Chapter 34

A cool evening breeze rustled the undergrowth, and in the distance the last birds of the day were chirping.

Grunting, Viperstrike struggled to re position herself in her nest. The young she-cat was going into labor, causing her body to ache like never before. As the labor progressed, the pain became almost unbearable.

As another contraction passed, her yellow eyes widened in pain. Howling, she began to rip at the moss and bracken under her. Finally, the pain eased up for a moment, allowing her to catch her breath. She had been at this for hours now, and she wasn't sure how much more she could take. "I'm so tired," she rasped, resting her head on the ground.

"It won't be long now," Shadow whispered, giving her a lick on the forehead. "You're doing wonderfully."

Viperstrike blinked up at him, gratefully. Suddenly, her stomach spasmed with another contraction. Squeezing her eyes shut, she pushed with all of her might. Finally, she felt a small bundle laying on the ground beside her. As Shadow worked to free their kit from the sack, Viperstrike anxiously looked over at him.

"It's a tom!" Shadow purred, his eyes gleaming. Slowly, he lifted the kit up in his jaws and placed it beside Viperstrike. As she stared down at her son, her heart filled with pride. The little tom kit was solid black, just like she was. He's so small, she thought, resting her tail ove her new kitten.

Her moment of peace was interrupted by another painful contraction. Once again, she pushed, this time giving birth to a small dark brown she-kit. "She looks just like you," the queen murmured as Shadow placed her beside her brother.

Finally around moonhigh, Viperstrike gave birth to one last kit. "Another she-kit," Shadow commented. As he sat back, he stared at his kits with pride and joy. "I can't believe these tiny things are ours!"

Viperstrike feebly lifted her head up and nodded. "What are we going to name them?" she whispered, eyeing her new kits. Two of them were black, and the other was a dark tabby like Shadow.

"I was thinking this one could be called Rain." Shadow flicked his tail towards the dark tabby she-kit. "And maybe this one could be called Night?" he suggested, pointing towards the black tom.

"I like the name Storm for the last one," Viperstrike put in, glancing at the black she-kit.

"Rain, Night and Storm," Shadow whispered, purring loudly. "They're going to be the greatest cats the forest has ever seen."

As Viperstrike stared at her kittens, she felt her eyes droop with fatigue. Shadow must have noticed for he meowed, "You get some sleep while I go hunting." He leaned forward to give her another lick on the forehead, before backing out of the den. Before he was even completely out of the den, Viperstrike slipped into a deep sleep.

The scent of fresh-kill and the cries of her kits awoke Viperstrike the next morning. Slowly, she sat up in her nest. A few mouse-lengths in front of her, sat a plump pigeon. Licking her lips, she began to devour the bird. Once it was gone, she sat back and groomed her pelt. With each movement, her body ached.

"I see you were hungry," Shadow laughed as he sat up in his own nest.

"Giving birth gives you quite the appetite," Viperstrike sighed, before curling back up around her kits. Night and Storm quickly snuggled up to her stomach, while Rain continued to sleep. "And I guess being born gives you quite the appetite too. These little guys eat so much!"

"Yeah, they do," he agreed.

As Viperstrike watched her kits eat, she began to look them over. They're so small and fragile, she noticed. The she-cat then let out a purr of amusement as she stared at their little ears. They hadn't opened yet, so they were pressed against the kittens heads. "They have cute ears," she said.

Shadow nodded in agreement. "Their ears remind me of little mice." Suddenly, his expression changed. "Are you going to take them back to the Clans?" he asked, his voice shaking slightly.

Viperstrike flattened her ears to her head. "Maybe to visit..." she trailed off, unsure if she would even do that. I told Panthershade I would visit frequently, but I haven't gone back once. For all I know, he could be dead. The thought of Panthershade being dead made her stomach churn nervously. Who else is dead?

"I'm sorry I brought it up," Shadow apologized, giving her a lick on the forehead.

"It's fine," she sighed, laying her head down.

It had been two weeks since her kittens had been born. Since then, they had grown a lot and their eyes were beginning to open. "Night is opening his eyes!" Viperstrike exclaimed, gently picking her son up by the scruff.

As Shadow looked closer, he let out a happy purr. "What about the other two?" he asked. "Are they opening their eyes yet?"

Viperstrike set Night down, before looking over her daughters. "Rain has one eye open, and the corner of Storm's left eye is opening slightly. I imagine by the end of the week, all three of them will have their eyes open." They're growing so fast! The idea of her kits growing bigger made Viperstrike feel anxious. She liked how small and helpless they were right now. As they got bigger, it would be hard to care for them all.

As the kits grew hungry, they slowly pulled themselves towards her stomach. As they looked for a spot to eat, Rain and Night tried to push each other out of the way. In the end, Rain gave her brother a hefty shove, which caused him to tumble back. As he hit the ground, Night let out loud wails.

"There's enough milk for everyone," Viperstrike promised, nudging him back towards her belly. Finally, Night found a spot of his own and began to suckle.

"One day they're not going to need me anymore," she whispered sadly.

"They'll always need you, in one way or another," Shadow told her, pressing against her.

"I know, but things won't be the same when they get older. They'll be able to provide for themselves..." the queen trailed off, to upset to continue.

"And that's a good thing," Shadow insisted. "It shows that we did our best to raise them, and now it's their turn to have their own kits. Besides, they won't be able to provide for themselves for a long time now. Just cherish these moments while they last."

"You're right," she rasped, nuzzling him. I'm so lucky, she thought.

"It's time to come inside!" Viperstrike yowled as she stared at her three kits. Today had been their first day outside, and they were all thrilled.

"Can we just have five more minutes?" Rain begged, her fluffy tail swishing back and forth.

"I'm afraid not," the queen said, glancing up at the darkening sky. "It's going to rain soon, and I don't want you three to get wet."

The three kits pouted for a few minutes, before following their mother back into the safety of their den. Since their birth, Shadow had worked hard to keep the holly tree they called home safe and reinforced.

As Viperstrike lay down to feed the kits, she noticed they were extremely restless. "Don't be too sad," she spoke. "Tomorrow you can go back outside and play."

"I don't want to wait for tomorrow!" Storm whined. "I want to go back outside now. Besides, I don't care if I get wet. I like to play in the rain!"

"How would you know? You've never been outside in the rain before," Night argued.

"Well, I imagine I'd like it," Storm replied, sticking her nose into the air.

As the three kits sat there arguing, Viperstrike wondered what she could do to distract them. The den was too small for the four of them to play, and she didn't feel like getting pricked with their tiny thorn sharp claws. Perhaps I should tell them a story? She thought. But what would keep their attention for long enough?

Suddenly, an idea popped into the young mother's head. "I have an idea. How about I tell you three a story?"

"Stories are boring," Night mewed. "I want to play tag!"

"I want to play tag, too!" Rain chirped, her eyes gleaming. "Or maybe you could give us a badger ride?"

Viperstrike shook her head. "You'll like this story," she promised, flicking her tail towards the nest. "Come lay down with me, and I'll tell it to you."

The three kits scampered over to their mother's side, before curling up. They then looked up at her excitedly, wondering what the story would be about.

"Cold gray light rippled over the floor of a cave so vast that its roof was lost in shadows. An endless screen of water fell across the entrance, its sound echoing from the rocks..." Viperstrike continued on, recalling how the Clans had first started. As the days continued, her story expanded. As more time passed, the more history Viperstrike covered. She told her little ones every story she could think of, from the first battle at fourtrees, all the way to the death of Firestar and everything beyond. While part of the story was exaggerated to keep their attention, the kits didn't seem to notice or mind. Instead, they sat there, listening in awe.

I may not be in a Clan anymore, but my time spent with them will never be forgotten.

This is the last chapter! *wipes tears* Like I said before, I am sad to see the end of this story, but at the same time I'm happy. I really enjoyed writing this story, and creating and building the characters. I hope that everyone who reads this story will feel the same way. Also, thank you for all of the reviews, for both this story and Rising Storm. I never imagined that I would get so many reviews on my stories, so this really amazes me.

As for a sequel, I honestly don't know. I am thinking about writing one, but at this point in time I just don't have a plot in mind, so I don't think it's necessary. I'm also pretty content with the way this book ended, considering Viperstrike ended up telling her kits the entire Warriors series. I feel like that would be a good way to wrap up this AU series. However, I will say keep an eye on me. I have many other story ideas in mind, so like I said, keep an eye out if you're interested.

Thank you for all of your support. Love, Twisterheart. :)