Stormstar's claws sank into the ground, the worry obvious in his tone as he turned to his sister, Rippleflower, "Rippleflower, will she be-" He was cut off by an ear-splitting shriek, and his eyes flashed wildly, "-alright.." He finished with a concerned whimper.
"I'm sure she'll be absolutely fine." Rippleflower replied, sympathy lacing her tone in an attempt to console him. She glanced over at Sandkit and Mudkit, who were mock-battling one-another. As a bright, white flash of lightning split the grey storm clouds, he flinched again. This is too much for me.. His worries began a whirl of unwanted thoughts in his heads, resembling the storm above him, Frostwind! He snapped back to attention, straightening as a final, pained wail split the tension before the clearing fell silent.
Moments later, the clan erupted into chaos, cats whispering and gasping, speculations flying and the kits bounding around, getting under everyone's paws. "... come on Marigoldleaf..." He whispered, watching with worry as Swiftpaw bounded out of the Nursery, returning minutes later with a bundle of herbs contained within the largest leaf Stormstar had seen. He sheathed his claws, before promptly unsheathing them again.
Frostwind. I swear, if she's not okay- His thoughts were cut off by a gentle, weary voice.
"Stormstar, you can go in." Marigoldleaf dipped her head at her brother, before returning to her den, with Swiftpaw following shortly after.
"Thank you." He whispered after her retreating back, before sprinting over to the large, open Nursery with long tendrils of ivy forming what resembled an entrance. "Frostwind?" His voice softened as he looked at each nest, searching for his mate. His heart skipped a beat when he found the nest she had left her in empty. After a long moment, he realised Frostwind may have been moved to a bigger nest, and continued to look through the nests.
Eventually, his gaze landed on Frostwind, and the two suckling kits at her belly. One was the deepest black you could imagine, flecked with dark, smokey greys. The other was a soft, almost ginger. Both were she-cats, with delicate, fragile features and soft, short fur.
"They're beautiful." He remarked, adoration filling his soft, leaf-green eyes. "Have-" His voice hitched in his throat, "have you named them?"
"Not yet, I wanted to wait for their father to help." Frostwind purred, shifting her hind-legs slightly.
"Do you have any name ideas?" Stormstar felt rather awkward, and scruffy in comparison to his mate, who had just given birth but was as sleek as normal.
"I like Sunkit for the ginger she-cat, like a beam of light." Frostwind admitted, flicking an ear.
"Me too, and Darkkit for the black she-cat?" Stormstar suggested, already nervous. What if she doesn't like it? Should I have said Moonkit, or Ebonykit?
"It's perfect!" Frostwind purred, eyesflooded with pride.
"Welcome to the world, little Sunkit, and Darkkit." Stormstar greeted, shifting his paws to lay down, curling himself around his mate and licking her head between the ears, admiring the smooth texture of her fur for what seemed to be the umpteenth time.
"I love you, honey.." He purred, before glancing over at the kits. For some reason, he felt drawn to the black one, and admired her more than her sister. "..and you, Darkkit, Sunkit." He smiled at his mates purr.
.~At Dawn~.
As Stormstar slipped out of the Nursery, and towards the freshkill pile, he twitched his ear as Rippleflower approached him.
"Stormstar, brother," She greeted, picking a short, juicy vole for herself, and waiting for him as he picked out a pair of mice, one noticeably smaller than the other.
"Rippleflower." He replied, out of common courtesy over anything else. "What can I do for you?" His mew was soft, guarded, as he continued. Rippleflower was a gossip, always looking for new news to spread, and no-one was spared from her harsh exaggerations.
"I was wondering, how are the kits? I haven't seen them yet." So she is after gossip. Stormstar's eyes flashed with annoyance - he was her brother for goodness's sake! But still, he wasn't spared.
"Darkkit and Sunkit are fine, thank you. Both kits are healthy." His reply was short, and firm, not inviting any other questions. Stormstar flicked his soft grey tail over the ground, sending a small, barely noticeable flurry of hardened dust into the air.
"That's good, isn't it?" Rippleflower didn't get the hint, prying still.
"Yeah." He replied stiffly. "I'm taking these to Frostwind." He said when the silence became unbearable, and he trotted over to the nursery.
When he entered, he turned to Frostwind's nest, smiling at her as he set the bigger of the mice down, dropping it by the tail, "I brought food."
"Thank you, Stormy." Frostwind replied, "You're amaz-"
She was cut off by a chorus of startled gasps, and Stormstar sat bolt upright, "I'll be right back." He ran out of the den, pushing through the crowds of cats surrounding ... "MARIGOLDLEAF!?" She was twitching unnaturally, her mouth frothing.
"Starclan has spoken to us..." She whispered, but her voice sounded louder. "They have sent a prophecy that could save, or destroy...
"Made of snow and cloud,
Light and dark shall be born,
A child born of Sun,
And another born of Moon,
One shall betray with the power of night,
And the other conquer with the glow of light.
And remember never judge a cat by its fur ..." Her last words faded away as her eyes flickered, realisation flooding her gaze. "Prophecy, I'm fine." She muttered, batting away her apprentice, "Oh- shut up! I'm alive, Swiftpaw." Marigoldleaf clumsily shoved herself to her paws, spinning around and pushing through the crowds towards her den.
What does it mean?
He felt numb, absent, as he glanced at the dispersing crowds of cats of all shapes and sizes.
The prophecy... could Darkkit and Sunkit be... part of it?…