A/N: Chapter One is straight ahead. Thanks to everyone who reviewed, ya'll brighten my day.
It was a dark and stormy night. The nights to follow would not be much different.
The rain pelted down on the rocks, harsh winds and raging waves crashed against the cliffs in an unrelenting fury. Three cats sprinted across a small path, squinting their eyes as the rain bit at their fur and eyes and paws. A yelp sounded as the smallest cat in the middle slipped.
"Minnowpaw!" the dark tabby tom flipped with ease and reached forward to snap his jaws around the apprentice's scruff. "Pearlfur, help," the tom hissed, muffled.
The third cat reached forward and helped haul the apprentice back onto the path.
Shaken, Minnowpaw huddled near the cliff's wall, turning his gaze from the rocks and crashing waves he almost fell in.
"Minnowpaw," the tabby gently nudged his apprentice with his nose. "You're okay, but we won't be if we stay here. The storm is only getting stronger and if we stay the waves are going to wash us away as they get bigger. We need to go, now."
"Stormdusk, be gentle," Pearlfur scolded before turning to Minnowpaw. "Little one, we need to go, come on, just stand up. One step in front of the other. We're right here."
Under Pearlfur's gentle encouragement Minnowpaw slowly stood.
The she-cat purred. "That's great. Now we need to hurry."
Starting slowly, the three cats eventually picked up speed, rushing through the cliffs, though not at the same pace. When they reached a series of ledges in the cliffs, Stormdusk jumped over them without a second thought then glanced back. Minnowpaw was jumping from on ledge to the next, pausing in between before he moved forward. Pearlfur was encouraging from behind as she followed the pace he set.
Stormdusk's tail lashed angrily. The two other cats eventually made it the other side and Stormdusk didn't hesitate before he began sprinting again. The path started to tilt upward, with more ledges and one steep wall they had to climb up. By the time they reached the the large stones that hid the entrance to their camp, all three of them were panting and utterly drenched.
They padded single-file though the narrow entrance. Once they were inside however, the roof of the cave soared above them. Underneath the Rock Fall, a vertical rock pile of rocks the leader addressed the clan on, a group of warriors were picking through the small prey pile. Stormdusk approached and sent a nod to his clanmates. When he looked down he noticed that all there was were two pathetic fish and what he believed was a seagull.
"The storm came in too fast," Leafheart mewed. He glanced at his mate, Sweetmoon, then at the other gathered warriors. "Sandpath's hunting patrol hasn't come back yet, and they were headed for the Swallowing Beach."
The mood of the gathering cats plummeted. Swallowing Beach. It was named for the fact it was the beach first to flood if a storm hit. And the countless lives it had claimed.
"Sandpath is one of the best storm watchers I've seen," Sweetmoon spoke. Everyone glanced at their leader. "She would have seen the storm coming and turned back. The storm is most likely slowing them down."
Stormdusk nodded with the others before he motioned with his muzzle toward the food pile.
"What are we going to do about prey?"
Sweetmoon's whiskers twitched as she deliberated. "The queens and kits will be fed first. Fishers will share some. We will have to save half of the pile. Based on what Cragfoot said, this storm may last up to four sunrises."
A hiss passed though the group. Despite Cragfoot's advanced age, the elder was rarely wrong when it came to storm predictions.
"We will just have to wait out the storm," Riverdust whispered.
The cats nodded.
It was all they could do.
—
"Falconwing is in labor!"
Heads jerked up all around the camp clearing.
Apprentices who were practicing on the ledges and rocks around their den stopped. Warrior's faces appeared as they climbed out of their den and up the rocks that blocked it's entrance. Elders glanced down from the entrance to their den which barely rose above the cave floor. Sweetmoon exited her den, to jump down the Rock Fall.
Falconwing was having her kits.
Normally, the arrival of new life would be rejoiced by the clan. Now, the storm had raged for three days and showed no signs of letting up. Sandpath was in the medicine cat den having her broken leg treated while the other members of the patrol were on the verge of sickness.
Splashlight, was slipping past the rock that hid the nursery's entrance to help the queen give birth. Stormdusk raced to the nursery's entrance but Riversong gave him a firm glare.
"She will be fine. Splashlight has delivered plenty of kits." The she-cat turned back to watching over her younger siblings while her mother sat by Stormdusk and rested her tail gently on his shoulder.
"Falconwing is a strong warrior. The finest fighter I know. She'll do wonderfully," Waterlily reassured.
Stormdusk nodded. If there were two cats he trusted in, it was the cats who he grew up beside. One of his littermates died before he saw his third sunrise. The other had fallen to what too many young apprentices before her had: A storm came and under the unrelenting barrage she slipped from a path and plummeted into the ocean. His mother never overcame her grief and his father put all of his anger into the war. It was no surprise when halfway through his apprenticeship, when a battle patrol came back, it was with news his father died. His mother died too soon after. Waterlily and Rushingbrook had been there for him. While Rushingbrook was already clearly besotted with his future mate, Waterlily was wild and untamed. With Stormdusk grieving and Waterlily a instigator, the three quickly became known as troublemakers.
At least until Stormdusk noticed Falconwing.
The beautiful, fierce, sour she-cat he fell for.
Despite the sharp comments and her stubbornness, Stormdusk wasn't deterred. After moons of doing everything he could to surprise and win her favor, Falconwing admitted on a patrol that she had grown a little fond of how much like a young apprentice he acted whenever she was around. Her asking him to become her mate was one of the best days of his life. Rushingbrook had teased him and Waterlily, now a calm and quiet cat, congratulated him.
Now his mate was in the nursery, snarling and yowling as she gave birth to their kits. Waterlily sat beside him the whole time and the two were eventually joined by Rushingbrook. After what felt like moons, Coralfall peaked her head out.
"I have four kits who want to meet their father."
Without a second thought Stormdusk rushed into the den, his friends purring in amusement.
Falconwing was laying on her side, sweating and tired but clearly exuberant. When she noticed him there she purred.
"One tom and three she-kits." The pride was evident in her voice.
"All healthy," Splashlight added.
"They're beautiful," Stormdusk meowed as he curled up beside their mate.
"They better be, with handsome cats like us at their parents." Falconwing flicked her tail at him teasingly.
"What should we name them?"
"Stonekit," Falconwing gently nudged the dark gray tabby she-kit. "For the stones that protect us."
Stormdusk nodded in agreement. "Seakit." His tail brushed the dark tabby tom. "For the waters that feed us."
"Whalekit," Falconwing sniffed at the gray and white kit. "You stood outside the camp as long as it took till you could show me a whale."
"You'd never seen one before," Stormdusk grumbled.
Falconwing's whiskers twitched in amusement before she nuzzled the creamy-gray she-kit. "Screekit."
Stormdusk's breath left his body.
"For the kit that should have lived."
Somewhere, submerged in the waves and sand, the body of their first kit was buried. It had broken Falconwing's heart more than his, but she had never let her grief consume her. She vowed that one day, she would have more kits, and she would give them the world.
"I love it."
Stormdusk twined his tail with hers and they stayed like that, looking down on their beautiful kits as the storm raged outside their camp.
It was a dark and stormy night. The nights to follow, would not be much different.
But not at first.
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See you next time honey badgers!