Riverstripe's Sorrow

When you learn that you're expecting kits, you feel the joy and fear of every maternal instinct. I was nervous about my kits, especially since they would grow up in a clan where the barbaric treatments of slavery existed. I wanted to give my kits a life where cats wouldn't treat one another so cruelly because of their pelt color and for them to live in a world where everyone is treated as equals. Why Whitestar hasn't abolished the slave law, I don't know, but I have a feeling it has something to do with Moon. I hate her, I really do, I don't understand how she can be leader of the Star Council or how she can be so cruel, but there's nothing I can do. I can't be there or help Whitestar raise our kits, all I can do is watch over them and walk with them in their dreams. This is painful for me and a painful reminder to myself that I'm dead, that's a lesson I learned hard when I stood over my dead body. As I stood over my dead body, I saw Cloudberry crying and burying her head in my stomach. I looked down and saw my cold, dead body with a pool of blood under and around my body. I was horrified and felt sick, but when I heard a mew, I looked down and saw my two kits, covered in blood and crying. Cloudberry must've heard the meows, because she left the nursery without even looking at them. I begged her to come back, but she couldn't hear me and as much as I wanted to follow her, I couldn't leave my kits alone. I licked their fur as best as I could and even though it didn't wash off the blood, it did calm them down a bit. When Whitestar came in and saw my body, I will never forget his agonizing cries or his wails. It broke my heart, it really did, and I saw him gently cleaning the blood off of our kits as he cried. I stood beside him and shed a tear. I couldn't take the pain anymore, I just couldn't, and when I saw my kits, I felt warmth and love. They were so beautiful, one she-cat and one tom, I couldn't be more proud, and when I heard their names, Lightkit and Brightkit, I loved it. Lightkit and Brightkit, I liked it, it was perfect. They were so beautiful and so perfect, I couldn't be more lucky to be these kit's mother. After a while, I saw my mother approach me. She had died many moons ago from starvation and to see her again, surprised me, but I was overjoyed nonetheless.

"Mom!" I shouted.

I ran over to her and we rubbed heads. I purred at feeling her soft fur again and I was overjoyed.

"I missed you." I meowed.

"I miss you too." She meowed.

I looked at her, my mother was so young and so beautiful; I couldn't believe my eyes. I remembered how thin she was and how horribly sick she was, I just couldn't believe that this was what she looked like now. I knew why she was here and I looked at my kits one last time.

"Will I ever see my kits again?" I asked upset.

"You will one day." My mother said.

She could see that I didn't want to leave my kits, but she knew I wouldn't have a choice. My mother put her tail on my back and her paw was on my shoulder.

"I know this is hard, but you'll be able to watch over them and guide them in their dreams. I didn't want to leave you or your sister, but I had to because my body stopped working. Don't worry sweetie, you'll see them again, Lightkit, Brightkit, and Whitestar. And besides, Brightkit has a great destiny ahead of her, especially Lightkit." She comforted.

I was surprised, my son has a great destiny? I followed my mom to ask for more details, but I stopped. I at least wanted to say goodbye to Whitestar, Cloudberry, Lightkit, and Brightkit.

"Hold on, mom." I meowed.

I walked over to my kits and gave each one gentle licks.

"Lightkit, Brightkit, I have to go, but just know that I love you both so much, including your father. Whitestar my love, look after our kits, make sure they have a good life and please, abolish the slave law." I pleaded.

I looked at Cloudberry, I knew she would miss me, but I knew I would always walk with her. I walked with my mother, side by side, to Starclan; I didn't even look back. After many moons of watching over Lightkit, Brightkit, Whitestar, Cloudberry, and all of my dear friends, I was saddened and hurt that I couldn't be there for them, but I was overjoyed when I saw Lightkit and Brightkit become apprentices and pride soared my heart when they got their warrior names. However, these next few moons are going to be hard. I had to watch Moon put our son hostage and Whitestar having to make a difficult choice. It took every part of me to not go down there and rip Moon to shreds; I was forbidden to intervene, which was hard for me. I have to wonder, how do you expect us to watch when it's our loved ones in mortal danger? I grieved for Darkpaw just as much as Lightclaw did; in fact, I was the one that had to escort him to Starclan. I'm angry that Whitestar had to kill Darkpaw, I'm disappointed that Brightshine had to play such a cruel joke, and I'm furious that Moon had to be so cruel and force a cat to take another life. It broke my heart to see Lightclaw in so much pain; at least, I got to walk in his dreams to try to comfort him, but there wasn't much time. I told him about the prophecy, but to be honest, I don't know how he's reacting to all of this. As I watch over Lightclaw, I can tell that there's darkness in him. My mother was right, Lightclaw does have a great destiny, but now, it's up to him to see how it plays out.