I recently picked up the Warriors books again after an eight year period where I forgot they existed. I finally finished all the books up to The Last Hope (not any of the e-books, Super Editions or the guides, yet). I had quite forgotten how AMAZING these stories are and I was inspired by Cinderpelt's reincarnation and the fact I read that when cats fade from StarClan they are reincarnated...I thought, hey, why not give cats who died early or tragically with unfinished business to come back and get a second chance? So this is my take on that idea :)
I own nothing. This is a story written purely for fun!
"Jayfeather!"
The medicine cat's dreams of chasing squirrels were shattered just as he made a leap, claws stretched out to dig into the fur of his prey. Darkness flooded his eyes as the real world took over his senses.
"Jayfeather! Cinderheart and Poppyfrost are kitting!"
All thoughts of squirrels and sunlight streaming through the leaves of the trees flew out of Jayfeather's mind and he immediately leapt from his warm nest and shook the moss from his fur.
"Both of them?" he asked urgently as he disappeared to gather the necessary herbs.
"Yes!" he now recognized the voice of Daisy, she sounded stressed. "I can't keep an eye on them both at the same time."
Jayfeather scooped up the herbs in his mouth and padded out of the den, nodding for Daisy to follow him to the nursery.
The nursery was crowded, loud and frantic. Lionblaze and Berrynose were shuffling around their mates nervously, whispering encouragement to them. Jayfeather set his herbs aside and yowled to get everyone's attention.
"There is NOT enough room in here for this many cats!" he stated firmly, "Lionblaze and Berrynose, out! You can watch from the entrance but I need room to work here."
The two toms obediently left the nursery after giving their mates one more lick between the ears and a promise to stay close by. They both crouched at the entrance, staring into the nursery to watch their kits be born.
"It hurts so much, Jayfeather!" Cinderheart squealed as a wave of muscle contraction rolled through her. Jayfeather placed a paw on her belly to time the waves then moved to Poppyfrost to do the same.
"You're both at the same stage of kitting," he said incredulously, "I've never heard of this happening before."
Poppyfrost yowled, signaling the kits were ready to come out.
"Alright, Cinderheart," Jayfeather said calmly, "The next time you feel that pain coming again, you need to push and push hard. Your first kitten is coming."
Daisy had her nose pressed to Poppyfrost's flank, waiting for the first kitten to arrive so she could start cleaning it off and making it breathe.
Cinderheart suddenly took a deep breath and started pushing, it didn't take long for a wet little blob to pop out onto the moss. Jayfeather immediately began licking the sticky birth sac off of it's tiny face to give it air. He turned the kit onto it's back and rubbed it's belly with his paw until a loud, shrill squeal told him the kit was alive and well.
He nudged the kit towards Cinderheart's belly just as the next kitten rolled onto the nest, he repeated the process and waited for the third and final kitten to arrive.
"You can come in now," Jayfeather told the two eager tom cats. Lionblaze and Berrynose flew past him, almost knocking him off his feet. Jayfeather muttered and shook his head as he backed into the nursery again to do a final exam of the kittens.
All five kittens were happily suckling at their mother's bellies and tiny purrs filled the air.
"What will you name them?" the medicine cat asked.
Cinderheart and Poppyfrost exchanged a meaningful glance.
"We wanted to honor warriors and cats who gave their lives for their Clan," Cinderheart stated.
"And also honor those who lost their lives too early," Poppyfrost added sadly.
Cinderheart looked down at her three kittens. One was pale yellow with dark stripes, one was light grey and the last was pure white.
"This one is Longkit, this one is Sootkit, and this one is Snowkit. I wanted us all to remember Longtail and Sootfur...and Brakenfur told me a story of a kit back in the old forest named Snowkit who was taken by a hawk. He said he tried to rescue it but the hawk was too fast of him to catch. I think that poor kit deserves to be remembered."
Lionblaze purred loudly as he rubbed faces with his mate. "They're perfect!"
Berrynose looked down at his two kits, a brown she-cat and a black and white tom.
"We should name the brown one Mousekit after Mousefur," he suggested quietly, the recent loss still fresh in every cat's mind.
"And I will never forget the story of Swiftpaw," Poppyfrost whispered quietly, "I remember Brightheart's story and how he died fighting with all the power of LionClan. I've always admired him. I would like my son to be named after him. Swiftkit."
Jayfeather nodded. "I'll notify Bramblestar of ThunderClan's newest warriors."
There's the beginning! I want to have cats from all four Clans come back (I have Smokepaw from ShadowClan and Gorsepaw from WindClan) so I want to hear your opinions of what cats deserve a second chance and what you think their unfinished business would be.
Hope you enjoy this story!