Warriors - A New Tale

Chapter twenty-two

Flowerfox led the two cats to the meadow. "Come, my kits!" She mewed. Yellowpaw bared her teeth. She obviously wasn't happy about this, but she still did what her mother said. Flowerfox bolted into a run and stopped when she got tired. The dark ginger she-cat panted but looked happy. "How great it is to be out of that stuffy old camp!" Nuttree gave a polite chuckle. "Yep."
Flowerfox's ears suddenly went down. "But it's time to talk, after so many years..."
Yellowpaw sat down. "Fine" she muttered.
Nuttree nodded. "Okay."
Tears slipped out of the middle-aged she-cats eyes. "Okay, where should I start?" She thought aloud. After what felt like forever, she spoke. "I guess... here's where things had begun:"

Flowerfox hopped out of the medicine cat den. She couldn't wait to tell her mate the wonderful news Heronclaw had just told her; she was going to be a mother!
She looked around wildly for Lionclaw until she spotted him. He noticed her and padded up to her. "Hello there, my dear" he purred. Flowerfox felt warm head to toe. My mate.
"Oh, Lionclaw I have great news!" She mewed joyfully. "What is it, Flowerfox?"
"We're going to have kits!"
The handsome tom took a step back. "I'm... going to be a father!" He gasped. Flowerfox nodded quickly. "We're starting a family, my love" she whispered, pressing her nose to his cheek. "You'll be a great father, Lionclaw." He smirked. "I know that, of course."

Flowerfox was hunting when the kits had come. She had started howling and had scared everyone else on the hunting patrol. "What's wrong, Flowerfox?" Birdchirp had mewed soothingly. "I'm about to have my kits!"
Birdchirp had led Flowerfox to the nursery whispering calming words into her ear. Softfur had helped to deliver her first birth, and she had done a great job. Lionclaw had visited her the next morning, probably because he was busy, being the DawnClan deputy.
"Are the kits born?" He asked. Flowerfox smiled and nodded. "We have three kits, love. Two she-kits, one tom. Would you like to name one?"
Lionclaw bent over to sniff his kits. "This one shall be Petalkit" he declared, pointing with his nose at the gingerish pink she-kit.
"Okay" Flowerfox mewed. "I guess I'll name this she-kit that kind of looks like you." Lionclaw looked like he was about to object, but then he nodded, realizing it was only fair for their kits' mother to name at least one of them.
"I'll name her Specklekit; she has brown spots on her foot and tail, see?" Lionclaw looked at her. "Okay. I'll name our last kit, the tom, Swampkit."
"Swampkit?" Flowerfox chuckled.
"My father used to take me to play in the swamp! Are you doubting me?" He hissed.
"No, of course not!" Flowerfox mewed, surprised by his change in tone. Lionclaw looked down. "Don't ever doubt me."

A moon later, the kits started talking.
"Mama, I want to play!"
"Mama, I'm hungry!"
"Mama, I'm sleepy!"
Flowerfox got extremely annoyed at times, but she wanted to be a good mother; she always did what they asked.
One night, Petalkit was restless. "Mama, I'm so bored! Can we go play?" She mewled.
"Yeah, can we?" Specklekit echoed.
"No." Flowerfox hissed as firmly as she could. "You're so mean!" Petalkit cried.
"Why would you say no?" Specklekit mewed, rounding her eyes in sadness. Flowerfox hated hearing her kits talk to her like that. "I'm sorry, my dears, but it's the middle of the night. And other than that, Swampkit has a cold" she mewed.
"Pleeeeaaaase!" Petalkit screeched.
Specklekit sobbed. "You're such a jerk!"
Their wailing woke Swampkit up. "What's happening?" He sniffed. Flowerfox sighed.
"We're going to play in the swamp" she meowed.
"Yay!" The three kits exclaimed in unison.
"But we've got to play the silent game until we get there, okay?"
The kits nodded.
"Okay" Flowerfox whispered. "Let's go."

In Flowerfox's opinion, this was a great idea. Petalkit and Specklekit were always very loud when they played, (Swampkit not as much,) so it made sense to go to the swamp to play.
When they arrived, Flowerfox was dead tired. "Mama?" Specklekit mewed, concern filling her voice. "Don't worry, Specklekit... just... play with Petalkit and... Swampkit..." she mumbled while laying down. "Stay out of trouble."

"Mama! Mama, help!"
Flowerfox felt a paw tapping her muzzle fiercely. "What's, wrong, Petalkit?" She asked, getting up. "Swampkit's in trouble!"
"What happened?!"
"Hurry!"
Petalkit dashed forward. Flowerfox followed. The little kit brought her mother to Specklekit, right next to Swampkit. The tom-kit was lying down. "What happened to him?" Flowerfox whispered. Looking at her son like that made her feel weak. "He swallowed a frog..." Specklekit whimpered. Almost directly after his sister had spoken, Swampkit convulsed rapidly.
Flowerfox gagged. "We have to get him back to camp."
So they raced back to camp, Flowerfox carrying Swampkit on her back.
When they arrived, Flowerfox ran straight to the medicine cat den. "Help! Swampkit is dying!" She yelped.
Softfur bolted up. "Where is he?" She asked, eyes dashing in all directions. Swampkit slipped off Flowerfox's back with a sickening thud. She shuddered. "Please save my kit!" The queen pleaded.
After a few seconds, Petalkit and Specklekit stormed into camp. "Is he gonna be okay?" Petalkit whimpered.
"Let's pray to StarClan that he will be..." Flowerfox whispered.

"May all cats old enough to swim gather under the log for a Clan meeting!" Baystar, the former leader of DawnClan called.
Flowerfox realized she had passed out again, and got up.
Softfur will save my son. I have nothing to worry about.
Petalkit and Specklekit were at Flowerfox's paws. The queen found a good place to sit and put all her attention on her leader.
"DawnClan, tonight, an event has happened. A very, very disappointing one. Lionclaw and Flowerfox's kit, Swampkit, has died tonight.
Flowerfox's breath caught in her throat. Her eyes filled with tears. What? Swampkit is dead?! No! This can't be real! Oh, StarClan, why have you taken him from me?!
Flowerfox looked at the cats around her. First, she looked down at her two daughters. Petalkit was sobbing while Specklekit was grooming her sister while looking extremely depressed.
Next, she looked at her best friend, Birdchirp. The brown she-cat looked like she was about to burst with sympathy. Flowerfox has to tear her eyes away from her to stop more tears from falling out.
And finally, the cat she knew would support her through this depressing event, Lionclaw. Her mate and Swampkit's father. She looked around for him. Once she saw his face, the expression it held was not one she would expect. Instead of sadness, instead of understanding, instead of empathy, his gaze held rage.
Baystar spoke again.
"Since Flowerfox was mothering Lionclaw's son, I will let him decide what is to happen."
Lionclaw slowly padded up to Flowerfox. "What... what did you do to Swampkit?"
Flowerfox took a step back. "I'm so sorry, my lo-"
"Don't call me your love! Just tell me why I shouldn't have you exiled."
Flowerfox's legs wobbled. How could he speak to her like that?
Petalkit suddenly squeaked. "Wait! Papa, it's not her fault!"
Flowerfox shakily turned her head to gaze at her kit. "I told him to eat the frog..."
Lionclaw stared at her for a few heartbeats before speaking. "What? What are you... what foxhearted frog?!"
Specklekit spoke this time. "We forced mom to go to the swamp. It's our fault, don't get mad her. Please, papa?"
Lionclaw paused.
"Flowerfox, you are exiled from DawnClan. Specklekit, Petalkit, you are allowed to stay here."
Flowerfox's heart pounded. How dare Lionclaw banish her? It wasn't her fault that Swampkit was dead! And he wouldn't even let her keep the kits?!
Flowerfox bent down to whisper in Petalkit's ear. "Run."
She picked Specklekit up and sprinted to the exit of camp.
Lionclaw bolted after her.
Foxdung! What do I do?!
She panicked.
She tossed Specklekit forward as far as she could. She picked Petalkit up and threw her forward.
Lionclaw lunged forward and landed on Flowerfox. "You're a foxhearted frog-face!" He hissed in her face.
He unsheathed his front claws and slowly sank them into her side.
She shrieked in agony and kicked him off of her with her strong back legs.
She ran forward, never to see her kits again.