Dawnstar's Trouble {COMPLETE}

Chapter 38

 Today was the day, Dawnfire felt it the second she woke up from a sharp pain in her belly. She had these pains before; but this time it was different. After two moons of barely being able to walk from her belly full of kits; she would finally be meeting them. Dawnfire was lying on her side, Applespots had left and it was Fawnheart surprisingly who stayed by to take care of her and help calm her down. Squirreltail had gone to tell Pebblestep, and Dawnfire assumed she was gathering herbs. It wasn't long before Pebblestep entered, jaws full of moss and other herbs. She placed them neatly beside Dawnfire's head and turned to grab a stick, setting it by Dawnfire's mouth. "You're gonna want this."

Dawnfire was prepared for the pain, but she hoped it wasn't as bad as she thought. Flashbacks of Dovetail's final birth flashed into her mind, the pain the she-cat was in resulting in her death. Dawnfire dug her claws into the moss and bracken, she couldn't think like that. Everything would be okay. She knew it would.

"I wanna go in there!" Dawnfire heard Lionclaw's plea from outside, Pebblestep let out a heavy sigh.

"Fine, Lionclaw. But do not cause a scene." Pebblestep said, placing a paw on Dawnfire's belly. "Not time yet, but here soon. Just stay focused Dawnfire."

Dawnfire nodded and Lionclaw slipped into the medicine den; his wound was getting better but he still wasn't allowed to participate in warrior duties. Lionclaw sat beside Fawnheart, close to Dawnfire's head and started rasping his tongue over her ear. Dawnfire let out a purr, having Lionclaw beside her calmed a lot of her nerves.

Dawnfire waited and waited, Fawnheart left a few times to see to her kits and Pebblestep would head back to her den every so often, even though it started at dawn; Dawnfire still hadn't started actually giving birth and it was already sunhigh. Dawnfire twitched her tail impatiently and anxiously, but Lionclaw never left her side. She even got checked up on by Turtleblaze, Yarrowtail, Cloudspots, Cinderflame, and Flowerstar a few times. They were all eager to meet the new kits, Cinderflame and her siblings were still under a bit of shock from their father's choice to leave; but they were coping well. Dawnfire could feel the sun was high in the sky, and her kits had yet to come.

She was starting to worry that they would never come; that this wasn't actually happening and it was all a dream but every time she felt a jolt of pain she was reminded it was very, very real. Before the day was over; Lionclaw and Dawnfire were going to be parents. Now she was starting to panic on if she would be a good mother to her young kits, Dawnfire had shredded the moss and bracken nests she had been lying in, Lionclaw could clearly tell she was distressed and kept trying to calm her down. How could he be so relaxed right now? Wasn't he worried about being a father? Dawnfire shook her head; of course not. Lionclaw wasn't scared of anything.

Dawnfire took the time waiting to think, her life had been full of events and surprises. She thought about Willowkit's death, then the vision she was given of Willowkit would've become leader. The loss of her first mentor, the death of Tigertail, the death of Dovetail, being trained by a murderer, the death of her parents and Poppyfur, falling in love with Lionclaw and becoming deputy. There had been so much death in Dawnfire's life, she was so incredibly grateful to welcome new life into it. A bundle of kits she would love and protect until the day she died, no matter what.

The time truly had come, just as the sun was starting to fall Pebblestep announced that the kits would be here any second. Dawnfire had the stick clamped in her jaws, trying to brace herself for the pain. Lionclaw was close by, his warmth and soothing words kept her calm. He was surprisingly calm in this situation. The first wave of pain hit Dawnfire like a pile of rocks, her teeth dug into the stick and she heard it splinter. Lionclaw tense fiercely beside her, maybe he wasn't as calm as she thought. The pain was extremely intense; and it seemed to last forever. She heard something hit the moss, and Pebblestep began to speak.