Snowypelt looked up at Goosewing one last time and whispered.
"Take care of her." Then the last breathe left her body. Goosewing ran out of the nursery. Why did she have to die? I could have saved her, even though Longear thinks that I couldn't have done anything. Brother always thinks there is nothing that could be done when a cat dies. He is always wrong though, there is always something that we could have done. Save them. Goosewing thought. Icepaw, the medicine cat apprentice, ran after Goosewing and jumped on his tail to stop him.
"Hey!" Goosewing yelled. Icepaw didn't look ashamed, instead he sat down on Goosewing's tail and started talking.
"Get back in the nursery. There are a few kits you need to see, Goosewing." Icepaw said sadness trailing at the end of his voice. Why is she talking this softly? That usually means that a death has occurred or that a cat is about to die. Goosewing thought. He hoped that the kits were not on the edge of death like their mother was because of her showing a cat the future and that she wasn't crazy. He couldn't see his kits die along with their mother, but he went along with Icepaw to the nursery anyway to at least have a look at his dying kin.
There were three kits nestled close to their dead mother. One of them looked exactly like Goosewing, another like Snowypelt's mother, and then the last one just like Snowypelt. Mountainrain spoke, breaking into his thoughts about his close to dead kits.
"This one," He said pointing to the kit that looked like Goosewing,"is the strongest. This one," He pointed to the one that looked like Snowypelt,"is the weakest." Mountainrain looked up at Goosewing. "I would name them now, just in case all of them don't make it. I'll give you a while alone then I will come back and watch them." Mountainrain said while he stood up and stretched his back legs.
"Thank you." Goosewing said as Mountainrain and Icepaw were just exiting the small cave of the nursery. Icepaw came back in and tilted her head to the side.
"What for?" The medicine cat apprentice asked.
"Everything, for helping deliver my kits, and trying to save Snowypelt." He replied solemnly. Icepaw nodded and gave him one last look as she left the cave. The other queen that was lying down in the back of the cave was looking at Goosewing with sorrow and worry clouding her gaze.
"I'm so sorry Goosewing." She said as she lay her head in her paws. Goosewing nodded and looked back at his kits and mate. The smell of death now swallowed the room with it's wretched smell. Goosewing put his ear to his kits' chests. The one that looked like Snowypelt's mother was now dead. I should name them before all of them pass out of my life. He thought. Goosewing looked the kits over.
"You are Frozenkit." He said as he nudged the tom that looked like Snowypelt's mother with his nose. "You are Cavekit." He said to the other tom that looked like Goosewing and then he turned to the kit that looked just like the she-cat's mother. Goosewing's gaze clouded with sorrow and then he pronounced the little kit's name. "You are going to be like your mother in every possible way, so I give you the name, Snowkit."
Just then Snowkit opened her eyes and looked up at her father. She opened her mouth and gave a little, quiet shriek. Goosewing stepped back and stared at the little snow-white kit. He examined her a little more closely. The kit had very light gray ears and paws. Her mother had dark gray ears and paws, but that didn't matter at this moment in time. Goosewing padded close to Snowkit and lay down in front of her. Snowkit looked down at his paw and took it in her own tiny light gray paws. When Goosewing looked closer at Snowkit's paws he saw they looked like silver.
"Hi. Are you my daddy?" Snowkit asked. Goosewing nodded.
"Yes. I am your father. My name's Goosewing. And your mother's is Snowypelt." Goosewing said. Snowkit looked up at him curiously.
"You're real big, Goosewing! Where's Snowypelt?" She asked. Goosewing's eyes clouded with grief once again.
"She's dead." Goosewing said in a solemn mew. Snowkit's face fell and she started whimpering. Snowkit looked up at Snowypelt and her eyes clouded with grief. Snowkit looked at her two brothers. Goosewing looked at them as well and they both said.
"They're dead, aren't they?" Goosewing and Snowkit looked at each other and Goosewing answered their question.
"Yes. The smell of death is too strong in this cave for it to have only been Snowypelt. It looks like you and me are all alone now." Goosewing stated. Snowkit nodded and she put her paw on Goosewing's shoulder.
"We will always have each other. Is it a promise?" She asked.
"It is a promise." Goosewing concluded.