Leafpool sighed. Everything that had happened had been a complete disaster. Meeting him in secret, running away with him, and now this! KITS, of all things. This isn't what she had planned. I only wanted to love him. I only wanted to feel loved. I didn't mean to have kits! Leafpool was inwardly wailing. To have kits… medicine cats were NOT SUPPOSED to have kits!

"Oh, Crowfeather, the kits... what a terribly fate I've put upon them. No cat will respect them; they're the result of a forbidden relationship." Leafpool whispered to Crowfeather as she nosed her muzzle into his fur.

Crowfeather, on the other hand, looked completely unfazed. "They're our kits, Leafpool. They'll be wonderful, and anyone to say otherwise, I'll claw their ears off," He meowed back gently to her.

She purred and opened her eyes to gaze back lovingly into his. It might have been moons as they sat there, just sharing the love.

They both pulled away at the same instant. The sun was rising, and whispering a quick goodbye, they both left the stream to hurry back to their own clans.

Leafpool grabbed a mouthful of juniper as an excuse for being out. Cinderpelt was bound to wonder. Heading back to camp, she rammed into Thornclaw. Darn she thought I should've watched where I was going…

Thornclaw didn't say anything, avoided Leafpool's eyes, and helped pick up all the juniper and brought it to the medicine cat den with her.

Leafpool, having been deprived the ability to talk with the herbs in her mouth, meowed her apologies and thanks as she dropped the herbs for Cinderpelt.

"No problem," Thornclaw replied, giving her a glance, and quickly looking away.

Leafpool found that rather odd, but pushed Thornclaw's awkwardness away, she had other things to worry about. How am I going to hide my pregnancy from Cinderpelt? She sees everything, and she's a FULLY TRAINED medicine cat! She'll notice my scent change! She'll know I've still been sneaking out! She'll confine me to camp! She'll stop me from EVER SEEING HIM AGAIN! The agony was too much to bear.

"LEAFPOOL!" Cinderpelt was screaming.

Roused from her thoughts, Leafpool's only reply was, "huh?"

Cinderpelt sighed. "You've been so distracted! Just like before you left with Crowfeather." Her disapproving gaze swept over Leafpool, "You aren't doing anything like that, are you?"

"No!"

Cinderpelt swept her another glare and sniffed, "Well, I know you're up to something. Otherwise, you wouldn't have brought juniper back, you KNOW we've got more than we need. You should've brought watermint or something more useful!"

Leafpool shrank back. How could she make such a dumb mistake?! She'd never done that before! But then again, she'd never been an expecting queen before either. She sighed again and said "I'll go out and get the watermint now, Cinderpelt."

Cinderpelt sniffed again, "fine. Be back before sunhigh."

But Leafpool was already out the den.