Love Like We Never Sopped

My own version of Warriors, following the theory that Hollypaw, Jaypaw, and Lionpaw are Leafpool's kits. Enjoy! FOR THE RECORD: I'm not even CLOSE to finished XD

Leafpool padded along her well-worn route to Windclan territory. She hadn't traveled this way in so long she nearly forgot which way to go. The ginger she-cat glanced around nervously, making sure she wasn't being followed. Fronds of bracken waved wildly in the wind high above her head, and Leafpool was glad for the shelter of the trees. Soon she came to the bubbling stream that divided Thunderclan and Windclan territories.

Opening her muzzle, Leafpool let out a caterwaul, the special one she used to call Crowfeather. He hadn't heard it for some moons; he would probably shoot upright in his nest. Leafpool thought quietly how she was going to break her news to Crowfeather. Leafpool laid down on a clump of moss to await the arrival of her long-ago mate.

She did not have to wait long. Barely five minutes had passed before a gray-black streak rocketed across the moor. Leafpool leaped up, her paws scrabbling in the cushy nest. A grin stretched her features, so big it hurt her cheeks.

"Crowfeather!" Leafpool cried as he shot across the stream.

"Leafpool, I've missed you so much!" he cried, nuzzling her. "I thought we said we shouldn't meet anymore, after the badgers attacked?" Crowfeather mewed, a puzzled expression on his face.

"We did…but something unexpected came out of our relationship," Leafpool told him, breaking her gaze from her amber eyes and scuffling her paws in the moss and bracken. When she looked up, Leafpool could guess he knew what she was about to say from the wide-eyed stare he gave her.

"You..you..had…kits?!" he stammered. Instead of a shocked expression, a look of pure joy covered Crowfeather's face.

"You're not worried…or mad?" Leafpool asked him, puzzled. "What about Nightcloud and Breezepaw?"

An owl hooted in a tree above them, a sign that it was about to go and hunt.

"Mad? Worried? Why would I be?" Crowfeather asked.

"Well…it's just that…I'm a medicine cat, we're in different clans, and Squirrelflight is taking care of them." Leafpool looked uncertain. She didn't know whether Crowfeather was taking this seriously or not. She was a medicine cat! Medicine cats aren't allowed to have kits!

"I don't care! This time we can run away for real! We can make a new clan! We can have the largest territory ever! And we can make it so medicine cats can only have kits when they have an experienced apprentice, rather than never…" while Crowfeather talked about how great their life could be, Leafpool was still worried. They would need more than just them and their three kits, Jaykit, Hollykit, and Lionkit if they were to have a clan.

"Well…maybe Squirrelflight and Brambleclaw would like to join us? We'd need more than just us and the kits to have a clan." A mischievous smile spread across Leafpool's face.

"So you'll come?! That's great! I'll go back to my camp and get prepared to leave. You go get Squirrelflight, Brambleclaw and the kits, and we'll meet back here! But…one question. What about your medicine cat duties?"  Crowfeather was so excited, and to be truthful, so was Leafpool. Even though she would be leaving her friends and family, it wouldn't be so hard if she had Crowfeather and Squirrelflight with her.

"Well…Starclan will choose a new medicine cat and educate that cat through dreams. It happened like that when the clans first started, it can happen now. All right, meet back here by sunrise!"

Leafpool dashed of, feeling like there was too much energy and excitement to be contained in her four paws. The moonlight had begun to fade; she didn't have much time to convince Brambleclaw and Squirrelflight to come with her, Crowfeather and the kits.

Dashing into the camp, Leafpool headed straight for the nursery, ignoring the greeting from Cloudtail, who guarded the entrance to camp. Leafpool squeezed into the nursery from the tunnel that was almost too small for her. Squirrelflight was the only cat in the nursery, caring for Lionkit, Jaykit, and Hollykit, so Leafpool wasted no time in rousing her sister from sleep.

"What is it, Leafpool? Is something wrong?" her sister asked, blinking sleep from her green eyes.

"No, nothing's wrong!" Leafpool meowed excitedly. "Everything's right, actually!"

Feeling her sister's excitement, Squirrelflight rose delicately from her nest, being careful not to disturb the limp scraps of fur that slept in a heap. "Why is everything right, Leafpool?" Squirrelflight asked suspiciously.

"I'm leaving the clan, with Crowfeather and the kits!" Leafpool mewed, shaking with happiness and anticipation.

"What?!" Squirrelflight exclaimed, a shocked look on her dark ginger features.

"You heard me! But I want you and Brambleclaw to come with us. We're starting our own clan! It will be so exciting!" Leafpool looked through a crack in the bramble nursery wall, and saw that dawn was approaching.

"Well…" Squirrelflight replied. "I could try and convince Brambleclaw, and that does sound exciting. Besides, what would you do without me?" Squirrelflight let out a mroww of amusement. "You take the kits, and I'll be by the Windclan stream with Brambleclaw soon."

Leafpool raced out of the nursery and to her den where the herbs were stored. Grabbing a mat of moss that was perfect for carrying multiple herbs, Leafpool started to decide what sort of herbs they would need for a journey, and for minor wounds. Leafpool chose yarrow, marigold, watermint, juniper, burdock root, borage, a poppy head, and dock. Leafpool set them all on the mat of moss and rolled it up.
 
Leafpool set the mat at the entrance to her den and dashed to the nursery. Squirrelflight was still gone, persuading Brambleclaw to join them. Jaykit, Hollykit, and Lionkit were sleeping peacefully, and Leafpool did not want to wake them, but she had to. Prodding each one with her nose, she licked them all briskly and told them to follow her. They were used to listening to her and Squirrelflight, so they kits followed Leafpool unquestioningly.

Leafpool left the nursery with the kits in tow and spotted Squirrelflight and Brambleclaw heading across the clearing. They both nodded to her, and Leafpool understood they were coming with her. Another jolt of pure adrenalin rushed through her, rippling her fur.

Soon Leafpool intersected paths with Squirrelflight and Brambleclaw.

"I don't see why we're doing this…" Brambleclaw grumbled.

"We're doing it to stir up our lives a little, and for Leafpool and Crowfeather." Squirrelflight replied, excitement also ringing in her voice.

Leafpool saw that dawn was rapidly approaching. She quickly grabbed the mat of herbs and rejoined the rest of her group. Soon they were out in the forest, and gradually she picked up the pace so that they were soon racing through the territory. The kits, who were extremely excited to be out of camp, kept up easily. In no time at all, they were at the Windclan border, where they saw Crowfeather waiting.

The dark gray warrior leaped up when he saw the Thunderclan cat's heading towards him. His eyes looked all of them over, resting on the kits and Leafpool with a loving look.

"You came," Crowfeather addressed all of them. The kits squealed in shock. Lionkit darted forward, close enough to scent his father.

"Who's this?" he squeaked. "He smells like something else, but he smells sorta like us!"

Leafpool padded up and nuzzled Crowfeather. "This is your father." Leafpool told Lionkit, licking the kit's golden pelt.

Lionkit, Hollykit, and Jaykit looked up at Crowfeather with wide eyes. They seemed to trust Leafpool, so they believed her.

They walked up to Crowfeather and nuzzled him, and Crowfeather looked down on his kits with a mixed look of love and pride. The gray warrior looked back up to the rest of the cats. Dawn had arrived, and the sun was slowly climbing in the sky.

"We'd better head out, before one of our clans notices we have gone," Crowfeather mewed. The other 3 cats nodded their approval and the group set out, heading across the moors.

The cats set a mildly fast pace, but not too fast that the kits couldn't keep up. The scent of fresh air and prey cheered all the cats, despite the fact that they were leaving all they had ever known behind.

Leafpool hardly noticed it was sunhigh until she drew air across her scent glands, caught the smell of mouse, and felt the sharp hunger pangs in her stomach. She groaned out loud and Crowfeather spun around to see what was wrong.

"Nothing, I'm just hungry." Leafpool replied.

"I think we all are," Brambleclaw replied. "Why don't we hunt?" he added. Everyone else nodded, and because they were out of Windclan territory, hunting was fine. Prey seemed to be plentiful, so Leafpool doubted that they would go hungry. Since Leafpool didn't have much experience hunting, she took the kits to find somewhere to make camp.

They searched for awhile, and finally came upon a clearing that was sheltered by trees and bramble bushes. It seemed like a perfect, already made camp, as if some clan had been living there before. There were five dens, one in a rocky cave, and the others were surrounded by bramble thorns, one even more closely guarded than the others.

Leafpool headed to the thickly guarded one and decided that it would be the nursery. Sniffing first to check and make sure nothing was living in the den, Leafpool led the kits in cautiously.

Before Leafpool could stop them, they were jumping around, squealing in play, throwing clumps of moss at each other every now and again. Leafpool shook her head and let out a mroww of amusement. She lefts the kits in the nursery to make a nest, and walked out into the bright sunshine.

The pale ginger she-cat decided to explore the rest of the clearing to make sure it was safe for the cats to live in.

After Leafpool had checked the other four bramble dens and was satisfied they were safe, Leafpool headed towards the rocky den in the gray cliff. The she-cat was cautious, as she had been with the other four dens, and entered the stone cave.

A shocked yowl erupted from Leafpool as another cat bowled her over. The pale ginger she-cat had had little warning; the large black tom had come out of nowhere. Remembering her fighting skills, Leafpool battered her attackers belly with her hind paws, claws unsheathed. The attacking tom spat and hissed in pain, and finally let go of Leafpool.

The two cats circled each other, hackles raised, neck fur raised, and teeth and claws bared. The cool gray stone engulfed them. The only light in the cave was filtering in through the small opening. The cats continued to snarl and spit, their lips curled.

"Who are you, and how dare you trespass into my territory? Answer smartly, or I'll rip your fur out right here, right now," the tom snarled.

"You lay one claw on me, and I'll have a patrol of highly trained warriors here ready to tear your throat out," Leafpool was taking no chances in letting the larger black tom find out she was a medicine cat; and that medicine cats had little warrior training.

The black tom took no interest in Leafpool's threat. He snarled again, clearly looking forward to the time where he would have more pelts to shred. Leafpool, on the other hand, did not want to make enemies so quickly. Although the cat seemed strong, a worthy fighter, he was growing old. His muzzle was flecked with gray, giving way to his age.

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Squirrelflight, Brambleclaw, and Crowfeather continued their hunting expedition. They had collected a decent amount of prey already, but they still wanted more. And, they wanted to explore all possible territory, to find one that could suit the Thunderclan cats as well as Crowfeather, who was from Windclan.


Brambleclaw slid forward in the hunters crouch, intent on catching the thrush that stood before him, pecking at some unknown food source. The wind was blowing towards the dark tabby tom, which was good for him. With a single pounce and a swift bite to the neck, the thrush was dead.

“Great catch!”

Brambleclaw whipped around, but relaxed when he saw Squirrelflight. “Thanks! All this hunting has put me in a great mood.” Crowfeather padded up, laden with fresh kill. Since his jaws were filled with prey, he simply nodded and began to follow Leafpool's scent trail. All of a sudden, the three cats heard a caterwaul of pain, hardly recognizable, but they knew it was Leafpool.

Brambleclaw, Squirrelflight and Crowfeather all dropped the fresh kill they were carrying and raced to the source of the pained cry.

                                                                ---

Leafpool continued to circle the black tom. “I think we've gotten off on the wrong foot. My name is Leafpool. You are...” Leafpool stopped short when she saw the startled look on the tom's face.

“You're a clan cat...” he whispered, more to himself than to Leafpool. “My name is Shadestar. I used to be the leader of the clan that lived here.” A sorrowful look filled Shadestar's eyes.

Just then, Squirrelflight, Brambleclaw and Crowfeather raced into the cave, but skidded to a stop in confusion. They expected some sort of fight to be going on. “Shadestar, this is my sister, Squirrelflight, her mate, Brambleclaw, and my mate, Crowfeather.” Leafpool pointed with her tail to each of the cats in turn.