CHAPTER TEN
"Robinheart's kits have reached their sixth moon. Redkit, you shall be known as Redpaw. Emberclaw, you will mentor her. Tigerkit, you shall be known as Tigerpaw. Rainclaw will mentor you. Mousekit, you shall be known as Mousepaw and mentored by Floodfang. Larkkit, you shall be known as Larkpaw and mentored by Graynose."
"Redpaw! Tigerpaw! Mousepaw! Larkpaw!"
The meeting adjourned, Mothflower returned to the warrior's den. Before she got there a voice called to her.
"You just took a nap!" Whitefoot called. "Maybe a run in the forest will wake you up. Come join my hunting patrol!"
All Mothflower wanted to do was sleep, but she didn't object. Slowly she followed Whitefoot and the rest of the patrol out of camp. Emberclaw fell behind to show his new apprentice how to hunt. Blueleaf went after a squirrel. Mothflower was left alone with Whitefoot.
"There's a mouse over there," Whitefoot whispered. She flicked her tail. A tail-length from her a wood mouse was nibbling on a seed. Mothflower stalked it, her pawsteps heavy on the forest floor. She sent a silent prayer of thanks to StarClan that there were no leaves on the ground between her and the mouse. When she pounced, it was a clumsy pounce. She landed a whisker away from the mouse, which squeaked and disappeared near a tree root. "Mouse dung!" she spat. "I feel like I couldn't catch a mouse if it sat on my paws."
"Don't worry," Whitefoot mewed. "We'll find another mouse for you to catch." Yet the next mouse they found also escaped being prey. Then Blueleaf padded up with Emberclaw and Redpaw. All three cats had prey. Whitefoot had caught a squirrel; only Mothflower had not caught anything. No cat said anything about it, though Redpaw caught her eye and blinked sympathetically. When they returned to camp she took a squirrel and began gulping it down. Then she caught Splashheart's scent; her heart leaped as he padded into camp. He came over and began sharing Mothflower's squirrel.
"How was hunting?" he mewed.
"Terrible! I didn't catch a thing!"
"Well, leaf-bare is almost here. It's not your fault if you couldn't find any prey." He took a large bite of squirrel.
"Oh, it's not that I couldn't find anything. I missed both of the mice I found!" Mothflower sighed despairingly. "What happened?" Splashheart stroked her back with his tail. The touch of his fur soothed her, and she pressed close to him.
After they finished the squirrel Mothflower was about to head to the warrior's den with Splashheart when Mossleaf called to her. She was eating a mouse. "You go on ahead," she told Splashheart. "I'll come after I talk to Mossleaf." She headed to her sister, who offered her some of the mouse. "No thanks, I just ate," mewed Mothflower.
"What's wrong?" Mossleaf asked. While Mossleaf finished her mouse Mothflower told the story of her disastrous hunting. When she had finished Mossleaf meowed, "I think I know what's wrong, but you'll have to come with me so I can be sure." She followed her sister, realizing with a jolt that she was taking her to the medicine den. "I'm not sick, am I?" Mothflower asked worriedly.
"I doubt it," Mossleaf replied. "Iceberry!" she called as they came in. "I need you to check something." She went to her mentor and spoke to her in hushed tones. Iceberry came over, her paws sticky with a poultice, and sniffed and poked Mothflower all over.
"Mossleaf, you were right," she mewed to her apprentice when her examination was through.
"Right about what?" Mothflower meowed, bewildered.
Iceberry took a deep breath. "Mothflower, you're expecting kits."
Mothflower was so shocked she didn't know what to think. Expecting kits! Mossleaf had not lost her tongue. "Who's the father? I think it's Splashheart. Every cat in the Clan knows how you feel about him." Mothflower's pelt burned. Was it really that obvious? Then she collected her thoughts.
"The father is Splashheart," she mewed. "I'll go tell him."
"And I'll go tell Lionstar that you will not be doing your warrior duties," meowed Iceberry. She came out of the den, followed by Mothflower. She already had a plan. First she would tell Splashheart, then Emberclaw, then Lilyheart, Blizzardwing, and Robinheart. That would be enough cats to spread the news around the camp. She found all of the cats easily, gathering them together to tell them.
"I'm expecting kits," she told them. Splashheart was very pleased, as were Blizzardwing, Robinheart, and Lilyheart. Emberclaw had been woken up from a nap and just muttered his congratulations; Mothflower suspected that was typical of toms.
That night she settled into her new nest in the nursery; despite her soft nest, the nursery was empty and lonely. She managed to fall asleep only after a long while.
A few moons after finding out she was expecting kits she padded out to get fresh-kill one frosty morning when Blizzardwing hurtled up to her.
"Mothflower, you are going to be so happy!"
"What? What is it?" she mewed, sifting through the pile.
"You're not going to be the only queen in the nursery anymore!"
Mothflower stared at her, mouth agape. "You mean you are…?"
Blizzardwing seemed that she was about to burst with happiness. "I'm going to have Twigwhisker's kits!"
"Congratulations! I'm so happy for you!" she purred. "I'll show you a nest. I'm done my fresh-kill, anyway." As the friends padded to the nursery Mothflower realized she should have expected this. Twigwhisker had been mooning over Blizzardwing for a long time now. As Blizzardwing settled into the soft nest Mothflower exited the nursery. "I'm going for a walk."
"You better take a warrior or two with you," Blizzardwing called. "If you get attacked by anything you won't have to fight." Mothflower flicked her tail to acknowledge that she had heard and went to find Splashheart and another cat.
"Splashheart." She poked the sleeping tom with a paw. "Splashheart!"
"What? What?" He leaped up, pelt bristling. "Badgers? Dogs?"
"No, you silly furball," Mothflower mewed. "I want to take a walk with a warrior escort." Splashheart agreed, and soon Mothflower was leading Willowfern and her mate out of camp. She fluffed up her fur against the cold wind buffeting her fur. She narrowed her eyes against the breeze.
"Brr!" Willowfern shivered. "Why would a cat want to be out in this?"
"Because that cat has been cooped up in camp for moons!" Mothflower called back.
They headed deeper into the cold forest. Suddenly Willowfern yowled, "Stop!" Splashheart and Mothflower came to a skidding halt.
"What? What's wrong?" Splashheart growled, unsheathing his claws.
"Twolegs," Willowfern mewed. Sure enough, the scent of Twolegs was heavy on the air. "There are two of them." She crept slowly ahead. Splashheart followed, with Mothflower right behind. Willowfern peered over a bush. Splashheart pushed past her and let out a gasp of surprise. Mothflower looked and could not believe her eyes: two large pink creatures with fur on the tops of their heads. They walked on their hindlegs. One of them was much shorter than the other.
"Those are Twolegs," Willowfern mewed quietly. "That little one is a Twoleg kit. Most of them like cats. The big one is a male Twoleg. We should—"
Suddenly the Twoleg kit squealed and stomped toward the bushes where the three cats were. It shook the bush violently, sending Mothflower rolling tail over whiskers out into the clearing where the Twolegs were. The Twoleg kit picked up Mothflower, squashing her tender belly. She yowled in pain and felt the kits inside her squirm.
"Mothflower!" screeched Splashheart. He raced toward the Twoleg kit, claws extended, but Willowfern stopped him. "Wait! It's just a kit. Do it this way." She brushed her body against the kit and meowed. Splashheart followed her example, and it dropped Mothflower to stroke Splashheart and Willowfern. Just then the male Twoleg yowled and the little Twoleg ran off.
"That was close!" Splashheart mewed. "Willowfern, thanks for saving Mothflower. But if you ever tell a cat I acted like a kittypet…"
"Let's get back to camp," Willowfern meowed. "Mothflower looks tired."
It was true. Mothflower was exhausted. All she wanted now was a bit of fresh-kill and a long snooze.
A half moon after Blizzardwing came to the nursery and Mothflower got assaulted by Twolegs, another cat moved to the nursery. Flameflower had discovered that she was expecting Mouseclaw's kits. Leaf-bare was fully upon them. By now Mothflower was ready to have her kits at any time. Splashheart brought her fresh-kill and water. She was so big she would only leave the nursery for a Clan meeting, to use the dirtplace, or an emergency. She was clueless about what would happen when she gave birth. She was totally unprepared for that cold morning.
She had awoken as usual. Her kits were particularly fidgety, and it was freezing out, so she stayed in the nursery. As always, Splashheart had brought food and water. She had begun to doze off when spasms jolted her awake. She screeched in pain. She was sure the kits were coming. Flameflower went to get Iceberry and Mossleaf.
Spasms tormented her until sunhigh. At sunhigh they strengthened.
"Mothflower, you need to help your body push the kits out," mewed Mossleaf. "Push…now!" Mothflower screeched as her flank rippled. Soon a small wet bundle plopped onto the moss.
"A tom," Iceberry announced after licking it and tucking it into the curve of her belly. "Another kit is coming."
Another kit fell onto the moss. "This one is a she-kit," mewed Mossleaf. "There is one more." Mothflower strained, then flopped, panting, onto the moss. "Another she-kit!" declared Mossleaf. "Two she-kits and a tom. Here, eat this borage." She pushed some leaves to Mothflower. Mothflower swallowed the bitter leaves and drank some water from moss. She smelled her kits' lovely scents. They were perfect. She drifted into sleep.
The next day cats crowded the nursery to see the new kits. The first was Splashheart.
"What shall we name them?" he asked. The tom had white-blue fur. One of the she-cats was silver, and the other a light gray-blue she-kit.
"I want the tom to be named Hailkit," he mewed.
"Can the silver she-kit be Featherkit?" Mothflower meowed. "And what about Mistkit for the light blue one?"
"Hailkit, Featherkit, and Mistkit. Welcome to LightningClan," Splashheart addressed his kits.
Mossleaf padded in with more borage. Mothflower swallowed the leaves while Splashheart introduced the kits.
"Mossleaf! Come quickly! Lionstar has greencough, and Iceberry wants you in his den." Lilyheart had come to see her daughter's kits and had passed on the message. Mossleaf hurried out. Mothflower caught Lilyheart's whispered words to her daughter: "He didn't warn us soon enough. He only has two lives left. Once he loses this one, he will only have one left."
