A WHITE SHE-CAT WALKED THROUGH THE forest, one chilly leaf-fall morning. Here green eyes were filled with worry. She then turned to face a red-brown tom, who held her up as she weakly staggered. The tom held a scrap of fur, a new-born kit, by its scruff. The she-cat’s name was Jadestem, and she had a dark secret.

“What are we going to tell my Clan?” Jadestem sighed with exhaustion.

The tom pressed against her, putting down the kit. “I don’t know,” he replied.
    
“What would they think,” she replied, “if they see you taking me into the camp, Raveneye?”
    
Raveneye turned his blue gaze to hers. His eyes were filled with love and understanding. "We don't know the outcomes of this, that's true," he mewed, "but no matter what happens, I'll be right here." Raveneye pressed his muzzle against hers. "I promise."

"We have to hurry," Jadestem whispered, unable to make a real audible sound.

The tom picked up the kit, Jadestem following him through the forest. Everything seemed different to her as she walked. Jadestem felt like she was never in ThunderClan territory before, and she felt uncomfortable.

Soon, a collossal tree came into view. It was the largest tree in all of the territories. It was the Great Tree, the ThunderClan camp. They headed to a large cavity in the tree.

Jadestem tensed as she reached the camp entrance. Her white fur bristled on end with nervousness. Raveneye pressed against her, calming her down.
Jadestem took a deep breath. Here it goes.

She walked into the camp entrance. As she walked, it felt like a hundred eyes were staring at her. Everyone stopped what they were doing to stare. Jadestem looked back at Raveneye. He still had the kit protectively in his jaws. There were murmurs of disgust and shock from the Clanmates. Then Nightheart, her half brother, jumped from the lower walkway. He padded towards the white queen.

"Jadestem," Nightheart meowed, "where were you? You know you shouldn't be so far from camp with your kits so close to arrival!"

Nightheart then gazed at Raveneye. Raveneye had just put down the newborn.

"I see they already had arrived," Nightheart snapped. "Let me ask you again, Jadestem. Where were you?"

Jadestem stuttered. "I--I was out, collecting herbs for Cobaltpelt. I knew that he needed them, so I thought that I could help out."

Cobaltpelt, the medicine cat, leaped down from the medicine chamber. He was a blue-gray tom, with fiery green eyes. Although his pelt was this color, he still had the siamese-like figure that his sister, Sweetstar, had.

"I appreciate the thought, Jadestem," Cobaltpelt mewed, "but I can get the herbs myself."

"But that's when I started kitting," Jadestem explained. "Raveneye saw me, and he decided to take me home."

"Oh, he did?" Nightheart padded angrily closer to Raveneye. The red-brown tom bowed his head. "So, Raveneye, how did you see Jadestem?"

"I was on a patrol," Raveneye started, "when I saw Jadestem have her kit. I decided to take her home. I couldn't bear to see her lie there. Besides, it would be hours until one of your patrols found her."

"Oh, how thoughtful," Nightheart meowed, sarcastically. His blue eyes burned with anger. "I know what you're up to. You are planning to take some of out territory! Oh, I'll claw your eyes out, and--"

"Nightheart!" A new voice sounded from the Great Tree's canopy. A siamese she-cat clawed down from walkway to walkway, to reach the ThunderClan clearing.

"Sweetstar!"

Jadestem cowered back, slowly. The Clan leader was there, and she was afraid that Sweetstar would say something harsh.

"Nightheart," Sweetstar meowed, "this is no way to handle this!"

"But, Sweetstar," the deputy yowled, "he's trying to invade!"

"He just brought Jadestem home," Sweetstar mewed. "I will talk to Raveneye, okay? If he really is invading, I'll deal with it."

She then pressed her nose to Nightheart's muzzle. The anger in the black tom's gaze melted with love. Sweetstar padded ever so softly to the WindClan deputy.

"We thank you for bringing Jadestem home," Sweetstar mewed. "StarClan honors you."

"Thank you, Sweestar." Raveneye picked up the kit again. He placed it to Cobaltpelt's side, and Raveneye headed towards the camp entrance.

"We'll make it work," Jadestem whispered so softly to the WindClan deputy, that her Clanmates couldn't hear.

"I know we will," Raveneye mouthed, padding away from the Great Tree. "Send all of my love to our son."

"Of course I will," Jadestem promised silently. "I love you."

Raveneye was far from the Great Tree. "I love you, too." The red-brown swiftly ran to the edge of the ThunderClan camp, to the WindClan camp.
Jadestem's eyes were clouded by sorrow, as she headed towards the nursery chamber. She was pleased that the chamber was close to the foot of the Great Tree. Cobaltpelt was inside the chamber, licking fiercely at the newborn kit. Jadestem laid back down in the nest.

"Was he the only one?" Cobaltpelt asked, pointing his siamese-like muzzle at the kit.

"No," she answered drowsily, "there were two. The she-kit died at birth, so it's just the tom."

"What are you going to call him?" he questioned. He placed Jadestem's son close to her belly.

She remembered what Raveneye had said to her when he was born. "I know he'll be a fast warrior. I hope that he runs swiftly through the oaks of his Clan. I just only wish that I could watch him grow."
Jadestem rasped her tongue across the kit's head. She felt the sleek pelt of Raveneye. He's so much like his father. "His name will be Oakkit," Jadestem told Cobaltpelt.

"Great name," the medicine cat complimented. "I will get some fresh-kill for you, okay?"

Jadestem nodded, thinking of how hungry she was.
As Cobaltpelt left, Jadestem thought of the excuse that her and Raveneye made to the Clan. It obviously was a lie, and none of it was true. How could we have been so mouse brained? Jadestem remembered what really had happened.



Jadestem had met Raveneye at a Gathering when she was a warrior. She had never thought that she would love him, but it just happened. They started meeting together at the edge of the two territories, and she had even gotten away with meeting Raveneye in one of the trees. She also never thought that she would have kits with this WindClan warrior. She had realized that she was a traitor, and the Clan would never trust her if they found.

When Jadestem was kitting, she actually went to see Raveneye when it happened. Her mate had helped her with the kitting, and she gave birth to two kits. One had died, and they had a son. That was when Raveneye decided to take Jadestem home, to bring her and his son to safety.



Oh, Raveneye, Jadestem mewed silently, as Oakkit suckled, what are we going to do? ...