At Willow's End : Tales Of Seven

Prologue

"Flaresong!"

A dark ginger she-cat with black stripes and tail-tip looked up at the young cat she knew as Riverpaw, blinking sleep from her greenish-yellow eyes as the young Healer yawned.

"What is it now, Riverpaw?"

The young tom shook rain from his pelt.

"It's Shadedfern! Her kits are coming!"

"Oh, great ForestClan, no! NOW?! In this weather?!"

Riverpaw nodded, his eyes wide.

"Yes! She started her pains around sunhigh. Please, come quick! Owlfeather is looking like he wants to rip some cat to shreds!"

Sighing through a bundle of borage and willow bark, Flaresong raced to the nursery, nearly knocking Owlfeather to the ground as she brushed past her deputy to get to the expecting Queen.

"It's alright, Shadedfern. Flaresong will stop the pain soon." came the calm voice of Berrysplash, who sat closest to Shadedfern, who was panting heavily.

Her kits, Mudkit and Willowkit, looked on with wide eyes and muttered to themselves eagerly.

Flaresong felt a squeeze in her heart.

Just last leaf-fall they had lost their sister, Leafkit, to an early bout of Greencough that also took Lightningstar's fifth life.

All the while, Berrysplash and Nightfang, her mate, had grieved long and hard for their lost kit.

The young Healer also lost her dear mentor, Moonshine, as she had fought with the power of LionClan to save Leafkit, who, Moonshine believed, would succeed Flaresong as the next Healer of HazelClan.

Now, Flaresong hoped to never take an apprentice this soon for a long time.

Heartbeats passed, and Flaresong prayed to her warrior ancestors that she wouldn't lose these kits or their mother, who had been a great friend to her when Moonshine died, bringing her fresh-kill and fresh bedding when the dark ginger she-cat had refused to eat or even groom herself, much less take care of the Clan, especially now that she was sole Healer.

Shadedfern had demanded that Flaresong get up and pull herself together for the good of their Clan and in memory of Moonshine...

Flaresong purred at the memory and quickly got to work, but sadly, despite the amount of prayers and herbs, Shadedfern had bled to death, due to stress and her slightly small size, but somehow managed to give birth to a little she-kit, who was her spitting image, while her two littermates, Shrewkit and Sandkit, died soon after.

The only she-kit, whom with a gasp of breath, the dying Queen had named Finchkit, made Owlfeather's rage less deadly as he rushed into the den, touching noses with his mate, and sobbed at their sons's lifeless bodies and straightened, demanding to know what was wrong with them, but stopped his death threat cold because of Shadedfern's last words...

"Please, take care of our kit, Owlfeather. She'll need you more than ever, but I promise I will walk in her dreams and yours, my love. Don't blame Flaresong. She's done all that she can... Goodbye, my love..."

Flaresong watched the light die from her amber eyes and stifled a wail of agony that threatened to overtake her like a crashing wave as she cleaned up the remaining herbs...

Berrysplash, with tears in her eyes, silently picked up Finchkit, who mewed in protest, and set her down near the curve of her belly, where the little kit suckled peacefully, much to Mudkit's disgust and Willowkit backed away like Finchkit had Greencough.