Sparks of a Fire

Chapter 48

Ravenwing patted along the newleaf covered ground, her pawsteps crunching on the leaves, her black fur gleaming in the light of the midday sun.

The young warrior sighed and pushed through the gorse tunnel with tons of prey clutched in her jaws.

As she dropped her bundle of prey onto the fresh-kill pile, she saw her sister and brother chatting quietly near the warriors den.

She purred softly and patted over to join them. "Greetings, Ratfoot, Hollybrook," she meowed, nodding in greeting to them.

Hollybrook purred and touched her nose to Ravenwing's own. "Hey, Raven, did you hear that Starlingwing is having another litter of kits?" Ravenwing nodded and curled her white-tipped tail under her jet-black paws.

"When are they due to arrive?" she asked her sister curiously. "Did Blueclaw or Spottedsong tell you anything yet?"

Hollybrook shook her head as Ratfoot patted over to join them.

"What are you two talking about?"

"We're going to have more siblings," Ravenwing mewed with a small twitch of her whiskers. "I'm gonna go talk to Blueclaw, either of you wanna come?"

Hollybrook nodded and stood to her paws with a small yawn. "Sure, I'll tag along with you, sis."

Ravenwing nodded her head and the two she-cats patted toward the medicine cat's den.

As the two young she-cats approached the entrance of the medicine cat's den, Ravenwing quietly poked her head inside. And yep, sure enough, both Blueclaw and Spottedsong were awake sorting through their herb stores. As Ravenwing and Hollybrook entered the den, Blueclaw looked up from her sorting work and smiled warmly at the two newcomers.

"Good morning Ravenwing, and hello to you as well, Hollybrook." The medicine cat greeted them with a welcoming smile. "What brings the two of you to the medicine cat's den?"

Ravenwing purred and dipped her head in greeting to the two healers

"We were just coming to ask you how Starlingwing is doing," the ebony-furred she-cat responded with a small smile and tilt of her head.

Blueclaw's tail twitched and she opened her mouth to respond, but it was her apprentice who spoke first.

"She's doing as well as she can with four kits squirming around in her belly," Spottedsong murmured softly while shifting some berries around with her paws.

The medicine cat apprentice was about to continue when an ear-splitting yowl pierced the air.

All four cats froze and stared at one another with wide eyes, not knowing what to do or say to break the tension in the air.

But it was Blueclaw who spoke up with a sharp, authoritative mew as she raced into the back of her den.

"Starlingwing's kitting! We need to hurry! Come on, Spottedsong, it's time for you to put all you've learned so far to the ultimate test."

Spottedsong blinked and cocked her head to the side in confusion. "But they're not due for another week!" Spottedsong yowled to Blueclaw, who was already gathering the necessary herbs to help the kitting queen.

"I know! But she's having them now, so we gotta hurry!" she exclaimed.

Blueclaw, Spottedsong, Ravenwing, and Hollybrook all dashed toward the nursery as fast as they could. As the four cats entered the den, Softpaw set the herbs down next to the sable-furred queen. "Ok Starlingwing, you need to start pushing for me. Can you do that?" the medicine cat apprentice mewed urgently as Blueclaw started dabbing Starlingwing's head with some cool water.

"Spottedsong, could you go fetch some wet moss for Featherberry?" she nodded and raced out of the den to grab some wet moss for the distressed queen.

As Spottedsong raced through the forest looking for some wet moss, her mind was racing and she was panicking like a cornered mouse. Starlingwing's kits are expected in a few days- oh, we didn't have time to prepare! This is my first time helping with kitting. What if I mess up? What if this moss drys before I get there? What if the kits die? Oh StarClan, please help me! I'm scared and I don't know if I'm ready for this!

Remembering what little information Blueclaw had taught her about kitting, she hurried to grab a stick as well, dusting the snow off as she rushed toward the nursery.

Shoving her way through the entrance, she stumbled towards the sable she-cat, who was trembling in her nest. She dropped her stick and the wet wad of moss.

She leaned forward, massaging Starlingwing's convulsing belly. The sable-furred queen nodded at her encouragingly through half-closed eyes, but it dissolved into a grimace as another contraction moved down her abdomen.

Spottedsong let a few drops of water trickle into Starlingwing's mouth, holding the wet moss above the queen's head. She then placed the stick near her head as well. "Bite down on this. It helps with the pain," she instructed.

Starlingwing nodded, grasping the stick with her jaws. She then bit down hard, eyes widening as her abdomen contracted.

Spottedsong's ears flattened against her skull as Starlingwing's pain-filled yowls pierced her ears. The blue-furred medicine cat apprentice tried to stay calm as she watched the first wet bundle of fur tumbled into the nest.

Thinking quickly, the medicine cat apprentice quickly began licking the small she-kit's fur, warming it up and placing her beside Starlingwing's belly.

A few moments later, Starlingwing grimaced as another contraction pulsed through her body. "I think there's another one coming!" she moaned, gritting her teeth and once again biting down on the stick.

Three more kits tumbled into the nest and Spottedsong began licking them furiously, letting out a relieved sigh when the two kits started to breath.

"Congratulations, Starlingwing," Blueclaw meowed proudly. "You have four healthy she-kits!"

Starlingwing smiled tiredly and gently licked each one behind the ears. "I think I'll call the black-and-gray dappled one Sparkkit," she meowed while pointing with her tail at the black-and-gray dappled she-kit, who was trying to grab her mother's tail.

Spottedsong and Blueclaw both smiled and nodded in agreement.

"What about the other three?" Blueclaw meowed questioningly. "What are you going to name them?"

Starlingwing looked deep in thought as she looked down at her three other kits. One was white with black-and-gray stripes and stormy blue eyes, one was jet-black with a white underbelly and jade green eyes, and the last one was dark gray with white paws and dark green eyes.

"I'll call the white striped she-kit Ghostkit, the jet-black one Berrykit, and the gray-and-white patched one Mintkit." Starlingwing meowed softly, purring and curling her tail protectively around her four newborn kits.