Author's note: Remember, this is ONE MOON later!
Leafpool's POV
Stifling a yawn, I pad out of the medicine den and into the nursery to see my sister, Squirrelflight. "Hi Squirrelflight! How are you? Still bored, I'm guessing."
"Laugh all you want, see if I care! I feel like an elder, or even a kit! Trust me, you don't want to be me!" Squirrelflight meows angrily, which surprises me a lot. Trying to cheer her up I meow, "Care to go on a walk to the lake and back? I'm going to the Moonpool today, so we have to be quick!"
"Sure! That's a lot better than being stuck in here!" Squirrelflight mewes and I can see her eyes sparkle with relief at going outside camp. soon afterward she meows "Let's go!"
Purring I follow her out the den, to the camp entrance, and out into the forest. Squirrelflight seems happy, so I don't want to ask her what was going on in the nursery. I can't help it, and I feel bad, but I have to ask. "Squirrelflight, what was that all about... why were you so grumpy? You sounded worse than Mousefur!"
Squirrelflight turn to me to answer, but then her eyes are glazed with pain, she crumples to the ground and stays there. With a horrified expression on my face, I realize what's going on...she's kitting!
My head swings side to side as I look for herbs to help ease her pain and make the kitting go by smoothly. I spot a smooth piece of wood on the forest floor and bring it over to my sister, then I grab a mouthful of moss and sprint to the lake. I soak it into the water and rush back to Squirrelflight's side and place it by her head so she can suck the moisture out of it. I push the stick towards face so it's just as close to her mouth as the moss.
"Hush, it's all going to be alright. If you get thirsty there's moss right by your head. If the pain becomes unbearable just bite down on the stick. It'll all be over soon." I gently meow, my tail brushing up and down her fur to comfort her. Every now and then, I lick her forehead to tell her I'm still here, soon, she lets out a gasp and I shove the stick in her mouth without a second thought.
SNAP! Squirrelflight breaks part of the stick off and the first kit comes tumbling out. I start swiftly, but gently licking it's fur the wrong way to heat it up and get it's blood to flow. When it starts to breath I turn my attention back to my sister, who is panting thirstily. I grab the wad of moss and squeeze some of the water into her mouth. She quickly gulps it down and sighs, but her relief is cut short for the second kit is about to come!
Quickly, I grab the bigger of the two parts of the stick and shove it into her mouth, making sure that the splintery end doesn't get in her face. She snaps the stick again and the second kit comes tumbling out. I lick it's fur the wrong way, just like I did the other kit, and when I finish I give Suqirrelflight water. She's exhausted, but there's at least one more kit waiting to be born, she can't keep this up much longer!
Squirrelflight seems to be doing alright on her own, so I run to a juniper bush that's not far from her and pluck off a berry. I hurry back to my sister when I smell a terrible odor. I turn to see a fox closing in on my sister and I leap at it's face just before it reaches her, trying to get it's attention off her.
I must be crazy, trying to take care of a fox all on my own when I'm helping a cat with her kitting! I claw ruthlessly at it's face and try to maneuver it away from Squirrelflight. There's such a racket it will only be a matter of time before help comes, and it sure does.
A few seconds later the floor is vibrating with the sound of charging footsteps and cats are jumping over bushed with Brambleclaw at the lead! They easily take over the fight with the fox and I limp back to Squirrelflight, dropping the juniper berry into her mouth. Once she gains her strength back, Squirrelflight's last kit is born, and once I lick it to life I let out a sigh of relief.