In a small, sheltered den, shielded by a thorn bush, a broad-faced gray she-cat laid with her young kittens suckling between her long, matted coat. She smiled down at them with warm sunset-gold eyes, her tail rubbing their backs to help them rest.
The four kits were only a day old; they'd been born the former night, and were still little scraps of tufted fur, their mewls as soft as a warrior's pawsteps on pine-nettle litter. Their tails were still smaller than little twigs, sticking out from their hindquarters limply as they ate.
Stormbird sighed softly, nuzzling her kits closer to her stomach, earning their quiet protests as they squirmed in her fur. The soft sound of thorn brush rustling caught her ear fur, and she looked towards the entrance to the shady Nursery, a shadow of a cat appearing on the other side.
"Your mate's here.." another queen, Larchstep, mumbled from her best beside Stormbird's. The silver tabby ducked her head back down to rest as a brown tabby pushed his way through the thorn walls of the den, the sharp branches raking his pelt as he padded in.
"Hello, Bramblestripe. Come to see your kits?" Stormbird purred softly, as her mate trotted towards her. He purred as well, nuzzling her then looking at the little scraps of fur at her belly.
"Their wonderful, just like you." Bramblestripe laid down next to her, licking her cheek a few times. Stormbird chuckled lightly, sweeping her tail away from her kits to reveal them. The four scrambled at her side, their feather-soft paws kneading her velvety stomach.
"Their awake. They won't open their eyes, though.. Not for awhile." Stormbird nuzzled him. "They still need names, Bramblestripe." The brown tabby seemed to think for a moment, before looking back down at his kits.
"How about... Tumblekit, for the black and white one. He's tumbling around quite a bit." the striped tomcat chuckled softly, nudging the little kit back to his mate's stomach, who nodded, "I like that name. Tumblekit it is."
"And... Frostkit, for the little white she-kit. She defiantly looks like she's made of snow." Bramblestripe purred. Stormbird nodded, "I'll name the other two."
"Hmm.. My mother was Fernblaze, she looked a lot like the little cream kit.. That's her name. Fernkit." the gray she-cat purred at the memory of her mother; the she-cat was the kindest cat she'd ever met, always willing to help and pushing Stormbird to be the best she could. It was as if she hadn't ever seen any bad with the world.
"And how about Brindlekit for the tortoiseshell? After my mother, Brindlepelt." Bramblestripe cut in, Stormbird chuckling, "I was going to name her. But I like Brindlekit more... That's their names. Tumblekit, Frostkit, Fernkit, and Brindlekit.."
The gray she-cat watched the small, tiny kittens, scrambling to eat as their siblings climbed atop them and pushed one another back. They were already showing the struggles of Clan life, even at only a day old.
The sight bore into her heart like a maggot into rotting prey; she couldn't watch them struggle. Stormbird gently nudged Tumblekit off of Fernkit, and pulled Brindlekit away from them to her own spot. She then looked at them, in a neat line, no longer struggling. A smile took her muzzle and she calmed.
"Bramblestripe, go fetch me a shrew, would you?" she looked at her mate with a warm expression. He nodded, rising to his paws, and exiting the den through the thorns, leaving pine needles behind.
"Could you watch the kits? I want to speak to Berryleaf." Stormbird turned her head to look at Larkstep, noting her denmates' swollen belly. The silver tabby raised her head and yawned, looking over at her bigger denmate. Larkstep nodded, rising to her paws and padding to her, taking small steps from her stomach fat with unborn kits.
