Chapter 14

Squirrelflight's PoV

Squirrelflight woke up to her kits playing with Sunkit, Robinkit, and Stonekit. "Come you four, time for feeding." Her kits ran to her and started suckling. Squirrelflight stared down at her kits with pride and love. Her kits were a moon now and they were already getting into trouble and they were strong. She just hoped Ivykit and Dovekit didn't complete the prophecy. She would never tell her adopted kits this, but she was scared what would happen to them. Would Dovekit die? Would Ivykit die? She didn't know which one would die, but she didn't want Ivykit to be apart of the doom and help destroy her sister unless her, Brambleclaw, Jayfeather, Hollyleaf, Oakkit and Lionblaze can save her.

"Aren't our kits just beautiful?" Sandstorm's voice shook her out of her reverie.

"Yes, they are. We should get Stormfur and Stoneteller and leave for SkyClan."

"Right, but after we feed these bundles of fun."

Squirrelflight and Sandstorm had their sons in their jaws and they were aching from supporting their already heavy sons. They had been traveling for another moon and they were at their old forest home. They went past Princess's home when they were stopped by Princess herself.

"Firestar! Oh, thank goodness you're alright. I haven't seen you in ages! I thought you and Cloudtail were dead! Oh, and who are these?"

Firestar stepped toward his sister and touched noses with her. "Hey Princess. You want to come with us? And I'll explain on the way?"

"Yes, never again will I let you two out of my set for more than a moon. It feels like a year since I've seen you!" She leaped down from her fence, loosed her collar and tossed it over the fence.

Squirrelflight flicked her tail in surprise. She knew her sisters looked like her aunt, but she had never seen her before and she couldn't believe the resemblance and all she could do was stare.

"Firestar, why is that she-cat staring at me?" Princess flicked her tabby tail nervously and frightened.

"That's Squirrelflight, and she's my daughter. I think she just can't believe the resemblance between Leafpool, Robinkit, my other daughters, and you."

"Oh, I thought she looked like you. Any other kits?"

"Yes, my other daughter, Sunkit, and my son, Stonekit. Squirrelflight's got kits of her own. Ask her their names."

Princess padded up cautiously to Squirrelflight and asked, "What are you kits names?"

Squirrelflight put down her son, and meowed, "This ginger is Oakkit and he's my son, this blue-gray is Bluekit, one of my daughters, the tortoishell is Ivykit, another of my daughters, and the soft, gray is Dovekit, my last and youngest daughter of this litter."

"They're beautiful kits and such perfect names," Princess purred.

"Yes, and they're only two moons old and they already get into trouble!" Squirrelflight purred in amusement.

"Yes, two moons in usually when they start getting into more trouble than usual."

"Come on, we need to get to SkyClan!" That was Jayfeather.

Squirrelflight rolled her eyes and shared an exasperated look with Princess. They followed Firestar as he took the lead to the trail to SkyClan.

By Sunrise, they were by Barley's farm, and they met Barley himself and Ravenpaw.

"Hey, Firestar." Ravenpaw padded up to him and touched noses with him. "I didn't expect to see you again."

"Yeah, well, we have a mission to do."

Ravenpaw rolled his eyes, "Sounds like the old days."

"Yeah, want to come? We could use both of your help."

Ravenpaw looked at Barley, exchanging a glance, then looked at Firestar and nodded. "We'd be honored, Firestar." Firestar flicked his ears and led the way beyond and to SkyClan.

Squirrelflight dragged her paws by the rushing water near Twoleg nests. Firestar said this was where he lost Sandstorm. Oakkit, Bluekit, Ivykit, and Dovekit trailed beside her, better able to keep up now that they were three moons old (they had t go according to how Firestar got there to get to SkyClan, so it would take about a few more days).

Firestar looked back at her and Sandstorm. "Let's rest here. Ravenpaw, Barley, and everyone else besides the leaders needs to protect them. We'll go find some fresh-kill." Firestar, Onestar, Mistystar, Stoneteller, and Blackstar disappeared through the undergrowth just as Squirrelflight's and Sandstorm's kits snuggled against them to suckle.

Brambleclaw, Princess, Stormfur, Ravenpaw, Barley, Lionblaze, Hollyleaf, and Jayfeather surrounded Squirrelflight and Sandstorm with their kits. Squirrelflight licked Oakkit on the head as he settled next to her to sleep; his sisters were still suckling and it wouldn't be long until they would start eating fresh kill, like Sandstorm's kits. Suddenly Jayfeather looked up at Squirrelflight, his sightless eyes confused. "Squirrelflight, have you been feeling hungrier lately?"

Squirrelflight had been feeling hungrier lately, but she couldn't understand why Jayfeather was so worried. She tilted her head to the side. "Yes, why do you ask?"

"Because I can sense you are pregnant yet again."

Squirrelflight's eyes widened. "WHAT? How can that be?"

"I don't know, but you're going to be kitting soon, maybe another moon."

Squirrelflight sighed. "I had hoped my first litter would be apprentices before I had another one."

Brambleclaw, on the other hand, had his eyes shining. "So, I'm gonna be a father again?" Squirrelflight sighed and nodded. Brambleclaw's eyes shined with happiness and pride. Squirrelflight rolled her eyes. "I can't believe it. Three moons after you've kitted and you're pregnant again!"

Squirrelflight scowled. "Yeah, unbelievable."

Brambleclaw looked at her in disbelief. "How can you not be excited?"

Squirrelflight glared at him and Sandstorm answered for her. "Brambleclaw, you just don't understand. We she-cats love our kits, but kitting hurts very bad. It's more terrible than receiving a nasty scratch on your shoulder or a bite. I think Squirrelflight was hoping that she at least got a break in between litters of being a queen. She loves your kits, Brambleclaw, but she may have wanted to be a warrior again before she had another litter." Squirrelflight nodded in agreement.

There was a rustle in the undergrowth and Firestar, Blackstar, Onestar, and Mistystar came padding out, their jaws crammed with fresh kill. Firestar set down his catch in a pile and asked, "Who's having another litter?" Sandstorm pointed her nose to Squirrelflight, who scowled again. Firestar's whiskers twitched with amusement. "Hoped to serve as a warrior for a couple of moons before you became a queen again?"

Squirrelflight, still scowling, nodded. "But Mr. Reproduce over there decided to have me be a queen for another 6 moons." She flicked her bristling flame-colored tail at Brambleclaw.

He flinched under her steely gaze. "I thought you'd be happy to have more kits."

Squirrelflight flicked her tail in anger and hissed, "Not three moons after I've kitted! Maybe once I've had a couple moons as a warrior before I served as queen again."

"I understand. So, we won't have kits again until you have a couple moons as a warrior?"

"That'd be nice. Brambleclaw, it's not that I don't love our kits, I do, it's just….I love being a warrior too." Squirrelflight pushed Bluekit back to her belly as she stumbled and fell, squeaking in pain. Squirrelflight sighed. "We should eat and get going. I smell rain on the way." Storm clouds were rolling in from downriver. Squirrelflight padded over to the pile of fresh-kill, took a wood mouse and padded back to her kits to eat.

Once she ate her share in fresh-kill, she forced herself to wash thoroughly before she got up, picked up Bluekit by her scruff, flicked her tail and Hollyleaf took Oakkit Lionblaze took Dovekit, and Jayfeather took Ivykit. Squirrelflight saw Sandstorm gather Robinkit, and Princess gathered Sunkit and Brambleclaw picked up Stonekit. The other took a protective stance around the queens. Firestar led the way upriver as fast as the group could go. They made it to a waterfall by nightfall. They climbed up as carefully as they could and they gathered in a cave as the rain fell.

Squirrelflight gathered her kits with a sweep of her tail and circled her body around her kits; Sandstorm did the same. Princess laid next to them. The rest of the warriors surrounded them in a circle, protecting them from the outside threats. Squirrelflight fell asleep to her kits suckling her, with the sounds of rain beating down.

Squirrelflight woke up to find Sandstorm over her, prodding her with a paw. "Come on, we're almost there. Firestar wants to get going. We should be there by sunrise, he says," the pale ginger warrior meows.

Squirrelflight struggled to her paws, and looked down. She gaped; her belly was round and big, not big enough to kit soon, but big enough for the toms to tell. Great, this will slow us down, thought Squirrelflight. Princess looked at her with sympathy in her eyes. Squirrelflight picked up the nearest kit, Bluekit, flicked her tail and her adopted kits picked up the rest of Squirrelflight's kits. Sandstorm picked up Sunkit, Princess picked up Robinkit, and Brambleclaw picked up Stonekit. The cats padded onward through the gorge.

By sunhigh, Squirrelflight saw caves and cats padding around; kits playing, apprentices play-fighting, warriors bringing back fresh-kill, and a medicine cat tending to cats. This must be SkyClan, thought Squirrelflight. Squirrelflight looked at Firestar and she saw pride and happiness in his gaze, which proved Squirrelflight's suspicion. Firestar led them into the middle of the clearing. The SkyClan cats looked at Firestar and Sandstorm and greeted them with excited and curious meows. When they looked at Squirrelflight, they gasped with surprise.

"Is that Firestar's daughter?" A brown-and-cream tabby she-cat with amber eyes spoke.

Firestar looked at the tabby and nodded his head respectfully, a respectful nod from a leader to a leader. So this must be the leader of SkyClan. "Yes, she is, Leafstar."