Life 3:6

It had been several days since the Long Night. Despite Leafbare finally passing it's midpoint, the weather had been unseasonably warm. Snakepaw was out with Mudfur restocking some late season herbs. There were several types of valuable medicines salvageable under the snow, so they were restocking while the weather was still good. Mudfur found it fun to push upon the ancient knowledge Snakepaw had accumulated, especially when it came to medicine.

"So, any herbs I should know about that you haven't seen?" He asked, not really expecting any real answer.

"Molly's Herb. I haven't seen any in a while, but it was one commonly used a long time ago. It's got leaves that have a spikey looking edge. Kind of has a lily pad like shape. It's covered in fine hairs and has a green gray stem. It's good for cuts and sores, but it is also, as given by its namesake, good for mollies that bleed too much during menstruation. It makes a cat more fertile and is also good for if a cat has stomach cramps. It got over harvested many seasons ago, so the medicine cats of the time decided to find alternatives to prevent the total loss of the herb. Unfortunately, the knowledge of its use was somehow lost during the recovery time. I do believe I saw some by the river's edge a while ago, but I haven't noticed any other patches." Snakepaw answered.

Mudfur, interested in this potential lost herb, decided to push. "Think you can show me this herb? I know Silverstream suffers from some menstrual issues, and the blend I currently have her on is leaving her exhausted. It also isn't as effective as she needs."

Snakepaw nodded in response. "Sure. It's probably fine to harvest some now. Just remember not to overuse it. I know it's good for a lot, nut overusing it was how we lost it in the first place."

Mudfur nodded acceptingly. Snakepaw gave a small smile before turning to guide Mudfur. After a while, they reached the river. Snakepaw dug around the bushes a few tail lengths away from the edge before giving a proud "Found it!" Mudfur trotted over to see the new herb. It was somewhat like Snakepaw described, but parts of it were a soggy brown from freezing in the snow. Together the pair managed to recover several live leaves while leaving enough for the herb to recover. Of course, Mudfur knew he needed to test the herb. It wouldn't do to use it on a sick cat and accidentally poison them if it turned out to be something else.

Snakepaw suddenly snapped his head towards the sky. Something seemed to have caught his attention. Faintly in the distance, a dark cloud covered the wanted to dismiss it at first, but the way Snakepaw's fur stood on end told him not to.

"We've got to get back to camp." Snakepaw uttered in a disturbingly level voice.

"What's the rush? It's still far out." Mudfur commented.

"Look closer. See how you can't see the mountains behind and below the clouds at all? That's the blizzard, and it is moving fast. Crookedstar is going to need to send out runners to have our cats pulled back to camp to beat it. I hope Windclan got the warning as well. They're the ones just beneath us in vulnerability to a storm like that." Snakepaw answered, sending a shiver down Mudfur's spine.

With that, the medicine cats sprinted back to the camp, ignoring some of the stashes they buried to allow them to return quicker. Crookedstar caught them skidding into camp.

"What's got you two in such a rush?" Crookedstar queried.

"The blizzard is here. We've got to call all cats back to camp. This is a big one, and it'll be over us soon." Mudfur answered.

Crookedstar realized the severity of the situation and leapt onto the High Ledge. "Warriors of Riverclan. A storm of great power is approaching. It is not one we can afford to be out in. For that reason, all coming patrols of the day are canceled. More importantly, we need our fastest to find our current patrols and call them in. I will not have a single one of us die out there. Move!"

With that, the camp burst into motion. The elders and kits were moved into their dens. Several warriors joined both to increase the total body heat within each den. At the same time, three cats blurred out of camp to hunt down the current patrols.

Mudfur and Snakepaw were moving herbs away from the entrance of the medicine den to spare them from the frost. Of course, a few cats would join them during the blizzard. One was an elder with joints especially sensitive to the cold. The other was Silverstream, the molly they'd been picking herbs for.

Thankfully, every cat got back to the camp safe right as the blizzard hit. Outside the medicine den appeared to be a wall of white. Not even the neighboring warriors den was visible past the falling snow. Mudfur was busy babying the elder's joints while Snakepaw was checking up on Silverstream.

"So, I heard mention that you two found a new herb for me. I'm fine with trying something new." Silverstream commented.

Snakepaw flicked his tail dismissively. "While I'd normally give you Molly's Herb for your menstrual issues, I can't. It'd be bad for you right now." Snakepaw answered.

Silverstream tilted her head confused but also slightly angered by his denial of an herb that could aid her with her ongoing pains. "What do you mean?" She asked, biting into a hiss as she felt a pain in her abdomen.

"Molly's Herb is bad for kits." Snakepaw simply answered, causing her even more confusion. She just stared at Snakepaw with a look of total bafflement.

"What?" Was all she could mutter.

Snakepaw flicked his tail briefly believing Silverstream just hadn't heard him entirely. "I said Molly's Herb isn't good for kits." He stated calmly before a look of revelation dawned on him. "You didn't know you were pregnant." He mewed slowly.

"No. I can't be! I was careful. I can't…" She panicked before Snakepaw pushed her to meet his eyes.

"You're going to be ok. Deep breaths. Match me. In, one, two, three, and out, one, two three. In, and out. Are you feeling any calmer?" Snakepaw consoled.

"Yes. I'm calm. I'm pregnant?" Silverstream tested.

"Yes. You are pregnant. Congratulations. Do you want me to count them?" Snakepaw asked, somehow knowing that this would help Silverstream accept her situation.

"Ok. Sure." She answered, somehow hoping that it wasn't true.

Snakepaw had her roll onto her back so he could feel her belly. He slowly pressed around before a smile crossed his face. "Here's one. A rather big one at that. Likely a tom." He commented as he continued to feel. "And here's the other. A bit smaller than the other one. They're both pretty far along. I think they're likely a moon and a half out. Of course, this'll mean you need to cut down on your duties."

"But, their father…" Silverstream worried.

Snakepaw seemed to somehow catch on without actually voicing it. "Don't worry about that. Plenty of queens raise their kits on their own. You'll also receive the support of the other queens when the time comes." Snakepaw moved forward to whisper to her. "You are not the first and certainly won't be the last." That calmed Silverstream a good bit. "Anyways, Mudfur and I will need to change what medicine you're currently receiving. Based on what I saw Mudfur giving you, It could lead to complications when it comes time to give birth. We'll need to tap into some of our non-replenishable herbs, but what can we do? Leafbare pregnancies are always touchy like that. In the meantime, I want you moved into the Nursery before this moon is up. Do you want me to tell Crookedstar, or do you want to. You do not have to declare the father."

"I… I can tell him. Thanks for understanding." Silverstream answered, nestling down into her nest, ignoring the pain she still felt in her abdomen. Now that she knew the cause, it suddenly was a lot more bearable. She had kits coming. It made her smile slightly. She closed her eyes trying to imagine what her two kits would look like.