Warriors: Stripeblaze's Path

Prologue

The half-moon shone brightly in the sky, lighting up the ThunderClan camp. Shadows were cast over the dens and rain started to softly fall. A soft wind ruffled the fur of a dark grey she-cat as she sat outside the nursery.
"Whiteshade!" she called desperately. She could feel her kits inside her and knew it was their time to be born. She flexed her claws in and out as she waited for her mate to arrive. A heartbeat later, a snowy white tom with amber eyes raced over to her.
"Stormfeather!" he meowed. He gently licked her cheek.
"Get Mosssting!" Stormfeather gasped. Whiteshade shook his head in guilt.
"He's at the Moonpool, it's half-moon," he meowed. Stormfeather cried out in pain.
"Well someone do something!" she meowed impatiently. Whiteshade quickly raced into the centre of the camp.
"Help! Stormfeather's kitting!" He looked desperately around the camp. His tail was quivering with desperation. He flicked his ear when he heard sounds emitting from the warriors' den. A moment later, Mistpetal emerged with Cedarfoot at her tail. They raced over to the white tom when they saw him stressing.
"What is it? What's wrong?" Mistpetal asked frantically.
"It's Stormfeather! Her kits are coming and Mosssting is at the Moonpool!"
"I'll go get him!" Cedarfoot meowed and raced out of the camp. More warriors started to pad out of the warriors' den, all sheltering themselves from the rain. Buzzardpaw and Hazelpaw quickly padded out of their den and joined the crowd of cats around Whiteshade.
"Does anyone know anything about delivering kits?" He looked around, panic glittering in his eyes. Flamelight, Hazelpaw's mother, padded forward. "Well I've delivered my own so I know what happens, I can help," she mewed. Whiteshade nodded and raced back into the nursery with Flamelight following him closely; Stormfeather had gone back inside to shelter herself from the rain. Flamestripe was still sitting at the back of the nursery, her tail wrapped around Berrykit and Branchkit. Stormfeather was lying in her nest, writhing in pain.
"Flamelight!" Her eyes lit up when she spotted the mother.
"Whiteshade, get a stick and some honey," she meowed sternly to Stormfeather's mate. He nodded and raced to the medicine den. Stormfeather let out a low groan in pain.
"Stormfeather, I know it hurts but you'll be okay, just push when you fell a contraction," Flamelight instructed. Stormfeather nodded, and started panting harder, her flanks rising and falling rapidly. Whiteshade entered the den and placed the stick and honey at his mate's head.
"Okay, eat the honey, it'll give you energy." Flamelight held the honey up to Stormfeather's mouth. She hungrily licked it up and sighed as the sweet liquid slid down her throat. She clenched her jaws and moaned as pain hit her again.
"Bite the stick and push!" Flamelight meowed. Stormfeather nodded and took the stick, biting down on it hard. A shrill mew filled the air. Stormfeather sighed with relief.
"It's a tom! That's the first one but I can feel more!" Flamelight told her, placing her paws gently on the queen's stomach. "Two more."
Stormfeather grunted and pushed again. Soon, a second was born.
"It's a she-kit!" Flamelight announced. Stormfeather looked at the tiny bundle of brown tabby fur. Flamelight's face fell. "She's not breathing," she mewed. "Her lips are blue..." She trailed off and handed to brown kit to Whiteshade. "Lick," she ordered. Whiteshade complied and started licking the kit rapidly to get it breathing.
"Oh no, is she okay?" Stormfeather asked, getting stressed.
"You just focus on getting that last kit out," Flamelight responded. Stormfeather nodded and pushed again. The last kit came quickly and easily.
"It's another tom!" Flamelight meowed and gave the white tom to Stormfeather. He was tiny and scrappy, and he trembled uncontrollably. "He's very weak," Flamelight mewed.
Whiteshade suddenly let out a wail. "She's gone!" he cried. The brown tabby she-kit sat at his paws, completely still. Flamelight placed the white tom-kit beside the grey tabby tom at their mother's belly. "I'd like to name her Fernkit, in honour of my sister," Whiteshade mewed, silently grieving for his sister. Stormfeather nodded.
"Mousekit for the white tom, he's as tiny as a mouse," Stormfeather mewed. "And Stripekit for the grey tabby."
Whiteshade smiled and nodded. He placed the deceased Fernkit at his mate's head.
"Goodbye, Fernkit. You're in a better place now," she meowed quietly. Flamelight padded out of the den. Whiteshade sat beside Stormfeather, admiring their beautiful kits.
Suddenly, a bulky grey figure appeared.
"Mosssting!" Stormfeather cried with relief. He bent down and inspected Fernkit.
"I'm so sorry," he mewed gently. He moved to Mousekit. "He's weak," he commented. "He might not make it through the night. And this one," he sniffed Stripekit. "He's healthy."
"Berrykit!" Flamestripe cried. Everyone whipped their heads around and stared at the sandy ginger queen. "Berrykit's missing!"
A few heartbeats later, Swifttail, the deputy and Flamestripe's mate, burst in. "What do you mean 'missing'?" he yelped.
"She's gone! Her scent leads away!" she answered. Stormfeather looked at Whiteshade, horrified.
"I'll find her!" Swifttail meowed, and raced away. Stormfeather heard Cedarfoot meow, "I'll go with him!" The two toms disappeared out of the camp. The whole Clan was stressing, and even Turtlestar had emerged from his den to check on everyone. They all waited anxiously for Swifttail and Cedarfoot to return with Berrykit.

The moon was sinking down, and the rain had stopped when Whiteshade scented Cedarfoot and Swifttail. There was a faint scent of Thunderpath mingled with them. He hoped that Berrykit hasn't been killed. He followed Flamestripe out into the clearing with Branchkit trailing behind them. He gasped in shock when he saw Swifttail, mangled and bloody, lying on the ground. Berrykit sat by his side, whimpering and crying. Flamestripe wailed at the top of her lungs and collapsed beside her mate.
"StarClan no! Please no! It's not his time!" she cried. Branchkit sat beside his sister and started grieving for his father.
Mosssting padded over to them. "What happened?" he asked Cedarfoot.
"It's those blasted twolegs! They put the old Thunderpath back in use. Berrykit found her way onto it. Swifttail chased her onto the path and grabbed her scruff, that's when the monster appeared. He threw Berrykit to me just before the monster hit him. I dragged him back." His voice caught in his throat as he told the story. "I had to watch the whole thing!" he cried. Mosssting led him away to his den. Turtlestar was already at Flamestripe's side.
"I know it's hard, it's okay," he meowed sympathetically. He padded over to Highledge and jumped up. Everyone was already in the clearing, so he started his announcement. "I say these words before StarClan, so that Swifttail can hear and approve my words. The new deputy of ThunderClan is Flamestripe."
The tabby she-cat gasped, but nodded, and went back to grieving her mate.
Stormfeather looked at her two surviving kits. "I'll protect you with my life, little ones."