Warriors: A New Beginning #1: The Beginning

Prologue

A white tabby tom with black stripes sat quietly and impatiently in a clearing with four giant trees around it. A huge rock sat near the middle of the clearing. 

He's taking forever, the tom thought.

Then he saw it. A jet-black tom entered the clearing hesitantly, then stopped short when he saw the tabby.

"I thought that you wouldn't come!" he exclaimed. 

"Of course I came!" the other tom mewed drily. "And I thought that you were supposed to arrive first."

"I'm sorry, Birchstar." The black tom  dipped his head. "I wasn't sure if you were actually coming."

"Well, I did." Birchstar's gaze softened. "Now, what is it that you wanted to tell me, Nightshade?"

"It's about a ThunderClan kit," Nightshade said. "I think that it's the one."

"The One?" Birchstar widened his eyes. "Are you sure? It's not the first time you've made this assumption."

"I'm confident this time," Nightshade assured him. 

"There are only two kits in the nursery right now!" Birchstar meowed. "Do you know which is the  One?"

"Neither of those kits are the One," Nightshade said. "This kit is unborn. But it will be soon." He started padding off. "Come on, I'll show you." Birchstar got up and followed the black warrior.

Curlyfur lay down quietly in her nest, breathing heavily. Her belly was so swollen she felt as if she would burst. Come on, kits! I feel like I'm going to explode!

Then suddenly, she felt a spasm of pain and she let out a shriek. My kits are coming!

Her mate, Bearfur, rushed in. "Is everything all right?"

"No!" gasped Curlyfur. "The kits are coming! Get Mintleaf!"

"Okay!" Bearfur dashed out of the nursery. In a few heartbeats, Mintleaf appeared in the nursery entrance.

"Bearfur, fetch a stick that Curlyfur can bite on when the pains come. Make sure it's sturdy," the medicine cat instructed.

Bearfur nodded, leaving the nursery.

Mintleaf came next to Curlyfur.

"Don't worry," he reassured her. "I've helped more queens kit than I can count. You'll be fine."

Curlyfur nodded breathlessly.

A spasm of pain shook her and she resisted the urge to yell.

"The first one's coming," Mintleaf meowed.

"Is this okay?" Bearfur entered the nursery with a thick stick in his jaws. He gave it to his mate.

"Thank...you..." Curlyfur mewed. I didn't think it would be like this!

She yelped with pain as a kit slid out onto the nest.

"A she-kit!" Mintleaf announced. He nipped the sack surrounding the kit.

The kit was a light grey, with a pelt slightly wavy. Curlyfur gazed at it warmly.

"Lick it!" Mintleaf exclaimed. "To get it warm."

Curlyfur started licking the kit the wrong way to get it breathing. She sighed with relief once it took a gasping breath.

Curlyfur closed her eyes with exhaustion. Kitting had been tiring and now she just wanted to rest. But she couldn't. She couldn't stop gazing at her three adorable kits.

After the first kit had arrived, two more had come: One was a yellow tabby she-kit, almost a mini replica of herself, and the other was a grey and white tom.

"You really think that she's the One?" Birchstar asked. "It could be any of those three kits. And do you know what she will endure?"

"I know the pain of what she will feel," Nightshade replied. "I have experienced it myself."

"I know," Birchstar mewed. "We will see if she is really the One when she is an apprentice. Hopefully she is," he added.

Nightshade dipped his head. "We will see."