A/N: Thank-you all so much for the kind reviews! It's reviews like those that keep me inspired! You guys rock, and I hope you like this chapter as much as the first two! I promise the plot will start getting a little more dramatic soon ;) Enjoy!
Bluefur shivered as she slipped out of the nursery, stretching each leg in turn. The first snow had come early, and now a shimmering layer blanketed the RiverClan camp.
"Good morning," Willowbreeze greeted her from the entrance of the warriors' den as she exited. "Oakheart left before dawn to go hunting."
Bluefur rolled her eyes. "It's not like I'm going to starve to death before sunhigh."
The silver tabby's whiskers twitched in amusement. Over the half-moon that Bluefur had been in RiverClan, Willowbreeze had become her closest friend. She was always eager to ask Bluefur about being a queen, and would keep the blue-gray warrior company in the nursery when Oakheart was too busy.
"Are you on patrol today?" Bluefur inquired as Willowbreeze joined her outside of the nursery.
"Not until Sunhigh." She sat next to Bluefur, her eyes straying curiously towards the queen's swollen stomach. "How many do you think there are?"
Bluefur purred as she settled down beside the young warrior. "I'm not sure, but I'm already larger than White-eye was when she gave birth, and she had two…"
"So you think it'll be a big litter?"
Bluefur shrugged uncomfortably, thinking of Poppydawn's excruciatingly long delivery of her litter of three. "Two would be plenty," she finally sighed. "I think part of it is how much Oakheart is trying to fatten me up!"
Willowbreeze purred. "You know he's just looking out for you. You were far too thin when you came to us, even Brambleberry said so. And the medicine cat is always right."
Brambleberry was another one of the few cats that seemed welcoming to Bluefur, as well as her recently named apprentice, Mudfur. Bluefur vividly remembered Mudfur's battle prowess, but the life of a medicine cat seemed to have soothed the warrior, and even he was warming up to the blue-gray queen. "I suppose," she offered with a flick of her tail. Her ears perked as the sedge tunnel quivered and Oakheart shouldered his way through. Two fish hung from his mouth, but he didn't even glance towards the fresh-kill pile as he padded towards the two she-cats.
"Good morning," he meowed warmly, dropping his catch at Bluefur's paws. Before Willowbreeze could open her mouth, he pushed one of the silvery fish towards her. "I heard you were on the sunhigh patrol, so I went ahead and caught one for you as well."
"But…"
Bluefur slapped her tail across her friend's muzzle. "You'd better get used to it," she teased. "It won't be long before you're trapped in camp as well."
Willowbreeze's eyes grew wide. "But I… You don't really think…"
Oakheart rolled his eyes, and Bluefur purred in amusement. "Trust me, I was skeptical, too, when I was told. But it's something that you can just see once you're expecting your own."
The silver tabby's eyes lit up. "Thank-you, Bluefur." She purred thickly.
Oakheart sighed. "Great, now Crookedstar's never going to stop talking about it."
"You mean like you never stop talking about Bluefur?" Willowbreeze teased.
"I can't help that I'm proud," Oakheart countered, puffing his chest out. "Anyways, I've got to take out a hunting patrol. If I make her wait much longer Leopardfur is going to claw my ears off."
Bluefur's whiskers twitched as Oakheart bent and touched his nose to hers. "I'll eat with you tonight," he promised quietly, before turning and bounding across the camp to where Leopardfur was waiting with her apprentice, Whitepaw, near the sedge tunnel.
Bluefur pulled one of Oakheart's fish and let Willowbreeze take the second. It wasn't until she took the first bite that Bluefur realized the she really might have starved if she waited any longer to eat. She didn't waste breath speaking between bites, polishing off the piece of fresh-kill in a matter of heart-beats. Willowbreeze ate more slowly, deep in thought. As she finished, the she-cats shared tongues, enjoying each other's company before Willowbreeze had to leave for patrol. When she was called away, Bluefur stood and stretched.
I may not have the energy for a patrol, but I can at least take a walk… She remembered Brambleberry's advice to exercise a little bit every day, and with that in mind she padded slowly out of the camp.
Bluefur was getting accustomed to RiverClan's territory now, and no longer lost her way when she went out. It had taken time to get used to how much more open RiverClan's territory was in comparison to ThunderClan's, but the beech and willow trees offered some shelter from the wind and fresh snow. It didn't take long for the queen to tire, and with a sigh of relief, she spotted a clump of sorrel at the base of a large beech tree. Perfect for a nap. The blue-gray queen slipped into the shelter offered by the tree's roots and the sorrel's nearly-bare branches. It was cooler than the nursery, but she was comfortable, and quickly fell asleep.
Bluefur was surprised by how warm she was when she woke up, blinking blurrily at the fresh layer of snow that had fallen while she'd napped.
"Sleep good?"
The queen nearly jumped out of her fur as Oakheart's warm breath ghosted across her ear. "What are you doing here?" She hissed, wishing that she was still nimble enough with her kit-heavy stomach to turn and cuff the reddish-brown warrior over the ears. He only purred in amusement, pressing closer against her and drawing his tongue across her ears.
"When I got back from hunting Mudfur said he'd seen you wandering out of the camp, so I got worried and came looking for you. I followed your scent trail here, where I found you sleeping like a hedgehog."
Bluefur rolled her eyes. "Am I not allowed to take naps?"
"You may want to keep your naps in the nursery from now on," Oakheart's voice was suddenly serious. "Mudfur told me that the kits would probably be born in the next half-moon, and it isn't safe for you to be so far from camp. The kits may come any time now."
Bluefur gasped, tensing all over, and Oakheart jumped to his paws, his eyes flying wide with panic. "Bluefur?"
"Only kidding," the queen purred, stretching and giving her mate a playful flick of her tail. "Really, Oakheart, you shouldn't worry so much. I'm fine."
The warrior was glowering down at her. "That's not funny," he huffed. "Now come on, the sun will be setting soon and you'll catch whitecough sleeping out here in the snow."
"I'm not going to catch whitecough," Bluefur grumbled. Nevertheless, she stood stiffly beside her mate, leaning heavily on him as they trudged through the snow and back to camp. Brambleberry was waiting outside the nursery, and Bluefur braced herself for the scolding. She was surprised when the sweet medicine cat turned a frosty glare to Oakheart.
"How could you?" She hissed. "The only punishment Crookedstar gives you for becoming her mate is to take care of her. And I wouldn't even call that a punishment! We don't have the herbs to start a fight with ThunderClan over Sunningrocks, and we certainly don't have the herbs to treat greencough!"
"But…" Bluefur tried weakly. Brambleberry's gaze softened as they fell on the drowsy queen.
"Hush now, Bluefur. I brought you some borage to help with your milk production since the kits will be born before too long."
"That's not…"
The medicine cat swished her tail over Bluefur's muzzle. "You're not at fault here, we told you to exercise; you were only trying to keep healthy and warm."
Oakheart's jaw dropped in disbelief, and Bluefur's tail curled in amusement. "So why am I in trouble?" He meowed incredulously.
"Because," Brambleberry huffed. "You're a tom and you're supposed to be waiting on her every whim. Now, go fetch her a nice fresh meal, and after that you had better not leave her side until you're due for patrol in the morning!"
"Yes, Brambleberry," Oakheart sighed, flicking his ears as the medicine cat gave Bluefur her borage and padded briskly away.
"Sorry," Bluefur offered sweetly, nuzzling Oakheart's shoulder.
He rolled his eyes. "Sure you are." There was laughter in his tone though, and he touched his nose to the tip of her ear. "I'll go get you some fresh-kill."
Bluefur nodded, settling down and eating the borage leaf Brambleberry had left for her while Oakheart went to the fresh-kill pile. When she had managed to swallow the last of the sour leaf, her eyes were drawn to Leopardfur's apprentice as he practiced battle moves with Loubelly, the young warrior that Oakheart had mentored.
Loudbelly continuously overpowered the younger tom, and Bluefur couldn't help but to notice that Whitepaw wasn't following up with any of his moves, only swiping each paw out once before defending.
He's fast enough to beat Loudbelly, he just needs to put a third swipe in there, and when that catches Loudbelly off guard he can knock him off balance… She stood and hobbled over to the pair as they broke apart again.
"Whitepaw," she beckoned him with her tail. Leopardfur scowled from where she sat near the warriors' den, eating with Ottersplash, but Bluefur ignored her. They're going to have to accept that I'm their Clan-mate sooner or later. The dark tabby approached her cautiously. "Next time," she meowed softly but firmly. "Swipe a third time. Sticking to the bare basics is good in theory, but in a real battle you won't be able to get away with only standard attacks, you'll have to think. You're fast enough to win against Loudbelly, if you want to, but you can't let him overpower you before you have the chance."
He looked uncertain, but gave her small nod before facing Loudbelly again. The warrior crouched low to the ground, and Bluefur moved so she could watch better. Whitepaw attacked again, swiping twice and backing off. Loudbelly easily bowled him over with a heavy cuff to the side of his head.
"Keep rolling," Bluefur called, "and regain your paws!" In the heat of the sparring match, Whitepaw listened without hesitation, letting his momentum carry him back onto his paws. "Now duck, and counter." Bluefur held her breath and the apprentice reacted just as quickly as before, ducking under Loudbelly's blow and delivering not two, but three stinging attacks of his own. Loudbelly was on the defensive now, and with a mighty leap, Whitepaw knocked him off his paws and pinned his opponent down.
"That was brilliant, Whitepaw!" Loudbelly congratulated the tabby apprentice. He didn't spare Bluefur a glance, but before she could turn away, Whitepaw approached her shyly.
"Thank-you, Bluefur," he mumbled.
"Any time," the blue-gray queen flicked her tail-tip against his shoulder. "You should get back to sparring before you get in trouble for talking to me," she encouraged him quietly, taking note of Leopardfur's increasingly furious glare.
"O-Oh…" Whitepaw glanced over his shoulder at his mentor, before giving Bluefur a quick nod and scampering back to Loudbelly. Bluefur padded slowly back to the nursery, where Oakheart was waiting for her.
"If you keep that up, you'll have an apprentice of your own in no time," Oakheart mewed cheerily.
"I doubt it." Bluefur sighed, lying next to the red-furred warrior to eat the fish he had brought for her. "Even if Crookedstar thinks I'm able, no queen is going to trust me to mentor their kits."
"Maybe not yet," Oakheart brushed his tail reassuringly down her side. "But in time, they'll see. You're a great warrior, Bluefur. Crookedstar once fought you in battle—he knows that as surely as I know the sky is blue. The others will come around."
I hope you're right. Bluefur didn't say anything else, focusing on her meal instead. Oakheart let the conversation die, and they adopted a companionable silence as they both ate. Oakheart swiped his tongue around his lips as he finished.
"I'll take care of the bones," he offered, standing and stretching.
"Thank-you," Bluefur stood as well, a yawn escaping her lips. "Are you sleeping in the warriors' den tonight?"
Oakheart rolled his eyes. "And listen to Leopardfur complain about how you gave Whitepaw better battle training advice than her? No thanks. Besides, I spent last night in the warriors' den and I missed you."
Bluefur's tail curled. "Alright. I'm going to go ahead and lie down." He flicked his ears to let her know he had heard as he gathered the bones from their meal and took them to the dirt place to bury them. Bluefur slipped into the nursery, equal parts excited and frustrated with the way her stomach brushed the sides of the entrance. Just a half-moon to go… She felt a thrill as the thought crossed her mind, and she settled into her nest purring.
Oakheart tilted his head as he pushed his way into the nursery. "And what are you so happy about?" He teased quietly.
"Nothing," Bluefur murmured sleepily.
"Excited?" He curled around her, blinking fondly at the queen as she let her head rest on his wide paws.
"Yes," she whispered, sinking deeper and deeper into sleep's embrace.
Oakheart laid his head on her shoulder, feeling her drowsy purr grow more and more faint as she fell asleep. "I am, too." He admitted softly. Bluefur was already asleep, but he continued to murmur quietly, curling his tail so that it rested on her swollen flank. "I can't wait to meet you, little ones…"
"Rise and shine, Bluefur, time for me to clean your nest."
Bluefur only growled, curling into as tight of a ball as her belly would allow and tucking her tail over her nose.
"Bluefur…" Oakheart sighed, nudging the queen with his nose. "You need to eat, and I need to take out this moss. It's damp from the snow. Brambleberry will send me to StarClan early if she finds out you're sleeping on damp moss this close to your kitting."
With an exasperated groan, Bluefur forced herself to open her eyes and stand up, stepping gingerly out of her nest so that Oakheart could gather the moss. She would be lying if she told the warrior her joints weren't slightly stiff from sleeping on the chilled, damp moss.
"Is it morning already?" She sighed. Oakheart gave her an amused glance.
"It's nearly sunhigh."
"Oh," Bluefur couldn't bring herself to be genuinely shocked. Brambleberry had told her the kits could arrive at any moment, so she was confined to the camp, and spent nearly all of her time resting or eating. She followed Oakheart out of the nursery, blinking as she adjusted to the sunlight. Brambleberry hurried over as soon as she saw the queen.
"How are you feeling today, Bluefur?"
"I'm fine," she assured the medicine cat, flicking her ears in mild irritation.
Oakheart had vanished to dispose of the moss, and when he rejoined them he was carrying a fish. He dipped his head in a respectful greeting to Brambleberry before placing the fresh-kill in front of Bluefur.
"I'll be back with fresh bedding." He promised, touching his nose to hers briefly before heading towards the camp entrance.
Brambleberry watched approvingly as he left. "I'll bring you some borage later," she mewed, waving her tail in a small farewell as she retreated to the medicine den again. "And call if you need me!"
Bluefur sighed, settling down and nibbling on her fish. She could tell by the constant churning in her stomach that the kits were getting restless. They made it hard to sleep, but harder still to stay awake. For now, she thought, finishing her meal and resting her head on her paws. I think I'll take another nap.
The queen was roused by a prickle of pain in her flank, and she sat up groggily. The sun was sinking towards WindClan's territory, and all around camp cats were settling down for their evening meals. Oakheart emerged from the nursery as she yawned.
"Have a nice nap?" He brushed lovingly against her.
"Kind of," she mumbled.
He blinked sympathetically at her. "You seem uncomfortable."
Bluefur rolled her eyes. "Let me stuff a couple of kits in you and see how comfortable you feel."
Oakheart's eyes shimmered with amusement. "Okay, okay, you make a good point." He trailed off for a moment, his eyes tracing her form before he continued, "Anyways, I just finished with your nest. I made sure the moss was especially dry and soft."
"I'll be the judge of that," Bluefur growled mockingly. "But can you fetch me that fish right there on the top of the pile first? I'm starving and that fish is exactly what I'm craving."
"Sure thing." Oakheart flicked his tail-tip against her nose as he headed towards the fresh-kill pile. Bluefur blinked the tickly sensation away, surprised when she opened her eyes to see Whitepaw trotting towards her. He had a mouthful of feathers, and he dropped them sheepishly at his paws when he reached her.
"Whitepaw?" She tilted her head, and the apprentice licked at his chest fur self-consciously.
"I… I overheard the other day, when Brambleberry said the kits could come at any moment, and I… Well I had to clean the elder's nests today and while I was out I saw Oakheart collecting moss for your nest and I thought you might like some feathers as well… You know, to make it softer…"
Bluefur purred warmly. "Thank-you, Whitepaw." Another pain, this one sharper than the first, flashed down her side. The queen ignored it, flicking her tail towards the nursery. "Why don't you help me put them in?"
"Okay," The apprentice sounded more confident with every word. He ducked his head and scooped up the feathers again before following Bluefur into the nursery.
He dropped them in her nest, spreading them and expertly weaving them through the moss and twigs with his front paws—one of which Bluefur noticed was as white as the snow outside. She helped as much as she could, pushing feathers closer when he couldn't reach them from where he sat, and spreading those he wasn't weaving into the nest across the bottom.
"Willowbreeze will be moving in soon, won't she? Leopardfur said the other day that she was getting too clumsy to be any good on a hunting patrol."
Leopardfur would say that. Bluefur thought pointedly before nodding in response to Whitepaw's question. "She should probably already be in here," she purred. Another pain lanced through her, this one nearly forcing her to the ground.
"Hey Bluefur?" Whitepaw blinked up at her.
"Yes?" Bluefur exhaled, sinking her claws into the ground as yet another pain swept through her body.
"When your kits are born, can I come play with them sometimes?"
"O-Of course you can," Bluefur's voice cracked. "Speaking of," she began panting, her legs trembling under the force of the pains rippling through her. "I think they're coming now."
"Now?" Whitepaw's green eyes stretched wider than the full moon.
"Now."