endless black void. The trees had an almost luminescent quality to them.

"If this is a dream, it's pretty pointless," I muttered.

"Patience is not one of your virtues, is it?" A voice as coarse as bark echoed around the hollow. I spun around with my fur bristled, waiting to see who my companion was.

"Stop scaring the poor thing," another voice scolded. A petite black-and-white she-cat suddenly appeared from behind a twisted oak tree. Her pelt glowed with the same radiance as the trees. I recognized her faintly, but couldn't place where I'd seen her before.

"She isn't scared. Are you, Forestcloud? How could the future deputy of RiverClan hold any fear of StarClan?" the first voice rasped into my ear. I forced myself to remain calm as a shimmering pair of yellow eyes materialized before me.

In a moment, the she-cat was standing between me and the eyes. "Show yourself, Vinetail. This is serious. We don't have time for your trickery."

With a soft snicker, the yellow eyes gradually sunk into a thin, angular tabby face. The she-cat stepped aside so I could face Vinetail. His gaze surveyed me from head to toe. It was odd, because at the same time I was trying to search him for resemblances to Crookedjaw. Their pelts were similar, but other than that...

Finally, with a resigned grunt, Vinetail growled, "At least my son chose a decent-looking one."

"Always the flatterer, aren't you?" sighed the black-and-white she-cat. She turned towards me. Small she might have been, but the solemn look on her face told me she was used to having cats hang on her every word. "Forestcloud, my name is Rosepool. I was once medicine cat of RiverClan. Vinetail and I-well, most of StarClan, in fact-have been watching you for a while."

That's where I've seen her before! I realized. I watched her and Vinetail and another cat talk about me in a dream! Did they notice me? It was so long ago, I can't remember...

"It has become...necessary...to contact you now," Rosepool continued. "Certain events are about to take place that will turn your life upside down. A choice will have to be made, and we are here to ensure that you select the correct path."

"Correct path? What do you mean?"

The medicine cat's whiskers twitched. "Perhaps that is not the right word. What I mean is, you have a destiny, Forestcloud-"

"If I have a destiny, why do you need to influence my choices?" I asked sharply. "Destiny should be set in stone. I don't think 'destiny' is the word you're looking for, either."

"Fine. You have a point. But you see-"

"Besides, you aren't going to control anything I do. You may have the Clan cats duped into following your every command, but I've seen the outside. I've seen places you don't dare watch over. You aren't as powerful as you seem."

Rosepool looked thoroughly shocked and affronted. Vinetail narrowed his eyes and took one step closer to me. Our whiskers almost touched as he breathed his final words.

"A cat is going to die, causing you to choose between my son and your ambition. You know which one you should choose. If you do not, no one, not even StarClan, knows what the consequences will be. Take that into your arrogant conscience." He turned on his heel and bounded into the starry forest.

Rosepool padded to the spot Vinetail had left, uncomfortably near me. Her mouth opened as if she wished to speak, but after a moment she closed it. She simply stared at me with eyes brimming with sorrow.

"Farewell, Forestcloud."

My eyes shot open. I leapt out of my nest, panting heavily and not quite aware of my surroundings. Luckily, I was back in the warriors' den. Looking around, I realized that, miraculously, all the other warriors still slumbered. Even Pebbleshine, usually the lightest of sleepers, merely let out a high-pitched whimper, eyes still closed.

Wait, I told myself. That is not a grown she-cat's meow. That sounds like a kit's!

I raced over to the nursery. Sure enough, the whimpering grew louder and louder as I came close. My heart pounded so loud in my chest, I was surprised the whole Clan didn't awaken. I didn't dare to hope that everything had gone well; it would be too perfect.

It wasn't perfect. Far from it.

I entered the nursery and froze. Brambleberry had a tiny brown kit pinned to the ground with one paw. With her other, she was attempting to force three red berries down the kit's throat. The kit put up a fight, squealing and mewling as loud as she could, but the berries touched her lips and passed through-

Before I knew what I was doing, I barreled into Brambleberry and shoved her through the reed wall of the nursery. We tumbled together into the little creek that ran beside it. The water wasn't deep by any means, but it was deep enough for me to thrust Brambleberry's face underneath. Sharp tips of stones buried themselves in my flesh, but pain was meaningless compared to her treachery.

Bubbles signifying the medicine cat's scream for mercy compelled me to release my iron grip. I stepped back so she could stand and shake herself off, but made it clear from my gaze that I wasn't letting her get off that easy.

"Murdering kits? Is this what you've stooped to? Is this part of StarClan's 'plan'?" I snapped, lashing my tail back and forth.

"Forestcloud, you do not understand. You don't know half of the story-"

"Where's Birchfrost? Are there other kits? Or have you already killed them?"

"Please, listen to me-"

"I don't think you qualify for any sympathy. I'm going to tell Thrushstar immediately."

"Forestcloud, one of the kits will have a hand in destroying RiverClan!" Brambleberry cried. She grit her teeth abruptly, as if she had said too much. I searched her eyes to decide whether her words were true. I found nothing but desperation.

"Listen up," I hissed. "We're going to make sure that kit is okay. Then you're explaining everything, right now."

"What I am about to tell you goes against everything in the warrior code," Brambleberry meowed quietly. "Medicine cats aren't supposed to share what StarClan tells us at Moonstone."

I would not be wavered. "Medicine cats aren't supposed to murder kits in the dead of night, either," I pointed out.

We both turned to look at the two sleeping kits huddled in the corner of the nursery. Brambleberry had managed to fish out most of the deathberries from the brown kit's mouth but, as she put it, there was no way to tell what the aftereffects would be. As of now, the little mite was curled up against her sister, a spotted golden tabby. Upon seeing them together, my first thought was how lucky it was that neither of the she-kits looked like Nightpelt in the slightest.

Brambleberry sighed deeply and said, "About a moon after Birchfrost entered the nursery, Mudfur and I traveled to Moonstone. I had a vision of a great battle involving all the Clans. I don't know how it will happen, I don't know when, but believe me, it was horrific. I was in the midst of it. Countless Clan cats, slaughtered. The yowling and screeching...the stench of death...it was unbearable." She let out a tiny gasp at the memory.

I tried to imagine my Clanmates caught up in such a torrent, and failed. It couldn't have been a vision of the near future. Nothing so horrible was possible now.

"Go on," I ordered.

"Somehow, I managed to catch a glimpse of each of the Clan leaders. Three were toms...fiery red, black-and-white, white as snow...and one a she-cat. I couldn't clearly make out her pelt, but I knew in my heart that it was a RiverClan cat. Not just any RiverClan cat, but Birchfrost's kin." Brambleberry's voice dropped to a whisper. "How could I allow our Clan to be drawn into such a battle? I would not stand by and let Birchfrost's kit lead RiverClan to its destruction. I decided I had to...to finish their lives before it was too late."

"How did the battle end?" I asked slowly.

"I don't know. It seemed that I was there for only a second, but that was enough for me. I woke up as a ShadowClan cat was about to slit my throat," Brambleberry said, giving an involuntary shiver.

"Are you sure it was ShadowClan?" I meowed. Something wasn't right here. "Do you even know which Clan was on which side?"

"Well...I can't be sure...I just assumed..."

"You said yourself you don't know how the battle happened. How can you be sure that Birchfrost's daughter wasn't trying to defend RiverClan?"

"You may be right," exclaimed the medicine cat. Relief washed over her features, quickly replaced by guilt. "What have I become? The vision frightened me so much I nearly killed a harmless kit!"

"Not really a surprise. StarClan hasn't managed effective communication lately, trust me," I muttered under my breath. Brambleberry didn't hear me. She rushed over to the kits and began to prod them awake. As she did so, she began chattering to no one in particular:

"Luckily, Larchsting can nurse them. She's due any day now, I expected her kits to be here already. Come, come, little ones, let's get you to my den to see your new mother."

"New mother?" I repeated sharply. "What are you talking about? Birchfrost is their mother."

Brambleberry froze. The kits were now fully awake, batting at her tail with dainty paws, but she ignored them. I watched the medicine cat's face as she turned towards me ever so slowly. "You don't know. You don't know. Oh, Forestcloud."

"Brambleberry, what is it?" I asked. My voice was rising to panicky tones. "Where's Birchfrost?"

She signaled for me to wait, and then bounded out of the nursery. It seemed like forever before she returned, slowly, supporting my friend with her shoulder. Birchfrost appeared normal in every way except one. Her creamy dark eyes, glazed over and emotionless, stared listlessly into space.

"Birchfrost, it's Forestcloud. Your friend. Remember? We talked about her a bit before you went to sleep," Brambleberry purred. She gently lowered Birchfrost to the ground. The way Birchfrost lay languidly at my feet made her appear dead. Was she even alive? I couldn't tell.

Then, a sound. "F-f-f-orest. F-f-forest."

"Birchfrost? It's me. Are you okay?" I meowed, lowering my head to face her eye-to-eye.

"F-f-forest, I miss...I miss you. Let's hunt. Let's hunt," Birchfrost breathed. She still wouldn't meet my gaze. Her voice reminded me of a feather on the breeze. If you didn't watch it closely, it would disappear.

I tried to laugh, but it came out sounding like a croak. "You're in no condition to hunt. You have kits to care for."

"K-kits? Kits, I love kits. Let's p-play, Forest. Play like k-kits," she giggled in the same feathery voice. Brown eyes blinked but refused to focus.

My stomach churned. I buried my nose into her pelt. Was this the death StarClan had predicted? Maybe not, but she would've been better off dead. Surely, this was no life. Birchfrost breathed and spoke, but her mind had disappeared. She was no longer the friend I had known and loved.

"Her labor was the worse I'd seen in all my years as medicine cat," Brambleberry explained sorrowfully. I didn't bother to lift my face. "It took everything out of her. She isn't even producing milk. I tried all the herbs I had, but...nothing. I suppose the blood loss is to blame. It's a miracle she and the kits survived."

"It's no miracle," I spat. I drew back from my friend, struck with an idea. "Brambleberry, do you trust me?"

"After what you've done for me, Forestcloud? Wholeheartedly."

"Then take Birchfrost back to the medicine cat den and leave me with the kits," I instructed. "And whatever I do, do not try to stop me."

Clearly, Brambleberry did not like this idea, but she owed me her life and reputation. She nudged Birchfrost to her feet. After Brambleberry cast one last look at me, they vanished beyond the reed wall.

I faced the kits. My mind had not entirely decided whether to follow-through with my plan or not. The golden tabby had her jaws wide open, begging for nourishment. I held out my paw and she stumbled toward it blindly.

"Your eyes aren't even open," I murmured, reaching out a little farther so she could find me, "and you're still trying to explore. Vicious little thing. Little tiger. Little leopard." At that, she began mewing loudly. "You like that, little leopard? Little Leopardkit. I'm not much for naming, but I think that's pretty good. Want to go ask your father about it?"

I grabbed her by the scruff, and moved towards the other one. However, something made me stop. They're so small, I thought. It wouldn't be safe to bring them to Nightpelt now. Perhaps...perhaps I should wait. There's no harm in waiting.

Leopardkit resumed her mewing, as if in agreement with my thoughts. I couldn't help but purr as I gathered up both her and her sister and carried them towards the medicine cat den.

Maybe I was getting a little soft.

Hehe, yes, I couldn't resist making Leopardstar half-Clan. It's so deliciously evil.

I can't make any promises about updating, because we all know how *well* I keep my promises. :/ Meanwhile, any name suggestions for Larchsting's kits are welcome. There are two (one male, one female).

Thanks again, readers. You make my day! :)