Warriors: Peace under the Willows

Darkened

"We will get through this together."

Eclipse was right. She would have to make it through this with him. No matter what. Their kits would be happy.

Willowmist had always lived in Riverclan. Would Violetstar kick her out? What would Quailflight think? She always wanted Willowmist to have kits, but kits that were half kittypet?

She didn't know what to do anymore, except sit there, under her willow tree, and listen to the river bubble past.

"You can't hide forever," Willowmist's sister, Dawnpounce, sat down beside her. "We all know that something's going on. You can't hide everything."

"What?" Her head snapped up. "What do you think is happening?"

"Uh... just by that surprise, I can tell something's happening. Maybe..." she trailed off, just noticing how Willowmist's flank was bulging out ever so slightly. "You're..."

"Yes. Kits." Willowmist wrapped her tail around her side.

"Who's the lucky tom?" Dawnpounce purred.

"I... can't tell you," Willowmist knew she would have to tell the whole clan eventually, but how? When?

"Oh... well, you tell us when when you're ready," she got up and padded towards camp, purring, "wait until I tell Quailflight!"

Why...?

Willowmist got up, almost like she was going to follow Dawnpounce back into camp, but instead, she padded past the camp, heading for the twoleg place.

"Willowmist? Is that you?" Eclipse was sitting on the fence of his twoleg's house, grooming himself.

"Yes. It's me," Willowmist hopped up beside him. "My sister is going to tell basically the whole clan that I'm expecting- but they don't know who the father is yet," she added quickly.

"Oh." He looked almost... hurt.

"I'm going to tell them!" She meowed. "I just... am waiting for the right time."

"I know. I just... I know you want our kits to live in your clan, but... I want to live with them too. And I'm not sure joining a clan is... right for me."

"I-" Willowmist broke off, her tail dropping and hitting the fence.

"I know," he whispered. "I'm sorry. Are you willing to live with me then? I know I said that our kits could live in your clan.... but.... I kind of want to live with them too. So will you?"

"I don't know." Willowmist loved him, and she wanted to be with him, but her clan... her family... what would they think?

"Well... how long until they're due?"

"About a moon and a half," Willowmist guessed.

"See? Still plenty of time to decide!"

"But time will go by quickly. You'll see."

Sure enough, a moon had passed even sooner than she'd known it could.

And her clanmates were starting to get a bit too curious.

"Willowmist, you can't keep their father a secret forever, you know," Frostbreeze told her.

"Sooner or later someone will find out," Dawnpounce meowed one night while Willowmist was sitting by the river. "And I think some are starting to think he's not even part of the clan."

She didn't miss Willowmist's flinch.

"He is, isn't he," she growled.

"No-"