Toadpaw's p.o.v
I wish blossompaw was here. She always loved to see new kits being born. I thought as I listened to squirrelflight's yowls of pain. She and brambleclaw have been waiting forever for their kits to come.
I watched brambleclaw pacing in front of the nursery, calling out every 5 seconds to ask jayfeather if squirrelflight was ok. Rosepaw raced up to me. "Toadstep do you want to see the kits being born?" she asked. "Of course! But jayfeather would never let us." I sighed.
"Follow me." Rosepaw said and raced off. I followed her in confusion. "Rosepaw what…?" I said as I caught up to her but she cut me off. "Look through here" she instructed. A hole was stretched through the wall of the nursery.
I bent down and looked through the hole. Rosepaw did the same. Inside was squirrelflight wailing. "Oh starclan why did you have to make this hurt so much!"
"Don't worry it will be over soon, you only have two coming" leafpool said comfortingly. Jayfeather grunted. "The first one is coming" he mewed. Just as he said that squirrelflight let out an ear-splitting yowl and small wet bundle slid out and flopped on the ground.
"Daisy, nip open the sack and lick it to get it breathing." Jayfeather instructed and daisy did so. "That's going to be our new playmate!" cherrykit mewed to molekit. (Yes I know I have a whacked up timeline.)
"Hush little kits, squirrelflight is going through a hard time and she shouldn't be disturbed." Poppyfrost told her kits. Sorreltail was curled around lilykit.
I could see she was still grieving for seedkit but she had one eye open watch the queen giving birth. Lilykit was staring wide eyed at the ginger she-cat, all grieving forgotten.
A screech filled the air and another small bundle slithered to the ground. After nipping the sack and licking the kit, leafpool nudged the kit towards its mother.
Daisy did the same and both kits started to suckle. "Brambleclaw come and meet you're…" jayfeather started to say but brambleclaw rushed in before he could finish.
"They're amazing" he breathed. "What shall we name them?" he added.
One kit was a dusty grey-brown with short dark black stripes, a black tail tip and a tuft of black fur sprouting from its head. It was a tom. He had bright amber eyes. The tom stopped suckling and let out a small burp.
Squirrelflight purred. "He was fast drinking that." She mewed, amused. "How about we name him flashkit?" brambleclaw asked. "Perfect" squirrelflight murmured.
The second kit was a sandy-creamy ginger colour. Not as light as sandstorm but not the dark ginger that squirrelflight was. It had a white belly and chest, a white muzzle and blaze, and a white tail tip. It was a small she-cat with leaf green eyes.
I heard a finch twittering from somewhere out in the forest and by the looks of it so did brambleclaw and squirrelflight. The small she-cat mewled and curled up next to her brother. "Finchkit" squirrelflight said. "Yes. Welcome to the world of the clans swiftkit and finchkit." Brambleclaw said softly.
I stood up. "Let's leave them now" I said. Blossompaw would really have loved to see that.
"And we should probably block up this hole too, in case the kits get out." Rosepaw commented.
I started to say yes when briarpaw raced through the entrance to the camp. "Quick, someone! Brackenfur, dustpelt and icecloud are being attacked by three foxes!" she yowled franticly.
"WHAT?!" brambleclaw screeched, rushing out of the nursery. "I will not let anything harm my kits" he growled. "Kits?" briarpaw asked confused.
"Yes squirrelflight just gave birth to a tom and a she-cat." Leafpool told her.
Firestar leapt up onto the high ledge. "Briarpaw has just told us that three foxes have attacked her patrol. Birchfall, lionblaze, toadpaw and spiderleg can go to help them. Briarpaw can show you where to go." He said.
"Firestar could I go to?" brightheart spoke up. "Brightheart? Why do you want to go?" firestar asked surprised. "Brackenfur is on that patrol, and I don't want to lose both my brothers in the same moon." She said firmly.
"Very well" firestar said before leaping down.
Our patrol raced out of the camp, following briarpaw into the forest. I could already hear the yowls and barks of the cats battling the foxes. I raced ahead to join the fight but lionblaze flicked his tail for me to stop.
"We can't just stand here wasting time!" I protested. "Let's just see what we are up against before barging in." he said and peered cautiously through the bushes, only to scramble back as icecloud was thrown against the bushes. I opened my mouth to ask if she was ok but she leapt up and threw herself back at a fox.
There was a two huge foxes, one slightly smaller. There was a third fox, not as big as the others, but much bigger than a cat. Dustpelt was clinging on the back of the biggest fox, brackenfur was dodging blows from the second biggest and icecloud was hanging on to the smallest foxes tail for dear life as it ran around trying to throw her off.
"Briarpaw you attack the fox dustpelt has with me, brightheart and spiderleg you help brackenfur and toadpaw and Birchfall take the fox icecloud has." Lionblaze said before leaping at the fox dustpelt was hanging off as it stumbled past.
Briarpaw shot out after him.
I raced over to the fox icecloud was being dragged around on. I clawed at its face and it stopped and dodged. Icecloud staggered off giving me a grateful glance as she ducked under the fox and tripped it up. Birchfall leapt on top of it and raked his claws down the foxes flank.
Icecloud leapt up and bit down hard on its leg. The fox yelped stumbled onto the ground. I ran around to its head and balanced on its muzzle, dodging its snapping jaws. I stabbed my claws straight into its eye.
The fox gave a strung out screech. I jabbed my claws hard into its other eye and it howled and tried to write away, but both icecloud and Birchfall were pummelling its stomach.
An ear-splitting screech split the air.
On the other side of the universe
I looked at jasper. "Did you just hear a cat yowl?" I asked my alien friend.
Back in the forest.
An ear-splitting screech split the air. Not a fox screech. I stopped clawing my foxes face. Birchfall and icecloud leapt off the fox. None of us paid attention as it ran into the bush (crashing into a few trees on the way). Spiderleg, brightheart and brackenfur turned away from watching their fox run into the distance.
I heard a sickening crunch.
The largest fox had plunged its fangs into briarpaw's back. (My story, my rules). At the same time all watching cats had leapt onto the fox. I could hardly see the fox under all the cats clawing it so I sunk my claws hard into the foxes flesh and ripped blindly.
After sometime we leapt off and raced over to briarpaw, ignoring the fox lying in the dirt, its lifeless eyes staring at the sky.
The she-cat was laying still and lionblaze had to put his ear right to her chest to hear her shallow breaths. "Toadpaw go and get jayfeather. I don't think we should move her.
Not blossompaw's sister! Poor blossompaw, coming home and finding her sister… like she is. I thought.
Speeding back through the camp entrance I stopped at Jayfeather's den. "JAYFEATHER BRAIRPAW IS HURT!" I yowled at him. He came out carry herbs show me.
"MY KIT WHERES MY KIT! MY POORPOORPOORPOORPOORPOORPOORPOORPOOR KIT!" Millie screeched like the dark forest.
"Graystripe padded through the entrance carrying a vole. "Where is briarpaw? I know she loves vole!" he said cheerily. Then his face fell when he saw Millie. "What happened?" he asked. "Briarpaw is hurt I said racing through the entrance with jayfeather.
A few seconds into the forest, graystripe and Millie passed us in a flash and when we reached briarpaw graystripe was bending over his daughter and Millie was wailing.
"Give her space" jayfeather snapped. We all watch as he bent over her and forced a few herbs down her throat. After a while she drearily opened her eyes.
"What happened?" she asked. "I remember pain… but there is no pain now." She added confused. "What do you mean you can feel anything?" Millie screeched.
Jayfeather remained quiet. "Close your eyes and tell me if you can feel this. He said to briarpaw then pressed a claw on her upper back. "Yeah I can feel that" briarpaw said.
Jayfeather moved his claws down. "How about now?" he asked. "What do you mean now? You aren't touching me." She said. Graystripe stiffened. "I am touching you briarpaw" jayfeather said. "Try standing." He added as briarpaw looked scared.
She stood up. And toppled down again. "My back legs! I can't feel them!" she gasped. "Oh my dear daughter!" Millie cried.
One moon later, after jayfeather asked littlecloud about briarpaw and stuff.
"Rosepaw. Your name shall now be rosepetal. Thunder clan thanks you for your kindness and your valiantness." Firestar said. "ROSEPETAL ROSEPETAL!" the clan cheered.
"toadpaw." Firestar continued, "Your name will now be toadstep. Thunder clan thanks you for your courage and quick thinking." The clan cheered my name and I stood proudly in front of them.
"this clan meeting will now…" firestar started to end the meeting but a yowl from the nursery cut him off. "My kits! My kits are gone!"
The kits are missing, briarpaw is paralysed, and blossompaw will have to return home in this chaos.