Jaypaw shriveled underneath her moss-strewn nest, her back arching from the stiffness of her deep slumber. Trotting outside of the apprentice den, she strained her aching ears, to apprehend a shrilling yowl ring throughout the ThunderClan clearing.
Many cats emerged from their desired dens, their baggy eyes widened and fatigued expressions escalate from their clouded gazes, almost immediately.
"Mh, what in the name of StarClan is going on?", Buzzardclaw muttered.
"Sounds like its coming from the nursery", Treespring pointed out.
Maplestream had rushed into the nursery within only moments, her jaws packed with leaf-sealed poppy seeds.
Without question, she impatiently weaved through the crowd of cats hovering by the flowery entrance.
"M-Maplestream? Will Dappleberry be alright?", Flamefoot croaked.
"Yes, yes of course", She mewed. While dropping her bundle of poppy seeds, her neck craned to Cloudpaw. "Could you please gets some juniper berries. Oh, and some thyme?"
Cloudpaw nodded, before scurrying out into the open darkness of the camp.
Dappleberry must be having her kits! Jaypaw presumed indignantly. Maybe this means Flamefoot and I could train more often!
"Thank you", Maplestream mewed to Cloudpaw in a focused manner, while crushing the juniper berries and kneading the poultice into Dappleberry's belly.
"Flamefoot, could you encourage her to take the poppy seeds?"
"O-of course", Flamefoot stammered, his unsteady paw extending to apply the seeds into her mouth. With a reluctant wheeze, the cream-colored queen lapped her tongue over her mate's pad.
Poor Flamefoot. Jaypaw felt a pang of guilt for her mentor. This was his first litter, and he was unsure of how to react to it.
With yet another howl of pain, Maplestream had mewed soothingly. "Here's the first one; a healthy tom."
Flamefoot closed his fluttering amber eyes, as if he were thanking StarClan for the first successfully delivered kit.
"Cloudpaw, some borage leaves?". The ThunderClan medicine cat had nudged her apprentice off for some more supplies.
Another caterwauling blare escaped from Dappleberry. "Another healthy kit; this time, a she-cat".
Maplestream bathed her tongue gently over the kits' flailing, mewling bodies; tapping them gingerly to meet the warmth of their mother's belly.
Finally, with one last ear-stricken cry, the last kit was born into the Clan. "Another healthy tom", Maplestream mewed ardently.
With a slight wince, Dappleberry rolled over to carefully lap each of her kits' damp pelts, their faint mewling eventually suppressing as they were introduced to the heat of their mother.
"What happened?", Dawnkit squeaked; Stonekit had trampled just behind her.
"Hush", Dewstream had seethed a mute whisper; her gray tail curling around her kits.
"Did Dappleberry finally have her kits?", Acornpaw groused.
"Mhm", Jaypaw replied, trying her best to contain her excitement.
"Finally, now we can get some sleep around here", Rowanpaw complied, filing himself into his mossy nest.
"Huh? What now?", Thornpaw snorted, while he shot up from his nest, shoving his flank-weight into Thrushpaw in the process.
"Watch it!", The black-and-white apprentice seethed with irritability.
"You have such lovely kits", Poppyspots complimented fervently.
"Indeed, Flamefoot and Dappleberry".
Cats' gazes had turned to the elderly leader, as he padded into the flowery entrance of the nursery.
"Thank you, Fallowstar", Flamefoot had dipped his head respectfully in return, while nearing his mate.
"Have you thought of any names yet?", Oakflower asked.
"Hm, I think we'll name the eldest tom Pouncekit", Dappleberry rasped, her unsteady tail indicating to the orange tom-kit.
"How about Sorrelkit for our she-kit?", Flamefoot purred.
"Ah, of course", She mewed, her gaze shifting to the tortoiseshell she-kit.
"And Gorsekit, for the youngest one". Flamefoot's fire-colored tail ran lightly over the white tom-kit.
"Those are fine names", Fallowstar rumbled sincerely. "I now welcome these three kits, under the possession of Flamefoot and Dappleberry, to be our newest members of ThunderClan".
