Tales From The Broken {COMPLETE}

Squirreltail's Darkness -Chapter 9-

Squirreltail could feel the pain tearing at her belly, pulling her out of her dreams. She sat up, wincing at the horrible pain. She was panting heavily, feeling her kits grow more restless than they ever had been in the past two moons. "Oh no." She huffed. Beside her, Icepetal shifted in her nest.

"Are you okay?" The groggy queen questioned.

"No. The kits are coming." Squirreltail mewed, taking a deep breath. This was it, the moment she had been both waiting for and dreading for two moons. "I need Pebblestep."

"I'll go get her." In just a moment, Icepetal was leaving the nursery and Squirreltail was left alone with the kits who were fighting to enter the world. Squirreltail could hear birds, but felt the cool breeze of the early morning. It must be dawn. She figured.

It felt like an entire moon until Icepetal returned with Pebblestep. "Quite the way to start your morning." The medicine cat purred. Squirreltail felt a paw on her belly. "Oh yes, they're on their way. Lay down and just relax, Squirreltail."

I can't relax! Squirreltail cried internally, feeling panic start to rise in her chest. "I need Brackenpelt in here with me. Please, I need him."

"I can go get him!" Icepetal quickly ran off, and Squirreltail just waited to hear her mate's voice.

"Take this, Squirreltail." Pebblestep pushed an herb towards Squirreltail's mouth, from the scent and her experience last time, she guessed it was chervil. "And here is a stick for you to bite down on when the kits start coming."

Squirreltail felt the stick on her whiskers, it was close enough for her to bite. Outside the nursery, Squirreltail heard three groups of pawsteps. "I got Brackenpelt, and Sandfoot overheard so she's here too."

"Of course I am." Sandfoot mewed sternly. "You'd think I'd miss my daughter having her second litter of kits?"

Squirreltail wasn't really listening, she focused on Brackenpelt who was getting closer to her. He sat down beside her, rasping his tongue over her ears. "How are you doing?" He mewed gently into her ear.

"Better now that you're here." Squirreltail breathed out before another burst of pain wracked her entire body. She cried out in pain, feeling Brackenpelt place his paw on her back. She could feel him nudge the stick closer to her mouth and she took in her mouth, biting down. It was sturdy, she hoped it would last through her entire kitting.

After what felt like days, and countless pain spasm, Pebblestep finally mewed: "The first kit is coming."

"You can do this, beautiful." Brackenpelt whispered in Squirreltail's ear, but she almost didn't hear it over her own cries of pain. Squirreltail gave it everything she had and heard a tiny little bundle fall into the nest beside her.

"Icepetal, grab that kick and break the sac. Lick it and get its blood flowing, quickly." Pebblestep commanded the expecting queen. "The next one is already on its way."

Squirreltail cried out once more, and the second kit came. "Brackenpelt, take care of that one." Behind Squirreltail, Brackenpelt moved to grab their second kit. "I think there's another one coming, but you should have a moment to breathe Squirreltail."

Squirreltail dropped the stick, panting heavily. "How are my kits? Are they okay?" She questioned through her heavy breaths.

"This one is already squirming around!" Icepetal announced and Squirreltail could hear tiny squeaks coming from two different sources.

"So is this one." Brackenpelt mewed. "You're doing great, Squirreltail."

"You're not done yet." Pebblestep mewed. "It's time for the third kit, Squirreltail." Squirreltail grabbed the stick once more as more pain ripped through her belly. She bit down as hard as she possibly could, she could feel the stick breaking in her teeth. Finally, a third kit fell into the nest and she could hear Pebblestep moving towards it. "Here, Squirreltail."

The kit was placed in front of Squirreltail's nose, unmoving. Squirreltail quickly began rasping her tongue across the kit's spine. She could feel it's fur, and finally the kit let out a loud mew and began worming around. "That's all of them." Pebblestep purred. "You did wonderful, Squirreltail."

Squirreltail could feel all three kits being placed at her belly, rushing to eat. "What do they look like?" Squirreltail asked desperately. "I want to know every little detail."

"Well," Brackenpelt mewed. "The first born is a little she-cat, she's dark brown and the biggest of the three. She's very feisty, I can tell. The second born is another she-cat, she's a tortoiseshell. She's mostly black with a lot of brown, white and pale ginger. Finally, the last one is a tom. He's dark ginger like me."

"We have a son?" Squirreltail breathed out, picturing her three kits in her mind. So beautiful. She had known that Brackenpelt always wanted a son.

"We have a son." Brackenpelt touched his nose to Squirreltail's. "And they're all so beautiful, just like you."

Squirreltail felt so overwhelmed with joy and love, she could feel the little kits at her belly. My kits. My beautiful, perfect kits. She wrapped her tail around them, she couldn't wait for the rest of her family to meet them.

"How are you feeling, Squirreltail?" Pebblestep questioned.

"Like I'm on top of the forest." Squirreltail purred.

"That's wonderful, the bleeding stopped easily and your kits are incredibly strong and healthy, not a thing went wrong. I'll bring you some borage for your milk, but your kits should be just fine. I'll keep checking on them just to be sure, of course."

"Thank you for everything, Pebblestep. You're such a great medicine cat." Squirreltail praised.

"It's what I love." Pebblestep purred and Squirreltail could hear the medicine cat leave the nursery.

"Oh, Squirreltail." Icepetal mewed from beside Squirreltail. "They're so cute! I can't wait for my little kits to get here. They'll be best friends!"

"I wouldn't want anything different." Squirreltail told the queen, knowing that she must be losing her mind wanting to see her own kits.

As the day went on, Sandfoot, Redclaw, Rosewind, Flamepetal, Heatherflight, Fawnheart and Bramblepelt all came to visit the new kits, all saying how beautiful and sweet they were. Squirreltail was so overcome with the support from her family.

Squirreltail and her kits slept peacefully, but she still hadn't named the three of them. She was currently in the nursery with Brackenpelt by her side, washing her ears. "We should probably pick names for them." Squirreltail suggested. The three kits were sleeping peacefully curled up against Squirreltail, all they pretty much did was eat and sleep.

"Hmmm..." Brackenpelt thought. "Well, your mother recommended Larkkit for the first born."

"Larkkit." Squirreltail repeated the name, fitting it to the brown she-cat that Brackenpelt had described. "I like it."

"I was thinking Sorrelkit for the tortoiseshell, honestly." Brackenpelt mewed.

"It's perfect." Squirreltail purred. "Now the little ginger tom..." The two threw out names for a few moments, but nothing seemed right until Squirreltail suggested Pikekit. "I know we don't catch fish, but it just seems fitting to him."

"I love it. Larkkit, Sorrelkit and Pikekit." Brackenpelt said their names out loud. "Perfect names for perfect kits."

Squirreltail thought about her kits, and it honestly didn't even matter anymore that she couldn't see them. She could feel them, hear them and she knew they were there. They were dependant on her, they needed her and she vowed to always be there for her kits.