Crowstar's Mission {COMPLETE}

Prologue

 Rain fell quietly outside, calming the cats in a normally stressful situation. Three cats gathered around one black she-cat, resting in a nest with panic rising in her chest. She had waited so long for this moment, since the moment she became a warrior. Tonight, she would finally be a mother. She looked around, a gray tom had a bundle of herbs and kept placing his paw on her round belly.

"It's almost time Riverlight." The tom spoke. "You'll do great." Beside the gray tom stood an incredibly handsome black and white tom with shimmering yellow eyes. Love flooded through Riverlight's entire body, if she wanted any tom to be the father of her kits, she wanted it to be him.

"Blacksky," The gray tom spoke to Riverlight's mate. "Stay up by her head and keep her calm. I'm not sensing any issues but you never know." There was something off about his tone, judging by Blacksky's tense, Riverlight sense that he sensed it too.

"Everything alright, Skyclaw?" Blacksky questioned, Skyclaw's ears twitched and he nodded.

"Yes, everything is fine. I'm just paranoid, I've seen bad births before. Everything will be fine, I promise." Skyclaw focused on Riverlight, who shared an uneasy glance with her mate. Blacksky pressed his muzzle against hers, calming all of her nerves.

"Don't worry, my sweet. These kits will be born perfectly, and the first thing they will see is the beautiful moon. That's how you know MoonClan cats are healthy and strong, when they're born at night." Blacksky's deep voice was so soothing to Riverlight, she closed her eyes and nearly forgot where she was, just breathing in the scent of her beloved. Her peace was ruined when pain ripped through her body, she let out a yowl of pain.

"Blossomfrost." Skyclaw called to the light gray she-cat sitting near the nursery's entrance. "Bring me that stick, please." Blossomfrost stood up, her belly only just starting to get round. She placed a heavy stick at Riverlight's mouth.

"Bite down on that when you feel pain." Skyclaw instructed. Riverlight nodded, trying to prepare herself for the pain to return.

"Just close your eyes and think of the kits." Blacksky whispered as he rasped his tongue over her ears. "Think of that beautiful little she-cat you want so badly."

Riverlight let out a purr, imagining a pure black she-cat. "I want her to look like my mother, so I can name her after her."

"She would love that." Blacksky replied. "She would love to be here now, but you know she's watching from StarClan." Riverlight thought of her mother, Ravenstorm. Beautiful, fierce and loving. Taken from Riverlight just after she had become a warrior to greencough. Even in death, Ravenstorm went out fighting.

Pain ripped through Riverlight's body, she bit down on the stick feeling it splintering between her teeth. The pain was more than anything she had ever experienced. For my kits! For my daughter! Riverlight bit down harder, bearing through the pain the best she could. She could feel Blacksky's warmth surrounding her, she did everything she could to focus on him and not the pain.

Riverlight felt like she was in pain for moons, and was starting to think that it would never end. Even with Blacksy's comfort, she still felt as if she was at her ends with this process. Stay strong, my sweet. A sweet scent surrounded Riverlight, her eyes half-opened she saw a shimmering outline of a black she-cat. Ravenstorm! Feeling comforted and filled with confidence, Riverlight knew she was ready to have these kits.

"The first one is here!" Riverlight's eyes opened and she struggled to look over at Skyclaw as he picked up a tiny bundle of fur. It was almost all black, with a few white markings. "Blossomfrost can you take this one? Lick it and get its blood flowing." Riverlight couldn't take her eyes off the tiny black kit, was it a tom or a she-cat?

"There's another one coming." Skyclaw announced right as Riverlight felt searing pain in her body, biting down on the stick one more time. This time, however, the pain lingered longer than normal.

"What's going on?" Blacksky asked, his voice muted by the blood roaring in her ears.

"This kit is coming awkwardly." Skyclaw replied, his voice slightly shaking. Riverlight couldn't focus, the pain was becoming too much. In the distance, she could hear the tiny mews of a kit. Was it the first one? Finally, the pain started to ebb away. "The other kit is here, Blacksky take it."

Blacksky rushed over to Skyclaw, taking the tiny kit in his jaws and began lapping at it's fur. The pain cleared from Riverlight's vision, but her entire body ached. She looked at the first kit, squirming and crying at Blossomfrost's paws. She then turned to Blacksky, the kit he had was pure black, just light Ravenstorm. "Is it a she-cat?" She questioned, her voice trembling.

Blacksky didn't reply, he just kept licking the kit. Blossomfrost picked up the other kit, resting it at Riverlight's belly where it began to nurse. "It's a tom." She purred. "And he's very healthy."

Riverlight barely heard the queen's words, she was focused on the other kit. It wasn't moving, it wasn't making any noise. What was wrong with it? Did it take that long with the tom? Skyclaw stepped towards Blacksky who looked up, grief flooding his eyes. No. "I'm sorry," The gray tom lowered his head. "But there's nothing we can do. "She was born dead."

"No!" Riverlight cried, her body thrashing. "She's not dead!" Blacksky rushed to her side, trying to calm her but Riverlight didn't want it. "Stop it! Get back over to our daughter! Keep trying!"

She tried standing up, only to have her legs give out from under her. The tom let out a cry of protest, Riverlight ignored him. She looked over at the lifeless body of her dead daughter, the daughter that didn't even have a chance to live.

Two days had passed, and Riverlight hadn't slept. All that pain, all the fear, for nothing. The little tom was still alive, but Riverlight couldn't help but look at him and feel something wrong. Why did he survive? Why not the she-cat, why not the kit who she wanted? She didn't pray to StarClan for a tom, she prayed for a she-cat. Riverlight looked away from him, only wishing to see her daughter at her belly. She hadn't named him, she didn't know if she could. She named her daughter Ravenkit, even if she was dead she would be named after Ravenstorm. Riverlight couldn't fight away the darkness swelling inside her belly, her daughter should've survived.

Riverlight's ears twitched as Blacksky stepped into the den, his eyes sad but loving. Even Blacksky looked different to her, he wasn't the same. Nothing was. In his jaws was a small mouse that he set down before her. "You need to eat." He mewed, sitting beside him. Riverlight looked away, ignoring both him and the prey.

Blacksky let out a sigh, but did not argue. "I was thinking of a name for our son." He mewed, his voice attempting to be cheerful. Our son. The words grated against Riverlight's ears. "Since the she-cat would've been Ravenkit--"

"Is." Riverlight cut him off, nearly hissing. "She is Ravenkit." She growled, still refusing to look at him.

"Right," Blacksky's voice dropped. "Since she is Ravenkit, why don't we name him Crowkit?"

"Fine." Riverlight couldn't bring herself to be enthused about her son's name. She looked out the nursery entrance, not even the stars brought her joy. She was honestly starting to wonder, would she ever feel happiness again? And the more important question: would she ever be able to love her son?