Dark Sky

Chapter fourteen

Shadefeather was weakened by the sickness.

She hadn't eaten since then when the pain started.

The kits were coming. She knew it, she felt it in her bones. In a few seconds, Beepaw, Ravenleaf and Owlwing were beside her, with herbs and moss and berries and leafs. She didn't felt like she needed any of that. All she wanted was Birdclaw to be here with her. She used all her sthrenght and spoke the tortoiseshell's name in a barely audible voice.

Beepaw immediatly understood and darted away to fetch her. Pain was ripping through Shadefeather's stomach. She felt like she was torn apart, and the pain was almost unbearable. Owlwing gave her water and shoothing herbs, but nothing seemed to help.

Shadefeather saw everything through a halo of pain, and her gaze was clouded.

A moment later, Birdclaw was beside her, horror and fear painted on her face.

Shadefeather felt an even more intense pain in her belly, one, two, three times, and she fell unconcious.

She woke up soon when someone poked her with one paw. She opened her eyes and looked up with effort.

Owlwing was looking at her, concern in her eyes. "Two females and one male, congrats!", she said, but the sick queen could see it was a fake smile, hiding fear beneath.

Shadefeather looked down. Pressed against her belly were three tiny, scrawny bundles of fur.

They look so weak!

"I have to go", she said as two or three coughs resounded in the den.

Her heart cried with pain as she heard two of the kits cough, cough and cough again. She curled tighter around them, like if she could protect them from the illness. She coughed and coughed, and everything went dark once again.

She woke up when she felt something wriggling against her flank. It was almost dawn outside, she had managed to sleep almost the whole night. She looked down to see that the tiny she-kit was coughing once again. Beside her, her brother, smaller than a mouse, was shaking.

She touched his muzzle with her tail and felt heat coming from it in waves. She shook him and franctically licked him to cool him down, but nothing was working. The kit growed weaker and weaker every heartbeat, as he struggled to breathe. Finally, with one last, desesperate gulp of air, he fell limp.

"No", she meowed hoarsly. He's not dead. He can't be dead, she told herself, but his milky, sweet kit scent was already washed away by a cold, foul scent. Death. "NO!", Shadefeather jerked her head up towards the sky, her desesperate wail echoing in the camp.

She felt like her heart had been ripped out from her throat, she felt pain she never though was possible. She bent over her lost kit and cried. She cried her loss, her grief, and cried his loss, the beautiful life her kit could have lived in Skyclan. The sickness took him away from her too soon, it had torn the small family appart.

All her attention had been on the little tomkit, and she just realised that the other kit, the female that was coughing a moment ago, wasn't moving. The dreadful death scent filled her nose as life ebbed out of her beautiful, precious kit once again.

"No! Not again! Don't take her away from me. Take me instead. Take me instead", she sobbed. Birdclaw arrived beside her, alerted by her wails.

---POV switch swish bish

"No", she said when she saw the two bodies of the kits. They couldn't be dead, they shouldn't be dead. She could have helped raise them, but instead she'd help bury them.

She pushed her thoughts aside. Shadefeather needed her. She was filled with grief and her eyes with tears as she curled up around Shadefeather like if the grieving queen was just a kit. Birdclaw licked her ears and stroke her tail down Shadefeather's flank.

"They need names. In Starclan, they'll need names", Birdclaw said.

"The white tom is Blizzardkit, and the gray tabby she-kit is Pebblekit", Shadefeather declared.

"What about the black one?", the one that is alive, she thought.

"She's Rosekit, because she will be as strong as a rose and its thorns."

"It's a beautiful name", Birdclaw whispered.

Owlwing and Ravenleaf came up to see what was going on. "Oh Shadefeather I'm so sorry! I shouldn't have left you, I should've stayed, I could have saved them", Owlwing cried.

"Hey. Hey, Owlwing, calm down. It's not your fault, it's no cat's fault. You couldn't do anything without catmint. I'll go ask Windclan and Riverclan if they have any they could spare", said Ravenleaf, running her tail down Owlwing flank, which seemed to calm her down a little.

Alerted by all the noise, Briarstar erupted in the den. "What happened here?", he said, then saw the two kits. "I'm sorry. I'll tell the clan", he left the den. Outside, she saw him scatter the crowd of warriors waiting in front of the den, wondering what was happening.

"Snowstorm! Organise the patrols like usual", he said harshly, and the deputy hesitated. "Now!", ordered Briarstar. Soon enough, the clearing was empty.

Beepaw left the den and came back a heartbeat later with Embertail. "Shadefeather.", the queen said.

The gray queen's gaze was fixed on something they could not see. Her green eyes were filled with pain.

"Give me your kit. I'll take care of her until you're better."

---POV switch (I'm out of ideas for this one)

Poor, poor Shadefeather, Embertail thought. She noticed the same broken thing in her green eyes than in hers when when Snowstorm- No, stop it, she thought. Don't think about him, it'll hurt too much.

"Give me your kit. I'll take care of her until you're better", she said.

"Never!", Shadefeather hissed and slid out her claws.

"Listen", said Birdclaw. "Rosekit is strong and healthy, but you're weak and sick. If she stay with you, she might catch greencough and -", she stopped. Beepaw continued.

"She might share the same faith than Blizzardkit and Pebblekit".

Shadefeather slowly backed away and let Embertail take Rosekit's scruff in her jaws. The tiny kit wailed when the cold wind outside hit her, and the gray queen winced.

Then, she buried her head in Birdclaw's chest fur. The tortoiseshell she-cat licked her forehead. Maybe Shadefeather found a cat to rely on, just like I found Sandpaw, thought Embertail.

She entered the nursery and three balls of fluff bounced towards her. She laid down in her nest and settled Rosekit beside her to feed her. Once it was done, she answered the kits questions.

"Who is she? What's she doing here?", asked Buzzardkit.

"This is Shadefeather's kit. Her name is Rosekit. Her mommy is sick, and I will take care of her until she feels better."

"Does that mean we'll have less milk?", Sapkit asked.

"Yes, because you will have to share with her, but it is time for you to try prey", she told them.

"Cool! Let's go ask Mothtail what we could eat, I'm hungry", Acornkit decided.

"Be careful!", she told them as they ran outside, tripping in their own paws with excitement. She sighed.

On her flank, Rosekit was comfortably installed, nuzzling closer to her warmth. Embertail smiled. Beside her, Featherfoot, who was asleep, her belly huge since her kits were due anytime now, rolled on her side and opened her eyes. She was surprised when she saw Rosekit.

"What's Shadefeather's kit doing here? Shouldn't there be more?". Embertail explained the terrible news.

"Poor Shadefeather! How will she get throught this?"