Distant Sun - Clouds

Chapter 17

Fallenpaw woke up in Rocktooth's den. There was no more snow on her fur and she could see the other tunnelers laying in other nests. Her mother was sound asleep nearby. Rocktooth was near the back of the den organizing herbs. Fallenpaw gets up and walks over to the medicine cat.

"Need any help?" Fallenpaw asks.

"Yes, take these to Moonfur," Rocktooth shoves a few leaves over to the apprentice.

"Ok!" Fallenpaw goes to scoop them up, but before she could, Pinefur appears in the entrance to the den.

"Hi Pinefur," Fallenpaw greets.

Pinefur ignores Fallenpaw. "Rocktooth, Strikeclaw has started kitting."

Rocktooth spins around with herbs in her jaw. She was already ready. "Let's go."

Rocktooth runs across the camp to the nursery. Fallenpaw follows, but is stopped when she tries to follow into the nursery. Violetstorm had stopped her.

"I know you were asked to help, but Rocktooth has got this," Violetstorm meows, wrapping her tail around her kits. Fallenpaw noticed that the other queens were outside the nursery as well. Mossflight and Lilykit were not far away. Moonfur and her two kits were nearest the den, possibly because her kits were so young and could get sick in the snow. Pinefur was sitting nearby as well.

"Alright," Fallenpaw shrugs.

She sits just as Nightfall bursts out of the warriors den. He doesn't need to say anything and no one needs to tell him anything. He sits with the rest of the queens and keeps quiet.

There was silence in the camp. There was a tenseness to the silence. Like the whole camp was holding their breath. Leafbare always meant more deaths of kits than the rest of the year.

***

They had been sitting there for hours. Fallenpaw had offered to let the kits huddle up with her to block out the cold. Nightfall had switched between pacing and staring at the den. There had been no sign of Rocktooth.

"Do you think everything is alright?" Pinefur asks softly.

"Rocktooth is a great medicine cat. Can't be anything bad," Moonfur replies.

Nightfall sighs. He says nothing, but Fallenpaw could tell he was anxious. It was then that Rocktooth pokes her head out of the den.

"Nightfall, you can come in now," Rocktooth meows.

The black tom gets to his paws and goes inside. Rocktooth exits and looks at Fallenpaw with the kits buried in her thick fur.

"Go grab those herbs you were meant to give to Moonfur and give them to Strikeclaw," Rocktooth meows sternly.

Fallenpaw nods and the kits go to their mothers after she gets up. Fallenpaw walks across camp and slips into the medicine den. She scoops the herbs up, greeting the other tunnelers as she does so, and returns to the nursery. The queens had gone back into the nursery and Rocktooth was obviously in there too. Fallenpaw slinks inside and looks around. Rocktooth was chatting with Moonfur and Pinefur in one corner, Violetstorm was watching her kits play in the other. Strikeclaw and Nightfall were in the center. Fallenpaw pads over to them.

"Here you go, Strikeclaw," Fallenpaw meows, placing the herbs next to the queen.

"Thank you, Fallenpaw," Strikeclaw replies with a tired smile.

Nightfall dips his head to Fallenpaw gratefully. Fallenpaw gives a smile and walks out of the den. Strikeclaw and Nightfall needed some time with their kits.

They were quite cute kits though. Two out of the three of them were grey and one of them was brown. One of the grey ones had a stumpy tail just like Nightfall did. Fallenpaw hums to herself. She couldn't wait to be a mother one day.