Chapter six: Sadness Will Make You Stronger
Crowpaw woke, the scent of herbs lingering in the air. He stood slowly, hearing the popping of his bones. A shiver went down his spine. The hole which lead out of the little hollow, which was the medicine cat den, was covered with a cold, white, glittering stuff. Then, he knew from elders stories, Snow! He though.
Digging through the snow, into the fresh air, snow covered the ground. The tom climbed through the hole, and put his paw in the snow, which made a paw print. He heard faint howling in the distance. Dogs? The tom though. "This might not be good..." He muttered. Yowling was heard from the nursery. "What the...?" He ran over. Poking his head in, he saw Roseleaf and Hollyberry trying to calm Wishpetal.
"GET LUNASKY!" She screeched. Crowpaw backed out of the den, and saw Winterpaw about to enter the medicine cat den. "Winterpaw! Where is Lunasky!?" Crowpaw said as he ran over. "Out getting herbs... Wh-" He was cut off by loud screeching from Wishpetal. " She is giving birth, Winterpaw! Gather your herbs and get to the nursery before her head explodes!" Winterpaw rushed into the den and got some Chervil and a stick.
Winterpaw raced to the nursery, while Crowpaw ran to the warriors den to get Eaglescreech. Eaglescreech and Crowpaw ran to the nursery, and gathered the kits who weren't allowed to see what would happen.
Winterpaw gave Wishpetal the Chervil and made her bite the stick. The queen angerly bit it as the first kit was born, but there was a problem. "There is too much blood!" Wishpetal wailed as she spit out a broken stick. "Wishpetal, I will stop this!" Winterpaw said with a shaking voice. Another kit was born. "Just one more, Wishpetal! I will stop the blood after you give birth to your last kit!" Wishpetal breathed shallowly as her last kit was born.
"Get cobwebs!" Winterpaw yelled, then Eaglescreech pounded his paws on the ground as he ran to the medicine cats den. He quickly gathered a wad of cobwebs, and raced back, into the nursery. Eaglescreech didn't hesitate and he put the cobwebs on a certain bleeding spot. "Eaglescreech?" She asked with a shaking, sorrowful voice. "Wishpetal! Just hold on! You will be ok!" He said, tears forming in his eyes. "StarClan is calling me, my love... Take care of our kits..." The queen layed her head down, a few tears making their way down her face.
"Wishpetal? Wishpetal! No... StarClan... why must you be so cruel..." His mewling kits crawled towards their mother, wanting her warmth and milk. The small balls of fur mewled because of hunger and lack of warmth. Eaglescreech looked at his kits, sorrow in his eyes. "I'm so sorry, my kits... Your mother is not with us..." The tom picked up his newborns and padded out of the den. "I need a cat to care for them..." Roseleaf turned away, eyes closed and nose in the air. "Hollyberry, please?" The black and ginger queen shook her head. "I'm sorry, but my kits take enough milk as is.." She mewed. "Roseleaf please..." The sorrowful tom cried.
The elder aged she-cat turned towards him. "Five kits? I barely have enough to feed Falconkit and runt over there." The queen pointed her nose to Cloverkit, who was cowering under Crowpaw. Eaglescreeched eyes looked as his freezing kits. "Please! They are the only thing that remind me of Wishpetal..." Roseleaf grunted. "Fine... At least there is one runt from your kits... That will make it easier on me.." The grumpy queen picked up Eaglescreech's kits and padded into the nursery.