This. Took. Forever.
Sorry to everyone for not posting my next chapter but I've been busy! Anyway…
Please read my Guess the cat poems and review! It would mean the world to me!
Anyway again… Enjoy!
Moonwhisker yawned as she felt tiny paws kneading her belly. She winced as one of the kits pushed harder and harder until she felt she was being clawed with tiny claws on her belly.
"Ow." She groaned.
"Are you okay?" Moonwhisker looked around. Poppyfrost was sitting up in her nest, looking at her.
"I don't think I have any milk." She fretted, looking down at her kits. They started mewling, their pink tongues sticking out.
"Ill get Dovesplash." The queen mewed, walking out of the nursery. Moonwhisker nodded, stroking her smallest kits back.
"Hush, my little darlings." She mewed, licking them on their head.
"Mother?" A small squeak came from Moonwhiskers belly. She looked down and saw beautiful blue-green eyes.
"Cloverkit?" Moonwhisker squinted her eyes and saw a tiny light brown body.
"Im hungry." She mewed, nuzzling her mother's belly. Moonwhisker purred.
"You will get some food soon." She promised, licking her head. Her kit nodded, cuddling up to her paw.
"Here you go." Moonwhisker looked up at Dovesplash as she placed a bunch of hairy leaves at her paws.
"Borage leaves will help you make more milk." She mewed, nudging the herbs towards her with her black paw.
"Thanks." Moonwhisker purred, picking the leaves up in her jaws. She chewed on the bitter herbs, nose wrinkling with disgust. Moonwhisker sighed with relief as the rustling of the trees on the cliff above her, calmed her down.
"M-moonwhisker?" A small grey kit bounced on his mother's paws.
"Robinkit!" Moonwhisker purred, nuzzling her son. He purred and jumped down next to Shimmerkit. Her tiny body was still.
"Shimmerkit wont wake up." He mewed, poking her with a tiny paw. Moonwhiskers heart pounded in her throat as she looked down at her beautiful kit.
"No." She whispered, nudging her gently. "No!"
"I'll get Dovesplash." Blossomfalls mew sounded somewhere in the darkness of the nursery. Moonwhisker rasped her tongue on Shimmerkits fur.
"Please, my darling, don't leave me." She pleaded, curling her tail tighter around her kit.
"Whats wrong with her?" Cloverkit mewled. Moonwhisker looked down at her tiny kits. Robinkit was pressed against his sister, his fur was bristled and messy.
"Nothing, my sweets, go back to sleep." She purred, trying her best to smile. The kits nodded, lying down next to her belly. Robinkits tail was wrapped around Cloverkit as their breathing slowed.
"Dovesplash." Moonwhisker sighed, pushing her kit towards the medicine cat as she pushed through the entrance.
"I think she's breathing but she's so cold." Moonwhisker mewed, looking at her kit as Dovesplash dropped a wad of herbs from her jaws and examined her daughter.
"She is very weak," Dovesplash explained, grabbing her by her tiny scruff and placing her beside Moonwhiskers belly. "Starclan will decide her fate now." Moonwhisker whimpered as she looked at her daughter's tiny paws and beautiful silver fur.
"Starpool, mother, please let her stay." She pleaded, raising her head to the roof of the nursery. "Don't take both of them away from me." She thanked the medicine cat as she rested her head beside her still daughter's body.
"Stay with me." She whispered, pushing the rest of her kits towards their still sister. Moonwhisker shivered as a cold breeze blew through the side of the den. She gathered her kits closer to her, licking their fur the wrong way, warming them up.
"Ill look after you." She mewed determinedly. "None of you will die." Resting her tired body against her feather soft nest, she closed her eyes.
"Moonwhisker?" A soft voice whispered from the entrance. Moonwhisker grunted but didn't have enough energy to speak.
"Ill look after you and your kits, my sweet." Moonwhisker purred as she felt her mate lick her on her head. Her mind went blank as sleep wrapped around her.
"Mother!" Moonwhisker groaned as a small paw prodded her belly. "Wake up! Shimmerkits awake!" Moonwhiskers eyes shot open. She looked down at her kit and saw she was stirring.
"Shimmerkit?" Moonwhisker mewed, licking her kit.
"Mother?" She mewled, looking up at her. Moonwhisker purred. Her eyes were a dazzling blue.
"My darling!" She purred harder, fiercely licking her head. "Thank you, Starclan"
"Can we go outside?" Robinkit mewed, looking up at her with his amber eyes. Moonwhisker looked at their frail bodies.
"I don't know…"
"Ill go with them if you want." Cherryfall offered, stroking Flowerkit with her fluffy tail. Flowerkit purred, nuzzling her mother's head. Moonwhisker blinked affectionately at Flowerkit, feeling warmed by Cherryfalls love towards her kit.
"Sure." Moonwhisker purred, licking her kits on their head. Robinkit squealed and raced out of the nursery, Cloverkit close behind. Shimmerkit was slower, stumbling over her small paws. Moonwhisker nudged her with her muzzle and she finally gained her balance. With a squeal, she was outside. Moonwhisker sighed. The nursery was quiet, Poppyfrost took her kits out, Daisy went to the lake for a drink and Blossomfall was asleep, her snores echoing through the empty nursery. Moonwhisker rested her head on her paws. As she closed her eyes, she pictured Starpool. Her voice echoed in her ears.
"Beware the cat with the pelt the colour of pale pearls. The predators will become the prey, and the lost ones will be found."
Moonwhiskers eyes flicked open. She hadn't thought about the prophecy since that night!
"Pelt the colour of pale pearls." Moonwhisker murmured, deep in thought. "Who are the lost ones?" She wondered aloud.
In the great battle, quite a few cats died twice… Is that what they mean by the lost ones? Moonwhiskers eyes closed with concentration.
"Moonwhisker?" She flattened her ears against her head, blocking out the voice.
How can we become the prey? None of this makes sense! She clawed her nest with frustration. She shook her head and opened her eyes, surprised to see Alderbark standing over her.
"Sorry." She mumbled, her ears burning with embarrassment. Alderbarks eyes were narrowed with worry.
"I was wondering if you were hungry." Moonwhisker looked at her stretched belly. It was still quite swollen and swayed when she walked. She tore her gaze away and back to her mate.
"I could eat." She shrugged, getting shakily to her paws. She swayed, and for a heart-beat thought she was going to fall, but Alderbark quickly darted to her side and let her lean her battered body against his. She gratefully licked his cheek and, side by side, they walked out to the fresh-kill pile. Moonwhisker squinted her eyes against the bright sun. She felt the suns warm rays travel down her pelt until she purred softly.
"Watch it!" Alderbark hissed as a slender grey she-cat darted past them. Moonwhisker looked her up and down as she apologetically bowed her head. Moonwhisker nudged Alderbark.
"Don't be so mean." She purred, looking towards the unfamiliar she-cat.
"Who are you?" She mewed softly. The cat looked up. Her eyes shone with curiosity.
"Im Sage. Your leader has allowed me to stay here until my sis is old enough to fend for herself." Moonwhisker blinked. Sis? What does that mean? Almost as if reading her mind, Sage replied.
"My litter-mate, Sky." Moonwhisker let out a 'mrrow' of amusement.
"Welcome to Thunderclan! Im Moonwhisker." She meowed warmly. Sage blinked.
"Is that what you call your camp?" Moonwhisker nodded, beckoning her forward. Alderbark nodded to Sage and helped Moonwhisker sit beside the fresh-kill pile. Moonwhisker thanked him and picked out a scrawny looking sparrow from the pile.
"A queen without proper food, is a queen without milk, and a queen without milk, is a mourning mother." A large black paw tossed the sparrow to the top of the pile and dug out a plump mouse from the bottom.
"Dovesplash, I don't need that! Im not even hung-"
"I don't care." Dovesplash interrupted Moonwhiskers protests. "You have three extra mouths to feed and that hard kitting you went through has left you weak. Now, as your medicine cat, I am ordering you to eat."
"But-"
"No buts." Dovesplash growled. Moonwhisker sighed.
"You're exactly like Jayfeather you know that?" Moonwhisker sighed and took a small bite of the mouse. It was still warm. She swallowed and turned to her sister.
"Satisfied?" Dovesplash nodded happily and padded back over to the medicine cat den. Moonwhisker sighed and looked back at Sage. The rogues eyes were wide.
"Well that's my sister!" Moonwhisker announced. Sage purred.
"She seems nice." Moonwhisker nodded and nudged the mouse towards her.
"Hungry?" Sage nodded and devoured the mouse, swiping her tongue over her muzzle.
Moonwhisker blinked. She must be starving! She thought.
"Moonwhisker?"
"Yes." Sage looked towards the warriors den then back at her.
"Can you tell me more about the clans?" Moonwhisker purred.
"Sure! But I will have to leave soon. My kits will get bored." Sage smiled.
"You have kits?" Moonwhisker nodded, pointing towards the apprentices den where Cherryfall was showing her kits around the den.
"Three. Shimmerkit, Robinkit and Cloverkit." Sage looked around.
"So this is Thunderclan." She mewed. Moonwhisker nodded.
"Yes. This is Thunderclan. There are three other clans. Windclan lives on the moor. They can run incredibly fast and they eat rabbits and sometimes birds. Their leader is Onestar, he is getting pretty old but he still leads Windclan strongly.
"The next clan is Riverclan. They live next to the river. They can swim and they eat fish. I know, pretty gross right?" Sage stuck out her tongue and wrinkled her nose. Moonwhisker purred as she continued.
"Their leader is Reedstar. The previous leader, Mistystar, died a while ago, some say she died of old-age, what a way to go.
"Next, there's Shadowclan. They are very prickly and I wouldn't mess with them if I were you. They eat lizards, frogs, birds and squirrels. Their previous leader, Blackstar, died before I was born and now Rowanstar leads their clan.
"Then there's us." Moonwhisker waved her tail around camp.
"I don't really see anything 'special' about us except for the fact we can climb trees really well and we can travel easily through thick undergrowth and brambles whereas the other clans would probably stumble and trip. That's our advantage against the other clans if they attack us close to camp. Our leader is Squirrelstar and our deputy is Lionblaze." Sage nodded, her eyes wide with awe.
"Can you show me around camp?" She asked. Moonwhisker slowly shook her head.
"Sorry, im too exhausted to walk around. I kitted only two sunrises ago." Sage looked disappointed but she only smiled.
"That's fine. How about we talk some more?" Moonwhisker nodded.
"What about?" Sage thought for a moment before she, once again, looked towards the second warriors den.
"Your family!" Moonwhisker purred.
"My family is very complicated, but ok!" She looked around for a moment before she started.
"Well, my mother's mother is Hollyfrost. She died when I was an apprentice. I remember trying to comfort my mother after she died but she was filled with too much grief to talk." Moonwhiskers eyes saddened as she continued. "Hollyfrosts mate is Thornfur, he died next to Hollyfrost. A fox killed them while they were out in the forest. My mother is Starpool. She died a moon and a half ago. My father is still alive, his name is Hawkthorn." Sage nodded.
"What about Froststorm?" Moonwhisker pointed to her brother as he walked over to them.
"Hello." He mewed nervously. Moonwhisker eyed him. What was making her brother so nervous?
"Hi," She mewed cheerily. "Froststorm is my brother." Sage nodded and looked away. Moonwhisker coughed awkwardly as Sage moved away from her brother.
"Mother!" Robinkits squeal made Moonwhisker sigh with relief. She didn't like being in the middle of Froststorm and Sage. Something weird was going on and she wanted no part in it.
"Oh no. Looks like I have to go. Welcome to Thunderclan! Bye." She quickly got to her paws and padded over to her kits. Robinkit was on his back, his eyes wide with fear.
"Cloverkit pushed me!" He cried. Moonwhisker purred and nudged her son to his paws.
"I want a badger ride!" Cloverkit mewled. Moonwhisker sighed and crouched down. Cloverkit squealed and climbed onto her mothers back. Moonwhisker winced as Cloverkits thorn-sharp claws dug into her back.
"Where do you want to go?" Moonwhisker meowed through gritted teeth. Cloverkit pointed her tail towards the warriors den.
"Go there!" Moonwhisker purred and stomped towards the den. She jumped up and down and swayed side to side, causing Cloverkit to squeal with delight. Moonwhisker puffed as Cloverkit bounced up and down on her flank. Moonwhisker sighed with relief as Cloverkit asked to be put down.
"Kits." She sighed, nudging Cloverkit with her tail.
"Yeah. You learn to love 'em." Sparrowpelt sat down beside Moonwhisker as she raised a forepaw to wash her ear. She turned to look at her aunt.
"Hi Sparrowpelt," She mewed. Sparrowpelt dipped her head.
"Hello. How are they?" She asked. Moonwhisker parted her jaws to yawn.
"Fine," She sighed. Sparrowpelt seemed restless, as if she wanted to say something. Moonwhisker remembered Starpool telling her how Sparrowpelt had never forgiven her when Stormkit died, she remembered the day so well. Moonwhisker jumped as Sparrowpelt let out a soft growl of frustration and stalked away. She shrugged and padded towards the warriors den. She sat down and watched her kits as they pestered Oakpaw nearby. The apprentice only purred at them and raised his tail to pat them on the head. Moonwhisker walked over to them and sat beside Oakpaw.
"How is your training going?" She asked. Oakpaw flattened his ears against his head with embarrassment.
"Good." Moonwhisker flicked her ears. It was quite a strange thing to do, talk to an apprentice. Moonwhisker purred and grabbed Robinkit by his scruff.
"Come on, kits. Time for a nap." They all whined and mewed protests but Moonwhisker only purred with amusement.
"I'll tell you a story." She added. Cloverkit squealed and raced into the nursery, Shimmerkit on her heels. Moonwhisker placed Robinkit and purred as he ran away as well, his tail flying out behind him. She sighed with happiness as she settled down beside her kits.
"I'll tell you about Starpool. Now, where do I begin…"
Short and boring. Sorry but i've started to lose interest inn the story! I have been mostly working on my other warriors fanfic and poems! new chapter tomorrow!
Happy Hunting!
~Fernsky