Just FYI, I will update more after school comes out on June 6th.

Chapter 12: Kits!

Tulippetal's POV

"Get me herbs!"

Where's Rushwind?"

"Please be okay- don't die!"

I groggily opened my eyes and immediately screeched. It felt like my whole body was on fire. I was in the nursery. Echopaw, Shortwhisker, and Seedpelt stood over me.

"What's going on?" I meowed, wincing with pain. I tried to get up, but I couldn't seem to get my legs to move.

"No, don't get up," Shortwhisker said in a soothing voice. "Your kits are coming. It's best not to move. Can you get me a stick?" he mewed, addressing Echopaw, who raced away.

I heard fearful screeches and cries of anguish in the camp, but I couldn't see where they were coming from. Cats were saying things like, "Oh no!" and, "StarClan, don't take them yet!"

Echopaw scampered in, with both a stick and a scared expression. "A whole family of foxes!" she panted. "They attacked a big patrol and won!"

A sick feeling made it's way into my stomach. "Who was on that patrol?" I demanded.

"Dewfrost, Kinkflight, Coalfoot..." Echopaw stared at the ground. "And Rushwind. Oh, Tulippetal, I'm so sorry! He has the worst injuries, except for Kinkflight. He was killed."

"None of those cats deserve this!" I gasped. "And Rushwind..."

"I'll bring him in," Shortwhisker meowed and padded out.

"Hey Echopaw?" I began. "I'm not feeling so-"

I convulsed. Echopaw put the stick in my jaws as I gagged. She looked as nervous as I felt, as it was her first litter too. Or at least, the first she'd helped with.

"Shortwhisker!" she called. "They're coming!"

Rushwind's POV

I coughed weakly as Shortwhisker dragged me across the clearing as fast as he could. I heard a yowl from the nursery.

"What's going-" I started. Then my eyes popped open. "Tulippetal! Is she alright? Is she dead?"

"No," Shortwhisker mewed. "As in she's not alright, but not dead either. She's having her kits."

"Are you taking me to the nursery?" I wheezed. "I want to be there with her."

"Yes, I'm taking you there right now," Shortwhisker replied, "but you might not see her very well. I will have to work on you while Echopaw helps Tulippetal. At least you'll be there for her."

We reached the nursery. Shortwhisker let go and I started coughing. My lungs felt as if they were on fire.

"I'm going to get some cobwebs," Shortwhisker called over his shoulder as he raced out of the nursery.

"Flowerheart, Sweettail, please!" I heard Tulippetal whisper.

What does that mean? I wondered. Shortwhisker ran back in and dropped the cobwebs in shock.

"What? I- That's-" he stuttered.

I looked around. Two ghostly figures were next to me, applying cobwebs to my wounds. Sweettail and Flowerheart were there! I heard Tulippetal sigh with relief.

Suddenly, Tulippetal gasped with pain. "They're here!"

I moved closer to her. "Don't worry. We'll get through this together."

Tuippetal's POV

Echopaw pushed on my chest with her paws. She pulled her paws off and tilted her head.

"I think you're going to have four kits," she mewed uncertainly. "The first one is coming now."

Sure enough, there was a pain in my stomach as she spoke. I bit down hard on the stick as a little kit came out. A she cat. She was an unusual cat, half of her face was orange, but the rest was black, with a tortoiseshell body.

"Three to go," Echopaw mewed, moving the kit to my belly.

Next came a tiny white tom who opened his eyes almost immediately. He mewled for some milk, so Echopaw put him next to his sister. Then an identical she cat was born. She was like a duplicate of her brother.

"One left," Echopaw soothed. "You're doing great. You can do this, Tulippetal!"

I groaned as the final kit emerged. The stick broke in half. It was another she cat, with brown tabby fur and a loud yowl.

Rushwind stood. "What will you name them?"

"The first one is Stormkit," I mewed, looking at the orange, black, and tortoiseshell kit. "Then the tom is Bizzardkit, and his twin is Frostkit. The last she cat is Moonkit."

"Those are adorable names!" Rushwind exclaimed. "Four healthy kits! We're so lucky!"

I nodded, but inside I was thinking, Thank you, Sweettail! Thank you, Flowerheart! You saved my mate and kits!

Petaldawn's POV

A few hours after Tulippetal had kits, I took Echopaw out to hunt. We headed near the ShadowClan border. I scented a mouse and crouched, stealthily stalking it. I was about to pounce when-

"Hello!"

The mouse scampered away. I whipped around. "Who said that?!"

A young, dark red tom was standing about three fox lengths away. He had dark brown legs and a brown mask shape around his eyes. He looked starving.

"I'm Redmask," he mewed. "I'm formerly from ShadowClan. Do you know two cats named Screechpaw and Snowpaw?"

Echopaw nodded. "They live with us."

Redmask brightened. "They're alive! I was a good friend of Snowpaw and Screechpaw. Moonstar sent me away after they escaped, saying it was my fault. They... They chased me out. My brother-" Redmask whimpered. "He led them."

"I'm sure Honeystar will let you in," I meowed. "Come with us. Echopaw, go get Snowpaw and Screechpaw. They'll probably want to see their friend." Echopaw nodded and scampered off.

"Could you catch me something to eat?" Redmask asked. "There's a squirrel in that tree."

"I'll catch it, but don't eat until we get to camp," I replied. In a few moments a fat brown squirrel was in my jaws. "Let's go."

I took my time, letting Redmask explore the territory. After a while, Echopaw, Snowpaw, and Screechpaw appeared.

"Redmask!" Snowpaw gasped, then grinned. "Hi! What are you doing here?"

"He's joining WindClan," I told the happy apprentices. "Moonstar's warriors chased him out, so he came here."

The two former ShadowClan apprentices leaped with joy. It was only then I noticed the sun was going down.

"Let's go," I mewed. " We have a new warrior to make."

Finally finished! School's almost out!

Thanks to Moonlit Demise, Brightstar678, Born of True Destiny, shadeflower927, Mottleflower, Talonstrike, Whitehawk, Gentleheart, Silvershadow1142, Pumpkinfur, and poppypaw forever for reviewing! WOW!

Moonlit Demise: Thanks!

Brightstar678: Will do, it's your advice that made this story good after all!

Born of True Destiny: Thanks!

shadeflower927: Yep!

Mottleflower: Already done!

Talonstrike: Yep, and that's how I felt!

Whitehawk: Yes, yes, and yes

Gentleheart: I take no offense! I do agree, but it's a little late to change it

Silvershadow1142: Yeah

Pumpkinfur: Yeah, I messed up, I'll put it in later, um, okay?, thanks for the quotes, and wow, I didn't know that!

poppypaw forever: Cause Moonstar's evil like dat.

"I wouldn't ask any of my cats to do something I'm not prepared to do myself."

-Leafstar in SkyClan's Destiny (Courtesy of Pumpkinfur)