Prologue
"That's good. You are doing fine." A sleek tabby tom purred in encouragement. He was hunched over a queen in distress as she was giving birth to her first litter of kits. Cherrytail, a strawberry she-cat with white specks all over had already given birth to two kits. A little female and a male who were mewling in protest as his apprentice was licking them dry. "Stripepaw, lick their fur the wrong way. It helps dry them faster and it fluffs up their fur so they stay warm." Stripepaw looked up and then resumed what she was doing the correct way. The little she-cat was small and frail as a kit so she decided to keep to the medicine cat's den instead of trying to bug the warriors if they could teach her some fighting moves. Her striped brown tail swished around in concentration.
"Ivycloud, is she going to be alright? It's already been so long." Asked a worried jet black queen. Her one white paw was pushing a wet ball of moss towards Cherrytail's mouth. His green eyes settled on the queen, his gray tail tip twitching.
"Of course Moonfoot. Just one more now. Why don't you go and keep those two warm? I need Stripepaw to come see to she can learn how to help queens giving birth before and after." Moonfoot stood and padded over to the two mewling kits. Wrapping herself around them she carefully laid down and flicked her tail over the backs of the little ones. "Ok Stripepaw, place your paws here." Ivycloud flicked his tail over the queen's belly showing his apprentice where. "Alright. Not, tell me how much longer until this last one comes."
She closed her eyes in concentration then flicked them open again. "Not long!"
"Thats good." He turned his gaze back Cherrytail as the queen yowled one last time, pushing with all of her might, and a little kit slid onto the mossy bed. Ivycloud quickly started licking the small thing. His spirits dropped when he noticed how weak the kit was. He put his ear up next to the small kit's mouth and listened. Shock hit him as he found out the kit wasn't breathing. No! It can't die after it's mother went through so much! He thought starting to panic. Even though he had done this before, Ivycloud was still terrified. Trying to save a kit and then not being able to. It's mother, father, and clanmates telling him that there was nothing he could do. Or worse, asking him why hadn't he saved the kit? He licked it forcefully, trying to pour life into it's tiny body. After a few minutes, the kit stirred and roared up at him. It wasn't a real roar, but it was the closest a newborn kit had ever done.
Stripepaw purred, "You shouldn't have been licking the poor thing so hard. That kit meowed at you so loud it sounded like a Tigerclan cat." Her eyes shone with amusement and tossed a piece of moss at him. Even though she had been his apprentice for three moons, they acted as though they had been medicine cats together forever. They always joked and play fought, with Ivycloud going easy on her of course.
Cherrytail looked up at her new kits. "They are beautiful." She breathed. Ivycloud didn't move, so Stripepaw lifted the kit and set it in front of its mother.
"A beautiful she-cat!" Stripepaw purred and touched noses with the kit, making it yowl at her. "Look! I think the little one hates medicine cats!" She exclaimed. "You will learn to love us. If you go on to be a great warrior, you will eventually come whimpering into our den and ask to take a little thorn out of your pad!" Ivycloud didn't hear a single word she said. He kept thinking about how forcefully that kit had yelled at him. Even with a weak body no kit should have been able to be that loud. He was sure it was a sign from Starclan.
He got up, congratulated Cherrytail with her three kits, and left the den. Stripepaw followed him after giving the exhausted queen her two others. Before they got all the way out of the den, Thorntooth stopped them. "How is she? How many kits are there? What colors are their pelts? How many she-cats and toms? What-" Ivycloud shut him up with a flick of his tail. Thorntooth being Cherrytail's mate, he was bound to ask alot of questions.
Stripepaw shouldered her way in front of Ivycloud. "Um, let me think, she's fine, three, you can see for yourself, and two she-cats and one tom." She puffed out her chest like she was proud of remembering all of the questions he had asked. They stepped aside and Thorntooth bounded inside the den. "I'll bring Cherrytail some herbs to help her milk flow tomorrow, Ok?"
"Sure." Was all Ivycloud said. He trotted over to the freshkill pile and picked out a plump mouse. Settling down to eat he heard a raspy mew behind him.
"You should be getting Cherrytail the nicest piece of freshkill there is on that pile young un." Looking behind him be saw Spottedpelt, an elder, wobbling over to him. He flopped down and took a bite out of Ivycloud's mouse.
"Hey! I would have gotten you something if you wanted it!"
"Nah, I just wanted to taste!" He said purring with amusement.
Lying in his bed, Ivycloud thought about that kit, who had been named Tigerkit, after the way she had yowled at both Stripepaw and him. He was sure that her life was a sign from Starclan. "Ill ask them tonight." He whispered.