Whitewing lay in the nursery. The warm scent of milk surrounded her, and her eyes softened as she watched Ferncloud's and Squirrelflight's kits play fight. A soft sigh escaped her jaw, and she glanced down at her stomach, which was bulging with the weight of kittens. A sudden happiness lifted her heart. It couldn't be long before they came. She imagined what they would look like. Then she remembered what Leafpool had said. The image disappeared and she felt as if she had been hit in her gut. Leafpool's words came echoing back in her head.
They could even be dead already...
How could StarClan let that happen? How could they give her the dream she's always wanted, one of her greatest desires, just to rip it out of her grasp and leaving her with nothing? They couldn't. My kits will live, she thought determinedly.
The entrance to the nursery rustled, and the enticing scent of mouse filled the air. Whitewing's mouth watered, and she purred lightly when Ashfur came in to sit with her, a juicy mouse in his jaws.
Whitewing's heart ached as she remembered the feeling of hunting with her clanmates. She longed to be out in the forest, tracking down mice and squirrels, patrolling borders. Of course, that was impossible with how far along with kits she was, but that didn't make her feel any less useless.
Ashfur set down the fresh-kill in front of her, and she eagerly began to eat, tearing through the warm flesh with her needle-sharp teeth.
"How's hunting been?" she asked, taking a small break from her meal.
"It's pretty good. A lot of squirrels have been out. They know leaf-fall is coming and are always gathering nuts," he said.
"Thanks for the mouse," she mewed.
"No problem. I gotta go though, I'll see you later," Ashfur said as he walked out the den, waving his tail goodbye.
Whitewing yawned, showing needle sharp teeth and a soft pink tongue. She curled up, Ferncloud and her kits on one side of her, and Daisy on the other. Daisy was huge, bigger than Whitewing with kits in her belly. No one knew who her mate was, but she had to be due any day now. At least my kits will have someone to play with when the others leave the den, Whitewing thought, before drifting off to sleep.
-----
A shriek pierced through the air. Whitewing jumped and stood up in her nest, her fur bristling. Beside her, Ferncloud lay awake, her green eyes gleaming in the darkness. Another wail broke through the silence, and Whitewing realized it was Daisy.
"What's wrong?" asked Whitewing frantically, her eyes adjusting to the darkness. She could see the she-cat sprawled out on her side, with her eyes wide.
"My kits are coming!" yowled Daisy, shutting her eyes tight.
Paw steps announced the sudden arrival of Leafpool. The tabby she-cat shouldered past Whitewing to get to Daisy in the far side of the nursery. She pressed her nose to the creamy cat's side. She was very calm, and it seemed to soothe Daisy a little bit, although she was still taking short, quick breaths of air, and letting out wails of pain every now and then.
"Keep an eye on her! I'm going to get some herbs," ordered Leafpool, and scurried off towards the medicine cat's den. Whitewing's green eyes were wide with fright.
"Does it always hurt that much?" she asked Ferncloud, who stifled a laugh.
"You have nothing to worry about. Daisy's going to be fine, you'll be fine when it's your time," meowed Ferncloud comfortingly, laying her tail on Whitewing's shoulder. Reluctantly, she sat back down in her nest and watched Daisy as her body shook, almost like a ripple through her frame. She let out a low groan as Leafpool came back, filling the den with the sharp smells of herbs.
Ferncloud's and Squirrelflight's kits were awake now as well, and they seemed to find this midnight event very exciting. Their high pitched mews slowly grew louder, until Leafpool mewed irritably, "Great StarClan, Ferncloud! Can't you keep them quiet!" Ferncloud gave them a warning glance and their voices became hushed.
It wasn't long before Daisy gave birth to two, healthy toms. She gazed warmly down at their small, wet bodies as they squirmed towards her belly, searching for milk. One looked just like her, with long, creamy fur. The other was a light brown tabby.
"They're so beautiful, Daisy!" mewed Ferncloud, her eyes filled with warmth. Whitewing watched them quietly, deep in thought. A sudden burst of excitement filled her body, and she couldn't wait until her own kits were born.
-----
A quarter moon had passed since the birth of Daisy's kits. They now had their tiny eyes open, and the nursery was very busy. Many cats of ThunderClan wanted to visit the new arrivals and congratulate Daisy. When she was asked what their names were, she'd answer proudly, "Maplekit and Adderkit." Over, and over, and over again. Whitewing wasn't sure she'd be able to handle all of the attention.
Finally, around sunhigh, the nursery quieted down. Almost all of the cats were busy doing something, whether it be hunting or patrolling or training with their apprentices. Icekit and Foxkit were watching Jaykit, Hollykit, and Lionkit wrestle just outside of the nursery entrance. Daisy's purring could be heard to Whitewing's left.
Suddenly, Whitewing felt her stomach contract. It was a small feeling, and only lasted for a moment. Her green eyes narrowed as she glanced at her stomach. Oh no.. They're coming! she thought, panic rising in her chest.
Another contraction rippled through her body, and Whitewing let out a small grunt of pain. Ferncloud glanced curiously at her.
"Are you okay Whitewing?" she asked concerned.
"Go get Leafpool. I think my kits are coming!" she exclaimed, and then held her breath as her stomach contracted again, this time even bigger. It started to hurt.
Ferncloud quickly told her kits to stay put, and then ran out of the nursery. A few moments later she was back, Leafpool right behind her. Another contraction pulsed through her body. It hurt so bad! What if something was going wrong? It would be okay... Leafpool was there now. Whitewing closed her eyes.
The first kit came quickly. Leafpool gave it to Whitewing immediately, who covered it in licks to clean it off. It was so tiny, all white, although the blood stained it to make it look darker. The she-cat let out a soft sigh of relief as her kit began squirming towards her belly.
Another contraction hit her. They were starting to get extremely painful, and she let out a small wail. Leafpool and the two other queens kept comforting her, talking to her, but she wasn't listening. All she could do was keep breathing, and try not to think about the pain as it coursed through her small frame.
The next kit came. It was a dark, dark gray, and extremely small. Whitewing quickly set to work licking it. It's small body laid still. Panic began to overcome her.
"Leafpool! Leafpool, help!" she wailed, furiously licking the kit. The medicine cat turned to her and glanced at the kit. She sniffed it quickly, and then pressed a paw gently to it's chest. Her eyes looked down.
"Just leave it," she said, and then got back to helping the next kit come. Whitewing stared at the motionless gray kit in horror. No! This couldn't happen! She nudged it with her nose, but it was no use. The tiny kit was dead.
Before Whitewing could do anything else, another tiny creature was given to her. It was a dark gray like the one before, and her heart lifted when she saw it squirming around beside it's sibling. Whitewing covered it in licks, getting it clean before nudging it towards her stomach.
The contractions were constant, and Whitewing was in pain. A low moan escape her mouth and she rested her head on her paws, watching her two tiny kits suckle while she gave birth to the last one.
Finally, it was over. The pain began to ebb away, and exhaustion began to take over Whitewing's body. What about the fourth kit? She looked at Leafpool, who was staring at it in shock. When she caught Whitewing giving her a confused look, she quickly grabbed the final kit in her jaws and handed it to it's mother.
Whitewing gasped.
The kit was tiny; it's body was small and skinny, with a skimpy little tail at the end of it. Then she saw its face. Instead of looking like a normal kitten, its face was squished out of shape, as if one side had been smashed up against something. It was hideous.
Whitewing gathered the tiny kit in her mouth and laid it down gently. Aware of Leafpool's gaze on her, she began licking the kit softly with her tongue. It squirmed slowly towards her, and its tiny face buried itself into her fur as it began to suckle along side its siblings.
Everything was quiet in the nursery. Whitewing could hear the voices of warriors in the clearing. Ferncloud and Daisy said nothing, and Whitewing just ignored them.
"Congratulations, Whitewing! You've got yourself two she-cats and a tom!" said Leafpool, with forced cheerfulness. Whitewing blinked at her thankfully, and curved her tail around the tiny bodies of her kits. Her eyes closed and she dozed lightly, happiness flooding through her. She felt so light, so happy. She finally had her kits. Hers and Ashfur's.
A familiar scent entered Whitewing's nose and she opened her eyes suddenly. A gray tom stood in the entrance to the nursery.
Ashfur!
