“Poppyfrost, you can lead a
border patrol to
check the ShadowClan line,” Squirrelflight ordered, nodding to the
tortoiseshell. Poppyfrost nodded. “Go with Mousewhisker, Blossomfall, and
Bumblestripe.” After summoning her Clanmates to the thorn tunnel, they left and
headed toward ShadowClan.
Mousewhisker and
Blossomfall started chatting up a storm, and Bumblestripe moved up next to
Poppyfrost. “I think they like each other a lot,” he whispered in her ear, and
Poppyfrost giggled. Young love… she was happy to have Berrynose.
Soon the patrol was
split in half, each pair deep in their conversations. So when Poppyfrost
stumbled and fell flat on her face, she was pretty sure it was just a rock that
she had tripped on. “Oh, Icecloud!” Blossomfall gasped, and Poppyfrost leaped
up, Bumblestripe wiping the dirt off of her dark pelt with his tail politely.
The white queen
was having her kits, and she appeared to be struggling. “Mousewhisker, go get
Jayfeather and Briarlight,” Poppyfrost snapped the order at him. She hadn’t
meant to be harsh to the younger warrior, but her heart was racing. Kits
weren’t meant to be born outside of camp. Lilypaw and Seedpaw were, and they
turned out fine, but… Stop worrying, Poppyfrost
commanded herself, although several thoughts raced about her head at once.
“Poppyfrost… B-
Blossomfall, I’m… scared,” Icecloud swallowed and clenched her jaws as a ripple
passed over her belly.
“Are you with
anyone?” Blossomfall asked. Poppyfrost snorted inwardly. That’s a no-brainer, she thought. Obviously she’s not.
Icecloud’s
round blue gaze stared up at Poppyfrost and Blossomfall. “Cinderheart,” she
moaned. “She went to get the… father.”
Poppyfrost was
confused. They hadn’t passed Cinderheart on the way. Where had her sister gone?
Deciding that she shouldn’t pressure the queen anymore, Poppyfrost sat back and
hoped for the best.
“Medicine cat
coming through!” Jayfeather hollered, barreling past Blossomfall and
Poppyfrost. Blossomfall glared at the back of head.
“Medicine cat
apprentice coming through!” Briarlight copied despite the worry shining in her
amber eyes. However, her exclamation was muffled due to the fact that many
herbs were crammed into her jaws.
Poppyfrost backed
away a few steps to give the medicine cats space, but she still peeked over
Jayfeather’s shoulder. She was curious.
Blossomfall bit
her lip so hard that it looked as if it could burst. “Will she have to have
them here and now?”
Jayfeather didn’t
glance up from Icecloud as he answered. “Well, it will happen now,” he meowed
hotly, tail-tip flicking in annoyance. “I don’t think she has the strength to
get back to the camp in time though.”
Poppyfrost’s
stomach twisted. What was the fate for Icecloud?
Briarlight piped
up suddenly. “Jayfeather, a kit! A kit!” Poppyfrost leaned forward in
anticipation, along with Blossomfall, whose eyes were wide in… horror?
Poppyfrost noticed Mousewhisker rest his tail on her shoulders somewhat
soothingly.
A sharp mewl
pierced the air, and the blood roared in Poppyfrost’s ears. “It’s a tom, the
first of three!” Jayfeather announced in a mumble, probably only half to the
audience. Poppyfrost glimpsed a pure-white bundle identical to his mother.
There was not a single piece of another fur color on his pelt from what she
saw.
Quite abruptly,
Cinderheart blundered in with a dark tabby that smelled of ShadowClan by her
side. Both were panting heavily. Poppyfrost gulped. What was a cat from an
enemy Clan doing here?
The dark tomcat
collapsed down next to Icecloud and stroked her rippling flank with his tail
gently. “It’ll be alright, Icecloud,” he murmured in her ear.
“Excuse me,”
Jayfeather’s head snapped up like a twig breaking from a tree. “Why are you
here?”
The ShadowClan
warrior fixed his unwavering gaze on Jayfeather. “I am Tigerheart, and Icecloud
is my mate. I am not afraid to admit it.”
Poppyfrost felt
ill.
“The second kit,
Jayfeather!” Briarlight choked on her words as a second kit was released into
the world. Jayfeather snapped back to attention and revealed that the second
kit was again a tom.
Eventually the
last kit arrived, a she-kit. All were healthy and well. “May I see them?”
Poppyfrost questioned, excitement fizzing in her paws. Seemingly reluctantly
Jayfeather stepped aside, his blind blue gaze staring blankly at the new
litter.
Icecloud was
licking her sons and daughter vigorously, and in protest they mewled weakly, pawing
at her stomach for milk. It gave Poppyfrost sweet memories of when Cherrystem
and Molefoot were newborns.
Surprisingly, the
first kit, the spitting image of his mother, was the smallest of the three,
weakly kneading. His brother was the biggest, a brown tabby and white. The
she-kit had shining dark brown tabby fur just like her apparent father.
“They’re beautiful,” Poppyfrost heard Tigerheart whisper. Icecloud nodded
cumbersomely in agreement.
Jayfeather had to
drag the patrol away from Icecloud, Tigerheart, and their kits. It wasn’t just
because the little ones were so cute, but also the fact that Tigerheart was
their father caused some quizzing.
Blossomfall
seemed in a daze. Poppyfrost thought she heard her mutter to Mousewhisker, “I
want kits…”
After
remarking the slightly stale border swiftly, Poppyfrost, Blossomfall,
Mousewhisker, and Bumblestripe rushed back to camp, the suspense killing them.
What would happen to Icecloud, Tigerheart, and their kits?
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