Petalstar dipped her head to push through the vines covering the entrance to the medicine den. She glanced at the two cats curled up in their nests before spotting a flash of gold at the back of the den, behind a large root that nearly cut one half of the den off from the other. The tip of the leader's tail twitched in irritation. Why couldn't the den have been empty?
The tortoiseshell she cat padded silently around the nests and to the back of the den, where one of the medicine cats, Larchdapple, sat. He was sorting through herbs and placing them in different holes in the den wall. Petalstar guessed he was picking through them to get rid of any herbs that might have gone bad.
"Larchdapple?" Petalstar mewed.
The golden tom's head turned to look at her, but he did not get up. He dipped his head in greeting. "What do you need, Petalstar?"
"Do you have a moment to spare? I need to speak with you," Petalstar asked softly.
"I can spare a few moments, yes," he replied, pausing his task to give Petalstar his attention.
Petalstar padded up beside him and sat down, careful not to disturb any of the neat piles he had created. The pretty tortoiseshell wrapped her tail around her paws, her claws scraping at the dirt beneath them. After a moment of silence, she murmured "I'm expecting kits." Her voice was so soft that she almost worried that Larchdapple would not hear her.
She could sense the medicine cat stiffen beside her. She could feel his tail twitch. He looked over at her, his amber eyes shining. "Kits?" He asked. His mew was soft, but his gaze was so cold and unfeeling that it made the fur on Petalstar's neck prickle.
Petalstar nodded. "They're yours, Larchdapple," she added.
Larchdapple looked as though he were carefully processing this information. He turned his gaze to the floor of the den. His eyes were wide, his tail swished back and forth behind him. After some time, he looked back to Petalstar. "How long have you known?" He asked.
"A half-moon," Petalstar admitted.
"Why did you keep it from me for so long?"
"I was worried you would be upset."
Larchdapple pressed his head against Petalstar's cheek and breathed deeply. "I would never be upset with you, Petalstar," he said softly. The she cat began to purr.
Even if Larchdapple wouldn't be upset, Petalstar feared what would happen to her once her kits finally arrived. It would not be long before other cats guessed that she was expecting too. They would ask who the father was, as there would be no obvious one. Would they accuse her of taking a mate from outside StoneClan? Or would they be able to piece together that Larchdapple was the father based on the pelts of the kits? She hoped they all looked like her…
"Do you know how far along you are?" Larchdapple whispered.
Petalstar shook her head. "Not for certain. If I had to make a guess, though, maybe a moon and a quarter? Or a moon and a half?"
"Perhaps it will be a small litter then," he said, standing.
He turned so that he could get a look at her belly. When the tortoiseshell stood, he could see the slight curve in her body. He gave her a sniff, and although it was faint, he could smell the familiar, milky scent of the nursery. She was further along than she'd guessed. For now, this could be excused by her saying that she'd simply had plenty to eat - more than enough. Soon, though, if she got much bigger, then someone would be able to guess what was really going on. When the medicine cat was finished with his examination, he sat back down beside his mate and curled his tail about her flank.
"Do you know what you're going to do?" Asked Larchdapple.
"No," she admitted.
Sensing her nervousness, Larchdapple pressed against his mate and gave her cheek a quick lick. "It will be alright," he said. "I will be with you for all of it."
"When are you going to tell the Clan the truth?" Briarheart hissed at Petalstar. "How could you be so mouse-brained! Did you think that all of StoneClan would waive the warrior code and fawn over your kits because they're special? Because they're yours?"
"The Clan needs kits!" Petalstar dropped her gaze and wrapped her tail around her paws. "I-"
"I didn't say anything because I didn't think it would go this far! I could handle you and Larchdapple being as close as you were, spending time together - pretending to be mates - but you had to go and do this?" The deputy's tail lashed as she paced back and forth in the leader's den.
"Briarheart, I-"
"Be quiet!" Briarheart roared. "This is a disaster! Did you think no one would wonder who the father is? What are you even going to tell them!"
"I am going to say that they are Softwind's kits!"
Briarheart stopped short, even her tail fell still. Softwind had been a good friend to her. He was Larchdapple's brother, and he had died just over a moon or so ago. He had frozen to death trying to catch prey on his own during a snowstorm.
Briarheart turned her rage-filled face towards her leader. "If you do that, I will tell the Clan everything. Do you understand me? I will not let you use my dead friend to cover up your code breaking! And what of Larchdapple! Do you think he would roll over and let you lie so horribly about his own brother? You must be mouse-brained! You have fixed your nest, now lie in it!"
"The Clan needs kits!" Petalstar insisted. "How many warriors have we lost since new-leaf, Briarheaert! How many? No one else has had a litter since the first snow of last leaf-bare!"
"And why did it have to be Larchdapple! Why not Sorrelpatch? Or, I don't know, Ashcloud or Lionsneeze!"
"Because I don't love them,"
Briarheart groaned in aggravation. "Well, you better think of something fast. You're running out of time. Either tell the truth or I will - or get rid of the kits somehow," she growled, turning to walk out of the den.
"Get rid of them? I can't do that, they're my kits!"
Briarheart whipped around to face Petalstar with a snarl. "You should have thought of that before you decided to take Larchdapple as your mate! Anything that happens to these kits is your own fault!"
With that, Briarheart turned to leave. The soon to be queen heard another hiss as she left the den, but she didn't know who she was hissing at until another cat stepped in through the entrance to the den. It was Larchdapple. He was carrying a bundle of herbs, and he set them down at Petalstar's paws when he reached her.
"Has Briarheart found out?" He asked. Petalstar only nodded in response. "Is she going to keep the secret?"
"No," Petalstar mewed miserably. "She said that if I don't tell the truth then she will. She will only keep it secret if I get rid of the kits…"
Larchdapple nuzzled his cheek into the she-cat's shoulder. "It will be alright," he said reassuringly. I will be right beside you for all of it."
Petalstar rested her nose against the medicine cat's shoulder. "Do you promise?" She asked.
"I promise."
He then sat back and lifted his cheek from her shoulder. "Now, eat these," Larchdapple said, motioning to the leaves with his paw.
"What are they for?" She asked.
"They'll help your milk come in," he said. "It's borage."
Petalstar dipped her head and sniffed the little bundle before taking it in her jaws to eat. She was visibly put off by the smell, but she did not object.
And with that, Petalstar began to chew the herbs. The herbs were brittle and crunched in her mouth. They left a horrible, bitter taste in her mouth, and she grimaced at the flavor. "I know, it's never pleasant, but it will be good for you. I want to be sure these kits have the best possible chance," she said before continuing.
She paused halfway through chewing her bundle to speak. "You're so thoughtful," she purred. "Even if we can't tell anyone that they're yours… I'm so glad they will be. I hope they're just like you."
The she cat then returned to her herbs. As she chewed, there was a crunch, and a strange, almost numbing sensation spread across her tongue. Petalstar thought this was odd, but she did not say anything about it, deciding it was simply another herb or seeds in the mix that Larchdapple believed would help her, too. She stood to step closer to him, but as soon as she rose, she fell hard onto the stone floor of her den. Her paws had gone numb. Her vision blurred, and her chest tightened. Petalstar gasped for breath, barely able to get air. "Larchdapple!" She rasped. "Larchdapple something is wrong!"
She turned her face to her mate, but he did not move. He sat calmly; his tail was wrapped around his paws as he stared down at her.
"Help me!" The leader screeched.
She screamed again, crying out for anyone to help her. Pain spiderwebbed across her chest, as hot and fiery as a bolt of lightning. She retched and gagged; her breaths became more rapid and shallow. She thrashed about wildly. Her throat began to close, and the last thing she heard before her vision went black was the sound of shouting and pawsteps rapidly approaching.