"I'm going to need you to push."
"It...hurts..."
"I know it hurts but this isn't going to go any faster if you don't try!" Scorchtooth's gruff voice could be heard outside the Nursery. Cats sat around anxiously, some pacing in the snow, as they waited for the kitting to be a success. The odds were not looking favorable. The lack of prey the clan had experienced had affected Dawnflight. The white and ginger she-cat wasn't used to such cold weather or so little food. Her ribs were exposed underneath her thinning pelt and she had come out of the Nursery less and less.
Her body quivered as she attempted to push, her belly not as hard as it should be. Scorchtooth encouraged her with as gentle as his tone could be, rubbing her belly and praying to star clan. With each passing moment the Queen grew more weak and exhausted.
"Can't...I can't.." Scorchtooth looked at her desperately as she mewed the words. At this point, his focus was on saving the kits. Their mother wasn't going to make it.
"I want you to bite onto this branch and give the best push you can. Think of the kits. They need you to be strong now." Silverpaw was watching, holding down the stick for her, with wide eyes. The ginger and white she-cat nodded feebly and bit hard onto the branch, her face twisting with pain. The first two kits slipped out. Scorchtooth scooped them up with gentle, quick paws. The black tom passed one to his Apprentice, "Lick it, get it breathing." He licked the other kit vigorously, praying they would be healthy and start mewling out.
Scorchtooth felt relief rush through him when he heard a loud mewl come from the tiny kit. It was a tom, with dusky brown fur then deeper brown on his tail, paws, ears, and muzzle. "Alright, great. Great! You're doing great Dawnflight, just give us one more good push." He set the kitten by its mother's belly, feeling it as he did so. There were at least two more tiny bodies that needed to be kitted. Dawnflight moaned in pain, too weak to yowl out. Her eyes were unfocused and she lay there nearly limp, breathing hard. Scorchtooth felt a pang in his heart. These kits would live without a mother if they lived at all.
Silverpaw set down her kit next to the brown one. It was a dark calico she-kit, with mixes of black, ginger, and white in her soft pelt. The two squirmed, nuzzling at each other as they figured out each other's scent. "Come on Dawnflight. I know you're strong." The Medicine cat apprentice crouched close to her and mewed encouragement. The Queen braced herself, biting the stick and giving one last push. The last two kits slipped out, both very still. Scorchtooth felt his heart beat skip.
"Quick, start licking this one." He passed one kit to Silverpaw and grabbed the smaller one. It was an all ginger tabby she-cat that was smaller than all her siblings. The black tom licked it fiercely, wiling it to suck in its first breath of air. "Don't die on me.." He licked and licked until his tongue seemed raw. It was still and so fragile. Suddenly as Scorchtooth was about to admit defeat it opened its tiny pink mouth and mewled out weakly. It was weak, but it was better than nothing. The medicine cat continued to lick, rubbing it with his paws. He set it down next to Dawnflight when he was sure it was stable.
"There!" Silverpaw purred as the kit she was licking cried out too. It was a mostly white tom with ginger tabby and black patches. She set the squirming kit next to the other three. Four kits. Four alive kits. Scorchtooth looked at Dawnflight, giving her a lick between the ears. Her sides heaved and she lay there, barely conscious. He felt the pain in his heart again. This wasn't the first time he watched a Queen die giving birth. And he wasn't surprised with the leaf bare conditions. But it still hurt him to lose a patient.
"You did good." He purred to the drifting she-cat. "What will you name them?" Scorchtooth pulled them close to her muzzle so she could see. Dawnflight opened her eyes, taking in her little kittens. "The brown one...Oakkit." She gave him a weak lick. "The dark calico..Ravenkit." She was going unconscious. Scorchtooth encouraged here.
"And the last two?"
"The mostly white tom.. " He was the quietest of all his siblings as they mewled loudly for milk. "Silentkit. And last but not least," She purred weakly as she looked at her smallest ginger tabby kit. "Tinykit." Scorchtooth crinkled his nose. That was a harsh name to have. He didn't have time to question it. The white and ginger she-cat's eyes rolled back and she drifted off. He knew she wouldn't be waking up. He could only make her passing comfortable.
Silverpaw looked at Dawnflight in shock. "She just passed out! We have to do something! What's wrong with her!" Scorchtooth set a paw on the light she-cat's shoulder.
"There's nothing we can do. She's too weak. And she has been hurt during the kitting process. Sometimes you have to let patients go." Scorchtooth then really noticed the amount of blood around the nest. "We just need to be thankful the kits made it."
"No! I won't accept that! They can't not have a mother!" She licked the Queen vigorously. "Wake up, Dawnflight! Come on, you can do it!" Scorchtooth tightened his jaw. What could he do? He didn't argue with her further, just let her panic over the slowly fading Queen. He pushed away the feeling eating at his heart. You can't save everyone. The black tom situated the kits back to their mother's belly for them to feed until she was with Starclan. Scorchtooth padded out of the den, raising his head to look at the crowd of cats awaiting. "Four healthy kits. Oakkit, Ravenkit, Silentkit, and Tinykit."
The clan cheered, their hearts warm against the cold day and bitterness of a looming rouge attack. Scorchtooth didn't want to break the news to them. He wanted them to be able to be happy and at ease. But it had to be done. He couldn't change the fact that it was Dawnflight's time to join the cats in the stars. "Dawnflight..unfortunately..isn't going to make it. She lost a lot of blood and is very weak. Im sorry." The cheering stopped, the clearing dropping to unbearable silence. "Im so sorry." Scorchtooth dropped his head. Silverpaw's wails were heard inside the Nursery.
(So, JD wolf played Dawnflight and would have played her kits but I found that his account was deleted. Soo! The kits are up for grabs! Im going to play Oakkit and the other four can be played by whoever wants them. First come first serve! sorry that that was a depressing D=)
