Chapter.10.
"Berrypaw. Berrypaw."
"Huh?" Berrypaw awoke to see Cherryeye nudging her.
"Berrypaw wake up! Moonstep's kitting." Berrypaw was on her paws. It was important to the clan that Moonstep's kits were healthy, and not just because there were only four warrior apprentices and one was injured, but also because Moonstep was getting old, and not as strong. "Come on. It'll be your first time delivering kits.
"Is she gonna be all right?" Dunclaw's anxious mew sounded outside the nursery. He was the father of these kits.
"I've done this before." Moonstep comforted.
"I know." Sunclaw murmured. "I'm just worried because I care."
"Can he come in?" Moonstep asked. Cherryeye nodded. Moonstep just started, and the kits wouldn't be coming until later. Sunclaw came in. The nursery was getting kind of crowded. Ivybreeze moved into the nursery. The gray and white she cat was expecting Oakfoot's kits.
"Aaaaahhh!" Moonstep screaming roused Sunclaw.
"Is she OK?" Sunclaw pestered Cherryeye.
"Maybe it's best if you leave." Cherryeye suggested.
"But she's OK, isn't she."
"She'll be fine." Berrypaw answered.
Moonstep had 4 kits, but only three of them survived. She had a tortoiseshell she-kit named Speckletail, a ginger tom named Scramblekit, and another white she-kit name Tinykit. "They're beautiful." Volepaw came up beside Berrypaw.
"I'm just gonna get some moss." Berrypaw quickly rushed out of the nursery.
"What's wrong?" Shinypaw just returned from patrol.
"Nothing. I just need to give Moonstep some moss."
"Did Moonstep's kitting go well?"
"Three out of four survived."
"Is that why your upset?"
"I'm not upset!"
"Yes, you are!" Shinypaw wasn't gonna stop.
"Just leave me alone!"
"No! I'm coming with you!"
"Shinypaw!" She wanted to be alone. She didn't want to talk about Volepaw.
"The one kit doesn't matter. You saved the other three."
"OK Shinypaw!"
"Berrypaw! Listen to me. I know there's something and I'm not going away until you tell me."
"I'll get the moss than meet me out, beside the squirrel tree." In Riverclan, squirrels were not as popular as in Thunderclan, but squirrel tree was crawling with them. Shinypaw nodded.
"So, what's up." Shinypaw met up with Berrypaw.
"Is there any way I can not tell you?" Berrypaw pleaded. She knew that shinypaw was determined to know everything, and leaving her sister out could make her upset. But to Berrypaw's surprise Shinypaw nodded
"I can see you don't feel like talking." Shinypaw said. "I won't make you." Berrypaw sighed with relief.
Berrypaw got back to the medicine den. The rest of the clan were getting ready to sit vigil for the last kit, which Moonstep named Burrkit.
"Hey Berrypaw!" The enthusiastic voice of gingerpaw sounded through the medicine den. "I was hoping you'd come. I want to play!" Berrypaw stared at Gingerpaw's leg. It was fur-less, covered with dried blood, and broken. There was a poultice of marigold on it, and it smelled bad.
"You should rest it." Berrypaw mewed.
"Then tell me a story."
"Ok." Berrypaw tried to tell the story of when the four clans came to the lake, but Gingerpaw won't listen. He tried to tell about the moth he nearly caught, or the Vole Dovepaw brought. Berrypaw told him about the three kits she delivered. In the middle of talking, Berrypaw fell asleep.
When Gingerpaw woke up, Berrypaw was going through her store of herbs. "Berrypaw?" He asked. "Will I ever become a warrior?" Berrypaw realized for the first time that he might not. No! She thought. Gingerpaw deserved to be a warrior. And she would do anything to make him one.