Chapter Twenty Five: Jayfeather.
My heart races as I run around Hollyleaf. She still hasn't come to. Her kits are fine, I checked them extensively. They're all breathing well and suckling at the healthy amount. So why is my sister still passed out? And why won't she wake up?
"Jayfeather, calm down. I'm sure she'll be fine." Ferncloud mews trying to be soothing. It doesn't work because I can feel her panic.
"Daisy! Go to the medicine den and get some large dock leaves, you can carry water in them we'll need to splash her to wake her up. Moss won't be enough. Ferncloud go with her and help carry it." The two she-cats retreat immediately and I bend down so my whiskers brush Hollyleaf's ears,
"Hollyleaf, sis, are you okay? Can you hear me? You really need to wake up. I'm not very good with kits, come on please! Wake up! I can't lose you again! What about Foxleap, and your kits, they can't grow up without a mother?!" She doesn't stir. Doesn't respond at all to my pleading. At least her breath is still steady.
Daisy and Ferncloud return, I take Daisy's place and she sweeps the kits away so they won't get wet. They complain nosily, but Daisy calms them and they snuggle contently into her warm fur.
"Try to get just her head." I mew and Ferncloud mumbles her assent. We tip the dock leaf over. Hollyleaf's eyes snap open quickly.
"Whatsagoingon?" She mews scrambling up.
"You passed out and you wouldn't wake up! You scared me!" I mew indignantly.
"Yeah I caught a little bit of that fear too, like when someone poured water all over me after I brought three kits into this world!" Hollyleaf snaps, but I can tell she isn't really angry.
"Well excuse me for making sure Foxleap had a mate to come home to!" I mew catching on to her light-hearted tone.
"Bring them to me. I want to name them." She requests.
Daisy walks over with them and sweeps them into a group next to Hollyleaf's stomach with her tail. They all happily go back to feeding.
"Awww, I remember when that was you two!" Daisy mews nostalgically.
"Funny, I can't!" Hollyleaf mews. She goes quiet and I can tell from her emotions that she is looking down at her kits. Ferncloud and Daisy leave politely as this is a private thing.
"Well?" I mew. She nudges her only she-cat, who according to Ferncloud is a small black shadow of my sister.
"Do you think she'll have green eyes?" She asks me. I shrug and she continues, "I'll name her Ravenkit, for her glossy black fur." I nod and sit down next to my sister.
"That's a wonderful name." I whisper down to the little kit.
"And this one," she noses her other gray-black kit, a tom, whose fur reportedly sticks up in jagged clumps, "Jaggedkit."
"Very appropriate." I mew.
She looks at the last one whose bright coloring must have come from his dad. "Blazekit, his fur looks like fire, blazing through the forest. And he'll be as brave and strong as dear Lionblaze; he'll blaze through the forest." Her voice is certain and I can't tell if it's just a mother's love, or more.
"Those are great names; I know Foxleap will like them." I tell her.
She shrugs suddenly mutinous, "I don't care if he doesn't like them; he didn't kit them did he?"
"No." I mew trying to shrink away. I hear her yawn and I push the poppy seeds toward her, "Take them and rest. Ferncloud, Daisy, and I will watch over the kits." She nods lightly and when I next check on her she is asleep.
"Go get some fresh-kill, or at least get some fresh air," Daisy mews at the entrance. I nod, too exhausted to do anything else. Poppyfrost and Berrynose are standing outside the nursery; they both turn to me, worried.
"Is Hollyleaf alright?" Poppyfrost mews anxiously.
"Yes, she has one she-kit, Ravenkit, and two toms, Jaggedkit and Blazekit."
"Awwwwww," Poppyfrost mews her emotions suddenly longing to be in the nursery, cooing over kits, "I'll go check on Blossomfall." She mew turning and heading to the thorn tunnel instead.
"Good job." Berrynose mews to me, "There's a startling left if you want it."
"Thanks," I mew as I head to the fresh-kill pile to devour the startling.
"Hey!" Cherrypaw mews indignantly as she and her brother run down from Firestar's den, "How come he gets to eat?"
"Because he just brought three kits into the world instead of skiving off on his duties." Berrynose snaps sending angry waves of emotion at his kits.
"Hey Mousefur told us to go get her some moss and fresh-kill, we're just doing what she told us to do!" mews Molepaw.
"Then go get the moss! She'll have to wait for fresh-kill we're saving all of it except for Jayfeather's startling for the warriors." Both apprentices' fidget worriedly.
"I don't want to tell her that." Cherrypaw mews in fear.
"Yeah she'll claw our ears off!" Molepaw adds.
"Here, she can have the rest of this." I mew pushing my half eaten startling to Cherrypaw.
"No." mews Berrynose, "She can live without eating for a little while. I'll tell her if it makes you happy." Both paws mew their thanks and hurry off to my den to get Mousefur her extra moss.
I get up after finishing the bird and grab some herbs from my den before running up the path to Firestar's den.
"What do you want?" Mousefur mews grumpily.
"To check on you," I reply evenly.
"Well I don't need checking on!" She declares brusquely
"Did any of you scrape you're paws?" I ask ignoring Mousefur.
"Just a bit, I can manage." Mews Purdy, but I pass the dock leaves to Briarlight and mew,
"You can treat him. Mousefur how are your joints?"
"Stiff, but not the worst they've been." She replies softly so I walk to her and mash up the herbs I'll need for her.
Not much later I'm leaving the den. Cherrypaw and Molepaw are standing guard outside on the ledge.
"Jayfeather I'm bored!" Cherrypaw moans.
"I wish we could be practicing our warrior skills!" Molepaw whines.
"You can be." I mew quietly.
"How?" They mew in unison.
"Listen, can you hear the battle sounds?" Cherrypaw shakes her head so vigorously I can feel the wind she's stirring up.
But Molepaw, however, mews, "It's so faint… I can hear yowls but I don't know who's they are."
"Listen harder." I tell him.
"Well, that could be… yeah that's defiantly Lionblaze, sounds like he's shredding a cat. And maybe that's Whitewing… oh I think that's Birchfall, and there's Ivypool…" he trails off slowly, "Am I right?"
I shrug, "Sounds right to me."
"Why can't I hear them?" Cherrypaw whimpers.
"You're not listening hard enough." I mew patiently. "Close your eyes, block out everything except sound, nothing else matters, nothing else exists." I feel her tense as she tries to block everything out.
"I hear them! I hear them!" she yowls joyfully.
"Keep practicing and you'll get better." I mew as I start back down, leaving the two cats whispering excitedly together.
Poppyfrost is pacing the hollow nervously, but Berrynose has left.
"Do you think it's too early to go and see Hollyleaf's kits?" She mews.
"Yes, but when she wakes up and wants visitors you'll be the first to know okay?" I reply, trying to make my voice reassuring.
"Maybe not the first, we should let the proud father see his kits shouldn't we?" She jokes and I crack a smile.
"Oh only if it's okay with you." We laugh for a moment before Poppyfrost starts pacing again.
"I hate this. I don't know how you do it every battle. I hate this waiting… anyone of them could be dead, or dying and we're just sitting here."
"Don't say that; don't think that it only makes it worse." I mew sternly, "You have to think that everything will be all right." Poppyfrost flicks her tail and I can hear it swish through the air.
"I just don't want to lose anyone." She mews quietly.
"I know, trust me I know." I agree, closing my eyes with a sigh.
"At least I know my kits are safe." She mews tiredly and I open my mouth to reply but never get the words out.
The loudest yowl yet tears through the air leaving an eerie quiet. My stomach turns, someone is dead. A thrill of foreboding shoots through me as I remember Hawkfrost's chilling promise.
"Oh no! Oh NO!" Poppyfrost yowls as she races out of the hollow.
And I know what has happened with a grim, chilling certainty. The best deputy ThunderClan could ever have and the only father I've ever known has been taken tonight.