Hey guys. Yep, finished Chapter Nine already! I kind half-crapped it though. Not in quality of the story, but in quality of the proofreading. xD I did spell check but I'm too lazy to check it over myself. So if you find any mistakes, please let me know and I'll fix em.

Oh yeah. There is a birthing scene in this. Don't worry, it's not really graphic, no more than the regular Warriors birthing scenes I guess, but if it's too uncomfortable for you, skip ahead to the end. I'll put a note right before the scene, so you can skip it all, but read everything else. xD

Enjoy~

Chapter Nine

"Hang on Cardinalpaw!" cried Bravepaw. "We're coming!"

And how do expect we're to do that? Dappleheart thought frantically, her mind racing and her yellow-green eyes wide in terror. If she was this scared she could only imagine how badly frightened Cardinalpaw was. Her throat tightened as she watched the little cat's paw slip off the stone, nearly causing her to tumble into the water, but she quickly regained control and managed to situate herself back on the rock. Think Dappleheart, think! She tried to calm her brain, but to little avail.

Cardinalpaw let out a mew of distress and met Bravepaw's eyes, then Dappleheart's. Without warning, Bravepaw leapt forward and plunged into the water, the rapids immediately tugging her away.

"No Bravepaw!" Dapleheart meowed, lunging forward, the water now lapping hungrily at her paws, and grabbing the black and white apprentice's tail before the water swept her out of reach. She tugged her apprentice back onto the land, and the cat shivered, plopping to the ground, but trying to push herself back to her paws. If only she had thought to bring another warrior or two with her, not a young apprentice. She needed more help! But it was too late to run back to camp by now. Cardinalpaw could be gone by then, flying down the overflowing creek.

Dappleheart let out a miserable yowl, hoping that some cat would here it and hopefully come to her and Cardinalpaw's rescue, but the odds were unlikely. "What do we do?" Bravepaw's anguished meow came from next to her.

I don't know, truthfully. But Dappleheart couldn't say that. She had to hold on to hope, even as it slipped away as if down the river. StormClan cats weren't taught how to swim. Sometimes CloudClan cats fished when land prey was scarce, so some of them knew how to swim. But CloudClan was far away, beyond the creek. Some rogues knew how to swim as well, but hardly any had been reported in any of the Clans' territories lately. Cardinalpaw was a goner, wasn't she?

Dappleheart let out another yowl, followed by Bravepaw and Cardinalpaw. Dappleheart looked farther down the creek and saw a relatively large wave of water rushing straight toward the endanger apprentice. "Cardinalpaw, no!" she cried, springing her muscles to leap into the water, but she wasn't quick enough, the wave crashed down on top of Cardinalpaw's rock, and the apprentice was gone.

Bravepaw let out a cry of agony and flung herself to the ground. "Nooo!" she howled, and Dappleheart felt a lump rising in her throat. But then, hope fluttered in her chest, if only the tiniest amount, when she saw a rusty colored head emerge in rapids, yowling in distress. Without thinking, Dappleheart leapt into the water, shocked by the cold temperature and the powerful currents of it, but she lunged forward in it until her paws no longer touched the wet, mushy earth. Cardinalpaw was a tail-length away, not even, and with a grunt, Dappleheart pushed forward and grabbed the apprentice's scruff in her jaws.

Her paws stung and her throat wound burned painfully, and she gritted her teeth and narrowed her eyes as she tried to bear it. She spotted Bravepaw running along the shore, yowling and meowing as she followed them. Dappleheart thanked StarClan that she knew not to jump in the water as well. She struggled against the waves, doing her best to keep Cardinalpaw's head above water, as well as her own. She looked ahead and saw the creek dip at a steep angle slightly, and knew that under the water would be a bunch of dangerous rocks. Even though the fall was only a little less than a tail-length, the currents would push them under and they'd be done for.

"Okay, Cardinalpaw, I'm gonna throw you," she whispered to the apprentice through the fur. "You'll be alright. Gather up your herbs and go home. I'll be fine. Alright?"

She heard Cardinalpaw give a mew of protest, but before she could do anything about it, Dappleheart used all of her strength and threw the she-cat to the shore, where Bravepaw was immediately all over her, making sure she was alright. But then the apprentice realized that her mentor was still in the water, and saw the fall into the sharp rocks. "Dappleheart, no!" she cried in agony.

The dappled she-cat looked ahead and could see the tips of some of the rocks under the murky water, but she found herself surprisingly calm, even though she was practically knocking at Death's door. Cardinalpaw is safe, that's all that matters.

She tumbled over the edge and found herself underwater, only seconds away from the waiting rocks. The currents pushed her so quickly toward them that she could hardly move her legs.

And then she felt strong jaws grab her scruff and yank her from the water half a heartbeat before she impacted. She was dropped onto land, soaked and muddy, and as she attempted to catch her breath, she looked up and saw Silverclaw standing over her.

Bravepaw bounded over to her and Cardinalpaw limped after her. "Dappleheart, are you alright?" she asked.

Dappleheart smiled. "I think so. Silverclaw, how did you save me?" She now realized that Viperpaw was standing behind him.

"I heard your guys' cries for help, so I raced out of camp and Viperpaw sort of tagged along. I guess I got here just in time."

"Dappleheart, I was so scared you weren't gonna make it!" Bravepaw mewed.

Cardinalpaw padded up to her. "Thank you Dappleheart," she sat down and flicked an eye.

"No problem," Dappleheart replied, reaching up to lick the apprentice's muddy forehead. "What about your herbs?"

Cardinalpaw shuffled her paws. "Well, I gathered the irises and the ragwort and stored them under a rock. I checked the place where Willowbreeze had said the narcissus grew, and the rain must've uprooted and destroyed them. But I knew that there was a patch on a hill beyond the creek, so I crossed it and collected some, but when I came back only ten minutes later, the creek was a river! I dropped the narcissus flowers and they're long gone, but even if I could manage to cross the river, we wouldn't have the time! But Sageflower needs them…" she trailed off, dragging her tail through the mud.

"It's okay," Dappleheart reassured her, rising to her paws. "I'm sure what you already collected is enough. Come on, we need to get back to camp, fast!"

They headed back to the camp, Cardinalpaw stopping to gather the herbs she stored under the rock.

The StormClan camp was on a slightly elevated piece of land, only a tail-length or so higher than everything else, and the ground around it was beginning to flood. Puddles of mud were starting to collect in the clearing through, and the rain broke through even the shadiest of areas in the camp.

When they finally arrived, Willowbreeze was padding out of the nursery. "The first kit is coming!" she mewed. Her gaze rested on Cardinalpaw and her eyes lit up, but only the tiniest bit. "Thank StarClan you're alright! And you have the herbs!" She padded up to her apprentice and nuzzled the young she-cat nose before gingerly taking the medicine.

Cardinalpaw cleared her throat. "But… I could get the narcissus…"

"That's alright. There are plenty of iris petals here to make it up. Come inside Cardinalpaw, I'll need your help." Willowbreeze began padding back to the nursery. She looked over her shoulder at Dappleheart. "You can come too," she mewed.

Dappleheart nodded, then looked at her Clanmates. "Bravepaw, go back to the den, and if anyone asks, tell them what happened. No exaggerating it either, understood?"

Bravepaw nodded and bounded off, her brother following.

Silverclaw looked at her and sighed. "Do you want me to come, too?" he asked.

"No," Dappleheart told him.

The warrior narrowed his eyes but gave a curt nod, before padding off towards the warriors' den in the soaking rain.

When she padded into the nursery, Dappleheart saw Sageflower laying in the middle of the den on a nest of dry grass, leaves, and moss. Her flanks were heaving and her body convulsed. Willowbreeze stood by her back, murmuring soothing words as she laid her paw on the queen's flanks. "Four kits," she mewed, looking at Cardinalpaw, who was by Sageflower's head, giving the she-cat a twig to bite down on.

Lining the walls of the nursery sat Firepelt and Fadingheart, who had their kits swept close to them with their tails.

Dappleheart padded further in. "Do you need my help?" she asked.

Willowbreeze nodded. "When the first kits comes, I need to lick it clean, okay?"

Dappleheart nodded and stood next to the medicine cat.

"Okay, Sageflower, you ready?" Willowbreeze asked.

The queen managed a nod, and Willowbreeze counted to three.

The stick cracked in her jaws as the first kit tumbled into Dappleheart's paws. The warrior immediately started licking it, and Willowbreeze prepared for the second one.

But Dappleheart noticed something about this one. It wasn't mewling like kits normally do when born, or even waving its paws around.

"Uhh… Willowbreeze, you might want to check this one."

"I'll do it," Cardinalpaw replied, padding over to them. She sniffed at the kit, and then placed an ear close to its chest. She took up a grim expression. "It's… dead," she mewed.

Dappleheart heard an audible sigh of grief from the queens at the back of the nursery, and Sageflower let out a cry of anguish.

Willowbreeze took a deep breath. It wasn't too rare for kits in litters of larger numbers to be born dead. She was glad that Firepelt and Fadingheart's kits were all relatively healthy. But these kits were a moon early, also, so it wasn't a great surprise to her.

When the second kit came, Dappleheart cleaned it and was glad to see it was moving, if only slightly. She put it by Sageflower's belly and the queen gave a pained smile and the kit curled up. Wasn't it supposed to be searching for milk though?

The third one was the largest. Cardinalpaw helped Dappleheart clean him, but then Cardinalpaw gave a whimper. "Willowbreeze, this one's dead too…" she mewed sadly.

Willowbreeze shook her head gravely. Sageflower mewed in sadness, but then yowled as another contraction shook her body.

"Last one," Willowbreeze told her.

The fourth one let out a mew as soon as Dappleheart had him in her paws. She groomed him quickly, but he stopped mewing after she was done, and when he was put by his mother, there was no reaction. Cardinalpaw shook his head, and Willowbreeze padded over to the remaining kit, pushing him towards his mother's milk, but with no response. The kit lay motionless.

"No! It can't be!" Sageflower cried.

The kits at the back of nursery let out mewls of sadness, and Dappleheart thought she heard Cricketkit say "We're not getting any new playmates?"

Suddenly, Sageflower's yowl cut through the air. Willowbreeze's pelt stood on end and she quickly pressed a paw to the queen's flank. "There's a fifth!" she yowled.

The three cats got back into position. The final kit slid into Dappleheart's readied paws, and she cleaned it furiously. He was the smallest of the five, and Cardinalpaw swept away the body of his dead brother at his mother's stomach and pushed him towards the milk.

Willowbreeze prodded him gently and sniffed him. He seemed rather hungry and Willowbreeze beamed. "Well, for a runt he's perfectly healthy. Strong too, I'm surprised he made it out of the other four."

Sageflower gave a bittersweet smile as she licked at the kit. He was a little silver tabby with neat black cheetah spots and a white belly. "What will you name him?" Willowbreeze asked.

Sageflower thought for a moment, then flicked an ear and beamed. "Lifekit," she stated.

"That's a perfect name!" Cardinalpaw mused happily. "Little Lifekit."

Dappleheart bent down and touched her nose gently to his back. "Welcome to StormClan, Lifekit."

So, you likey? For those of you who skipped that scene, here's a summary.

Willowbreeze felt four kits, but they all died either when they were born or soon after. However, Sageflower let out a yowl and Willowbreeze felt there was another kit. He was the runt, but he survived, and they named him Lifekit. He's a little silver tabby tom with black cheetah spots and a white chest and belly.

That scene was kinda awkward to write. I've never written a birthing scene before. xD There's a first time for everything.

Until next time kiddies, toodles~