I stretched out over my nest as the sun's rays sparkled on my belly. Willowpelt was grooming Sootkit's fur as he tried to reach Sorrelkit's tail. Rainkit was curled up on my flank in a peaceful nap. Then my stomach began to spasm. I grunted in pain and balled up as more spasms followed. Rainkit stirred awake as he felt the spasms growing stronger. "I'm trying to sleep!" he snapped groggily. I whimpered as the pain grew stronger. Willowpelt looked at me in worry and nudged Sorrelkit.
"Go get Cinderpelt and tell her that Leopardstorm's kits are coming." she ordered. Sorrelkit's eyes widened and she darted out the nursery.
"The kits are coming, the kits are coming!" she yowled in the clearing. I heard voices outside as Sorrelkit's voice alerted the clan. Fuzz burst into the nursery and charged towards me.
"Are you alright?" he asked in worry. I growled in pain and my claws dug into my nest.
"I'm about to give birth. Do I look ok to you?" I snapped. Cinderpelt ran through the nursery and shoved Fuzz out the way.
"Give me some space!" she snapped. "Rainkit, get off of Leopardstorm so I can do my job!"
"But I was sleeping!" Rainkit complained as he jumped off. Cinderpelt placed her paw on my belly and closed her eyes in concentration. She muttered something under her breath then opened her eyes.
"Three kits, Leopardstorm." she meowed. Three?! I groaned as a spasm shook my body. Fuzz wrapped himself around me comfortingly.
"Everything's alright. It's like a walk in the forest." he mewed over my screams. I growled and dug my claws into the ground.
"Oh that's just great! I'm taking a walk in the forest while boulders are hurtling themselves at my stomach! Heck of a walk, isn't it?" I snapped. Then another scream erupted from me as a spasm passed through my body. Cinderpelt narrowed her eyes as a light bundle of fur slipped into the nest. She nipped at it then began to lick it's sodden fur. The kit squeaked and dabbed a paw at her nose. Fuzz licked my ear comfortingly as he watched it. I groaned as another kit slipped out along with another one. I jerked my head up and looked at my kits. I grabbed the darkest kit while Fuzz grabbed the other. I licked the dark kit's fur with soothing strokes. I purred as my kits began to mewl and scramble blindly to my belly.
"Two she-cats and a tom. Congratulations." Cinderpelt purred. Fuzz was purring loudly beside me as he watched our kits.
"They're beautiful." he mewed. Willowpelt smiled brightly.
"What are you going to name them?" she asked. I looked at the pale bundle of fur. Her pelt was pale brown with silver spots and underbelly. Her paws were soft and silver as she pawed my belly as she suckled along with her younger littermates.
"This one should be Featherkit." I mewed. Fuzz looked at the second oldest. She had my hazel fur with white spots. Her underbelly and paws were silver.
"This one can be Swiftkit." Fuzz said. I smiled and turned to my son. He was unbelievably small compared to his sisters. His fur was dark like Fuzz's and he had black spots. He has a silver underbelly with a silver front paw. I licked his head lovingly as he mewled loudly.
"This one is Stormkit." I purred. Stormkit let out a squeaky purr as he nuzzled my chin with his nose. Fuzz licked my ear as he looked at them. Goldenflower walked through the nursery as Cinderpelt walked out. She purred when she saw me.
"Oh Leopardstorm, they're wonderful!" she exclaimed. Brambleclaw and Tawnypelt followed her in. Tawnypelt purred in happiness as she licked each kits' heads.
"How are you?" Brambleclaw asked.
"I'm fine." I murmured. Fuzz nuzzled Featherkit's head as she swatted at his nose. I purred and laid my head down in exhaustion. Rainkit walked to me with his littermates. Sorrelkit padded over to Stormkit with an amused purr.
"He's so tiny!" she squeaked. I smiled and sighed.
"Be careful with them." I mewed. Rainkit nosed Featherkit's body.
"Her fur is soft." he meowed. Willowpelt dragged them back to their nest.
"Leave them to rest, you three! Leopardstorm is exhausted." she scolded. Fuzz licked my head as he soothed me to sleep. My eyes slowly began to droop and my breath deepened as sleep took over.
I woke up to three mewling kits. I yawned and looked at them then gasped in awe. "Your eyes are open!" I purred. Featherkit was giggling as Willowpelt tickled her belly. Her eyes were blue just like her father's. Swiftkit had his eyes too. I looked at Stormkit to see he was peacefully napping in my belly fur. Then he let out a squeaky yawn and his eyes fluttered open. I purred as I saw my emerald green eyes as his. I nuzzled his chin and he purred loudly and nuzzled me back. Willowpelt was purring in laughter as she struggled to maintain Swiftkit and Featherkit.
"They're a pawful, Leopardstorm!" she chuckled. Featherkit and Swiftkit looked at me. Then they squealed and scampered over.
"Mama, you're awake!" Swiftkit squeaked. I chuckled as they jumped at my neck.
"Hello, my beautiful kits! Look at you! You opened your eyes." I purred. Featherkit flicked her ear.
"I was first." she mewed. Swiftkit glared at her.
"No you weren't! I was!" she snapped. Featherkit rolled her eyes.
"Well I was born first so my eyes opened first!" she retorted. I sighed as they tackled each other around in my nest. Stormkit squeaked in annoyance as he batted his two sisters away with a paw.
"Go away! I had her attention until you two came along!" he spat with a pout. I looked at him with loving eyes.
"You have my attention now." I mewed. Stormkit smiled and lifted his head high.
"Willowpelt was telling us a story but I wanted my first story to be from you. So I went to sleep until you woke up." he said. I smiled and licked his head.
"Alright…" I breathed. I looked at the sky in thought. What story should I tell him? Featherkit and Swiftkit jumped into my nest with wide eyes.
"Tell us how you met dad!" Swiftkit exclaimed. Stormkit groaned and rolled his eyes.
"Why do you want to listen to that stuff? We need some action and adventure!" he snapped with a glint in his eyes. Featherkit rolled her eyes.
"You're just saying that because you're a tom! I want to listen to that story." she retorted. Stormkit leaned in her face.
"And who are you exactly? Last time I checked, you were just my annoying older sister that thinks she owns the nursery!" he snapped.
"Keyword, older. Therefore, I have a say in what we get to listen to." Featherkit snickered. I broke in before they could argue anymore.
"Now calm down, you two. Featherkit, you're right. You are the oldest." I mewed. Featherkit gave Stormkit a look full of smug. "But, that doesn't give you the right to push around other cats. Bullies are not tolerated in this family." Featherkit looked at me in dismay.
"But I wasn't bullying!" she protested. I sighed and sat up in my nest.
"I'm the oldest out of my two siblings. But I look after them. Not push them around and tell them what to do." I mewed. "The older sibling is supposed to look after their younger siblings." I looked over Featherkit's head and saw Stormkit and Swiftkit arguing in hushed voices.
"We're listening to how they met!" Swiftkit snapped. I sighed and raised my voice.
"They're supposed to make sure the younger siblings don't claw at each other's throat!" I said. Swiftkit and Stormkit looked at me with flattened ears. I chuckled and pulled them closer to my belly and settled down. "I know a story that you would all enjoy." I mewed. Stormkit's eyes glowed.
"Is it about adventure?" he asked. Swiftkit and Featherkit stared at me with wide smiles.
"Romance?" they squeaked. I chuckled and licked their heads.
"It has both." I murmured. The kits looked satisfied and settled down to listen. I sighed and looked at them. "Before you were born and a couple of weeks after I met your father, a fire started in the camp." The kits gasped. I smiled and sighed as I went back to the time. "We were all gathered by the river as the fire was blazing through the forest. Our camp was destroyed and we didn't know what to do. Bluestar, our leader, told us to cross into Riverclan territory and seek shelter there."
"Did the Riverclan cats chase you out?" Stormkit asked with wide eyes.
"No, they didn't. But I didn't cross the river with them." I mewed. My kits widened their eyes and leaned in.
"You stayed behind?" Swiftkit gasped.
"Well I had too. Your father was living in a tunnel near the river and the fire was coming closer. I had to go back and save him." I murmured.
"Awww!" my daughters exclaimed in awe.
"Ewww!" Stormkit gagged. I nudged him with an amused purr.
"Now Stormkit, if I didn't save your father, you three wouldn't have been born." I chuckled. Stormkit rolled his eyes. "Bluestar was outraged that I left the clan when they needed me… but I couldn't let Fuzz die. So I went to go save him. He was coughing and choking on the smoke as he walked out of the tunnel. Then his tunnel exploded and a rock flew into his chest. He fell in the river and didn't come up." I meowed. The kits' eyes were wide as they listened.
"Did he die?" Swiftkit breathed. Stormkit shoved her.
"Of course not, mouse-brain!" he snapped. I gave them a look and they both settled down.
"So I went into the river and dragged him out. When we reached the banks, he wasn't breathing or moving. I began to panic." I mewed. "Then our medicine cat, Cinderpelt, appeared. She massaged the water out of his chest and he began to breathe. Then he was fine."
"What did Bluestar say when you came back?" Featherkit asked. My ear twitched.
"She was angry at first but she understood why I did it so she wasn't too mad." I murmured.
"But you're supposed to take care of your clan before anyone! Didn't she punish you for breaking the warrior code?" Stormkit exclaimed. I looked at him with a thoughtful gaze.
"Yes, I was aware I broke the code. But I did it for a good reason." I mewed. The kits tilted their heads in confusion. I sighed. "If a cat was getting attacked by a badger, would you just sit there and watch or go and help them?" I asked. Stormkit scoffed.
"If the cat was getting attacked by a badger, they're already a goner." he muttered. Featherkit shoved him. Stormkit sighed and looked at me. "If they still had a chance, I would go and help." he mewed. Featherkit and Swiftkit nodded and I smiled.
"What if that cat's a rogue or kittypet or even a cat from another clan?" I pressed. The kits hesitated.
"But they're our enemies!" Swiftkit squeaked.
"So are you saying a cat that is born outside the clan doesn't deserve to get saved?" I asked. Swiftkit flattened her ears.
"Well… no…" she murmured. I sighed and licked each of their heads.
"When you three get older, you'll understand why I do the things I do." I murmured. Fuzz popped his head through the nursery with narrowed eyes. The kits squealed when they saw him.
"Dad!" they squeaked. Fuzz lifted them onto his back and turned to whisper in my ear.
"There's a strange tom asking to see you." he murmured. I narrowed my eyes and padded out the nursery. I froze in my tracks as I saw Tigerstar with a patrol of Shadowclan cats. My fur stood on end as he looked at me.
"Hello, Leopardstorm." he purred. I growled and stomped to him.
"What are you doing here?" I snarled. The clan was also hissing and spitting at the Shadowclan cats.
"I heard you gave birth to three healthy kits. I came to see them." Tigerstar mewed. I growled as he took a step to the nursery. I jumped in his way and shoved him back causing him to stumble onto his haunches.
"Take another step and I will slice your throat out!" I snarled. Tigerstar sighed and rolled his eyes.
"I can't even see them?" he asked. Bluestar padded out of her den. Her eyes widened when she saw Tigerstar.
"Get out!" she hissed as she ran to him. Fireheart held her back.
"He came to see Leopardstorm's kits." he mewed.
"Leave her kits alone! They haven't done anything wrong! Get out my camp and don't come back or I swear the whole clan will have a fair share of revenge on you!" Bluestar snarled. Tigerstar scoffed and padded out the camp with his clan. A patrol followed them closely. Bluestar was hissing with her tail lashing behind her. She caught my gaze and I looked away. Then I padded off to the nursery.