Yarrowstem's breath hastened as another contraction washed through her body. She clenched her jaw shut in an effort to suppress the pain but managed to release a strained whimper through her teeth. She arched her claws and felt them dig into the ground, the muscles in them aching as a recurring jolt of agony hit her straight in her stomach.
I know they will be worth the pain… but great StarClan… Agony climbed in her throat and she tried to open her mouth, to say something, but nothing came out.
The midday sunlight filtered through the nursery's entrance, casting a golden glow onto the pelts of the queens. Yarrowstem's grimaces of pain were enough to attract the attention of the other cats residing within the den's walls. They watched as another contraction gripped at her belly, their eyes round with growing concern.
"Are you all right?" Streamstone mewed, pricking her tufted ears. "Are the kits coming? Should I call Ashenhawk?" Her eyes were round with worry.
"No," Yarrowstem replied, gruffly. "They've been causing me pain for moons now. It's probably just another one of those days."
Yarrowstem had endured a complicated pregnancy. She had found herself making frequent trips to the medicine cat's den, after spending the morning convincing herself that there was something wrong with her kits, only to find that her and her kits seemed to be healthy. Though her denmates were still early in their pregnancies, Yarrowstem was jealous that they did not have to endure constant pain like she had done.
"Are you sure?" Whitejay mewed, giving her chest a quick lick. "I was having similar pains when I gave birth to my kits. I can get Ashenhawk if you'd like."
"No," Yarrowstem said, unsure of what Ashenhawk would say. She didn't want to bother the silver tabby, who was arms-length into her work during this season. "No, I'm fine-"
Yarrowstem's eyes widened as a dark-pelted cat appeared in the entryway. Rays of sun shone from behind him, casting a shadow on the ground that seemed to bleed into his black paws. "Are you all right?" he murmured, his mew stricken with worry. "I overheard Whitejay as I was coming around. Do I need to get Ashenhawk?"
Yarrowstem's heart thumped loudly in her chest. Coalshadow. Her soulmate, protector, and life partner. Coalshadow had accompanied Yarrowstem with every step through her pregnancy and had spent a countless amount of time worrying over her complications. Yarrowstem knew that there was no way she was avoiding a visit from the medicine cat, now that Coalshadow had been made aware of the situation.
"I think so," Streamstone murmured, watching Yarrowstem intently. "I think it may be time."
Yarrowstem felt anxiety begin to claw at her throat. Is it? She had kept herself calm during her pregnancy, despite its hardships, and looked forward to finally giving birth. However, now that she was facing the present, Yarrowstem began to grow fearful for her own safety. She met Coalshadow's widened stare before he rushed to her side, burying his nose into the fur of her neck.
"Are you in pain now?" Coalshadow asked worryingly.
"Yes," Yarrowstem grunted, flattening her ears against a contraction clawing at her belly. "I… hope that it is over soon."
In a matter of moments, Streamstone returned with Ashenhawk at her haunches. Yarrowstem had not even noticed Streamstone's absence, as she had been too focused on the intense pain surging through her body. The silver she-cat hurried to Yarrowstem's side and dropped a stick at her paws. "Bite down on that," she instructed. "It will help you manage the pain."
I guess it is really happening.
Yarrowstem picked up the stick in her jaws and positioned herself for Ashenhawk to be able to properly assess her. Coalshadow knelt down, placing his tail tip gently on his mate's shoulder. "Just breathe," he murmured calmly. "It will be okay. Just breathe."
Yarrowstem followed her mate's instructions as she tried to clear her mind and focus on one thing only – the kits. Ashenhawk placed a paw on the golden she-cat's belly, and softly pushed down. "Push," she instructed, keeping her pale eyes focused on the queen's stomach. "Hard."
Yarrowstem pushed, biting down on the stick in her jaws. The pain in her abdomen took the breath out of her lungs and caused her vision to blur. Yarrowstem could feel nothing but pain in her belly, and a hard object in her jaws. After a wave of discomfort, Yarrowstem felt immense pressure release immediately from her haunches. She opened her eyes, wearily, and could see Ashenhawk bent over a small figure in the moss.
"Coalshadow, come," Ashenhawk meowed, instructing the black tom to begin licking the newly birthed kit. "Keep pushing, Yarrowstem. One more."
Yarrowstem bit down on the stick to continue pushing. She could feel all of the energy in her body being spent as her muscles contracted to make way for the kit. She did not know how long the second half of her kitting lasted, but all of the pain melted away immediately upon finally birthing its little body.
The stick fell out of Yarrowstem's mouth as relief flooded her system. Coalshadow's yellow eyes flashed back towards his mate, swelling with emotion. "They're perfect, Yarrowstem," the tom mewed, rushing forward to touch his nose to her own. "You did it. We have two sons. Two perfect little sons."
"Sons…" Yarrowstem repeated, exhaustion causing for her to lay her head on the moss beneath her.
Yarrowstem could hear her kits mew as Ashenhawk worked to clean them. The queen was relieved that both she and the kits had survived the birth and were now all in perfect health. When she opened her eyes, she was made aware of the warm gazes from the other queens in the nursery. Streamstone and Whitejay excitedly purred at the new kits, exchanging jubilant glances with Yarrowstem as she regained consciousness.
"They're beautiful," Whitejay murmured, wrapping her white-tipped tail around her paws.
Yarrowstem watched as Ashenhawk and Coalshadow each picked up a kit by their scruff. They placed the tom-kits gently in front of Yarrowstem and watched as they quickly found their way to their mother's soft belly. Yarrowstem's heart swelled with love and pride for her newborn sons.
"What should we name them?" Coalshadow asked, laying down beside his mate and resting his tail alongside her own.
Yarrowstem purred as the sunlight peeking through the nursery's entrance warmed her golden pelt. She had always enjoyed newleaf for how happy the sunlight made her feel, and how much it made her appreciate the beauty of nature. She knew that she wanted to honor the gift of nature by naming her sons after StarClan's gifts.
"How about Pearkit for the tabby?" Yarrowstem mewed, watching as the dark tabby kit kneaded against her belly. The smaller kit, a black-and-white tom, pushed against him for his own space to nurse. "And Rootkit for the little one."
Coalshadow nodded kindly, watching his kits with awe shining in his blue eyes. "Pearkit and Rootkit. I love them."
The other queens slowly approached the couple, careful not to spook the nursing kits. "They're beautiful, Yarrowstem," Whitejay murmured, the corners of her mouth curling upwards in an awe-stricken smile.
Yarrowstem's heart thumped in her chest as she watched her two kits nurse. Their eyes were tightly shut, and their tiny paws worked tirelessly as they kneaded against their mother's soft underbelly. So small. So innocent. The queen's mind began to swirl with visions of what her sons would grow up to be. She felt every emotion surge through her body at once: passion, grief, fear, and intense love. She wanted to protect them but knew that someday they would have to venture out into the vast world without her.
Pearkit and Rootkit nursed until they fell into their first earthside slumber. Yarrowstem counted their breaths as she watched their tiny chests rise and fall. She bent down and groomed Rootkit's unkempt fur, purring as a tiny mewl escaped from his jaws.
Sleep well, my little kits, for there is a whole world that is waiting for you.