He'd never thought of himself as quite the type to have sharp...instincts.

Maybe he did- maybe he was simply incapable of listening to them well. Nonetheless, something hadn't settled well with him that night, even after silence and darkness had fallen across all of WindClan and its great moors. The leader had confined himself to his nest for some time, but was disturbed by an antsy sensation in his belly. He barely had his eyes shut for long before he had begun to pace back and forth in his den, twitching his tail as he attempted to get a grasp on what was bothering him. He felt fine- he didn't feel sick, but for whatever reason, he as hopelessly restless.

Stormstar needed to be...somewhere.

And that somewhere, he decided, certainly was not in the confines of WindClan's camp. The smoke tom breezed through the camp on his long legs, letting them carry him to wherever destiny called. Before long, he found himself nearing Five Stones, the location in which he'd first met Ravenstar back as a warrior. Normally the thought brought him into a wistful, dreamy state, but at the moment it did not faze him. The unsettling worry was still nipping relentlessly at his belly, like the unrelenting chill on a frosty dawn. He hesitated at WindClan's edge, feeling something draw him in towards the Five Stones. Stormstar glided forward on light, cautious pawsteps before a disturbing sound ringed in his sharp ears.

A cry.
Ravenstar's cry.

His wary stalking immediately transitioned into a panicked run, allowing his air element to add a boost to his strides. "Ravenstar!" He called out her name without a moment's hesitation, round eyes darting back and forth as he desperately tried to spot her raven coat among the shadows of night.

To hell if anyone heard.
If she was in trouble, he'd do anything to protect her.

He rounded the corner, tasting the air to try to pick up anything- ThunderClan, blood, DarkClan, Ravenstar, absolutely anything to give him the slightest clue. His pawsteps fell heavy on the ground, steps made with purpose as he trekked across sacred land to defy StarClan and challenge the code in the name of starcrossed fate. Finally there he found her- plumper than before, and seemingly in a world of pain. The black smoke darted to her side, eyes as round as the moon on a Gathering's night. "Ravenstar! What's going on- are you ok? What's happening? Who hurt you?"

The leader's ears twitched to attention when Ravenstar curtly stated his name. Wait- the kits, they were coming early? But it hadn't been five moons yet! Would Ravenstar and the kits both be alright if they came early? Would they be as tiny as mice?

Stormstar could feel himself panicking, wishing that he'd brought along his medicine cat for the walk now that he knew what was troubling him. He had been incapable of settling in for the night because he was needed, here, to see to the arrival of his kittens. The smoke feline had no experience with kittings- Fallowbird had two large litters, but it wasn't like the leader was there to guide her through the process. Ravenstar's sharp cry pierced his ears, causing the tom to flinch when she experienced another wave of pain.

They said birth was a beautiful thing. But oh StarClan- oh gosh, it was gross, it was so scary. Stormstar's head felt like it was in the clouds, like the ground was slowly falling beneath his paws as the world around him began to spin. He couldn't pass out now- Ravenstar needed him. Perhaps he was horrible assistance in the process, but he'd support her nonetheless. He'd stick to her side through anything and everything. They could do this.

The awkward feline nervously crouched beside his mate's side, glancing down at their firstborn son. Instantly, he fell in love- oh StarClan...he was perfect. A little black smoke, just like his father. "You're doing great, Ravenstar. Hang in there- be the fighter I know you are." He didn't know what was supposed to happen, he couldn't tell if anything was wrong at first glance. Instead, he simply felt it. The state of the DarkClanner was similar to the weakening presence she had when she froze to death on the border, on the night that she admitted her feelings to him.

He felt his stomach drop.

"C'mon, Ravenstar," his heart began to race as he desperately attempted to urge her on, to try to help her stay with him. "Don't you leave me- don't you leave us. W-We're a family now, we need you to be complete. StarClan knows we aren't perfect, but that's what I love about us, all four of us." The long-bodied WindClan leader had wedged himself behind Ravenstar, trying to prop up her back as she lay on the earth of Five Stones, doing his best to provide her with more comfort. Try as he might, he could feel her weakening against his bellyfur. As her body slowly grew limp, the tom felt his heart sink.

"...Please don't go." But she was gone, taken by the cruel claws of StarClan once more. Couldn't they leave them be, couldn't they see that they were happy the way they were? To hell with old and merciless rules- they were good together, the two of them. Without Ravenstar, he simply didn't feel complete.

As the life slipped from the dark molly's body and the kits lightly mewled in protest, Stormstar gently pressed his nose against the soft fur of her forehead. "I love you, Ravenstar."

He didn't know how many lives she had left, but he didn't intend on giving up. If he needed to, he'd march himself to Moon Falls personally and confront StarClan, demand that they leave them in peace and give him back the mother to his kittens. He'd give up all of his nine lives if need be. He didn't need them- he just needed her.

"We did it..." Her voice was like birdsong when it graced his ears, washing relief over his tensed form as life returned to Ravenstar's body. He couldn't resist wrapping his smoky paws around her, pulling the leader closer to his resting form.

"I-I was afraid I'd lost you. It's all my fault...I'm so sorry..." His voice was muffled as Stormstar pressed his nose into her fur, relishing in her scent as it replaced the lingering stench of death. After his heart finally steadied, he raised his head to glimpse over her belly and admire the two little furballs that basked in her presence. Two tiny smokes, just like their father...he felt so proud.

"We did it," he echoed as his pale eyes began to glow with pride, feeling himself melt all over again at the sight of the kittens. Their very own. The impossible kittens, born from an impossible love- their love, the only love he wanted. "Oh Ravenstar...I'm so proud of you. Look at them- they're a-absolutely adorable, I love them so much." So small, so delicate...it was hard to wrap his mind around the fact that they'd one day grow into powerful warriors. "...Little Stormstar junior and Ravenstar junior..."

Hmm...he'd just have to try to be more creative, in that case. He looked down to his companion and then to their kittens with a warm fondness in his friendly visionaries. He hoped that their strong resemblance to their father wouldn't be a dead-giveaway for when at least one of them spent their beginnings in DarkClan. Surely there were one or two other smoke cats in DarkClan's ranks? Ravenstar was intelligent- he knew that the step-in father that she had chosen would be a reasonable fit. He had complete faith in her, and was confident that she had thought all of that through already.

He purred softly at their son's grumpiness, and felt a warm sensation of joy bubble up in his chest when she chose a name for him: Bumblekit. "He's cute and fuzzy like a bumblebee, too." Admittedly, bees did make him nervous from time to time as an apprentice, but the leader had come to have a great appreciation for them. Without the busy insects, the wide fields of wildflowers that populated WindClan's land would not exist. Their buzzing in the late afternoon had created a place of peace for Stormstar. He loved it- he loved his son, he loved his wife, he loved everything about them.

One day, he'd get to share it all with them. The warm afternoons in the plains of WindClan, the sweet smell of the wildflowers...one day, they'd all find their peace. He couldn't wait to take long strolls in greenleaf with his mate and their two perfect kittens, without worry of being told it was wrong, or that they were defying their ancestors. He would find a way.

Stormstar stared at their final son, his mind buzzing with scenes of his ideal happy place. He did love birds as well- he loved their song, accompanied by the increasing sounds of crickets as evening set in. Sometimes, the tom felt bad about catching, killing, and devouring birds for the sake of his own survival. They were such tranquil creatures.

"Magpiekit." He decided suddenly with a soft smile. "In honor of his mother, because without her, I would not be the cat I am today."

Stormstar could recall when he had first met Ravenstar, many moons ago. He had been sorely intimidated by her, but over the hours, he had found a close and reliable friend, the first true friend he had made in moons. Over the time, WindClan had begun to feel empty without her, an almost desolate place that was nothing more than responsibility and morbid death at the hand of wolves. The duty of leadership had been pressed onto him so soon, too soon. He hardly had time to wrap his mind around it. Stormstar had little guidance as deputy, serving under Heatherstar for such a short time before she was suddenly ripped from the living world. He had been left with his head spinning.

WindClan owed it all to Ravenstar.

The tunnel system had been entirely her idea, and it went to show what a great cat she was, regardless of what Lynxstar and StarClan might have to say. It pained him to know she was so misrepresented by ThunderClan, all because of her element. And here it was: almost like her life was being repeated. Two kits with Air elements, born into DarkClan, doomed to lose their home because of reasons so beyond their control. They were so innocent, so small...

He knew he'd love them just as much as he loved their mother, no matter how hard other clans tried to tell him differently.
If he was wrong to do so, then he didn't want to be right.

"So small..." Stormstar draped his tail over Ravenstar's side, so that he might lightly brush the backs of their kittens with it. "Hard to believe they'll be good and strong warriors like their mother some day. They seem so fragile..." He almost never wanted to see them grow up. He didn't want them to face torment for their blood, didn't want them to ever face the wars that Ravenstar had. He would have to protect them at all costs- even if one of them was raised separately in DarkClan for his beginning days. He'd care for Magpiekit from afar, just as he did with Ravenstar.

He was flattered that Ravenstar cared for him so deeply. Stormstar gently rested his silver-tinged head on Ravenstar's neck, closing his eyes and enjoying the short moment they shared together as a family unit. "Fallowbird can nurse him, but he'll be raised with me, in my den. I'll tell him stories of his mother, of what a brave and generous cat she is...he may not know her name for some time, but when the time is right-" Once more, he brushed the end of his tail lovingly against the coat of his son, "...he'll know who she is. And he'll love her just as much as I do."

Stormstar would be there for Bumblekit every step of the way, cherishing every milestone with the son he had the privilege of raising. He knew Ravenstar would do the same with Magpiekit. "We'll find a way, Ravenstar. We will be a happy family some day- I know you'll be the best mother to Magpiekit. He'll love you very, very much." He could only hope the foster father would love Magpiekit just as much as Stormstar already loved him.

He didn't want this moment to end, but he knew it couldn't last. The kittens needed to be in the security of camp, and Ravenstar had to be where her medicine cat could keep an eye on her. Stormstar didn't want her to get hurt anymore.