Teh Pwnzor: No, they didn't. They are hovering on the edge, able to hunt with StarClan, but in reality they are still living and breathing. I suppose one term for it could be "comatose". They are badly injured, but Leafpool is taking care of them.

Three moons had passed. Jayfeather and Willowheart lived in tunnels just outside ThunderClan territory. Jayfeather knew the she-cat was about to give birth, but he had no idea how to find borage and cobweb and such without venturing into ThunderClan territory; if he did that, some cat would follow his scent and trace him here, and who knew what would happen then?

So when Jayfeather was woken by Willowheart's cry of surprise, he knew exactly what was happening, without being able to see or venturing into her mind.

"Hang in there, Willowheart!" he cried.

How can a blind cat help a pregnant queen?

The answer came in the form of a gentle voice. "I will help you."

It was Fallen Leaves, the tom that had once drowned in the tunnels underneath ThunderClan territory, and that had wandered them ever since. He had helped Jayfeather to guide his friends from the tunnels lower down when they flooded. Now Jayfeather felt Fallen Leaves' soft pelt brush his.

"Follow me. I will lead you to the right herbs, before she starts giving birth."

Jayfeather nodded. "Take me there."

With his tail draped across the young medicine cat's shoulders, Fallen Leaves quickly steered him down another tunnel, and almost immediately Jayfeather smelled borage.

"There." Fallen Leaves directed him to it, and he picked it up in his mouth. "And over here, I gathered you some honey, so she will take it."

Jayfeather picked up the leaf, filled with thick, syrupy liquid, and felt it mix with the borage leaves.

"Reach out your paw," Fallen Leaves instructed, "there it is, the cobwebs. Don't worry about limping; I'll lead you back safely."

Jayfeather did as he was directed, and then he limped on three paws back toward Willowheart, who was beginning to whimper. He shook the cobwebs off impatiently and set down the borage by her head. "Thyme, Fallen Leaves?" he asked.

"There is none."

"What should I do?"

"It's in your mind, Jayfeather. I am no healer. You must think..."

Jayfeather had absolutely no idea what to do next, so he just began to stroke Willowheart's belly with one paw. "It'll all be okay," he told her soothingly. "It'll all be okay."

Her wails escalated and Jayfeather began to grow woozy. He could smell so much blood...Something was going wrong, he could tell...

o0o0o

By the time it was over, nine kits had been born.

Four had survived.

One was a beautiful she-kit, perfectly dappled and silver like Willowheart. The other she-kit was tortoiseshell; either Willowheart or Ashfur must have been descended from a tortoiseshell. The two toms were pale gray and black. Jayfeather could not see them, but he knew they were beautiful.

Willowheart was unconscious, but despite the fact, her milk was flowing. Jayfeather made her swallow more borage by stroking her throat, then he guided her four surviving kits to her belly. After feeling one last time for the pulse of the other five, he allowed Fallen Leaves to lead him to a place where he could bury the tiny kits, who never got even a glimpse of the world.

o0o0o

Willowheart woke to her first glimpse of her beautiful kits. She had no idea that nine had been born, and Jayfeather did not intend to tell her. When she joined StarClan, she would find them again. He had no intention of telling her, either, how close she had come to doing just that.

"The tortoiseshell will be Spottedkit," she purred, stroking the sleeping tortoiseshell with her tail. Spottedkit was the smallest of the litter. "This one, a pale gray tom, he'll be..."

Jayfeather knew she was thinking of Ashfur, and he knew also the warrior that Ashfur could have been.

"Noblekit," he suggested quietly.

He felt her nod against his pelt. "Then the black tom will be Fallenkit."

He didn't question her; he knew that she was thinking of both Lionclaw, a tom, and Hollywisp, who was black, who had almost died for Willowheart.

"And this one...she looks like me..."

"Shiningkit," whispered Jayfeather.

"Yes. Shiningkit."

As Jayfeather pressed against her and heard the relaxed breathing of the sleeping kits, he felt deep inside him like he was their father. Jayfeather, father of Spottedkit, Noblekit, Fallenkit, and Shiningkit...

He shook his head. All good things must come to an end.

As soon as the kits were big enough, Jayfeather and Willowheart had to part.