Warrior Cats: Cleardawn's Secret [Book TWO]

Prologue

The starlit sky shown as clouds hugged themselves around the moon, enveloping it into its presence and making the light that shimmered on the forest more transparent.

The ongoing struggle of maintaining my stress continued, even now while I lay silently in the darkness of the nursery.

Expecting kits was difficult. Not being able to feel stressed, pain, anger... It was much harder than I had expected and I was not prepared to have to be so collected with my mood.

While I lounged in the still night, I soon noticed the faint figure of my mate, Sparrowdusk, padding towards me with a willing smile. "Hello, Cleardawn. How are you?" He asked gently, nuzzling my cheek and curling up besides me.

I gave him a weak grin. "I'm doing okay. This whole 'staying in control' thing is difficult for me, but other than that, I'm never better." I sighed, giving him a tired glance.

He met my gaze with his soft blue orbs, twitching his whiskers as he strayed his tongue across my muzzle. "You're doing great."

I chuckled, shrugging slightly and resting my head on my snowy white paws.

I noticed his smile grow when he glanced at my swollen belly, making me quickly hide my obese pregnant stomach. "Stop. You're making me uncomfortable."

He swatted me with his paw playfully. "Please. You're beautiful."

I blushed. "I'm serious, Sparrowdusk. I've never liked touchy things. Stop." I mumbled, placing a paw on my muzzle to hide my face.

"Okay, okay. I'll stop." He whispered, placing his tail around my back as he shook his head with amusement.

After a few moments I saw Sparrowdusk's head was falling heavy, and I prodded him with paw. "You should get some sleep." I suggested.

He gave me a swift, thankful glance as he knew I detected his sleepiness, and he got to his paws, gently brushing his tail across my stomach and giving me a sweet smile before padding away into the clouded camp.

I watched him go before he disappeared into the thick fog, soon resting my tail along my stomach for warmth.

I gave a grudging glance over at my sister, who was sleeping soundly with her two kits, Snowkit and Lilykit, curled along her stomach, the brisk breeze buffeting their moonlit pelts.

It infuriated me that Featherflight would ever consider renaming her kit after our mother, after all she had done to us, while the kit always seemed to make me uneasy with her soft blue eyes and sleek white pelt, resembling Snowfall precisely.

I turned my head away from her and rested my gaze on the softly snoring queen of Tigerflower and her one kit, Lizardkit, snuggled against her belly as silky purrs tumbled out of his mouth.

I gave a cheeky smile, feeling the excitement of being a mother warm up inside of me.

I remembered the time when I watched Swiftbird give birth to Bumblepaw and Larchpaw, and how I felt the joy of one day becoming a mother of my own.

Unfortunately now, both the apprentices' parents were dead, and I could only feel the pain for the two toms as they mourned for Swiftbird and Lionclaw's death.