Challenge for CloudClan.

Enjoy!

Three rouges laid in a clearing, deep in the woods. A brown tabby tom with blue eyes, a cream female with brown eyes, and a heavily pregnant calico she-cat, with brown eyes. They were all enjoying the warmth of the sun on their pelts.

The tom stood up, shaking off his pelt. "Snow, I'm going hunting. I want food for Chestnut and the kits." The tabby nuzzled both females, and walked away. The cream cat, Snow, nodded. She rested her gaze on the calico.

"Are you feeling okay, Chestnut? I think the kits might come today." Snow put a tail on Chestnut's shoulder, who nodded. "I'm ready. But Eagle seems really worried...its so unlike him." Chestnut shifted, and looked to the forest. Snow nodded, smiling. "The big tough guy just wants his new family to be safe. Trust me, my brother is a big softie on the inside."

}{

Eagle hunted through the surrounding forest. Scenting a vole, he stalked through the undergrowth "There you are." He whispered, catching sight of the vole on a riverbank. He crouched and sprang, clamping his claws down on the rodent. He picked it up in his jaws, and looked for more.

He caught two mice and a half-dead sparrow before he heard the shout. "Eagle! The kits are coming!"

Almost dropping the prey, Eagle raced back, his eyes wide. I'm going to be a father! And I'm sure we will have the most perfect kits. He had already envisioned his kits, his perfect family.

Running harder, Eagle reached the clearing. Dropping his catch, he raced to Chestnut's side.

"Chestnut, bite this when the kits come, and PUSH!" Snow commanded, as Chestnut clamped on to a stick. "And you, go fetch me some soaked moss. Now." Snow waved Eagle away. Eagle was glad for his sister's medicinal knowledge. He ran to the river where he had caught the vole, and wet clumps of moss.

Oh, I hope everything is okay! Please let Chestnut have a safe kitting.

Moss in his jaws, Eagle returned to the clearing, where a tired Chestnut panted as three kits nestled into her fur, with Snow buzzing around, making everyone comfortable. Eagle gasped. "Our kits!"

Tossing the moss to Snow, he hurried to his mate. "Oh Chestnut, they're beautiful!" As Snow cleaned the kits with the wet moss, Eagle pressed his head to Chestnut's. "We're a family now." Chestnut murmured, and Eagle smiled.

Snow suddenly jumped. "I need more herbs! Be right back." She scrambled away.

Chestnut sat up, as the mewing balls of fur squirmed. She began to lick them to keep them warm. Eagle took a look at his offspring.

There was a she-kit, who looked like her mother, and with a smile, Eagle purred, "Hello, Berry." His daughter. Chestnut curled her tail in closer around her. "May you grow to be a beautiful, valiant she-cat, like your mother." Eagle whispered, and Chestnut blushed.

Chestnut looked at the next one, a white tom, with brown paws and a brown tail-tip. Chestnut meowed, "I was thinking of naming this one Mallow." Eagle nodded, and licked his son. "He'll grow to be a strong, bold one."

Then, there was a final kit. A puny, brown kit. A kit with a twisted hind-leg. Eagle paused. A runt, a disabled runt. Eagle wasn't expecting this. He thought his kits would be perfect. He didn't know how to respond.

"Oh, yes." Chestnut nuzzled the kit. "Eagle, look at him." She looked into Eagle's eyes, with that compassionate expression he loved. "Maybe this kit isn't perfect. Maybe he's going to struggle in life. But he's OUR kit. He's family."

Eagle thought about that. Family.

"Twig, may you overcome any obstacle that gets in the way of you becoming a proud cat." Eagle touched his nose to Twig. His son.

He looked at his family. I'll love all of you. Imperfections and everything. Because you are my family. The only cat missing was his sister.

Snow burst through the trees, carrying some dark green leaves. "Is everything okay?" She asked, staring at the kits. Chestnut smiled. "Meet Berry, Mallow and Twig." She purred, and Snow smiled back. "I'm so happy for you!" She looked to Eagle. "We're all one big, happy family." Eagle purred at this, feeling the joy of being a father, for the first time.

Snow pawed the leaves to Chestnut. "Eat these, it'll help you produce milk." Snow procceded to make everyone comfortable once more, and finally, when the day had darkened into night, they all went to sleep, underneath a bracken bush.

Eagle snuggled next to his mate, their kits between them. This is my perfect family.

}{

"Father! Mother!" Two apprentice-aged cats ran out of the forest, with another one lagging behind. "Twig caught his first mouse!" The she cat exclaimed, her tail swishing.

The little brown cat hurried over to his family, lame leg dragging behind.

"Yeah! He was getting a bit stuck, 'cause of his leg, but then he saw a mouse, and just, BAM!" The other cat, Mallow, added as three cats padded over. "Really, Berry!?" A brown tom asked, and Berry nodded. "See!?"

"Look I caught a mouse! My first one!" Twig beamed as his mother, father and aunt congratulated him. I did it! As Father said ,'Your leg can not stop you'

"Hey, Twig, Berry! Wanna go try again?" Mallow suggested, white fur rippling in the breeze. He turned towards the forest, and Berry nodded. Twig followed behind them, happily.

Eagle smiled. Snow sighed. "Remember when we were kits?" She padded over to the pile of prey they kept, and selected a thrush.

"See Eagle? Our perfect family." Chestnut nuzzled her mate, who nodded. "Couldn't put it better myself."

Did you like it? I thought it was pretty cute.

R and R!