Thunderclan
Leader: Runningstar – long-legged light brown tabby molly with green eyes
Deputy: Spottedheart – bright ginger molly with white spots and blue eyes
Medicine Cat: Breezepool – black molly with amber eyes
Apprentice, Firepaw – ginger tom with white paws and amber eyes
Warriors:
Mossdapple - nearly-retired gray molly with pale blue eyes
Dappleseed - an unusually-spotted dark brown tom with white paws and belly and blue eyes
Jayfrost – silver tom with white paws and yellow eyes
Apprentice, Owlpaw
Ebonyheart - a long-furred black ticked tabby molly with yellow eyes
Brightcloud – white molly with amber eyes
Dusksong - pale brown molly with amber eyes
Swiftstep – calico molly with yellow eyes
Tulipfern – calico molly with green eyes
Brindletail – white and ginger patched tom with blue eyes
Apprentice, Sparrowpaw
Willowfang – fierce brown tabby molly with green eyes
Leafwish - dark brown tabby molly with a white chest, paws, and tail and green eyes
Meadowspirit – light brown tabby molly with amber eyes
Comfreyblaze - a black/dark ginger tortie molly with green eyes
Honeywhisper – golden molly with a white mask and paws and green eyes
Silentdawn – white molly with green eyes; mute from birth
Wolfpelt – gray and brown tabby tom with fluffy fur and blue eyes
Apprentice, Pouncepaw
Frostfoot – brown tabby tom with white feet and blue eyes
Apprentice, Stormpaw
Sunblaze – pale golden tabby tom with amber eyes
Smokesplash – white molly with black spots and blue eyes
Apprentice, Petalpaw
Stonefall – big gray tom with yellow eyes
Creekleaf - pale brown spotted tabby molly with green eyes, a bushy tail, and white spotted ears and paws
Foxfeather – ginger tabby tom with amber eyes
Redflight – ginger tabby tom with amber eyes
Twigpelt – brown tabby tom with amber eyes
Sparkleg – white she-cat with ginger paws, muzzle, tail, and green eyes
Wildflame – ginger tabby tom with blue eyes
Apprentices:
Petalpaw – small silver molly with white paws and yellow eyes
Stormpaw – silver tabby tom with white paws and yellow eyes
Owlpaw – brown tabby tom with green eyes
Pouncepaw – brown molly with darker brown stripes, paws, and muzzle and yellow eyes
Sparrowpaw – light brown tabby tom with yellow eyes
Queens:
Whitebelly – black molly with a white belly and paws and amber eyes, mother of Sunblaze's kits: Lionkit (pale golden tabby tom with amber eyes), Badgerkit (white molly with one black paw, a black blaze down her forehead, and amber eyes), Nightkit (pure black molly with amber eyes), and Patchkit (gold-and-white patched tom with amber eyes)
Mapleflower – golden tabby molly with darker stripes and paws and green eyes, mother of Wolfpelt's kits: Mothkit (long-furred golden tabby molly with white paws and belly and green eyes), Ivykit (golden tabby molly with blue eyes), and Echokit (light gray tabby molly with blue eyes)
Ashpelt – gray tabby molly with white patches and green eyes, mother of Redflight's kits: Sootkit (dark gray tabby tom with green eyes) and Scorchkit (dilute tortoiseshell molly with amber eyes)
Elders:
Fawnpath – light brown tabby molly with white spots and blue eyes
Foghaze - dark gray tom with white patches and green eyes
Flowerwind – white molly with black spots and amber eyes
Sootstrike – fierce solid black tom with green eyes
Pinetooth - kind reddish-ginger tabby tom with blue eyes
Gingerfang – fierce, old ginger tabby tom with numerous scars and a bad temperamant
Chapter 1: Starclan's Wish
Breezepool sighed at she stared at the herb stores. She would have to send out Firepaw and some warriors to get some soon, or they would run out before leaf-bare even ended. They had used too many trying to soothe Dawnpool, Flashbeam, and Blossomthistle's fatal sickness, and Brightcloud was still injured and grieving her mate's death. Padding out of the medicine den, she spotted Runningstar. She approached her leader with a slight purr.
"Runningstar!" She called, slowing her pace and then sitting down next to the molly. Breezepool was familiar with the clan leader; she had been an apprentice when Runningstar had been born and had helped with the kitting. "How has the clan been lately?" Breezepool usually knew what was going on in the clan, but she had been so focused on the dwindling herb stores and the loss of so many cats at once, she had neglected to pay attention to the goings-on of the clan.
"Nothing much," Runningstar purred, wrapping her tail around her paws. "Mapleflower is excited for her kits, and my brother is almost twice as excited as her. I swear I've seen him enter the nursery more than the queens ever have." Breezepool mewed in amusement and silently agreed with Runningstar. Wolfpelt worried more about his mate than Mapleflower worried about herself.
Before Breezepool could continue talking, she watched Spottedheart slip into camp and head towards them. With a dip of her head, Breezepool got up and let Spottedheart take over her spot. "I'll talk to you later." She told Runningstar, who nodded and then turned her deputy.
Spotting Firepaw, Breezepool headed straight for her apprentice. Firepaw sat with his siblings in the weak evening sun, but sat up when she approached. Foxfeather and Redflight both inclined their heads at her, but didn't get up.
"Firepaw," She greeted. "Can you and your siblings get me some more herbs? We're running out of the essential ones. I know it's late, but just get as many as you can." Firepaw fully stood up and stretched his legs.
"Sure," He yawned widely. "Just Foxfeather and Redflight, or should I grab some more cats from the warriors den?" Breezepool thought to herself for a second, but realized that she probably shouldn't ask that many warriors to leave the camp this late. She shook her head at Firepaw, and he nodded and poked his siblings, who yawned and then stood up to follow him.
With that done, Breezepool peeked into the nursery. "Mapleflower," She called. "How are you feeling? I know your kits are due anytime by now." The queen had her head in her paws, but swished her tail in greeting.
"I feel fine, Breezepool. There's no need to keep fretting. This may be my first litter, but plenty of mollies have kitted in leaf-bare and survived." Mapleflower slowly got up, mindful of her swollen stomach, and walked towards Breezepool. "You're a good medicine cat, I trust I'll be fine."
Breezepool purred and left the nursery with a parting mew, looking around camp. She spotted Wolfpelt approaching the nursery with a mouse in his jaws, Whitebelly playfully tossing a mossball around with her four kits, and a couple of the senior warriors chatting near the entrance to their den. Runningstar and Spottedheart were sitting together in front of Runningstar's den, heads still bent together, and a couple of the younger warriors were talking a few fox-lengths away. The apprentices were all gathered in front of their den, practicing their hunting crouches and a few battle moves. Petalpaw and Stormpaw were demonstrating a battle move they had just learned to the younger apprentices - Sparrowpaw, Owlpaw, and Pouncepaw had been apprentices for a little less than a moon and their mentors were still focused on hunting and patrols. Breezepool listened to the comforting sounds of the clan for a bit before squeezing back into the medicine cat's den. With a last look at the herb stores, Breezepool curled up in her nest and dozed off.
She woke up in a dark clearing, lit only by the moon shining bright above. Shadows gathered in the corners, and trees loomed high above her. Breezepool blinked, searching for another cat in the empty clearing. As her gaze drew over the far side, Breezepool gasped lightly. The transparent, starry silhouette of Ashleaf crouched in the shadows of a large tree. Ashleaf looked younger than when she had passed, and it drew Breezepool back into the memories of her apprenticehood.
"Ashleaf!" Breezepool trotted over to her old mentor, pressing her muzzle against her side and purring. "I haven't seen you in forever! What did you need?" Ashleaf didn't reply, staring at her with age-old blue eyes and swishing her long silver tail. Breezepool's ears started twitching back and forth as she began trying to listen for any sounds, and her tail was lashing the longer her mentor continued standing still.
With an abrupt growl, Ashleaf jumped up and circled around Breezepool. "Beware the echoes of evil that haunt your clan!" She yowled, before marching into the shadows, a mere trace of her scent left in the clearing. Breezepool stared, terrified, before the whole clearing began to dissolve and and she was yanked out of her dream. With a short wail, Breezepool sat up and looked at what woke her – Firepaw looked at her with a slight panic in his eyes.
"Breezepool, Mapleflower's kitting!" He mewed, pacing to the other side of the den and picking up the herbs he was looking for. Breezepool quickly pushed herself up and ran out of the den and to the nursery. She slid in and noticed Mapleflower looked pained in her nest, as Whitebelly crowded her kits out of the way, Lionkit and Nightkit peeking out and looking interested.
Mapleflower yowled suddenly, and Breezepool quickly moved to the side of the pained queen. "How long has it been, Mapleflower? Are you doing alright?" The queen nodded at her with glazed eyes, unable to answer verbally.
Firepaw popped into the nursery behind her, holding the herbs. "It's been a few minutes," He mewed through the bundle in his mouth. Putting them down next to Mapleflower, he motioned for her to swallow them. The queen leaned over and licked up the herbs, another spasm rocketing down her body.
Breezepool sat down and motioned for Firepaw to come over to her. "This is going to take a while," She mewed with a flick of her tail. "make sure Wolfpelt knows that Mapleflower is kitting, but we can't let him into the nursery until she's fully done." Firepaw nodded at her and padded out of the den - she saw him enter the warrior's den before another quiet wail from Mapleflower drew her attention.
"Alright, Mapleflower, that was the last kit. You've got three beautiful mollies." Breezepool purred to the exhausted queen, who pushed her kits closer to her belly and curled her tail around them.
"Thank you, Breezepool." Mapleflower breathed in the sweet scent of her newly-born kits, purring softly as Breezepool left and Wolfpelt swiftly padded into the nursery. He bent down next to her and purred at the three kittens, who were squirming at Mapleflower's belly.
"What should we name them?" Wolfpelt mewed as he looked at Mapleflower lovingly. Mapleflower purred, looking at the squirming golden tabby kitten – "Let's name her Ivykit," she licked the kitten as it latched onto her belly and started nursing, paws kneading at her belly.
Wolfpelt nodded and then looked at the smaller golden one with white paws squirming next to Ivykit, who finally latched on and started kneading. "What about Mothkit for her?" Mapleflower purred her agreement, and looked at the last one, the small gray tabby kitten with fur that was sticking out in multiple places. "I think this one looks like an Echokit."
Wolfpelt gave one last loud purr and licked Mapleflower's forehead. "I'll let you four rest, and I'll be back in the morning with some freshkill."
Hello! If you saw this fic earlier, I decided to do some other last minute changes. I had published it really late at night and was worried I had missed some stuff, so I deleted the story and am reposting it now. Just a few things - I don't really follow actual cat genetics? I try to keep within some boundaries but I really don't care if a cat could genetically have the kittens they do in my story. I also know that's a lot of warriors but I was keeping track of some family trees and I had to do it this way so as to minimize the inbreeding (it's impossible to avoid with warriors, but I can minimize it). Please review! I'm always looking for ways to improve my writing.