Foxgaze's Haunting

Chapter 25

Shatteredkit's POV

(Cat above is Shatteredkit)
The setting sun was a cold glowing orb low in the sky. Shatteredkit watched it with her green eyes squinted. Willowfur warned her not to stare at the sun but her mother was off talking to Foxgaze about when to make her and Starkit apprentices. A stab of worry in her stomach made Shatteredkit flinch What if they don't like me?

"Hey sis!" Starkit purred from behind her and licked her ear comfortingly.

Shatteredkit glanced back at her sister "Hey".

Starkit got into a crouch position and wiggled her tail in the air like she was about to pounce on an invisible mouse "I'm so excited to become an apprentice!" she jumped forward and unsheathed her tiny claws on a peice of moss "Who do hope will be your mentor?"

Shatteredkit scratched her ear "Umm...I'm not really sure-"

"I hope I get someone nice but you know, also really feirce so I can learn to claw anyone who would step into our territory" Starkit lay down flat on her white belly and played with the moss, her grey tail twitching.

"I would like to have someone wise but won't be too hard in training" Shatteredkit mewed, her yellowish green eyes flicking around camp for a cat to use as an example "like Dawnstar maybe".

Starkit looked at her with her amber eyes wide. Her kit-blue eyes had faded to the orangeish color as time had drawn on.

Shatteredkit looked back into the nurserey. Glazepool was asleep with her three young kits curled up beside her. She wrinkled her nose in disappointment when she realized she would never get to play with them while she was kit, they were too young.

Instead of bothering Glazepool, Shatteredkit went off to look around camp. Starkit was fascinated by another peice of moss. She saw Foxgaze in the corner of her eye sitting on the edge of the clearing.

The deputy suddenly winced in pain and by the looks of it had stiffled a gasp. She looked at her belly and then to Leafshade who was harvesting some weather beaten ferns from the outside of his cave.

Foxgaze then got to her paws and waddled over to him. She brought her muzzle close to his ear and whispered something. Leafshade's eyes widened and he glanced back at her and his den. Foxgaze winced again and looked at her paws which were shaking.

By then the sun had set and some of the other cats had gone off to their nests to sleep. Shatteredkit looked around and thought to herself Should I watch and see what's wrong with Foxgaze? Yeah, you know what, I'm gonna do it!

Shatteredkit crouched in a bush and watched Leafshade come back out of his den with some herbs in his jaws. He said something to Foxgaze who disappeared down the tunnel to Dirtplace. Leafshade went back to his den and didn't come out.

Shatteredkit perked her ears and looked around to see if anyone was watching her. Swiftwillow was talking to Dawnstar, his thin whiskers twitching with every word. Shatteredkit bounded down the Dirtplace tunnel after Foxgaze.

Leafshade's and Foxgaze's scents were mingled, they had clearly gone off into the woods together. She could also smell the tangy scent of the herbs Leafshade was carrying.

Shatteredkit looked around once more before padding after them. A squirrel or something furry darted in front of her but Shatteredkit was too busy to notice.

Finally, Foxgaze's and Leafshade's scents stopped in front of the beech tree with an abandoned wolf den dug in the roots of the tall tree. Shatteredkit remembered when she had snuck out with Starkit many moons ago and saw the Wolf Tree.

Hiding behind a bush, Shatteredkit listened for any sounds.

Foxgaze groaned "I can't go any more Leafshade. The kits are coming now and not any later".

Wait, Foxgaze was expecting kits this whole time? But whose?

"Just calm down and go in the Wolf Tree den while I go get you a stick. Our kits will be fine" Leafshade mewed.

Oh that explains it.

There was silence and Shatteredkit could hear Foxgaze stumble into the old wolf den. Leafshade was sniffing around for a stick.

He paused right in front the bush Shatteredkit was hiding behind. The she-cat froze."Shatteredkit? Is that you?" he whispered and poked his head above the bush.

Shatteredkit lept to her paws "I-I wasn't evesdropping!"

"No need for explanation" Leafshade said quietly. His ears twitched when he heard Foxgaze whimper "Just go back to camp and don't tell anyone what you saw or heard here or else I will tell everyone you were spying on the medicine cat".

Shatteredkit nodded and scrambled to her paws. Leafshade stared at her as she ran back down the path back to camp.

***
Foxgaze's POV

"Leafshade!" Foxgaze hissed "I can feel the first one!".

Leafshade ducked back into the den and dropped the stick in Foxgaze's paws. Foxgaze bit into it.

Leafshade placed both of his paws on her side "Okay, just breathe and tell me when you-"

A ripple of pain went through Foxgaze and she screeched. Leafshade went over to her tail and brought the first kit forward where he began licking it.

The kit squeaked loudly and blindly stumbled around for milk. It was a solid grey and white tom. Foxgaze brought him to her belly with her paw. Almost immediately he began to suckle.

Another ripple of pain went through her and Foxgaze hissed. Leafshade brought the second kit forward. Foxgaze saw it was a russet tabby she-cat.

"That's all of them" Leafshade mewed after he inspected Foxgaze's belly.

"Good" Foxgaze sighed. She brought her paw over the russet tabby to draw her closer. Its a good thing both of them don't look exactly like me and Leafshade.

Leafshade licked his grey and white son's head. The kit mewed and went back to his suckling.

"You can name them" Leafshade said, staring at his kits "I was never very good with names".

Foxgaze purred "Okay".

She looked at the grey and white tom and saw how wide and powerful his shoulders would be, like the wolf who had dug the den she had given birth to him in "This one will be known as Wolfkit".

Then she looked at the russet she-cat. Her tiny brown stripes reminded her of the roots of the tree that grew around her "and this one will be known as Beechkit".

Errrg this was a long chapter. So any people from my roleplay who happen to be reading this... MWAH HA HA Beechtooth is Foxgaze's daughter.

Ciao- EvilKittypet