Silver watched from the top of the nursery as her father led two new cats into the alleyway. One was a golden tom and the other was a petite silver she-cat. "BloodClan, gather around."
The three queens hopped onto the nursery lid with Silver and watched as the meeting took place.
"Meet our newest BloodClan members. This is Romeo, he's here to help aid us against the Thundercats, and Juliet, she has a knowledge of herbs to give Silver and the kits after they are born." Slate announced and the toms burst into a round of cheers and yells.
"Sure, he finds his daughter someone to help the kits." Rain muttered and rolled her eyes. Sliver ignored the irrational queen and let the three other she-cats hop back into the nursery. It wasn't like she had any business being down there, all they did was gossip about the toms and fawn over Smudge.
"You must be Silver." Romeo greeted from below. Juliet stood next to him and was looking around nervously. "Slate has told us so much about you."
"Yeah, whatever." Silver rolled her eyes and settled onto the nursery lid. She had to lay at an angle because of her bulging stomach.
"Be nice, Silver." Nimbus called from the food pile. He was busy sharing tongues with Chrome and Chip, but not too busy to eavesdrop on Silvers conversation.
"So who's the lucky tom?" Juliet asked nervously. "Slate said it might be Havoc?"
Silver snorted. Havoc? "Believe whatever you'd like, but the father of these kits are my business and nobody else's."
"Silver what did I say about being nice?" Nimbus growled playfully and the fluffy silver she-cat rolled her amber eyes. She didn't answer, but simply lashed her furry tail at her friend.
Silver closed her eyes and silently prayed that everyone would just leave her alone already. She was going through major Thornclaw withdrawal and everyone was making her simply furious lately.
"Um, right... We'll see you later then." Romeo muttered and Silver heard him walk away, along with his companion.
Silver let out a sigh of relief but her happiness was short lived as she heard a clanging sound as someone leapt onto the nursery top with her. By the smell of it, it was Chrome.
"You are positively horrific, you know that?" Chrome sneered and Silver rolled her amber eyes.
"This is coming from half of what even your own fatherly figure likes to call the Nightmares. Compared to you, I'm amazing." Silver snorted and looked Chrome up and down, "speaking of which, where is your other half?"
"Talking with the new guy." Chrome shrugged. Ever since Soots death, neither of the Nightmares had been the same. They lost all joy and resorted to smirking and sneers instead of their yells of happiness and playfulness.
"Do you want anything else, Nightmare, or can you just leave already?" Silver snapped. She was not in the mood to deal with anyone, especially a kit for that matter.
Silver didn't await an answer. Instead, she turned and used her back paws to lunge off the roof and into the nursery, landing more gracefully than the first few times she had.
The second her paws hit the ground, she felt a jarring sensation in her stomach and immediately collapsed under the sudden pain. "Help!" she screeched.
The three queens immediately rushed around Silver, leaving Smudge to fend for himself at the far end of the nursery. "Silver, you're having your kits!" Rain grinned and the silver she-cat rolled her amber eyes.
"No, really? I never would have guessed after the last few moons!" she screeched. "Someone go get Juliet! Now!"
Mink jumped out of the nursery and Silver could hear her calling for the newcomer. Silver didn't really want to trust a stranger as new as Juliet with her kitting but it looked like she didn't really have much of a choice. There was no way she could just set the kitting back another moon or so.
"Everyone, back up, I need space." Juliet yelled as she entered the nursery. Haze and Mink backed up but Rain clearly wanted to help because she stayed up close and personal.
"Rain, get out of my face!" Silver snarled, "I'm having kits right now for StarClans sake, I don't need you right by my side!"
The queen pouted but took a step back as another ripple of pain was sent through Silvers body. She let out a small yelp of pain and bit down hard on her teeth. "When will it be over?" she cried.
"Don't worry, it won't be long. Haze, when I came, I brought a small bundle of herbs, I need you to go get them for me." Juliet ordered and the quiet she-cat nodded before trotting away.
Haze came back with the herbs and the day progressed with Silver screaming out random profanities, silently begging StarClan for strength and cursing Thornclaw for making her endure this.
Finally, when Silver was ready to give up, she screamed loudly and felt a small bundle slip out. She couldn't see as Juliet nipped the sack and set the new kit by Silvers side. "One more."
Silver nodded and felt the same pain as the first kit and once again, screamed long and loudly; resulting in a kit falling into the moss she was laying on.
"Ooh! A tom and a she-cat!" Mink yelped as the second kit was placed by Silvers side. "What are you going to name them?"
"Sparrow." Silver said, pointing her exhausted tail to the small black one. The she-cat was the other, a silver kit. She looked much like her mother but more slender like her father. "Rose."
Sparrow had the same muscular build as Thornclaw but with fluffy fur like Silver. Only black with a white spot on his chest, and Rose was the exact opposite.
Sparrow was named after the obvious, Thornclaw and Silvers entire relationship revolved around when they first fought over the sparrow. And Rose because, every rose has its thorn. Or Thornclaw, in this case.
"Here, eat these I guess." Juliet shrugged and pushed the herbs close to the new mother.
"You guess?" Silver asked uneasily, "what are they?"
"just, er, kitting herbs. Parsley to help the milk come, poppy seeds to ease the pain, marigold to help you sleep." Juliet answered and Silver hesitantly lapped them up. None of that sounded right, Thornclaw had mentioned some stuff about herbs and she was pretty sure none of that made sense.
Oh well, Silver wasn't the medicine cat. She would just have to trust Juliet.
"Parsley?" Haze wondered aloud, "that doesn't help the milk come. It makes it stop?"
The entire nursery froze in place, Silver halfway into munching on a poppy seed. She had already taken the parsley. "What?"