Warriors || Aspenrose's Goodbye

Chapter Sixteen

       "Wake up, Aspenrose!" A paw jabbed into the cream she-cat's side. Aspenrose sat up immediately, shaking moss from her fur. Her ginger tabby mentor loomed over her, panic filling her green gaze. "It's Hollyflower!"
       "What's wrong?" Aspenrose's grogginess faded, replaced with worry.
       "She never told me... She shouldn't have done her warrior duties... I should have paid more attention!" Duskheart rambled.
       "Calm down," Aspenrose laid her tail over Duskheart's shoulders. "Just tell me what's going on."
       Duskheart's eyes were full of guilt. "Hollyflower is kitting." She stated. "She's too early. It should be another half-moon before she gives birth..."
       Startled, Aspenrose broke away from her mentor. Babbling wouldn't help Hollyflower. She reached into the herbs cleft for supplies. Aspenrose had only ever helped deliver kits once, and they never had any complications, but now..?
Aspenrose spun around, herbs in her mouth, to see Duskheart had already left for the nursery. Aspenrose trotted quickly through the bramble screen and pushed through the nursery entrance.
Duskheart sat over Hollyflower, stroking her belly with her orange tail. Littlefrost had left her two kits to comfort Hollyflower. Aspenrose found a place to sit next to her mentor and dropped the herbs nearby.
      One kit had already been born before Aspenrose had entered the nursery, but she could tell another one was coming. Hollyflower let out a yowl of pain as another kit came. Her breathing started to steady and returned to normal. She sat up and nosed her kits to her belly.
        Littlefrost helped Hollyflower clean her two kits. "Two she-kits," Duskheart sat back, beginning to relax. "And no complications."
       Hollyflower sat up just as Tawnyleaf burst through the entrance. The brown tabby tom's green eyes were shaded with worry, but replaced with relief as he looked over his mate and kits.
       Tawnyleaf padded over and licked Hollyflower's ear. "What shall we call them?"
       Hollyflower bent her head down to touch the dark brown tabby she-kit, "She takes after her father. We'll call her Elmkit."
       Tawnyleaf purred. He then reached down to lick the black she-kit. "She looks a lot like you, doesn't she. How about Willowkit?"
Hollyflower rested her head on Tawnyleaf's side. "Lovely."
Aspenrose's insides tightened.