The heavily pregnant queen padded slowly along the twoleg sidepath, her pawsteps weary. A dark brown tom trotted a few paces ahead, his paws dragged as well, and his whiskers drooping with tiredness.
"Dancingsong, the place is just up here." the tom called back her black striped tail flicking with at least a little joy. The queen looked up.
"Really, Fleetdust? We're almost there?" Dancingsong padded faster, her silvery striped belly swinging with each step.
"Slow down, darling. You'll hurt the kits." Fleetdust soothed, dropping back beside her and pressing close. The silver tabby sighed, the happiness gone from her face.
"My paws are so tired, Fleetdust. We should have just kept the kits for this much trouble." she mewed, her paws now lagging. Fleetdust pressed close once again, his amber eyes reassuring.
"Lily will take good care of them," he meowed, licking her cheek and then breaking into a weary lope. He paused at the side of a fence and peered around a corner, before giving a nod and waiting for the queen to catch up. She padded to his side and they rounded the corner together. At the end of the cracked and misused thunderpath, there stood an old barn, half falling over.
Dancingsong cringed back into Fleetdust, her sapphire gaze wide with terror.
"Our kits can't be born in that!"
A she's dusky voice came from a dark spot near them. A scarred cream she with narrowed amber eyes and a large scar parting her shoulder fur padded towards them, her pawsteps making no noise on the hard surface.
"It'll still be standing when this city falls. It's good enough for a queen very close to kitting." she meowed, flicking her tail. The tip had been bitten off and was ragged on the end.
"I'm Lily."
There you go, happy? Fine, fine, I'll write more. Ugh, such demanding Reviewers, *coughcoughhinthintcoughcough* C'mon, guys!