Flintpaw yawned and stretched.
Another fantastic day. Hopefully. He thought.
He exited the den. When he went to turn around he was greeted with Twigpaw's face.
"Ah-oof!" Flintpaw fell over and landed on his back.
Twigpaw let out a shy giggle, "Sorry. Didn't mean to spook you."
Flintpaw stood up, "It's fine."
Firegorse had told him to stay away from Twigpaw. And he knew Firegorse would chew his ears off if he saw him talking to her. He walked past her and to the fresh-kill pile. He heard pawsteps and only guessed she was following him,"So, how are you?" she asked.
"Hungry." he meowed, grabbing a hare.
"Maybe I could share wi-"
"Twigpaw! Come on! You and Ratpaw are going to learn hunting moves today!" Lichenstrike yowled.
Twigpaw frowned and ran over to her mentor and sibling.
Thank you, Lichenstrike! Thank you! Flintpaw thought. He knew he wouldn't have been able to shoo the apprentice off very well himself. He took a bite of his hare, savoring the flavors.
It had been a quarter moon since the half-moon meeting. In seven sunrises the gathering would take place. He wanted to know what happened to the other Clans. If twolegs had gotten into RiverClan or ShadowClan yet.
He felt something prod him and looked up to see Firegorse, "Morning." Flintpaw mewed.
Firegorse huffed, "Come on. Today I will teach you how to fight."
Flintpaw blinked, "Can't I finish my prey?"
"Finish when we get back." Firegorse growled.
Flintpaw sighed and stood up, following his mentor out of camp. But before they could go any further than fox-length from it a yowl crossed the clearing.
"Firegorse! Flintpaw! Come back! Silverrain is having her kits!"
Flintpaw whipped his head around quickly, his father in the middle of camp.
"Now!?" Firegorse spat, walking up quickly into camp. Flintpaw followed. Firegorse faced him, "Get a stick, chervil, poppy seeds and some wet moss! Now!"
Flintpaw ran toward the medicine den grabbing the needed herbs and ran into the nursery, finding his mother mid-contraction.
He was terrified.
OoOoOoOoOoO
"The last one." Firegorse mewed, sliding the sack over to Flintpaw. The pale grey tabby nipped the sack and a slick grey tabby slipped out. He licked the fur of his newborn sibling, making the kit warm. It took its first breath. He picked up the small kit gently and placed it by its siblings.
He looked at Firegorse, "It's another tom." he mewed with a smile, "I'll get Stonebranch."
Flintpaw padded out of the nursery and nudged his father, "Congratulations, dad. You have two sons and a daughter."
He smirked slightly, "And you have two new brothers and a new sister." he mewed with a smile. Both walked into the den.
Silverrain, who once was in pain, had only love in her eyes looking at her new kits. She looked at her kin with a smile.
Firegorse looked at Flintpaw, "I'll leave you to stay here for a while."
Flintpaw nodded and turned his attention to his family.
Silverrain licked a brown she-kit, "What should we call them, Stonebranch? You were always good at naming our kits."
Stonebranch looked at the dark, almost black, grey kit. His ears were white and so were his front toes. Stonebranch touched his nose to him gently, "How about we call this one Dustkit?"
She smiled and nodded, "Yes. Yes I like that name. And we can call that one Pinekit." she nuzzled the brown she-kit. She had no markings except for the darker dapple over her left eye.
Silverrain looked at Flintpaw, "Would you like to name the last one?"
"Uh, sure." Flintpaw mewed. He sniffed the grey tabby. It let out a squeak and Flintpaw lifted his head away from his newborn brother, "How about… er, Greykit?" Flintpaw wasn't the best with names.
Silverrain smiled and looked at her kits, "There all wonderful names. Dustkit, Pinekit, and Greykit. Wonderful."
Stonebranch looked behind him, Flintpaw following his gaze to see Heronflower enter the den. Her kits came running past her, "Sorry, Silverrain. They insisted that they saw your kits. I couldn't stop them."
"It's fine Heronflower. Let them see." Silverrain mewed.
"Do they have names yet?" Rabbitkit asked.
"Yes. Dustkit, Pinekit and Greykit."
Bouncekit looked at his mother, "Can we play with them?"
"No, they're too young." Heronflower mewed.
"They are so cute!" Birchkit cooed, looking at Dustkit.
Greykit squeaked and moved around, turning over onto his back. Flintpaw quickly placed him back.
Flintpaw took a step back, "I'll go. It's getting crowded." he mewed, stepping out of the den. He walked back to the medicine cat den, "I got to name one of my brothers!" he announced, feeling a bit bubbly.
"Good for you. You still want that hare?" Firegorse asked, the hare right besides Flintpaw's nest.
"Yes. Thank you." he settled down in his nest and curled up. He ate the hare. It was a bit dry now but he didn't mind too much. Flintpaw smiled to himself. He had new siblings!
I'll try to visit them everyday. Maybe even show them a few herbs! Flintpaw thought to himself. He could imagine it right now. Dustkit listening intently while Pinekit asks several questions and Greykit squirming in his spot, wanting to move already and play with his siblings.
It made Flintpaw smile. He wondered if Moonkit was watching from StarClan, happy for her brother. He closed his eyes. If you are watching Moonkit. Just know that I love you, and I'll make sure our new kin is safe. Always.
OoOoOoOoOoO
A cry woke Flintpaw from his rest. He lifted his head, seeing Firegorse was already up. He looked at the ginger tabby, "Do you know what that was?"
Firegorse shook his head, "Come on. Let's find out. I think it came from the Nursery."
The Nursery? Flintpaw couldn't imagine what could happen there. He didn't want to.
The medicine cats padded out of the den and towards the Nursery. Flintpaw let Firegorse go in first. Flintpaw walked and almost ran into his mentor who had stopped dead in his tracks. He could hear someone crying.
Flintpaw pushed past his mentor, who was frozen like stone. He looked down, his eyes widening and his heartbeat quickening.
Silverrain held Dustkit and Pinekit in her paws, her muzzle still resting on their bodies. Tears soaked their pelts as they ran down Silverrain's cheeks. Greykit was at her belly and let out a wail, the blind kit trying to nurse. Flintpaw saw how unresponsive Pinekit and Duskit were in their mother's paws. Flintpaw shook his head, "No." he whispered. Silverrain looked up with sore eyes filled with grief. Stonebranch, who was behind his mate, had a tear rolling down his cheek as he looked at his mate helplessly. Silverrain sputtered, trying to say something.
Please, please. Don't say it's true. Don't say-
"Pinekit and Duskit are dead!" Silverrain wailed before breaking down into a blubbery mess, shoving her muzzle onto her lost kits.
"No. No, they can't be. They were fine yesterday!" Flintpaw said, looking at his mentor.
Firegorse didn't respond. He looked at the newborns and closed his eyes, lowering his head, "I'm sorry."
Flintpaw felt the air grow cold. It felt like breathing would choke him. A small scent of death bathed the den. He only noticed then that Heronflower wasn't in the den, that she must've gotten herself and her kits out of there as soon as she found out that Silverrain's kits had died.
Tears stung Flintpaw's eyes as he looked down. He closed his eyes, trying to keep them in, but that didn't work. He sobbed quietly.
"Is Greykit still alive?" Firegorse asked quietly.
"He is." Stonebranch mewed. He looked at Silverrain, "Honey, y-you have to move a bit. Greykit can't get to your milk. He'll starve."
Silverrain looked at her mate. She shifted a bit. Greykit let out a small squeak and went to suckle from his mother.
Flintpaw looked at his parents, tears still rolling down his face.
Why? Why again? Why must my siblings die only to leave one left, hardly aware of anything that's happened?
"StarClan has abandoned me." Silverrain mewed through her tears.
"No they have would never." Firegorse mewed.
"Then why do they keep taking my kits away from me?! What did I do to deserve this?" Silverrain spat. Her breath hitched and she went back to crying, burying her muzzle into her kit's bodies. Her tail wrapped around Greykit.
Firegorse didn't reply. He blinked with sympathy. Firegorse looked at his apprentice, "Are you alright?" he mewed lowly.
Flintpaw looked at Firegorse, tears staining the young tom's fur.
Firegorse flinched back a bit. His gaze softened, "I see."
Flintpaw looked back at his paws, his heart feeling as if it had been torn to shred.
Without a word he burst out of the den, running away from the Nursery. Confused glances looked at him, but he ignored them. Flintpaw ran out of camp, away from it all. His heart burned and his vision was blurry from tears. He raced through the moor, the wind blowing on his face. Soon, panting, he stopped. His pads felt tired. Flintpaw sat down, broke down, crying uncontrollably.
"Flintpaw?"
Flintpw gasped as he turned at someone saying his name.
It was Twigpaw.
The brown she-cat walked up to Flintpaw, "Flintpaw." she mewed gently, seeing the tears.
Flintpaw turned away, rubbing the tears rolling down his cheeks off with a paw, "Y-You followed me?"
"No. I was on dawn patrol and saw you running. You looked lost so I followed you." Twigpaw mewed. She sat down beside him.
"Won't Lichenstrike be mad?" Flintpaw asked.
"I think he saw how sad you were." Twigpaw mewed. She placed her paw on Flintpaw's, "Are you alright?"
Flintpaw looked at her, "Do I look alright to you, Twigpaw?"
Twigpaw quickly looked at her paws, "Sorry."
Flintpaw frowned and put his paw on his face, "No, don't be. You did nothing wrong."
"Why were you crying?" Twigpaw asked.
Flintpaw looked away. Just thinking about Dustkit and Pinekit made his heart ache. He blinked back fresh tears, "Dustkit and Pinekit. They… they passed away today."
"Oh, Flintpaw. I'm so sorry. They were so young." Twigpaw mewed. She looked at the sky, "Maybe they're playing with Moonkit."
Flintpaw looked at Twigpaw, "You k-know about Moonkit?"
Twigpaw nodded, "I do. One day I had been so mad at Sparrowpaw and Ratpaw beating me in a game when we were in the Nursery, I huffed off and told Brackenleap that I wish I never had brothers. He lectured me and told me about your sister, how she had died when she was only a moon old. It was one of the things that made me respect you so much. How you managed to stay so strong even when you were so alone."
Flintpaw could feel pressure from Twigpaw's paw on his paw as she spoke. He frowned. So strong? He wasn't strong. Flintpaw knew he was weak and it took moons for him to stop the pain in his heart from his sister's death. He felt the tears he had fought back win and rise. He pressed his face into Twigpaw's shoulder, sobbing.
Twigpaw rested her chin on Flintpaw's head.
Flintpaw's heart still burned, but being able to talk with Twigpaw seemed to help. He still cried and his grief would be there for a long time but for once he felt that maybe the pain in his heart would go away.