"Heatherfires kits are coming!"
Dustspot's yowl wrenched Daypaw from her sleep. With a gasp, she lurched to her paws, her blurry eyes caused her to stumble. Stopping, Daypaw blinked numerous times. A moment later, Fumbletounge rushed by, snapping back at her with severity, "Come on, I want you to see this,"
Daypaw nodded, rushing after her mentor, who's mouth had a few herbs in it. From what she could see, it was only borage leaves. Fumbletounge bounded over to the nursery, slipping through the thorny tunnel.
Crouching down, Daypaw slipping into her old home, the scent bringing back old memories that had long since been replaced by her new life. Heatherfire was on her side in the nursery, gasping as her body convulsed with contractions. Fumbletounge was leaning over her, own paw on her stomach, which seemed to be rippling like water.
His calm voice was soothing, "Wait, wait, don't push yet Heatherfire. Wait until it feels absolutely necessary. Your body knows how to do this," Glancing over his shoulder, he beckoned Daypaw foreward with his tail, "Come here, Daypaw and set your paw on her stomach... gently!" Daypaw moved forward, gently placing her paw beside her mentors.
She could feel the movement of the kits, her eyes widening with the wonder of it all, but before she could open her mouth to mew anything, Heatherfire's body convulsed again. Dustspots lunged forward to crouch by her head.
"Push now!" Fumbletounges voice wasn't soothing anymore. It was a order. With a loud gasp, Heatherfire tensed. A moment later, a small, wet bundle fell to the floor. Fumbletounge, glanced at it, before snapping at Daypaw, "Break the sac! It needs to breath!"
Lunging forward, Daypaw gently bit into the wet, slimy sac, which cracked open, spilling out a small, mewling red tom. She instantly began to lick it, feeling that was the right thing to do, before pushing it towards Heatherfire.
Heatherfire stared at it in wonder, her voice barely a whisper as she spoke it's name, "Sparkkit," She licked it roughly, before staring to push it towards her stomach, but another convulsion made her throw her head back.
Another bundle slid to the ground and Daypaw quickly broke the sac, the mewling of the kit filling the air. This time, she let the father lick it clean. It was another tom, this time a perfect replica of Dustspots. Heatherfire took one look at it and mewed, "Gritkit," Dustspots let out a purr of agreement.
Fumbletounge leaned close to Heatherfire as she tensed up again, "This is the last one, Heatherfire," Another kit slid out, screeching its way into the world. It was orange and white and a tiny female. Heatherfire began licking it furiously, "Sunkit,"
Daypaw carefully pushed the mewling kit to their mothers stomach, where they latched onto the teats and began sucking greedily. Fumbletounge pushed some borage to Heatherfire, who quickly licked it up, not even waiting for Fumbletounges explanation of the herb.
Letting her head fall back, Heatherfire sighed. Dustspots licked her head, his soft mew barely loud enough for Daypaw to hear, "You did it, Heatherfire, you did it,"
Fumbletounge turned, beckoning for Daypaw to follow him. Slipping out of the nursery, Daypaw found many a cat leaning out of their dens to look at the nursery. Fumbletounge barely took any notice of them, padding back to his den.
Once inside the Medicine cat den, Fumbletounge glanced at their supplies of herbs, before pausing, "We're in need of some more Catnip. With Leaf-bare quick on its way, we're going to need it for sure," Glancing at Daypaw, he narrowed his eyes affectionately, "You've never been out herb collecting before, but you do remember where the catnip supply is, right?" When she nodded, he continued on, "Go get some, bring back as much as you can carry,"
She turned to leave, excitement at the thought of going out on her own expedition causing her to have a bounce in her step, but Fumbletounges voice stopped her in her tracks, "Don't hang around the twoleg place. There might only be kittypets, but theres other things there as well. Dangerous things,"
Flicking her tail in acknowledgement, she began to leave again, but Fumbletounge stopped her again, "You know, if you were just going looking for Yarrow or Borage, I'd be okay with it. But your going to the Twoleg place. Take Nightpaw with you,"
Daypaw forced herself not to sigh, instead thinking of it as time she would be getting to spend with her sister. Padding out of the den, she glanced around for her sister, spotting her speaking with Littlepaw.
Padding over, she soon caught on to their direction of conversation, "I can't stand my mentor sometimes! Crouchtail is so bossy and he can't realize that I'm not just a little helpless kit anymore!"
Littlepaw opened his mouth to answer, but Daypaw cut him off, "Hey, Nightpaw! I'm going to collect Catnip at Twoleg place and Fumbletounge wants you to go with me,"
Nightpaw spun in a minute, relief shining in her eyes, "Great! Lets go! I've been wanting to get out of camp for the whole day, but Crouchtail's had me cleaning out all the dens,"
Nightpaw walked past her, but Daypaw spun, uncertainty sparking inside her, "Shouldn't you ask Crouchtail?"
Nightpaw snorted, glancing back at her with amusement in her amber eyes, "I don't want to,"
Daypaw paused, looking around for the large warrior, but didn't see him anywhere, so after a moment she bounded after Nightpaw. Once in the forest, she calmed down, enjoying her surroundings as she bounded along beside her sister.
After a few minutes of just running, they slowed down to a brisk trot. Nightpaw spoke first, "So... when you came back from the Moonstone, you seemed kind of upset. I've been meaning to ask you about it,"
Daypaw tensed up, mind whirling with excuse's to not say anything about it. She locked on the first one she found, which was actually true, "I'm n-not supposed to talk about it,"
Nightpaw glanced at her, before shrugging, but the betrayal was evident in her eyes, "Thats fine, I was just hoping to help,"
Daypaw let her eyes stray to the ground, watching the forest floor as they padded along. Slowly, the scent around them began to change, first from normal foresty scents, then to the distinctive scent of the Twoleg place. Nightpaw stayed silent, obviously fuming over the small clash they had had.
A fence became visible, startingly white against the green of the forest. Daypaw bounded up to it, before launching herself up and balanced precariously. Nightpaw leaped up beside her and they both gazed down into the garden before them.
Daypaw instantly spotted the catnip plant. She didn't even have to taste the air to spot it. Jumping down, she glanced around warily, before streaking over to the bush, Nightpaw hot on her heels. Once there, she turned her head, biting of the stems and setting them down in a pile by her side. Nightpaw did the same beside her.
The sweet, thick scent of the catnip disoriented her and thats what she blamed it on. If her sense's hadn't been all clogged up, she probably would have noticed the approaching cat, but she didn't notice the tom until it was to late and he barelling into Nightpaw.
Nightpaw let out a screech of fury as she was knocked to the ground. The tom cat whirling around in a fury of fighting. Daypaw crouched down, trying to figure out how she could help her sister. She detested fighting and the very thought of her jumping into the battle made her pelt crawl, but if she had to do it to help her sister, she would. Tensing her muscles, she prepared to launch herself forward.
Before she could, though, the tom leaped back, Nightpaw's claws missing his face by less then a whisker length. Landing neatly, her sat down and licked a paw, dragging it over his ear. His fur was sleek and black and he had a fluffier, white patch on his chest. His eyes were a light, bluish yellow. They reminded her of the moon.
She drew her lips back in the beginning of a snarl, but the tom cut her off, looking at Nightpaw in amusement, who was just spinning to face him, "Well, well, if it isn't my favorite cat in the whole forest, Night!" He paused to look at he and Daypaw hissed at him, blue eyes narrowing menacingly, "I can only guess as who you might be,"
Daypaw opened her mouth to say something, but Nightpaw raced her to it, "You! What are you doing here? And my name is not Night! It is Nightpaw. How many times do I have to tell you that?"
The tom looked back and Nightpaw with a small mrrow of amusement, "This isn't your territory, I'm allowed to roam as I choose, though the Twoleg place isn't my usual choice. Oh, and don't worry, Night, it is just an endearment,"
Daypaw stood frozen, trying to comprehend the conversation going on in front of her. Suddenly, it all clicked together in her head. Spinning, she crouching, narrowing her eyes at Nightpaw, "You know this cat? What's going on here?" Her voice was filled with disbelief and betrayel.
Nightpaw looked at her, her own amber eyes filled with anguish, "Daypaw, it's not like that! I me-" She didn't get to finish because the tom cut her off.
The tom was looking at her with curiosity, giving her much more attention now, "So, your Day. I'm am Shock, a loner. I was traveling through your territory and ran into Night at one point,"
Daypaw turned to face him, snarling deeply in her throat, "Don't you dare speak, you peice of mouse dung! This is between my sister and me!" She started to turn back towards her sister, but then spun around to face him again, "Stop calling us that! It is Daypaw and Nightpaw, get it through your thick skull!"
Shock let out a mrrow of amusement, before shrugging, "I don't want to cause to much conflict, so I shall leave," Padding forward, he brushed past Night, brushing his pelt along hers and trailing his tail under her chin, before disseappearing through a hole in the fence.
Daypaw's limbs were trembling with anger. She didn't usually lose her temper like this, but her whirling mind and the stress of the last few days was weighing on her. Baring her teeth at Nightpaw, she growled the next words, "How dare you! You could have at least told me! Having a relationship with that... that peice of stinking fox dung!"
Kneeling down, she grabbed the catnip, bounding over to the fence and leaping on it. Nightpaw called her name, but Daypaw ignored her, leaping down and streaking into the forest, heading back to camp.
The camp was bustling with activity when she returned, Nightpaw hot on her heels, but not able to speak because of the catnip in her mouth. Youngfoot and Longleap both mewed greetings, but Daypaw couldn't bring up the will to answer them. Instead, she went straight to the Medicine cat den.
Inside, she dropped the catnip on the dwindling pile, her sister doing the same. Nightpaw began to speak, but Daypaw flicked her tail across Nightpaw's mouth, only shaking her head. Nightpaw's tail drooped and she slipped out of the den, leaving Daypaw to her thoughts.
Daypaw hated the way she had treated her sister. It went against everything she believed in. She loved her sister with her whole heart, but she knew that it was for her own good that Daypaw tried to cut off this relationship while it was still growing. She had seen the affection in the toms eyes. She couldn't let it go any farther.
She knew she should eat something, but the thought of trying to eat made her stomach roll and everything on the freshkill pile looked repulsive and gross.
Closing her eyes, Daypaw crouched down, reflecting on the vision she'd had at the Moonstone. The prophecy seemed to echo in her ears, Settingsoul's voice a soft whisper to her ears, "Two will come, different as day is to night and send waves of chaos back where they belong," Shivering, Daypaw opened her eyes again.
A sudden commotion in the camp made Daypaw leap to her feet. A moment later, Fallenfur came stumbling through the gorse tunnel. Daypaw gave a small yowl of anguish as she spotted the gash's down her fathers side and the blood covering his pelt. Despite her rolling stomach, Daypaw flung herself out of the Medicine cats den to steady to father, pressing her pelt against his.
Her mew was steady and calm, but the ergency in it was obvious, "Come on, Fallenfur, we need to get you to the Medicine cats den!"
Fallenfur shook his head, training bleary eyes on the leaders den, "S-shinestar!" His screech had the leader leaping from the den and racing towards him, her eyes wide with horror.
She hadn't even reached them when her sharp mew cut the air, "What happened?"
Fallenfur gasped, trembling where he stood. His words had a fine tremble to them, "A-attacked... by the Thunderpath... Not Shadowclan... M-mottledsong dead..." His head drooped down, before he collapsed on his side. Daypaw gasped as she spotted the gash in his throat, which was still bleeding freely.
Suddenly, Fumbletounge exploded from Gorsetunnel. Taking one look at Fallenfur, he snapped at Daypaw, "Cobwebs, now! We need to stop the bleeding before anything else!"
Turning, Daypaw streaked towards the Medicine cat den, almost running into Nightpaw, who was staring at their father in anguish. More cats were gather around, their yowls of anguish filling the night air.
Reaching the medicine cat den, Daypaw wrapped one paw with cobwebs and shot back to Fumbletounge, who quickly extracted the cobwebs from her paw. He plastered them to the wound on her fathers throat first, then moved onto his side. At first, it seemed like it wasn't doing anything, then the cobwebs, which were clogged with blood, began to slow the bleeding, until finally it wasn't flowing at all.
Sighing, Daypaw moved forward to help Fumbletounge move Fallenfur's limp, but breathing body. Slowly, they manouvered him to the Medicine cat den. Daypaw could hear Shinestar getting a patrol to go and get Mottledsong's body. She sent out at least five cat and two apprentices, enough to fight off any group that attacked them.
Setting Fallenfur in one of the nest in the den, Daypaw sighed, squeezing her eyes shut. When she turned, she just caught sight of Nightpaw slipping out of the Gorsetunnel along with the patrol. Stomach twisting with anxiety, Daypaw realized she wouldn't get to tell her sister sorry for snapping her before she put herself in danger.
Sighing, Daypaw looked up to see Fumbletounge looking down at her with sympathy, "Y-you should g-go get some to e-e-eat. I know its s-scary to see b-blood for the first real t-time, but you must e-eat,"
Daypaw gave a small nod, heaving herself to her paws and walking to the freshkill pile. For a moment, she just nosed around it, then sided and picked up the smallest mouse on the pile. Turning, she walked over to the shades of the gorse around the camp and curling up, taking a forced bite and chewing slowly. The meat was chewy and didn't seem to have any flavor at all.
She'd just finished her mouse when the patrol returned. Carried between Longleap and Mouseskitter was Mottledsong, her pelt ripped and her throat torn out. Daypaw stared in horror as Nightpaw entered the camp, tail dragging and eyes deep wih anguish. Despite not knowing Mottledsong, she was obviously hit hard by the first depth of a clan member during her apprenticehood.
She can't expect to save everyone, Daypaw thought sullenly, her own body deep with anguish as the cat set Mottledsong down in the middle of the clearing, before beginning to groom her fur. Closing her eyes, Daypaw thought, Please Starclan, let my clan be safe!