Author's Notes
I did not, in fact, write all of this by myself. Mudface wrote half of this story! I, Rainshadow, hope to God, that she does not kill me for editing. Updates will come whenever I feel like updating.
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The air was warm and crisp. The sun was slowly fading behind the thick branches of trees just beyond the WindClan camp. Greenleaf was here, and the prey was plentiful. But all was not peaceful.
"Webfoot!" a tom's harsh voice called from the Clan's nursery. "Somebody fetch Webfoot!"
A young, dark gray cat poked his head into the nursery. "He's out on a hunting patrol, but I'll find him if you'd like," he mewed.
"Thank you, Crowpaw, that would be helpful."
The young cat bowed his head and backed out of the nursery with, "It's my duty to help, Barkface."
Barkface, a dusky brown tom with a short tail, was the Clan's medicine cat. A yowl from two tail lengths away caught his attention.
He turned instantly and stepped over to the cat who had yowled. It was a light brown she-cat. She had just started her kitting.
"You're doing fine, Robinwing," Barkface murmured, stroking her head with his paw. "Just push."
Her response was another painful yowl.
Just outside, Barkface could hear a cat running toward the nursery at full speed.
When the cat arrived, it ducked into the nursery quickly and sat down to catch its breath.
"Barkface?" It was Webfoot, a dark gray tom. He was Robinwing's mate.
"Webfoot!" gasped Robinwing. "They're coming!"
Crowpaw stuck his head in. "Anything I can do to help?" he asked.
"Find some moss and soak it in water for Robinwing to drink," Barkface replied, watching a large ripple make its way across the queen's expanded belly. "Here, chew up this leaf," he said to Robinwing, pressing a small, red leaf to her mouth. "It will help the kits come more easily."
Robinwing obediently began to chew on the leaf, then shrieked. A kit was forcing its way out.
Moments later, Barkface passed the newborn kit to Webfoot. Webfoot instantly started to lick the tiny kit, revealing its brown fur.
Once the brown furred kit was clean and dry, Webfoot passed the kit back to Barkface. Barkface set the kit down gently into the moss by its mother. By that time, a second kit had arrived.
There was rustling outside, and Crowpaw stuck his head in.
Crowpaw pushed his way past everyone in the nursery and set the moss filled with water by Robinwing. Then he bowed and left.
Moonhigh had come by the time Robinwing completed her kitting. Five tiny kits were suckling at her belly while Webfoot looked on proudly. Crowpaw came to visit again.
"So, Robinwing, have you thought of names for them yet?" he asked, curiously inspecting the nearest kit. Webfoot eyed him warily, but Robinwing let out a purr.
There were two toms and three she-kits. The toms were both brown like their mother, and the three she-kits were all different: one black, one ginger, and one was dark gray with black spots.
"Yes," she replied. "This one is Mousekit, and this one is Mudkit." She gently touched the two toms with her tail tip.
"The black one is Nightkit, the ginger one is Sparrowkit, and this speckled one is Rainkit."
"Beautiful," murmured Webfoot.
"Crowpaw, I think it would be best if you went back to the other apprentices and slept," a voice said from the entry. "It's getting late."
"Yes, Barkface," Crowpaw muttered, ducking out of the nursery.
"They look like strong, healthy kits," a new voice commented from further back.
"Thank you, Ashfoot," Robinwing replied. "I'm glad another queen is here to help me. Five kits will be a handful!" Ashfoot purred in amusement.
"They are sure to become great," murmured Barkface, staring with concentration at his starry ancestors in the sky.
He padded back to his den and slept. He dreamed of a StarClan medicine cat long before his time. Her name was Thrushpelt.
"Barkface," she murmured, "I have seen danger in your Clan's future."
"What is it?" Barkface asked, moving closer so that he would not miss a single word of the gray she-cat's warning.
"Once fox kills fox, mud and rogue will save the Clan."
Barkface woke instantly, jumping up to find his leader. Barkface found him in his den.
"Tallstar! StarClan have sent me a prophecy."
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A young white-and-ginger she-cat let out a yowl of pain as her kit was making its way out into the world. A tom was right beside his mate, soothingly rasping his tongue over her ear. A third cat was in the corner of the nursery, watching with wide eyes as her little sister was being kitted.
A dark gray-she cat, who was the Clan's medicine cat, was helping the wailing she-cat; the kit was being difficult. "Whitewing, fetch Leafpool," the medicine cat called to the young warrior.
Whitewing, the young she-cat watching the kitting, hesitated, then dashed out of the den with, "Yes, Cinderpelt!"
Cinderpelt, the gray medicine cat, murmured softly to the kitting queen. "There, there, you're doing fine, Brightheart."
Finally, Cinderpelt could see the kit's head. She gently grasped the head in her jaws and pulled. It was difficult at first to get the shoulders out, but when those were past she could easily pull the rest of the body out.
"Is it okay?" Brightheart's mate asked the dark gray she-cat.
"I won't know until I've had a chance to check it out, will I, Cloudtail?" she meowed back. He let her nose the now wailing kit. "Yes, Cloudtail, she'll be fine," she told the white warrior. He relaxed and came to nuzzle the scrap of fur to Brightheart so it could suckle.
"A beautiful she-kit," Cloudtail murmured. He bent down to lick Brightheart's ear, then padded out to the fresh-kill pile.
"Cinderpelt, Cinderpelt I'm here!" called a voice. A heartbeat later, a young brown tabby she-cat pushed her way into the nursery. "And I see I'm too late," the cat meowed.
"Never mind, Leafpool," replied Cinderpelt.
Whitewing nosed her way back into the nursery behind Leafpool. "She is so beautiful, Brightheart," Whitewing said to her mother, flicking her tail toward the brown heap of fur on the ground, suckling.
"Yes, she is," answered a voice. A dark ginger tom entered the nursery. "Have you thought of a name for her yet?"
"I have, Firestar. Her name shall be Mudkit," Brightheart said, nuzzling the kit toward her belly to stay warm.
Later that night, when Cinderpelt was just relaxing into her den, she felt this sensation that she was being watched. She looked around her small den and came face to face with a tortoiseshell she-cat with white paws and a white chest.
"Hello Spottedleaf. Do you have a message from StarClan for me?" Cinderpelt asked the old ThunderClan medicine cat.
"Yes, I do, Cinderpelt." Spottedleaf's meow changed from normal to a meow that defiantly held a StarClan message.
"Once fox kills fox, mud and rogue will save the clan!" When the StarClan cat was finished with her prophecy, she turned and headed towards the den entrance, then disappeared into the pelt of stars.
Cinderpelt rushed out, finding her leader at the fresh-kill pile sharing tongues with Sandstorm, his pale ginger mate.
"Firstar, Firstar!" Cinderpelt called to the flame-colored warrior. She ran up to him and started telling him about the prophecy.
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So... please read and review!!