"Push!" Echosong cried.
The silver tabby bent over her leader as Leafstar panted laboriously, her belly rippling with the contractions of birth. Frecklewish stood at Echosong's side, shifting from paw to paw in excitement. As Leafstar gave a quiet grunt of pain, the apprentice medicine cat stilled, but her body still trembled with energy like it was taking all of her power to keep herself from moving.
Leafstar cried out and obeyed Echosong's command. A small, wet bundle fell to the ground. Frecklewish quickly bent her head to scoop the kitten up. The kit began crying almost immediately as Frecklewish set to work licking it clean, ruffling the dark pelt in the wrong direction to dry and warm it. Leafstar lifted her head, straining to see her kit.
"It's a tom!" Frecklewish announced in a high-pitched voice, placing the now clean, black-furred kit at Leafstar's belly.
A loud purr burst from Leafstar's chest. She gazed at her son with wonder in her blue eyes as he quieted and nestled into her fur.
She had never seen a more perfect looking kit.
Leafstar felt a wave of powerful, protective love, stronger than any feeling she'd ever felt before as she stared at her kit. While Leafstar was distracted by her new kitten, Echosong laid her paw on Leafstar's stomach, probing carefully.
"One more left, Leafstar," Echosong mewed.
"Alright," Leafstar murmured, unable to take her eyes off her kit. "Where's Brackenstorm?"
"Waiting just outside the den," Echosong replied.
Leafstar nodded, managing to tear her eyes off of her kit to look up at Echosong.
"Good. Don't let him in until—" Leafstar yowled in pain before she was able to finish her sentence as another contraction gripped her in its claws.
Her side rippled under Echosong's paw.
"The second one is coming!" Echosong meowed. "Ready, Leafstar?"
Leafstar nodded in reply, her teeth grinding. She strained, then a second kit was born.
Echosong moved forward to pick this one up. The small bundle wriggled strongly as the medicine cat cleaned it off, revealing a female, much lighter colored than her brother. This kitten began to cry, small paws flailing.
"A she-cat," Echosong purred, placing the now mewing kitten next to her mother and brother.
Leafstar's eyes were ringed with exhaustion, but her purr was loud and powerful as she circled her tail around her kittens, bending her head to lick the both of them.
She's just as beautiful as her brother, Leafstar thought, gazing at her kits with shining eyes.
Her heart thrummed with happiness as Leafstar bent her head to continue grooming them.
Their damp fur was starting to dry, showing their true colors. The male was a large, handsome, mostly black kitten with white paws and ears, a grey nose and already broad shoulders. The female was slimmer than her brother and had a more unique coloring. She was a predominately orange tabby with white and light brown tabby patches in a striking, tortoiseshell pattern.
"You need some borage for milk and strength," Echosong murmured softly to Leafstar as to not disturb the now resting kits.
Leafstar nodded, but again she didn't raise her eyes from her kits to look at her medicine cat.
"Let Brackenstorm in to see his children," Leafstar said quietly.
Echosong dipped her head to her leader and motioned to Frecklewish to follow. Echosong slipped out of the den and almost ran right into the pacing Brackenstorm, who stood just outside.
"Is she—!" Brackenstorm choked out, concern in his green eyes and his ginger and white fur bushed out and pricking with nerves.
"Leafstar is fine, and so are your children. Go in and meet your kits," Echosong purred.
Joy flooded Brackenstorm's face, and he wasted no time whirling around and dashing into the den.
The medicine cats picked their way down the cliffs to their den at the base. Echosong sighed, flexing her claws as they jumped down off the final rock and reached the sandy floor of the gorge. Even after all these moons of living in the gorge, her paws still got scraped on the rough rock. An image of the tiny, newborn kits' paws flashed into her mind, and Echosong realized they had the rough, grey pads of the Old SkyClan. They wouldn't scrape their pads on the rocks at least.
Echosong and Frecklewish brushed through the ferns that flanked the entrance of the medicine cat's den, entering inside of the cozy cave. Echosong headed right to the herb storage in the back. All of her herbs were organized neatly in little piles in the cracks of the sandy walls of her den, and her supplies were well stocked.
Now where did I put that borage? Echosong thought, fishing a paw deep into the back of one of the nooks.
A sudden loud rushing sound filled Echosong's ears, sending her heart racing.
Echosong blinked, and she was no longer in her den but standing on top of the gorge, over looking the camp. It was night, but no stars of her warrior ancestors shone above. There was only the dark rolling of storm clouds. Echosong shivered and crouched down, her pelt prickling. She felt alone and trapped without their watchful gaze. Echosong gazed down the cliff, looking for her clan mates in the gorge, but no cat walked out in the camp. They all cowered in their dens, running and hiding from the shadows that loomed ominously at the borders of the gorge, edging ever closer, pressing deeper and deeper into the camp.
Suddenly, the darkness was driven away by a flash of blinding light as a bolt of pure white lightning flashed down from the cloud, striking the ground down in the camp. The grass caught fire, coming up in a sudden blaze and encircling the camp, fending back the dark, oppressive shadows. Thunder echoed in Echosong's ears and her eyes widened in panic at the sight of the flames in the camp. It began to rain, but the water did not put the hot fire out; it still burnt strongly, smoking billowing up toward the sky. Echosong scrambled toward the edge of the cliff, preparing to climb down to save her clan mates from the blaze, but her sight began to fade, her paws moving clumsily.
Lightning sears and scorches. A rough voice hissed in Echosong's ears.
Bewildered, Echosong blinked, then found herself staring at the wall of her den again.
"Echosong, is something wrong?" Frecklewish asked, her apprentice noticing her bristling fur and distressed gaze.
Echosong looked away from the wall, panting slightly. Frecklewish took a step over to her, nudging Echosong's shoulder with her muzzle.
"I think StarClan sent me a vision," Echosong murmured.
Frecklewish's eyes widened, and she bounced up and down on her toes slightly.
"What did you see?" she demanded in a hushed, but excited voice.
Echosong shook her head, the sounds of rain and thunder still clear in her ears.
"I think difficult times lie ahead for our clan. Storm clouds are gathering and soon they will break," Echosong meowed.
She turned towards her herb storage again, and this time, she spotted the borage without trouble.
"I must speak with Leafstar; I will explain more of what I saw in the vision then," Echosong said, snatching up the borage leaves.
"Come," Echosong meowed, padding out of the den.
Echosong and Frecklewish found Leafstar relaxing in the birthing den. Brackenstorm was curled around her, and her two kits were suckling at her belly. Leafstar glanced up as the medicine cats entered the cave, her blue eyes meeting Echosong's gaze. Leafstar looked exhausted, but extremely proud. Echosong placed the herbs down by her leader. Echosong's tail twitched as she glanced at Leafstar out of the corner of her eye. She felt bad for breaking the news of her dark and confusing vision on such a joyous day for her leader.
"Leafstar-" Echosong began slowly.
"Brackenstorm and I have thought of names for them," Leafstar announced happily, cutting her off.
She brushed her tail over the mostly black-furred, male kit.
"He's Nightkit," Leafstar purred.
Gazing down at his kits, Brackenstorm's chest swelled with so much pride and joy he looked like he might burst.
"And she's..." Leafstar meowed, touching her mottled ginger and brown tabby she-cat kit with a paw.
She traced a distinct, jagged tabby marking on her daughter's forehead.
"Lightningkit," Leafstar finished, her gaze filled with love.
Echosong sucked in a sharp breath and froze in place, her mind flickering back to the storm in her vision. StarClan's words echoed in her ears.
Lightning sears and scorches.
Leafstar's eyes widened at Echosong's sudden intake of breath.
"What? Is something wrong?" Leafstar demanded, curling her tail protectively around her kits, immediately worried for her kit's health and safety.
Was this vision from StarClan about Lightningkit? Leafstar's own daughter? And what did it mean? The Clan seemed petrified of the storm and shadows. The prophecy about lightning was vague and ominous. But, was it referring to her? This tiny tortoiseshell kit? And, who would the lightning sear or scorch?
"What, Echosong?" Leafstar repeated in a firm voice.
It was an order this time.
Echosong bowed her head.
"Nothing Leafstar. I simply bit my own tongue on accident," Echosong lied.
She could not plant doubt in Leafstar's mind about her own daughter on the day of her birth. Of course, she would have to tell Leafstar of her vision; she could not keep such things from her leader. And, she would tell her soon. SkyClan must be prepared in order to face whatever trouble was coming.
But, not now. Not today.
"Those are lovely names," Echosong meowed, nosing the borage leaves towards Leafstar.
"Now eat this and rest up," she said briskly.
Echosong's gaze flickered to the tiny female kit, and her gaze darkened slightly.
"You have a long few moons ahead."
... ... ...
Allegiances
SkyClan:
Leader: Leafstar- a pretty cream and tabby she-cat with blue eyes (mate- Brackenstorm, kits- Nightkit and Lightningkit)
Deputy: Sharpclaw- a dark ginger tom with deep green eyes
Medicine Cat: Echosong- a small silver and white tabby with blue eyes
Apprentice: Frecklewish- a light brown tabby she-cat with spotted legs
Warriors: Patchfoot- a black and white tom (mate- Clovertail)
Clovertail- a white and brown she-cat
Petalnose- a pale grey she-cat with blue eyes
Apprentice: Ravenpaw- a sleek black she-cat with dark blue eyes
Waspwhisker- a grey and white tom with a long scar (mate- Fallowfern)
Sparrowpelt- a tabby tom with amber eyes
Apprentice: Lionpaw- a fluffy golden tabby tom with yellow eyes
Cherrytail- a tortoiseshell she-cat with light green eyes
Brackenstorm (formerly Billystorm)- a fluffy ginger and white tom with green eyes
Ebonyclaw (daylight warrior)- a striking black she-cat with green eyes
Harveymoon (daylight warrior)- a white tom
Apprentice: Briarpaw- a spotted brown tabby she-cat with white paws and yellow eyes
Macgyver (daylight warrior)- black and white tom
Shrewtooth- a scrawny black tom
Bouncefire- a ginger tom with bright green eyes
Wolfshade- a long-furred smoke-colored tom with grey-tinted, green eyes
Tinycloud- a small white she-cat with blue eyes
Sagewhisker- a pale grey tabby tom with pale green eyes
Minttail- a grey tabby she-cat with green eyes
Egg- a fluffy cream colored tom with blue eyes
Plumwillow- a dark grey she-cat
Rabbitleap- a brown tom
Creekfeather- a grey tabby tom
Nettlesplash- a pale brown tom
Queens: Leafstar- (Nightkit- a black tom with white fore-paws, white ear-tips and green eyes. Lightningkit- a ginger and brown tortoiseshell-tabby with white, she-cat with amber eyes)
Fallowfern- a pale brown she-cat with blue eyes (Creamkit- a creamy white and grey tabby she-cat with grey eyes. Seedkit- a mostly white she-cat with a few brown tabby patches and blue eyes)
Elders: Tangle- a large tabby tom with rumpled fur and amber eyes
Lichenfur- a mottled grey she-cat with amber eyes
Cats outside of the Clans:
Whisper- a fluffy, dark tabby ginger she-cat with amber eyes and a distinctive, rasping voice
Crash- a large black and white tom
Tattered- a scarred, patchy-furred dark brown tabby tom
Shiver- a pretty, white she-cat with green eyes
Ripper- a heavily scarred, light brown tabby and white tom with orange eyes
Silk- a pure white she-cat with a long scar down her side and orange eyes
