I got lots of reviews, which I am thankful for. Thank you all who reviewed! I got one question from someone who wasn't a member, Egyptian Warrior. I'll answer them. Okay, Bramblestar isn't exactly a terrible leader; he's trying to do what's best for his Clan, though he holds some grudges. Some of the cats died because, well, this is called A Season of Death. I wanted to do both views-Stripe and Lionblaze-to see what both thought about it. Stripe wouldn't understand the warrior code like Lionblaze.
Stripe-Outside of ShadowClan Territory
I watched as Ziggy and Bramble came into the clearing, carrying prey. My mouth watered as Ziggy dropped a sparrow in front of Zennia and Bramble settled down in her nest to eat a vole. Ziggy deposited a shrew near me. I got out of my nest to grab the shrew, but Ruby lunged forward and caught it in her mouth. "Back off, flea-bag." She coughed. Sickness was in the air, and Ruby had whitecough. She had the symptoms that Lionblaze had warned me about, and Izzy tried to help her with coltsfoot and feverfew, but nothing helped.
I knew that Ruby was a formidable fighter, even with whitecough, so I let her have the shrew. Her fur flattened. "Are you sure?" She was uncharacteristically hesitant.
I nodded. She blinked. "Do you want to share?" she offered. I hesitated and nodded again. The shrew's meat was sour and stringy, and I wrinkled my nose. My stomach ached.
A spasm hit me. I flinched. Ruby looked at me, alarmed. Luna's eyes widened across the clearing.
"What's going on?" Izzy demanded, her fur bristling.
"Her kits are coming!" Luna hissed, her eyes wide with fear. "Get Zennia." I gasped as pain hit me again.
"Take a deep breath," Zennia urged. It was shocking that she would actually help me, but I obeyed. I gasped again as another spasm racked my body. I wanted to black out. I couldn't.
"Take a deep breath…" Luna ordered, her voice now brisk. I let them tell me what to do. A pain struck me again.
"The first kit is coming."
I gasped as the first kit was born. Luna and Izzy stayed near me as Zennia made sure it was breathing. "A tom," she announced. Moments later the other kit was born. "A she-cat." I closed my eyes as pain threatened to overtake me in a black wave. "Another tom!" I sighed as the pain slowly ebbed away.
"Thank you," I whispered to them. Izzy nodded, her eyes wide, while Luna looked away. Ruby still looked frightened. I gathered the kits close and licked each of them.
"What will you name them?" Bramble asked quietly. I hadn't noticed her there.
"The she-cat will be Puddle." She looked nothing like me, with a silvery coat. I glanced at the toms. One was golden, like Lionblaze, which sent a pang to my heart. The other was a dark gray kit with a smoky pelt. I blinked at them.
Ruby meowed, "Well, you can eat the rest of the shrew. You need it."
"How long was that?" I breathed.
"Well, you started kitting a little past dawn," Bramble answered. "And now it's nearly dusk."
"That long?" I exclaimed. I shrugged. "I'm not hungry. Can I have something to drink?" Izzy nodded and left the clearing with wads of moss in her mouth. "The golden kit will be Eagle," I decided, remembering Lionblaze's descriptions of the golden-feathered eagles. "The other tom will be Storm."
"Those are lovely names," Bramble said, which wasn't expected. I blinked my thanks at Izzy brought some soaked moss. I licked up the water.
"They should open their eyes in the next few days," Zennia said quietly. "Send 'em over, my kits need something to do."
I nodded and fell into a blissful sleep.
It was quiet when I woke up three days later. The day before I had eaten a mouse and Izzy brought me water after the came back from hunting. Ruby, still sick, stayed on the other side of the clearing so she didn't infect the kits. Ziggy still kept his distance, but occasionally brought me prey if Bramble hadn't already. Luna, who had had kits before-I later found out her kits were Dexter and Izzy-would ask me how they were and if they had opened their eyes. Reed and Blast were thrilled. Log was happy for me, being someone who had known my mother.
A kit twitched in the nest. It was Storm. He shook his fluffy fur out and sneezed. I purred with amusement. He turned to stare at me, blinking his foggy blue eyes for several heartbeats. "Are you my mother?" he asked in a quavering voice.
"I am," I answered. "You are Storm."
"I know," he answered quietly. "I heard you and another cat talking."
Zennia walked over to me from across the clearing. "He opened his eyes!" She sounded delighted as she turned to my son. "Do you want to meet my kits?"
His foggy, unfocused eyes seemed to clear a bit. "Yes." He scampered off, tail high.
Zennia purred. "He's cute. I better make sure they aren't getting into trouble." She walked away, yowling at her kits to stop messing around and to stop bothering Ziggy.
Later that day Eagle opened his eyes. He went to join his brother.
"Why hasn't she opened her eyes?" I asked Luna quietly.
Her eyes were weary. "One of my kits, from my first litter…He never opened his eyes." Her voice was hoarse as she added, "He was weak since birth…He only lived a moon, then he died."
"So you're telling me that my daughter will die and there isn't a thing I can do about it?"
"Maybe not," Luna meowed calmly.
She's right, because the next morning Puddle opened her eyes. It's such a relief. One of her eyes are foggier than the other, and she seems uncoordinated on that side. I watched as she lumbered clumsily over to Bleak, one of Zennia's kits, leaning on Storm, who seems to be oddly protective over her.
"I'm sorry," Izzy whispered. "She's blind in one eye."
I don't respond. I had had suspicions. Instead I get off my paws and sit down in my nest.
I love them all the same. All of them. They are my piece of Lionblaze, no matter what.