Warriors: Embers Glow

Chapter 12

Three moons later, Emberlight was awoken by Mistfang's yowl. Her mind was mostly on her worrying omens, but she was sensible enough to immediate realize: The kitting.

Emberlight poked her head outside of the warrior's den, breathing in the leaf-fall scent and observing the mesh of scarlet and sunset-colored leaves spattering the ground, angling her ears toward the nursery. Sparrowkit and Yewkit were bundled outside with Spottedwing, the kits a mere half moon from apprenticeship.

Sparrowkit's eyes were round with curiosity, but Yewkit seemed merely excited for more kits.

"We won't be the only ones in the nursery anymore!" he announced triumphantly. Emberlight didn't bother to remind him that he was going to be moving to the apprentices' den soon enough anyway. Emberlight poked her head out further to see Nettleheart posted outside, arguing with her father.

"I need to see her!" Moonstar protested indignantly.

"Moonstar." Nettleheart's voice was stern. "Did Petalear make you wait when I was born?"

For once, Moonstar hesitated. Finally he sighed, "Yes."

"And how am I any different?"

Emberlight felt her tail twitch in amusement. To see the Clan leader getting scolded by his own daughter!

"That's something, isn't it?" Emberlight whipped around to see Frostfall, and a purr rose in her throat. She felt like she hadn't heard Frostfall's voice for moons. Ever since Skytail had gotten her warrior name, it felt like Frostfall spent all of his spare time with her.

"Guess what?" he suddenly asked.

"What?" Emberlight didn't have a clue. She knew from their apprenticeship together that her best friend could be completely unpredictable.

"Skytail's bearing my kits." Emberlight's face swept over with shock, but in the back of her mind she had known that it would happen eventually. She turned her head to stare at Frostfall, and his eyes gleamed with satisfaction. Emberlight was really happy for him, but she didn't have to let him know it.

"So that means you'll just be spending less time with me?" she asked dryly. Frostfall's smile vanished off of his face, as if he had suddenly just realized how little time the pair had spent together in the past few moons.

"Emberlight, I didn't mean-"

To cut him off, Emberlight pressed her pelt against his. She could feel his growing hot with embarrassment. She purred, flicking her tail affectionately over Frostfall's ear. "Stupid mousebrain." she muttered.

Frostfall's pelt grew even hotter. Emberlight herself was glad for his company, for the first time in a season once again.

Then, suddenly, Dewpaw shot out from the gorse tunnel, his flank bleeding slightly. "Badger!"

Nettleheart ran her paw over Mistfang's belly as another spasm gripped the light grey she-cat's belly. She could feel the kit slowly moving as her mother hissed from around the edges of the stick clamped in her jaws.

A neat leaf wrap of borage sat beside Nettleheart. She had tucked in just a bit of burnet and ragwort, too, to help her recover from exhaustion. She was going to need it.

"Badger!"

Nettleheart whipped around at the sound of Dewpaw's voice. Badger?

Mistfang shrieked as another spasm gripped her. Nettleheart gasped. "I see it!" she announced.

"Clan...under..attack.." Mistfang hissed through heaving breaths. Nettleheart nodded. "I know. But there's nothing you can do right now, Mistfang, and you know it." Mistfang hissed again, whether from frustration or from pain, Nettleheart wasn't sure.