"Ripplekit, step forwards."
The excited kit bounced through the ranks of warriors, with Phoenixwing bitterly staying off to the side. The loss of Branchkit still bittered her already broken heart.
Rivertail pushed up against her reassuringly. Tears filled his eyes too, even if he hadn't been as close as Phoenixwing to his kit.
"Ripplekit, you will now be known as Ripplepaw. Your mentor will be Bluewing. Bluewing, pass down your agility and devotion." Phoenixwing looked relieved. Thankfully, Rivertail wouldn't be mentoring Ripplepaw. It would only add to her already tangled feelings about the kit.
Ripplepaw bounced past her and out towards the sun-dappled forest. Newleaf had been kind on it, and the whole place was teeming with life and its former glory.
Phoenixwing strode over to her remaining kit, who's eyes were alight with pure joy. "They're coming!"
"Who?"
"The KITS are coming!"
Sure enough, Shadowstorm's yowls of pain rang throughout the camp. As she screamed, tears of joy and pain rolled down her cheeks. Raindrop thrusted her belly, over and over, as the first kit came out. The second kit slid out beside her and was silent.
Shadowstorm purred weakly, and panted hard. Raindrop placed the kits by her side, where they stayed warm against the fluffy fur that was the texture of hay. Although it was dry and brittle to the touch, it was still warm.
"Sandclaw will be so proud." purred Raindrop. Shadowstorm, panting, nodded.
Starkit watched on. "Can I touch them?"
Raindrop held her back, shaking her head. A warm smile graced her face.
The little kit looked on in awe.
"That's so cool!"
Phoenixwing personally thought it was disgusting. Just seeing the squirming figures seemed almost repulsive to her. Within a few days, they would be cute, fluffy, loud kits, but for now...
Starkit, though, sat transfixed, her eyes glued to the kits and more importantly, Raindrop.
Phoenixwing knew what was coming but said nothing. She was a bit disappointed that her family line would die with her and her kits, as she knew that after what had happened, she would never have a litter again.
The two kits sat by their mother's womb, purring and mewing.
Phoenixwing felt extremely lonely.
"I want to name them well." Shadowstorm told Raindrop, who nodded.
"I'll save the gold one for Sandclaw, it looks just like him. But the black and gold one... he's so tough, just look at him. He can be Couragekit."
Raindrop smiled optimistically, acknowledging the queen's choice of a name.
Phoenixwing walked out of the den, which smelled, as usual, of mother's milk, and into the sunlight. Ripplepaw walked back with his mentor, clawmarks on his ear.
Moonstar jumped down from the Great Tree, her age showing as she quickly limped to her kit. Her old bones creaked gently as she raced towards her kit. "What happened, Ripplepaw? Was it RainClan?"
"It was RainClan all right." growled Bluewing.
Moonstar looked up at him. "This has gone too far. I'll send out the patrols an-"
"Moonstar, it's not like that at all. There was a border skirmish, but it didn't exactly GO like that."
"Mhm." She flicked her tail, her blue eyes cold and unapproving.
"See, this gray she-cat stepped across the border. I told Ripplepaw to chase her off, and he flat-out just stopped in his tracks. The she-cat turned and ran back."
"And the scars?"
Bluewing's fur bristled, and Ripplepaw said nothing. Moonstar hissed in fury. "You did that, didn't you?!"
Bluewing's eyes went wide. "I-I... How could you suggest that I would?!"
"Then what happened? The black fox burst out of the forest and attacked him?!"
"It... it was Silentpelt!"
Moonstar scowled. "Traitor."
She walked away, dismissively flicking her tail before Bluewing could say another word. The startled blue warrior took the battered apprentice to the medicine cat den. Starkit came rushing out.
Phoenixwing purred, but then something hit her. A gray she-cat. Just like the one she'd seen earlier. The dreamy look in Ripplepaw's eyes. His willingness to betray his own clan.
Ripplepaw was in love with a RainClan cat!
