Ceaderstripe pads beside Burntwhisker when suddenly she hears a scream.
"My kits!" A female voice calls out, "they're coming!"
Burntwhisker turns and runs towards the scream. Ceaderstripe follows him to a gray she-cat with white paws.
My Starclan, she's gigantic! Ceaderstripe is mind boggled.
Frostherb is already by the queens side.
"They're a moon early! I need Raspberry leaves!" Frostherb yells, "someone find me-"
"I will!" Burntwhisker rushes off to find the herb.
The queen lay on her side, her face scrunched with pain.
"Kelpstream!" A black tom rushes to the queens side, pushing through the crowd.
"Zenwhisker," she mews fondly before being taken over by another painful spasm.
Several she-cats, including Hemlockheart and Heatherfur circle around, helping instruct the queen on what to do.
"I'll grab a stick for you," Hemlockheart offers.
She rushes off towards the forest.
She's in so much pain Ceaderstripe trails off.
"Here!" Burntwhisker pushes through the crowd, his voice muffled by green leaves in his mouth.
The leaves look jagged and painful to hold but also soft.
"Eat these," Burntwhisker pushes a few towards the queen.
Her next spasm seems less painful.
"Here comes a kit!" Frostherb announces.
Another spasm takes over the queens body and soon there's a wet kit by her tail. Frostherb nips the sack around them and passes them to the father, Zenwhisker.
"Its a boy," he purrs, "our first son."
He licks the kit a few more moments before setting him by the queens head just before she is taken by another spasm.
She pushes hard and soon another kit is beside her tail. Burntwhisker nips its sack and passes it to the father to lick it clean.
"Its a girl," Zenwhisker purrs.
He licks the mewling kit clean and slides her to where the other kit now sits beside their mothers belly.
"She looks just like you," Kelpstream laughs weakly.
"The tom looks like both of us," Zenwhisker purrs.
Suddenly Kelpstream let's out a scream and throws her head back in pain.
"Here comes another one!" Frostherb announces.
The kit comes slowly, not moving to help itself through at all.
Frostherb pulls the kit out and nips its sack. She shakes her head sadly and places the kit beside the father.
"They're-" Zenwhisker stutters, "he's- dead."
The queen whimpers before being taken again by the pain.
This kit is full of wriggles, bfeor they're even out.
That must've been a pain for two moons Ceaderstripe thinks jokingly.
Frostherb nips their sack and passes it to Zenwhisker.
"Its a boy," Zenwhisker rubs the kits belly with his nose, "I think Wigglekit would be suitable for this one."
Kelpstream nods, "give him to m-"
She screams as another kit pushes their way out.
After a long, painful, loud, kitting, there's twelve kits by their mothers belly. Three however didn't make it but Kelpstream wanted to keep them there for the night before burying them in the morning.
The first tom, a combination of his parents, is black with white paws and speckles. The second she-cat is black with gray tabby stripes on her back like Zenwhisker. The third had been a gray tom who hadn't lived to feel the warmth of the day. Wigglekit, the wriggling tom is a black kit with white splotches all over. Ravenkit, born only seconds after Wigglekit is an all black she-cat. The next, another stillborn tom was almost a silver kit, his wet fur shining. Seventh was Fernkit, named for the brown markings on her paws. After her was another stillborn, named Splashkit, looked just like one of the elders, aperantly Kelpstreams mother. She is a gray tabby. Next was a gray tabby she-cat with brown paws. Next were a set of twins, identical black toms with white paws, came out of the same sack. Finally came Burstkit, a dark gray tabby tom who's sack burst on its own almost the instant he was out.
"They're beautiful," Kelpstream cries, "every one of them."