The Dawn of Night | A Warriors Fanfiction ✔

Chapter 21

The sun broke through the clouded sky, showering shafts of light through the warriors' den. Bluestripe woke and stretched. She weaved her way around her sleeping littermates, and padded outside to look for her mate. She saw him talking to Tinyblossom, one of his littermates. She saw Tinyblossom lick his ear and point her tail in her direction. Then she got up and padded away. Redflame whisked around to greet her, his eyes blazing with joy.

"Hi Bluestripe! How are you feeling? Do you need Emberfur to check on you?" Redflame looked at her worriedly.

"I'm fine. they won't be born for another moon and a half." Bluestripe sat down next to her mate and started grooming his rumpled fur.

"How are you doing? You spend so much time worrying about me that you can't even groom!" Bluestripe mrowed in laughter. He licked her ear affectionately, then nodded to the fresh-kill pile. They padded over, their pelts brushing. Redflame chose a vole, and Bluestripe took a sparrow that the dawn patrol had just dropped off in the pile.

"Maplestar said it would be okay if I hunted for Willow, since she doesn't know how to very well," Bluestripe mewed.

"But she's a loner!" Bluestripe put her tail over his mouth.

"She has kits she has to look after." Redflame's gaze softened.

"Alright, just take me with you, okay?"

"Okay. We should get going then. It's been awhile since I saw her." The two cats padded out of camp. Bluestripe headed toward Twolegplace to hunt. By the time they met again at the edge of the forest, they had caught enough prey for Willow and about half of the Clan. Burying most of it, Bluestripe and Redflame each took some fresh kill for Willow. The she-cat was grooming herself at the edge of the Twoleg nest when she noticed them.

"Bluestripe! Hi!" Willow called out.

"Hi, Willow. Redflame helped me hunt for you," Bluestripe set her prey by Willow's nest, and flicked her tail for Redflame to do the same.

"How are the kits doing?" Redflame asked.

"I guess they are alright. They've grown so much since the last time you visited."

"What are their names?" Bluestripe thought out loud.

"I'm not sure yet. I haven't had much time to think about it." One of the tiny kits tumbled out of the nest, mewling for milk. Willow went over and led it back to the nest, signaled for the two Clan cats to follow, and let the kits suckle.

"I think I'll name them Patch, Flint, and Acorn," she mewed after a moment of thought.

"Patch, Flint, and Acorn. What great names! In a Clan, kit names end with 'kit, so Patch would be Patchkit, Flint would be Flintkit, and Acorn would be Acornkit," Bluestripe informed her.

"Well, we had better be going now. Maplestar might need us on a patrol," Redflame mewed. "We'll come back next sunhigh if that's okay with you."

"Of course it is! I never have cats to talk to," Willow remarked.

"Bye, Willow. Bye, Patch, Flint and Acorn!" Bluestripe mewed.

"Good bye Bluestripe and Redflame!" Willow licked her kits' heads happily.

For another moon, the two cats brought prey to Willow and her kits. Bluestripe knew her own kits would be coming soon, and started staying in the nursery more and more. Her belly was swollen, and Redflame made sure she was okay. One morning, Bluestripe was restless, and couldn't get any more sleep. It can't hurt if I go out of camp and see Willow, can it? She padded out of camp, hoping no one saw her. She started on the way to Willow's nest, and reaching the edge of the forest a sharp pain rippled through her body.