Hey! Starfall, here! I decided to take the 100 Tale Challenge! I know I won't win, because the other competitors are already on, like, the 25th chapter, but…whatever! I thought it looked fun (Yes, everyone, as mean as I can be, I do have a fun side!). So here's the first one.
THE BEGINNING
Sunlight streaked between the leaves of the trees, creating shadowy patterns along the ground. Brackenclaw inhaled the scent of the forest and let the sun warm his tabby pelt. He had gone out hunting with his mate, Dawncloud, who was very pregnant, but insisted on hunting with him. She rested beside some tangled tree roots at the base of an oak's trunk to catch her breath. She was washing herself when suddenly, she gave a sharp gasp. "Brackenclaw! My kits…the kits…are coming!"
Brackenclaw's eyes widened and he rushed to his mate's side, feeling fear prickle up his spine. "Just push, Dawncloud!" he urged. "Please! It'll all be over soon!" He wanted to run and get his Clan's medicine cat, Juniperheart, but he couldn't leave her alone. Perhaps some cat would hear her yowling and come.
Dawncloud gave a loud wail as a kit slipped onto the damp ground. Brackenclaw quickly tore open the clear, slimy sac around it and licked its fur the wrong way to get the blood flowing.
She gave another shriek and her body erupted in spasms as another kit slid out. Brackenclaw's heart nearly stopped when he saw it not breathing. He ripped open the sac, but it was too late. The kit was stillborn. Dawncloud gave another warning wail, and Brackenclaw turned to her. She needed him.
When the birth was over, Dawncloud was left with shallow breathing. The last two kits had come out the wrong way, and had both also been stillborn. The only alive kit had tortoiseshell fur, just like her mother's. Brackenclaw crouched over his mate and licked her all over her face. "Dawncloud! Dawncloud, please! Don't leave me! Don't die! Your kit needs you!"
Dawncloud nodded and took a deep breath, but immediately erupted in harsh coughing. Brackenclaw rasped his tongue over her chest, but he knew it wouldn't help. "Dawncloud! Don't die…your kit needs you! I need you!"
"Brackenclaw…" She gazed up at him, the most angelic expression on her face, as though she could see something beautiful behind him. Her green eyes twinkled and shone, even though the sun was facing her back. "I…I think it's the end now."
"The end of what?" Brackenclaw gasped. "Don't die! Please! Just hold on a little while longer, I'll go get Juniper-"
"The end…of me," Dawncloud whispered. Her eyes squinted into the sky and her breathing became shallower. "I must…go up with Morningfrost now."
Brackenclaw gaped at his mate. Morningfrost was Dawncloud's deceased mother whom she loved so much. She had died from a bad case of blackcough. "No…no, you can't go to Morningfrost yet! You're…you just had a kit who needs you very much! Please! Please…don't leave me! I love you! You can't die just yet!" Tears filled his amber eyes and threatened to course down his cheeks.
"This is end, now." Dawncloud seemed far away, in the distance, even though she was right there in front of Brackenclaw. Her green eyes glazed over as she whispered out her last breath, "I love you, Brackenclaw…"
Then she lay limp. Brackenclaw didn't wail, though. He just let the tears fill his eyes, blurring his vision. He gazed at the tiny, helpless, mewling kit that rested beside Dawncloud's belly. Brackenclaw gently lifted her up and placed her at his paws. She squeaked and gave a pitiful mew. He lowered his head and licked her pelt. "I need to name you, don't I?"
Brackenclaw studied her for a moment, and decided to honor his mate. "You will be Dawnkit."
Dawnkit squealed as though approving the name he had chosen.
For Dawncloud it was the end, but for Dawnkit, it was just the beginning.
Well, did you like it? I'm not quite sure how long it should be, because I thought and typed this up before I was even approved of being part of the 100 Tale Challenge. I wanted to get a head start, since I was so far behind. So see you in the next chapter!
xx-Starfall-xx