Chapter Fourteen
Talonclaw crashed through the undergrowth of the forest, Thrushpelt matching her stride for stride. The agonized wails continued, sending shivers down the she-cat's spine. The cries led them all the way across ThunderClan territory, until they reached WindClan's border.
WindClan!Her ominous feelings grew. The battle was only a few hours old, and hate still lingered in the rival Clans.
The sick smell of blood flooded Talonclaw's nostrils, blocking out all other scents. Blood, a lot of blood, was being spilled. She and Thrushpelt burst out into the open, and found a wicked sight.
Snowowl was grappling with a WindClan tom. A pregnant she-cat lay gasping on the ground, trying to drag herself away from the fighting. Snowowl's white pelt was smeared red, but he wasn't the main source what was making the air smell so strongly of blood.
The she-cat was wounded, her shoulder had a deep gash in it, and one of her ears was missing. She was wailing, terribly. Suddenly, a deep shudder passed through her.
"She's having her kits!" Talonclaw screeched to Thrushpelt. She bounded to the queen's side, and Thrushpelt leaped to help Snowowl.
"Lie still." Talonclaw fought to keep panic out of her meow, and tried to comfort the laboring queen. She glanced around, saw what she was looking for and snatched up a short stick. "Bite down on this." She ordered.
The queen obeyed. Another violent spasm raked her body. A tiny wet object slid onto the ground. Talonclaw nipped the sack open and placed the kit near the mother's muzzle. A purr somehow managed to escape the mother cat through all the pain she was in. She began to lick her tiny cat.
Talonclaw ran her paw over the she-cat's belly, the way she had seen Shadowclaw do while Swiftbreeze was having Patchpaw and Leopardpaw. How many kits were left? It was difficult to tell, but she thought she could feel two tiny, wiggling lumps.
"Maybe two more?" She informed the queen.
Her patient let out a gasp of pain. Another kit came, almost immediately followed by another. Talonclaw placed her paw on the cat's belly again, this time feeling nothing.
"Well done!" She meowed, relief making her shaky.
The queen closed her eyes, too weak to move. The kits nuzzled her, squeaking.
Talonclaw turned to the fighting. Thrushpelt and Snowowl held the tom down, their claws a fraction from his throat. He lay there, unable to move, snarling at them. She padded up to them.
"What is the meaning of this?" She glanced at the tom, "Let him up."
Thrushpelt did, but her brother stood glaring at the tom for a moment more, before releasing him. The WindClan cat got to his paws and hissed at the ThunderClan cats.
"What happened?" Talonclaw questioned Snowowl.
Her brother didn't answer, but looked suddenly at the queen. He raced over to her and covered her face in frantic licks. He saw the kits lying at their mother's belly, and his gaze filled with pride.
Talonclaw's heart leaped to her throat. "Snowowl. Are these your kits?" But she already knew the answer.
He looked defiantly at her. "Yes."