A/N: Hey guys! Echo here! Today I decided to rewrite the first few chapters of my very first story! I noticed that it was viewed almost 10,000 times, and I was like "WHOA", and decided that I should fix it up a bit. It's been about a year since I first started this, and I'm happy to do it again! Enjoy the ~new~ chapter!
Prologue:
A tranquil environment stretched across the Thunderclan camp. All was still, and not even the smallest hoot of an owl interrupted the hanging silence. A lithe young cat sat peacefully on her haunches, staring up at the twinkling stars above. Moonlight illuminated her silky pelt, making her look almost like a star of her own, and she closed her eyes as she let a gentle breeze blow across her fur, whipping it around lightly.
The young she-cat soon let her eyes fly open, and the serene atmosphere washed away into nothing but apprehension. She was huffing and puffing, her head bobbing with each breath, and she stared up at Silverpelt, wondering what had just occurred. "Mintwillow?" The soft voice of her sister spoke behind her with concern, making her turn. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing, Leafmist," Replied the medicine cat, though by the look on her littermate's face, she could tell that she wasn't believed.
"Mintwillow, is it a sign from Starclan?" Leafmist asked, thick-furred tail curling around her paws. Mintwillow gave a small nod. "It is, I believe. The stars- can't you see? They are dimmer than ever. Cowering in the sky, that's what our ancestors are doing. Something terrible is about to happen, Leafmist, something unlike ever before."
The little warrior chuckled, eyes shining. "You got all that just by looking up at the stars?"
"This isn't a joke!" Mintwillow hissed, making her sister jump back. The medicine cat let her furs lie flat once again, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to lose my temper. But this could be very important… support me please, dear sister."
"You know I always will," Leafmist mewed with a small smile across her face. "But when is this terrible thing going to-"
She was cut short by a pained yowl from the nursery, and both cats jumped to their feet instantly. "That sounds like Moonberry!" Mintwillow gasped. "She must be kitting now! Oh dear Starclan, this can't be happening! She's much too sick!"
"I'll help you, Mintwillow." Leafmist meowed quickly. "What do you need me to retrieve?"
"Grab some poppy seeds, a raspberry leaf, and fennel stalk, and a thick stick immediately. We have to help Moonberry before something bad happens!"
Leafmist nodded instantly and darted towards the medicine den. Mintwillow trotted over to the nursery, brushing past Moonberry's mate, Blackclaw, and into the den. The newly named apprentices, Mintwillow's kin, were inside the nursery already, soothing Moonberry as she shook with violent fits of coughing and ripples of kitting.
"Lilypaw, Cherrypaw, Mousepaw, you may leave now." Meowed Mintwillow, and the three apprentices nodded and scurried away. Leafmist came in and dropped the bundle of supplies at the medicine cat's paws. "Do well and help her, please." She mewed before leaving hesitantly.
Mintwillow nodded. "I will do all I can." She then turned back to the queen, and let out a sigh. "Now, Moonberry, eat this." She nudged a raspberry leaf to her.
After another coughing fit, Moonberry obeyed, taking the ridged leaves into her mouth and swallowing them in a large gulp. She shook violently, and her belly began to heave. Mintwillow stomped on the fennel to break it open, and held half of it over the kitting queen. "Open your mouth, and drink this," she demanded, and Moonberry did so, struggling to stifle coughs. The juice drizzled into Moonberry's mouth, and she swallowed it without even a grimace of disgust at the foul taste. The medicine cat then prodded a stick close to her. "Alright, Moonberry, grab hold of this and push when I say so."
The pale queen nodded miserably and clasped the stick between her jaws. Mintwillow gently dragged her legs out of the way, and laid her down so that the kits would come through cleanly. A powerful ripple then passed through Moonberry's belly, and the medicine cat instructed; "Push, now!"
Walls opened up and a large brown kitten slithered out onto the soft moss beneath it. Mintwillow nipped the blue birth sac open and starting to vigorously lap the slimy fur the wrong way. The kit let out a powerful mew, and Mintwillow laid it down at its mother's belly.
"Okay get ready again," The medicine cat mewed in Moonberry's ear. She crouched over her. "Push, again!"
A pale brown kit began sliding out, and Mintwillow rubbed the queen's flanks so help it through. When it was out, she nipped the sac and lapped its fur up. It gave a cry of protest, signaling its health, and was pushed to the source of milk with her brother.
"Is it…" Moonberry began to mew, but was interrupted by a cough. Mintwillow stood over her. "It's halfway done, just hold on. I think there's another coming, are you alright?" when Moonberry nodded, she continued; "Okay, then push again!"
This time a small white baby tumbled out with ease, and only let out a soft mew after being warmed up and set beside its mother. There was to be only one more. "Okay, just one more kitten, push, now!"
Moonberry strained to push, and a dappled shape underneath the blue was starting to show. Just as Mintwillow was about to help it out, Moonberry went limp entirely, her whole body still. "She's dead…" Mintwillow looked around the backside of Moonberry's body. "But… where is the kit?"
The three newborn kittens mewled as the breathing of Moonberry stopped, and Mintwillow stared down at them sadly. "It's okay, young kits, I suppose I will be naming you."
She looked at the large brown, who had looked almost exactly like another queen, Heatherstone. "Even though you are a tom, your name will be Heatherkit, little one." Heatherkit wriggled briefly with discomfort. Mintwillow then looked to the tan she-kit. "And this one reminds me of that kittypet, Riley, who helped us out during the drought. I think I'll name you Rileykit." Rileykit didn't move, so the medicine cat let her gaze fall on the tiny white kit. "So frail, so tiny, could easily break. She's beautiful though, just like a bubble glittering in the sunlight on a pond's surface. Her name will be Bubblekit."
Mintwillow crouched down and pulled the two larger kits onto her back, and the smaller one in her jaws. "I suppose I'll take you to the nursery, the other queens will care for you. Even without a mother, I'm sure you three will do fine…"
…
Moonberry drew her eyes open slowly, looking around at the fuzzy land around her. She lifted her head up without so much as a quiver, and flinched when she realized that her body had been released from the grasp of sickness.
She blinked her eyes quickly this time, and stared around at the starry cats surrounding her. Moonberry noticed how strangely they were looking at her, and she couldn't suppress a: "What?"
She then realized they weren't staring at her, but at her belly. She wondered if she still had kits in them, and looked down, surprised to see a little dappled kitten, and one with a lively bold pelt. She wasn't dead. "How did this happen?"
"We aren't sure," One cat meowed, fixing his hazel eyes on Moonberry. "But whatever happened, happened, and is unchangeable. Moonberry, your kit was born into stars."
A/N: Yay! This was so much fun! Anyway, did you like it? Until I update the next chapter it will be pretty bad, since I was brand new to writing when I made it. Don't worry though, it'll be fixed soon!
