[BlooRey DVD]

46 Moons, Warrior-Queen of TreeClan

She felt... Strange today. With a twitch of her whiskers, the tortoiseshell tabby queen rolled into a seated position to carefully assess just what was happening. There was a dull ache in her belly, and though the she-cat identified it as different than her usual hunger pangs, the pregnant warrioress rose to her paws. There was no other explanation for the strange pressure; she must be hungry. A quick glance over her shoulder revealed Moonfeather to be rather contently curled up in her own nest with her kits not far away. Not wanting to disturb the other queen, Silentsong picked her way carefully out of the nursery.

With a distinctive waddle to her usually graceful step, the tortoiseshell picked her way among familiar territory until she stood face to face with the freshkill pile. Knowing she had to be quick, or risk someone telling her she shouldn't be up and about or something of that nature, she selected a mouse from the pile before shuffling around to head back in the direction of the nursery. A rather pleased look, bordering on smug even, lit up her features, the mouse swinging from her jaws as she lumbered on back toward her nest.

It had been a long while since she'd had the opportunity to fetch her own meal. There seemed to be an endless train of cats (consisting mostly of Zephyrfang) prepared to ensure she never had to get up out of her nest for any reason. It felt good to do something for herself, by herself. Approximately half of Silentsong's body had crossed the threshold of the nursery when she was stopped in her tracks by an intense wave of both pain and nausea. The mouse fell to the floor as her jaws parted in a gasp that escaped as nothing more than a rush of air.

Her hind legs collapsed beneath her, as though unable to bear her weight any longer. With a shiver that racked her tri-colored frame, Silentsong found herself sliding forward until her whole body lay on the ground. It was cold and a little hard beneath her, yet there were things a little more pressing to the she-cat. Like the unyielding pain. Her flank, which remained in the sun outside the nursery, rose and fell in rapid succession, perfectly in time with the sharp plumes of air escaping the fallen she-cat's muzzle.

Mustering whatever energy she could, Silentsong arched her tail in great swings, desperate to draw someone's attention, anyone's attention. It hurt. Everything hurt. HELP!

Word Count: 421 words Tags: Fawn Notes: Poor dear

[Fawn]

46 Moons, Warrior of TreeClan

Zephyrfang pulled a fat squirrel out from under the berry bush where he'd stashed it; having caught it specifically for Silentsong, he hadn't had the chance before now to bring it to her personally. Fearing someone else would bring it to the elders or the other queens, he'd kept it hidden. There were more than a few cats that wouldn't approve of his behavior, but Zephyrfang didn't care; carrying the squirrel back into camp, he immediately caught sight of Silentsong half in, half out of the nursery, her flanks heaving as if the kits were coming now.

Zephyrfang dropped the squirrel, kicking it aside as he raced down the hollow tree to the nursery, nudging her gently the rest of the way in where she could reach her nest and the kits would have a safe place to be born. "Don't worry Silentsong, you're gonna do great! I'll get Bluejay, everything's going to be fine!" It had better be fine! The tawny warrior didn't so much reach the medicine cat's den as he did yowl loudly enough to catch her attention.

"Silentsong's kitting! Hurry up!"

They're coming! The tawny warrior, feeling both boneless and frustrated at seeing her in pain and knowing he could do nothing about it, struggled with those two sensations while joy and excitement threatened to consume him like a wildfire. Bluejay appeared, swiftly and with a calm, benign expression on her face as she slipped past Zephyrfang to tend to the queen in labor.

Zephyrfang, his large striped frame blocking the entrance to the nursery, kept guard, stroking his tail along Silentsong's flank, his voice as soothing and as warm as he could muster. In absence of her voice, Zephyrfang seemed determined to do enough talking for both of them. "We'll have to name one after your father. Thornkit's a tough name, for a good warrior." Zephyrfang purred, even if he felt, for the first time, genuine nervousness over the whole ordeal.

It had all seemed pretty great up until now; now he saw her silent pain, and knew that there were no guarantees this would go well. It has to. He declared, burning with resolution as if he could wrestle fate to his will. I won't lose her OR the kits. "I hope we get a she-kit." Zephyrfang finally moved away from the entrance, sitting as close to her as he dared, his tail on her flank. "They'll be just as beautiful as you. I know it."

"This first one's coming," said Bluejay, and Zepyrfang held his breath, watching with gripping fear and so much joy he thought he might burst.

435 Words // Tags: BlooRey DVD Insidious
Notes: I hope it's okay that I had Bluejay get the process started!

[Insidious]

Zephyrfang hollered into her den and disrupted her thoughts. Under any other circumstance she would’ve been upset with him, for it was rude and unacceptable to rush a medicine cat, but she sympathized with the panic he was undoubtedly feeling. She stared through the opening of her den, half-expecting him to come in and drag her to the nursery himself, but when that didn’t happen she quickly rose to all fours and gathered a bundle of thyme, raspberry leaves and borage into her jaws, a small stick entwined into her tail.

She ducked into the nursery with an aura of the utmost calmness. This was going to be her first kitting without Littletimber, but she wasn’t as nervous as she thought she would be. After the medicine cat meeting when Littletimber reached out to her in her dream, she had felt reassured about her position. She could handle this. If she wasn’t prepared to take care of TreeClan, then StarClan wouldn’t have taken her mentor. It was a simple truth that she no longer doubted.

“The first one is coming.” Bluejay’s eyed sparkled with alarm at the suddenness of their arrival, but she recomposed herself quickly as she threw a glance over her shoulder towards Zephyrfang, urging him to step forward and calm his mate throughout the process. If he proved to be too much of a hassle then she’d have no qualms putting him in his place for Silentsong’s sake; he was an excited and proud soon-to-be father, however, so she understood his need to talk through the worst of it. “Here,” she pushed the raspberry leaves into SIlentsong’s paws with her nose, “they’ll help with the pain, and follow it with a small portion of thyme if you’re experiencing any kind of overwhelming nervousness.” Next, Bluejay pushed the thyme forward, offering the queen an encouraging smile. It was important to keep SIlentsong calm, and to do so naturally, but thyme wouldn’t hurt her body if she required the help of medication.

“You need to start pushing.” Bluejay instructed, leaning backwards to grab the stick she’d brought. “You may bite down on this to distract yourself from any pain you feel. The last thing we need is for you to clamp down on your tongue.” It was a small attempt at a joke, but she wouldn’t be surprised if Silentsong—and Zephryfang—weren’t in the mood for humour. The easy part was dealt with, and now it was up to Silentsong. “Zephyrfang,” Bluejay said, eyes serious, “be prepared to grab and lick the first kitten as soon as it comes.”

Words: 431
Tags: BlooRey DVD, Fawn

[BlooRey DVD]

46 Moons, Warrior-Queen of TreeClan

Her breath came in sharp pants as the tortoiseshell she-cat struggled forward with Zephyrfang's help. Admittedly, being inside the nursery was far more comfortable than being stranded on the ground. Collapsing into the moss and feathers, Silentsong's body shivered beneath the pain, barely aware of Zephyrfang's voice as he mewed to her. He was there, then he was gone, then he was there again; it was all so confusing to the kitting queen. And then Bluejay was there. Is it crowded in here? Or is that just me-OW! Jaws parted in a soundless groan, her hazel-green eyes squeezing shut to ride out the contraction.

Zephyrfang's voice drew her attention, her eyes rolling back slightly to look at him as he spoke. At the mention of naming a kit after her father, a ghost of a smile flickered over her lips, though it was quickly drowned out by another wave of pain. The thought remained, however. Thornkit... The first should be.. Th-Thornkit. She told herself firmly. Bluejay's voice was the next to cut through her thoughts, the queen's ears snapping forward in alarm. Already?! Oh StarClan... She groaned, another contraction wracking her frame. The pungent scent of herbs greeted her nose as Bluejay set down a spattering if raspberry leaves before her.

Weakly collecting the leaves with her tongue, Silentsong hurriedly chewed them, hoping for some kind of relief from the pain. She'd barely finished swallowing the tangy herbs when Bluejay told her to push. Gathering all the strength she could muster, Silentsong stifled another shiver of pain before promptly pushing. Erratic breaths left her muzzle, the queen seeking comfort in Zephyrfang's presence despite knowing Bluejay has assigned him a duty. He'll take care of them. It's going to be fine. She repeated the words to herself like a mantra, her sharp fangs burying themselves into the bark Bluejay had provided previously.

Word Count: 308 words Tags: Fawn Notes: Kittens~

[Fawn]

46 Moons, Warrior of TreeClan

It pained him to see her struggling, and his claws sank deeper into the earthen floor of the nursery to stop himself from growling in frustration - frustration over being unable to do anything. After encouraging her to eat the raspberry leaves and watching with wide, gleaming eyes as Bluejay announced the arrival of the first kit, Zephyrfang let go, sheathing his claws, feeling a little lightheaded as a wet, squirming brown bundle was placed in front of him by the medicine cat.

It wasn't the beautiful little tortoiseshell he'd been picturing - but for one delirious, frightening moment in Zephyrfang's life, he was happy to be wrong. He immediately started licking the kit, following the growth pattern of the fur until Bluejay corrected him, and he quickly began going against the fur to warm him up, crouching protectively over the little brown tabby kitten as if it were his only purpose in life.

"Welcome to the forest, little tom." He whispered, voice husky with affection as he gently nudged their son away from any kicking legs or trampling feet. "You'll meet your mother in a second - you can't see her yet, and you probably can't hear me, but trust me... You'll know." Zephyrfang listened, concern wrestling with love for his growing family as he heard Silentsong's strained breath. "Is everything alright? What's taking so long?" It was a struggle not to make a louder demand of the medicine cat. She was ignoring him, and he took the cue. "You're amazing, Silentsong. We have a son, a beautiful little son!"

"And another one," said the medicine cat as another contraction wracked Silentsong's fluffy tortoiseshell flank, and her legs strained for purchase against the nursery floor as she helped another kit into the world. It had bright fluffy orange fur, and Zephyrfang's heart leaped in gladness, leaning to gently nuzzle the new arrival, at once starting to lick the kit's fur the wrong way, purring with a profound happiness to hear him squeak loud and clear as birdsong.

"You're all done, Silentsong. You have two beautiful little toms." Bluejay's voice was a warm purr of love and happiness, obviously sharing in their joy. Zephyrfang, too caught up in just how much their lives had changed in what felt like a heartbeat, forgot to thank her properly. Instead, he made a mental note to bring Bluejay something delicious from the fresh kill pile in gratitude later.

Instead, he brought the two kits to their mother's belly, watching the ginger and white tom and brown tabby nestle close to nurse. He purred, laying down beside her, his tawny striped body curling protectively around his new family. "They're perfect, Silentsong. Thornkit and... Did you hear him?" Zephyrfang stroked his tail down the ginger tom-kit's back. "As loud as a bird-call. What do you think of Finchkit?" Zephyrfang reached over and caught a finch feather with his claws, bringing it over to lay the soft feather near their son's bright orange coat.

He chuckled warmly. Realizing she was probably exhausted (he was still giddy with joy), Zephyrfang let the feather go and nuzzled Silentsong's cheek, feeling a rush of affection for her that probably would've knocked him off his feet if he hadn't already been laying down. "Rest, Silentsong. We can name them in the morning. I promise they'll be safe, and I won't leave you for a second." Warrior duties could wait.

His family was here and here to stay, and that's exactly where Zephyrfang planned to be.

581 Words Tags: BlooRey DVD , Insidious Notes:

[BlooRey DVD]

46 Moons, Warrior-Queen of TreeClan

"You're all done, Silentsong. You have two beautiful little toms." She'd never been so relieved to hear someone speak in her life. Desperate to see the two kits she'd brought into the world, the tired queen lifted her head, using Zephyrfang's body to support her own as her bright hazel-green eyes peered down at the little bundles of fur pressed up to her belly. Leaning forward, she nosed each of them carefully, waiting to hear that telltale mew of protest before she collapsed with relief against her mate. Tired eyes blinked gratefully at the medicine cat as Bluejay took her leave, Silentsong's muzzle pushing into Zephyrfang's fur.

Two beautiful kits... She thought to herself, ingraining the sound of their mews in her mind. Thank you, StarClan... Thank you, daddy... Her eyes glanced up to the sky, despite the nursery roof sprawling over them. She knew Thornshadow had been there with them, and she knew he was proud of them, all four of them. The tortoiseshell queen's ears flicked forward as her mate's voice broke through her silent thoughts, her tired eyes fluttering in an effort to remain open. She watched as her mate brought a feather to her second son's coat, smiling at the sight of it.

Thornkit and Finchkit... They're perfect. She thought, desperate to show Zephyrfang how much she loved the names. Pressing her head against the underside of his chin, she put all her remaining strength into a purr, which rumbled in her throat and chest for him to feel. As he nuzzled her tenderly, she let her head drop slowly into his paws, unrivaled content slipping over her as she settled into her mate's fur. Much like the tabby tom, she could not think of anywhere else she would rather be in that moment.

And so, cradled in the thick fur of the tom she loved most, the tortoiseshell queen allowed herself to be lulled into a doze by the rhythmic sounds of two kits nursing. Her kits. Their kits.

Word Count: 334 words Tags: Fawn Notes: Kittens <3