“Icespeckle? Are you here?” The queen panted, pricking her ears as she waited a reply, her tail twitching.
A black she-cat with white tipped fur poked her head out of the den, frowning when she sees the soaked queen, looking worried and irritated.
“What’s wrong Honeypetal? You’re endangering your kits being out in this weather.” Icespeckle mewed, her tail twitching.
“It’s Morningdew! She’s complaining of pains but it’s too soon for her kits.” Honeypetal meowed, her legs aching from holding herself up, it any day now that her own kits could come. The black she-cat pricked her ears and bristled, quickly turning back into her den and appears again moments later, herbs dangling from her jaws. She rushes past the queen, heading towards the nursery, her ice blue eyes worried.
“Get Wolfheart! He needs to know.” She mumbled through the herbs as she slips into the nursery, the rain nearly drowning out her voice.
The golden-brown queen nodded and hobbled towards the warriors den and poked her head in, searching for the large shape of the white and black tom, her eyes landing on him in the center of the den.
“Wolfheart! Wolfheart wake up!” The queen hissed, feeling unsteady on her paws.
A large white head lifted and the light reflected off of large yellow eyes, his fur ruffled from sleep as he yawned, turning his head towards the entrance of the den, his eyes blurry from sleep. Other heads lifted, the gray head of Wolfheart’s brother appeared over Wolfheart’s shoulder, his blue eyes angry from being woken up.
“What are you doing waking us up this early Honeypetal? Not all of us can laze around in the nursery all day!” The long-haired gray warrior snarked, not caring if he’s speaking to the clan leader’s mate.
The honey colored she-cat bristled and growled out, her tail lashing at the accusation. “I was here to tell Wolfheart that Morningdew was kitting. Which is your kin Nettlefrost!” She hissed, turning around, careful not to slip in the mud and quickly hurries back to the nursery, hearing the low moan of Morningdew as she hobbled closer to the ferns, hearing the splashing of someone running through the puddles behind her, knowing it’s Wolfheart. The large tom quickly passed her and squeezed himself through the entrance, leaving white fur in the thorns that protect it. Honeypetal herself pushed herself through and flinches when she sees Morningdew yowling as she clawed at her nest, her amber eyes wide in fear and pain, Icespeckle murmuring soothing words to her as she tries to get her to lay down.
Morningdew yowled as pain raked her body, laying down as Icespeckle presses her paw against her flank, gasping in pain as he face screws up, all she being able to smell is blood and suddenly something is shoved under her nose and Icespeckle’s voice commanding her to eat. She opens her jaw and swallows the herbs, not caring at the taste, thrashing in her nest.
“Three kits Morningdew. The first one is coming now. And Wolfheart? Go get some fresh moss and go get some water from the stream outside of camp. She’ll need it.” The medicine cat mewed, seeming calm and collected but she wants the save the tom the horrors of an early kitting. The tom nodded and quickly licked his mate between the ears before rushing out of the den, his fur fluffed out in fear. The medicine cat nodded and turned back to the kitting queen, noticing the how much blood there is and puts her paw over the she-cat’s heaving flank.
“Alright Morningdew. When I tell you to push. You push. Okay?” She mewed, focused on the queen’s face, and the rippling muscles under he paw.
The queen nodded her pale ginger head, her head falling back down, panting as her vision blurs from the pain, hearing the calm voice of the medicine cat as she tells her to push, yowling as she pushes, her back paws scrambling against the nest, collapsing back down in her nest as she struggles to drag air into her lungs, feeling the urge to push again. What felt like moons later but was actually only a couple of minutes the pain eases and something squirming and wet is pushed towards her muzzle.
“Lick. It’ll warm him up and get the blood flowing.” Icespeckle meowed, focused back on your heaving flank, her paw pressed there.
Morningdew nodded and began to lick her son, noticing the pale brown of his fur and how it’s spiked up, purring in relief when she hears him start to cry, nudging him towards her belly, seizing up in pain when another wave of pain hits her, her claws digging into the moss, hearing the shaking of moss and panting breath as someone enters the den and something cold and wet is dropped in from of her muzzle, hearing the low rumble of her mate as he speaks to Icespeckle. Suddenly, through her pain filled haze, she feels the hot breath of her mate by her ear and his soothing purr.
“Shh my love. You’re doing great. Just two more to go Morningdew.” The white and black tom mewed in his mate’s ear, his tail stroking your spine soothingly.
Honeypetal looked on from her own nest, her fur bristled and her tail twitching lifts herself up and squeezes herself out of the den, the yowls of pain coming from Morningdew making her feel queasy. She looks up at the sky, the rain having stopped, leaving the air sticky and humid and it’s well past sunhigh, Morningdew having started kitting well before dawn, and sees her clanmates perched outside their dens, watching the nursery in worry and hope. She hobbles over to her mate, who’s sitting underneath the highledge, his green eyes softening when he sees his heavily pregnant mate padding towards him.
“How is she doing?” He mews softly when Honeypetal slides up beside him, their tails twining together.
“I don’t know Marshstar…I’ve never seen a kitting before. She’s already had one, a tom, but Icespeckle said their were two more to go but that was ages ago. All I can smell is blood.” She mews, her neck fur bristled, scared for her clanmate and for her own kitting.
The day continues on, the clan on edge as they watch the nursery for any sign of the cats inside, Morningdew’s yowls having died off by mid-afternoon, but no word from Icespeckle or Wolfheart. Marshstar having ordered patrols out to hunt and check the borders, trying to ease everyone’s nerves but it doesn’t work. By nightfall, the clan is back, scattered around the clearing, nibbling on pray. The silence is broken by a howl of grief coming from the nursery and Wolfheart comes stumbling out, his fur ruffled and his eyes showing grief as stumbled to the elders, collapsing beside a fragile gray she-cat, pressing his muzzle into her fur, his shoulders shaking as he sobs. The elder queen looks at her kit in shared grief and licks his pelt like a kit, trying to soothe her son. Everyone’s attention immediately turns to the rustling of ferns, seeing Icespeckle drag herself out of the nursery, looking exhausted as her tail drags in the mud, making her way towards her clan leader, her white speckled pelt looking dull as she stops in from of them, her ice blue eyes full of grief as she mews softly.
“3 kits. 2 toms and a she-kit. The last tom died moments after birth and Morningdew is close to joining Starclan herself. I’ve done all I can do now. It’s in Starclan’s paws now.”
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