Sunspot's kits were born towards the beginning of newleaf. Rainkit and the others were ushered out of the den early in the morning, still drowsy and blurry-eyed, as Brambleface rushed to Berryshine's den. The cream tom gave them a friendly glance over before ducking into their den, where Sunspot's voice could be heard rising in little mewls and whimpers of discomfort. It made the fur on Rainkit's hackles raise, and she nudged Snowkit, who seemed to be asleep on her paws.
"Why's she sound like that? Are the kits in her belly hurting her?" Rainkit whispered, her ears pricking as she overheard Berryshine soothing the distressed queen. Her sister gave her a look, partly exasperated and partly disbelieving. When it prompted nothing but a confused response from the brown tabby, she sighed.
"The kits want to come out, so they're getting ready for that, idiot," she muttered, sounding annoyed. Rainkit opened her mouth to speak further, but quickly backed down when Brambleface's kits heard their conversation and huddled around to join, tiny paws mussing up the sparse grass growing on the frosty cool ground.
"I bet she sounds like she's hurting like that 'cause they're all fighting to get out first," Thornkit hypothesized. Firekit's eyes widened.
"Does that mean they're using their claws on Sunspot?! Why? She's so nice?!" he blurted, receiving an incredulous look from Snowkit. "Not to mention she's their mother," the ginger tom muttered in conclusion, shrinking slightly from the icy blue gaze the she-cat had pinned on him. Rainkit wondered at his speculation, though it must not have been true from Snowkit's reaction to it.
"Ew, imagine tiny little kittens scratching up your insides!" Thornkit squeaked, sounding horrified, and Snowkit's gaze quickly switched to him. Ashkit's expression twisted into one of terror, as did Icekit and Rainkit's. Firekit fixed them with a sympathetic stare.
"You guys are gonna have scratchy kit bellies one day!"
The very thought made Rainkit's pelt crawl uncomfortably, and she looked down between her front paws at her stomach, fat from kithood, only to shudder as she imagined it swelling to the point where she could barely move. She didn't like the image of her future self, bloated with kits and moaning pitifully in the nursery while Berryshine tended to her. Poor Sunspot had been wallowing miserably for nearly a half moon before her kits had decided they wanted to be born…
She felt a bit more respect towards the she-cat, and vowed to never be consciously rude to her ever again or put thistles or thorns in her nest.
"The kits aren't scratching her," Snowkit meowed, sounding irritated that the others had entertained the notion. Ashkit was quick to jump to her aide.
"Yeah, they can't be! She'd be bleeding a lot more, right?"
The logic seemed sound, and the she-kits relaxed for the most part. Then Icekit shuffled her paws, looking vaguely upset.
"Well then, what are they doing to her? They have to be hurting her somehow, for her to make those sounds…. Right?"
The quiet question was surely cause for discussion, and Rainkit had half an argument that would likely end in her sister glaring at her ready. But they – Firekit mostly- were cut off by an amused purr. The little she-kit turned towards the sound, her ears perking at the sight of her father and Appleheart trotting past them, their fur smelling of frostbitten leaves and plump mice hanging from their jaws. Cloudfrost paused as his daughters looked at him, stopping to place his prey on the ground. Rainkit had half a mind to go investigate the strange-looking little creature, but her father's deep, rumbly voice interrupted the thought.
The thick furred tom had cocked his head into the direction of the nursery, his eyes narrowing in thought, before he turned his attention to the kits. "What are you all doing so close to the nursery? I'm sure Robinflight told you to do something to amuse yourselves," he added, looking stern. Rainkit gulped, despite knowing clearly that her mother had not given them any clear directions. Her father was very intimidating.
Snowkit seemed to have inherited the trait, or was immune to the effect, because she padded up to the warrior to nuzzle into his soft fur. "Robinflight didn't say to do anything in particular, just to stay out of trouble," she muttered, having to spit out some of his wayward hair that had found its way into her mouth.
The tom's stance was almost disapproving before he moved, lowering his head to swipe his tongue over Snowkit's ear, making the little kitten purr.
"Well," he muttered, seeming almost uncertain now. Rainkit had heard her mother complaining (good naturedly, of course) to Brambleface about her "clueless" mate, and a hesitant purr crept out of her at her father's antics. He wasn't very good with other cats, she'd been told.
Appleheart stepped in to the tom's rescue, her eyes warm but strict. "You're going to be caught underpaw here soon, when the new kits are born. Why don't you all go see if the apprentices will teach you those new battle moves? Owlpaw's been bragging about it ever since last night."
The mere mention of the apprentices had all the kits bouncing in excitement. At four moons old, they were soon to be apprentices themselves, and the allure of following the older cats hadn't yet worn off. Thornkit was the first to turn tail and scamper to the apprentice's den, and the other kits soon followed suit, their tiny paws drumming the ground.
Appleheart stared after them, bemused, before picking up her mouse again, prompting her fellow warrior to do the same.
Nightpaw's screech of alarm could have roused the entire Clan, and, as it were, it made most of the kits jump. Rainkit could hear Owlpaw and Thornkit laughing raucously, and a little thrill ran through her. Thornkit must have jumped on the little apprentice and scared them awake. Meaning they might be angry. She could only hope not.
"Geez, Nightpaw! Some cats have moonhigh patrol!" Brackenpaw griped, rolling over in his nest. Ashkit rolled her eyes at the tom, padding up to him and pawing at him. "You're not gonna get anymore sleep now that we're here! Now teach us those moves that Appleheart taught you!" The tom rolled his eyes at the smaller kit, moving so that his back was to her.
"Get Owlpaw to do it. She wants to mentor one of you little monsters one day anyway," he said, voice warping as he yawned tiredly. Ashkit puffed up at that, but didn't linger by the tom when Owlpaw stood up.
"Alright then! Let's go to the clearing so we don't bother the sleeping beauties," she said, snickering as Nightpaw glared after her.
Several of the warriors chuckled at the sight of them coming from the apprentice den; Owlpaw pranced proudly ahead, with a hardly uniform line of kits behind her. Rainkit walked with a bounce in her step, Brackenpaw's words ringing in her mind. She hoped she got one of them as her mentor, since she knew them so well and since the older warriors seemed scary.
Owlpaw turned once she got them to the clearing, instructing them to sit in a more organized line so they could all see. Firekit started muttering something excitedly to Thornkit, and Rainkit blinked, straining slightly to hear them.
She jumped when Owlpaw gave them a dirty look, turning away quickly. Snowkit snickered at her side.
"So guys, Willowspot pretty much taught me to use an opponent's weight against them, so since you're still small you can actually do this!" she said cheerfully, using her tail to beckon Snowkit over. The silvery tabby jumped up immediately, going to stand before the apprentice as though she knew what she was doing. The size difference was almost comical, but she didn't look scared in the least.
"What you're going to want to do, Snowkit, is grab my front paw when I jump at you… Yes, just like that! Then you'll keep a firm grip, and dodge under me and to the side." Snowkit nodded at the instructions, repeating them back clearly when asked. Owlpaw looked extremely pleased with herself as she padded a few tail lengths away, telling the smaller cat to be ready.
It happened very quickly, and Rainkit would have missed it if she had blinked. The mottled apprentice lunged for her much smaller sister, lips drawn back in a mock-snarl. Even from where they were, Rainkit could see that her claws were still sheathed, and that she was only going to bat Snowkit with her soft white paws.
Snowkit moved fast, her mouth clamping hard on the apprentice's front paw even as she darted beneath her. But she wasn't quite fast enough, nor strong enough, and Owlpaw shook her off easily. But the calico looked impressed, her eyes wide.
"Wow, Snowkit! You're a natural," she praised, and the smaller she-cat shrugged, ducking her head to try to lick some of the dust from the clearing out of her fur. Rainkit's eyes practically sparkled as she bounced up.
"Me next!" she chirped excitedly, surprisingly loud amidst the clamor of noise that were the other kits. Owlpaw purred. "Why don't you all practice with each other? That way I don't accidentally squish you," she suggested, earning disappointed sighs.
Icekit immediately backed away at the suggestion, a slight grimace twisting her face. Owlpaw tipped her head in confusion, and Ashkit blinked before piping up, "Icekit wants to be the medicine cat when she gets older, 'cause she doesn't want to fight!"
Rainkit's eyes widened, as did her sister's, astonishment of the fact flooding them. Most kits (including them) adored fighting and wanted to become warriors as soon as they could, so it was somewhat surprising that any kits would choose the life of a medicine cat over that. Especially since Berryshine was widely regarded to be the most boring cat in camp.
Snowkit's mouth opened, and she was obviously going to say something to that affect, but Owlpaw was already talking, her tone warm. "Well if that's your decision, Icekit, go for it! I'm sure you'll be a great medicine cat!" The little white kit looked flustered at that, her eyes lowering to the ground bashfully.
"I-I'm okay with just watching, so you all can go ahead," she mumbled timidly, and Owlpaw nodded in understanding. Though Rainkit was still confused, Owlpaw's words cleared it up a bit. It was Icekit's decision.
"But now there's not enough of us to do pairs!" Firekit objected after a moment, and was promptly backed up by his other siblings. Owlpaw shifted her paws slightly. "W-well, in that case, I can keep practicing with Snowkit. Is that okay with you?" she asked the smaller she-cat, looking down at her curiously. Snowkit just nodded, causing another chorus of groans to ripple through the kits. Rainkit sighed, jealously tinting her thoughts as she reluctantly went to pair up with one of the other kits.
Thornkit and Firekit naturally chose each other, so she was left with Ashkit, who padded over confidently. Rainkit nearly shied away, not knowing her fellow kit too well, but the gray she-cat didn't seem to care, immediately engaging them in a fierce play-scuffle. Which she then proceeded to win, using the technique that Owlpaw had just shown them. Rainkit sulked slightly, upset that when she had tried to use the move it hadn't worked; Ashkit had just twisted out of her grasp, as slippery as a fish.
"Don't feel too down about it, you've only got Snowkit to practice with. I have those two idiots," Ashkit consoled, sitting beside her to watch the third rematch between Thornkit and Firekit, who were starting to look like walking balls of dust. Snowkit was pinned under Owlpaw after another failed attempt at the move, and was patting at her muzzle with her tiny claws, making the older she-cat laugh.
"We don't talk much," Ashkit went on, making Rainkit turn her head to look at her again.
"No, we don't," she agreed after a moment, still rather sore about losing. She almost suggested that she'd like to keep it that way, but Ashkit plopped down beside her, purring loudly.
"I don't know why, I've always thought you were really nice," she said, and Rainkit felt so awful about her previous thought that she kept her mouth shut, ashamed of herself. But it seemed that Ashkit wanted a response, so she mumbled, "Thank you."
Then, still feeling bad, she quickly added a compliment by way of, "You're pretty cool yourself," which made Ashkit's eyes light up. She laughed, and Rainkit could feel it through her soft, fluffy fur.
"Well thanks. It's nice to talk to another she-cat my age that isn't crazy confident like Snowkit, or really shy like my sister," she mewed, and the tabby blinked, feeling strangely honored.
Rainkit started to speak, but Owlpaw suddenly shot up, her eyes lit with excitement. "Look, guys! The new kits are here!" she said excitedly, already running off to join the growing mass of cats crowding the entrance to the nursery. Rainkit's eyes widened, and she glanced to Ashkit, seeing her own excitement reflecting back in the gray she-cat's eyes.
The kits easily managed to get into the nursery, their smaller size helping them crawl under the bigger warriors. Their mothers immediately herded them to a separate corner, Robinflight scolding them lightly for budging in while Brambleface stuck her head out of the nursery to hiss warningly at the crowd.
"Goodness!" she grumped once she deemed the group thin enough, going to begin aggressively grooming Firekit, who squeaked and tried to get away from the rough licks. "It's as though those heathens have never seen newborn kits before! Great StarClan what were you doing out there? You are all absolutely covered in filth!" Firekit let out an embarrassed whine, still struggling in his mother's grasp as his ginger fur slowly became visible again.
Thornkit started hurriedly explaining that they had been playing with Owlpaw, which was why they were so dirty, and Robinflight huffed, starting on Snowkit. Rainkit suddenly remembered the reason they had rushed to the nursery en masse, and glanced over to Sunspot's nest, unable to see anything over the queen's body from that angle. She noticed that her belly wasn't nearly as big as it had been before, and she sighed in relief. It had looked like she was going to burst before, and Sunspot was too nice a cat to have that happen to her.
Kestrelsong was at her side, his amber eyes soft and patient as he pushed his muzzle to his mate's with a purr, and Rainkit felt strangely uncomfortable, looking away quickly. But Sunspot had noticed her gaze, and beckoned her over with a tired little mew.
"I forget that none of you have seen any kits younger than you before," she said softly, her voice a bit croaky sounding. Rainkit nodded slightly, eager to see the new kittens. Something that was smaller than her was hard to come by, save for the insects that came into the camp or things found on the freshkill pile.
When she saw them, she suddenly understood why the older cats always talked about kits and wanting them. Before it had been annoying to be fawned over and protected, but now she understood. Three tiny bundles of fur were pressed close to Sunspot's belly, exhausted from their ordeal and occasionally giving a little pitiful mew. They looked like miniature versions of the other kits, but with smaller ears and their eyes were shut despite the fact that they were clearly awake. Their paws, impossibly tiny, were splayed out behind them or, in a tiny tabby's case, above them, and the pads were bright pink and soft.
"Their names are…" Sunspot's voice broke her out of her reverie, only to notice that the other kits were crowded around her now and staring in awe at their new Clanmates.
"Spottedkit, Minkkit, and Ivykit." She nudged each kit as she named them, respectively a little tortoiseshell she-kit, a fluffy brown tabby, and a much smaller brown striped she-kit. She soothed them tenderly when Minkkit started fussing and letting out sharp mewls of distress.
Robinflight purred, her own eyes soft as she looked over her friend's kits. "They're beautiful names for beautiful kits," she said fondly, and Sunspot beamed proudly. Kestrelsong shared a similar look, winding his tail with his mate's. Brambleface used one paw to gently herd the older kits away as he started murmuring into her ear, and Rainkit vaguely heard, "You did so good, I love you so much," as she was steered away.
It was late that night when Stormstar called everyone out to the clearing, his blue eyes warm and welcoming as faint moonlight illuminated his Clan. Brambleface wanted the kits to stay inside the nursery, fretting about how cold it still was in newleaf, but they still piled atop each other at the mouth of the den, Icekit on the very top because she was the smallest. Rainkit felt squished, even if it was just Snowkit and Icekit on top of her.
Stormstar announced that the kits had been born, along with their names. The gathered cats murmured approvingly, and Rainkit heard Sunspot purr softly from behind her. She had slept the majority of the day away, tired from giving birth and being drilled on what to do if the kits showed symptoms of any sort of illness by Berryshine. Then he called Brackenpaw, Nightpaw, and Owlpaw up to stand before him, and the older kits squirmed in excitement. Rainkit hissed in irritation as Snowkit's claws caught her ear, but paid little mind to it after her sister glared down at her.
Cloudfrost, Willowspot, and Minnowflight all stared proudly after their apprentices as they sat before the leader, their fur all neatly groomed and their eyes shining with excited pride.
Brambleface grumbled at the sight of the kits all piled up at the entrance of the nursery, but merely bid they pay attention, so they wouldn't be confused or nervous for their own ceremonies. They had already seen one ceremony, but they were too young to properly remember it.
When Stormstar spoke this time, it was like he had real power in his words, and the Clan fell silent. Rainkit felt Ashkit shiver slightly below her, and a cold tingle also spread down her spine. Did StarClan give him that power? Or was that all his own doing?
"StarClan has blessed us with many moons of peace and livelihood. We not only have new kits, but new warriors and, soon, new apprentices. Our Clan is growing stronger by the season, and we usher in the new year by welcoming three strong, capable cats into our warrior's den.
I, Stormstar, leader of FrostClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on these apprentices. They have trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend them to you as warriors in their turn.
"Nightpaw, please step forward." The black cat obediently stepped forward, their eyes pinned on Stormstar. Rainkit's chest tightened slightly. Nightpaw looked so much more mature than they had just that afternoon.
"Nightpaw, do you vow to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your own life?"
The apprentice's voice trembled as they meowed, "I do."
"Then by the powers given to me by StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Nightpaw, from this moment forward you will be known as Nightfoot. StarClan honors your honesty and dedication, and we welcome you as a full warrior of FrostClan."
Nightfoot stepped forward again, and Stormstar rested his muzzle on their head, leaving the new warrior to lick his shoulder in respect before they stepped apart.
The black cat walked proudly to stand by their former mentor, Minnowflight, and she purred proudly at them.
Thornkit and Firekit cooed in appreciation, squirming underneath them. Ashkit hissed at them and they stilled, but Rainkit could still feel their contagious excitement. She tried hard not to squirm herself.
Stormstar immediately moved on to Owlpaw, beckoning her up. She was trembling, or maybe it was just the moonlight reflected on her mottled pelt.
"Do you, Owlpaw, pledge to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend this Clan, even at the cost of your life?" The she-cat nodded, a jerky movement, and her voice was so low that the kits couldn't hear it from their position.
"Then, by the powers given to me by StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Owlpaw, from this moment forward you will be known as Owlstorm. StarClan honors your enthusiasm and fighting-spirit, and we welcome you as a full warrior of FrostClan."
Owlstorm's eyes were shining as she turned away from her leader, and a loud purr was heard as she met with the deputy and her former mentor. She started to speak loudly and excitedly but was shushed, though it didn't damper her demeanor.
"Finally we get to see what name this idiot gets," Ashkit muttered as Brackenpaw stepped up to stand before Stormstar. Firekit wiggled.
"He's not an idiot! He's a good, fierce warrior!" he objected, and Ashkit strained a paw down to cuff his ears. Firekit, naturally, scooted back, and the movement caused the small tower of kits to crumble and collapse. Rainkit yelped in alarm and let out a sound of pain as her chest collided with the floor and Icekit fell on top of her.
Ashkit was up and bristling in a second, her eyes seething with righteous fury. She started to raise her voice, but Brambleface intervened, gently cuffing her ear.
"Hush now, or you won't hear the ceremony," she scolded, lifting Icekit up to comfort her back at their nest.
Ashkit grumbled angrily, staying far away from her brothers and sitting right next to Rainkit, who tried not to shy away. She could almost feel her pelt burning angrily. Snowkit had grunted in laughter and was now sitting beside Firekit, whispering something to him. Ashkit ignored it.
Brackenpaw had just stated "I do", and Stormstar had paused, looking inexplicably proud.
"Then by the powers given to me by StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Brackenpaw, from this moment forward you will be known as Brackenblaze. StarClan honors your bravery and intelligence, and we welcome you as a full warrior of FrostClan."
Ashkit made a loud, strangled sound, and Rainkit looked to her in confusion.
"Intelligence... I'm speechless," she muttered to herself, and Rainkit just purred in amusement. Outside, the Clan was becoming rowdy, the new warriors' names being repeated in increasing volume. The kits joined in, and soon they couldn't hear anything else, the joy so palpable in the air it infected even the morose elders, who were bickering even through the yelling.
In a few moons, we'll be closer to that, Rainkit thought dreamily, her heart full and beating fast even as the Clan started to quiet down, the new warriors going to the front of the camp to stand guard. Robinflight yawned, scooping Rainkit up by the scruff and using her front paws to nudge Snowkit into the direction of their nest.
"We have a big day tomorrow, we need rest," she said, situating them at her belly like they were still small kits even though they had been eating freshkill for almost a full moon. Snowkit looked at her and whispered that their mother probably didn't want them to grow up, and Rainkit scoffed quietly.
They were going to grow up, and they were going to be great. Their mothers should be proud.