It's a Miracle!

[. s p o r e l e t t ♪]

At the back of the nursery, curled up in a warm nest of moss and bracken, Dovetail rested fitfully. It was just after dawn, and though the sun didn't shine into the nursery, usually the queen would be awake by this time. In fact she was awake, but it was the kind of wakefulness where one wishes that they were still asleep. For the past half-moon, the pale grey queen had been feeling increasingly uncomfortable and restless. Her kits were due any day now, and the awkward weight on her belly was making it uncomfortable to move around. The medicine cat had told her that it was a small litter, probably no more than three, but to her it felt like ten. She already loved her nameless, faceless kits; they were her only reminder of her beloved Mudwhisker. But she did wish that they wouldn't take so long to be born.

Sighing, Dovetail raised her dappled grey head and blinked at the light filtering into the den. She wasn't going to be able to get back to sleep, so she might as well wake up properly. Perhaps there would be a sparrow left over from yesterday's hunting patrols. She was feeling- The dappled silver queen froze in the middle of getting to her paws to amble down to the clearing. Had that been a kick, or had she just... Then she felt it again, a spasmodic twinge that radiated from her core and rippled down to her toes. Dovetail surged to her feet with a yowl building in her throat. Her kits were coming! Padding heavily over to Firecloud, she gasped in the other queen's ear, "Get Sandcloud! My kits are coming!"

[hedgie]

Dawnkit had been feigning sleep for a while now, so her mother wouldn't be worried that she hadn't gotten enough sleep. The little cream-colored she-kit had been curled up in between her brothers, her pale coat contrasting against their darker tabby pelts. Finally, she couldn't stand it anymore and slipped away from her mother, out of the den. Last evening she'd seen a little pink rock near the nursery, and she'd wanted to keep it with the rest of her findings, but Firecloud had shuffled them all inside before she could.

She grabbed it in her tin, but already very strong, jaws and slipped back into the den. she sat with it in between her dainty paws and watched her sleeping family. Dawnkit's mind slowly drifted away as she ran her paw over the stones' smooth surface. She could kind of see the sky where she was sitting, and smiled. Her father was up there, whether anyone else believed her or not.

Suddenly, Dovetail rushed past her, as fast as a heavily pregnant queen could go, nearly knocking Dawnkit over. "Hey!' she squeaked, 'Watch where you're....Wait...don't wake Momma, Dovetail! I'll go get her!"

[☆ Y e l l o w ☆]

The nursery was dark, quiet and warm, and the ginger queen was sleeping rather peacefully. Whenever it was quiet like this and her kits weren't making a racket, Firecloud was able to relax her mind a little. For the normally high-strung she-cat the chance to calm herself even a tiny bit was welcoming. Only a tiny sliver of sunlight found its way into the den and she could hear birds chattering outside. As she was beginning to open her eyes and shift in her nest, she heart the voice of the other queen- a startled gasp that sent Firecloud's heart racing due to the sudden awakening. "I'll get her," She assured Dovetail.

Firecloud stood up and quickly swept her gaze over her three kits to make sure they were all in their nests. She vaguely registered that Dawnkit was already awake before slipping out of the den. Her paws skidding on the rough ground of camp, she made her way to one of the lower dens in the gorge and dashed inside. "Sandcloud?" she called once inside the medicine cat's den. "Dovetail's having her kits!" she gasped, catching her breath.

((There's no need to make a separate thread in the medicine den, is there? ^^; ))

[. s p o r e l e t t ♪]

Hearing a small voice from behind her, Dovetail turned to see Firecloud's little she-kit, Dawnkit, standing behind her. She realized that she must have somehow missed seeing the little cream-coloured kit as she rushed over to wake Firecloud, but glancing back at the sleeping queen, she saw now that only two kits slept beside her. "Oh, I'm sorry Dawnkit," she said with a weak smile. "I didn't see you there." She was about to tell the kit not to worry about it, since she didn't want to send the little she-cat outside the nursery all by herself, but then she remembered that Dawnkit was three moons old. She was well old enough to find her own way to the medicine cat's den, and since it was the lowest cave on the cliff, she wouldn't need to worry about falling down.

Her indecision was rendered pointless when Firecloud blinked awake and got quickly to her paws. After a few quick words the ginger queen was out of the den and trotting quickly down to find Sandcloud. "Sorry Dawnkit," Dovetail smiled. "Looks like you have to stay here until your mother gets back." Hiding a wince as another pang rippled through her, the pale grey queen stumbled back to her nest and lay carefully down in it, letting out a "hufff" as she collapsed onto her side. The contractions were coming more quickly already; though this was her first litter, Dovetail suspected that it would be over quickly. Closing her icy blue eyes, she focused on breathing slowly while she waited for the medicine cat to arrive.

[Kitty]

((Not really. No point in making two posts, then moving right back to the nursery, hm?))

What a wonderful morning for organizing herbs. Sandcloud was going through her stock of horsetail after checking her marigold, dock, and juniper and discovering that she had no need to collect any of those herbs right now when Firecloud burst into the medicine den.

"Dovetail's having her kits?" Sandcloud repeated. She knew this was coming any day now. "I'll be right there." Her mind scrambled frantically for the herbs she would need. Borage leaves to help the queen's milk come. And...something else, right? No, she didn't think so. Medicine cats were supposed to be certain of what they needed to use, she scolded herself. She grabbed her borage from its storage hole and scrambled up the gorge past Firecloud to the nursery, the only cave halfway blocked by a boulder.

"Dovetail? I'm here," she called quietly into the cave. "Its okay." She padded over to the queen and placed the herbs onthe ground for later.

Firecloud's sudden scramble out of the nest awoke Bramblekit from his slumber. He blinked and sauntered outside, blinking again in the morning light. "What's goin' on?" he complained to his sister. "Why'd momma wake me up? Where's she in such a hurry off to?" He moved out of the way of an herb-bearing Sandcloud.

[hedgie]

Dawnkit shrugged and then pushed her rock between her paws for a few more minutes. Her eyes watched it slide across the ground, as she occasionally glanced at Dovetail to make sure her denmate was alright.

She could tell that the pretty gray queen was in pain, although Dovetail tried to hide it well. So Dawnkit picked up her stone, feeling quite proud of herself. She was going to help any way she could while her brothers slept the morning awasy. Hadn't they even noticed that their Momma had left them?

She placed the stone in front of Dovetail and smiled. "You can't hide the fact you're in pain right now, so I'm gonna do the best I can to distract you. See this pretty stone? I found it this morning. It's pink and smooth and cold. Do you wanna feel how nice it is while I go get more of the things I've collected? I've got even more stones, feathers and leaves and dried flowers and seeds and all kinds of stuff!"

Hopefully, if she did her job right, Dawnkit could help Dovetail keep her mind off the pain. She rushed over to a small corner in the cave, where a well-hidden pile of interesting things lay, covered by a blanket of moss. she grabbed a soft gray feather and carried it over to the ailing queen.

"It's a dove feather, see? I thought you'd like that one the best!"

[☆ Y e l l o w ☆]

In a rush Sandcloud had left the den and raced toward the nursery, and Firecloud quickly ran after her. Sliding past the boulder that stood protectively in front of the entrance, she appeared in the den moments after the medicine cat. With more commotion and cats in the den, Firecloud looked around more carefully and saw her daughter who, from what she could see, was hovering around the birthing queen.

"Dawnkit, please leave her alone." Firecloud mewed. "She needs to concentrate on her kits." Moving lightly out of the way so she could give Sandcloud room, she sat back near her nest and kept her eye on Bramblekit. Absentmindedly, she didn't consider whether or not her kits were ready to see something like this. They were three moons old after all, but it didn't occur to her that they wouldn't know what was happening to Dovetail. Firecloud had told them herself that she was to be having kits. They would no longer be the youngest in the nursery.

[. s p o r e l e t t ♪]

Breathing as slowly and steadily as she could, Dovetail waited anxiously for Sandcloud to arrive. Strong, steady spasms were rippling through her now, causing her to wince every time the shock of it reached her. Opening her pale blue eyes, she blinked at Dawnkit and managed a weak smile for the kit. She was so thoughtful. The laboring queen hoped that her new kits would be just as wonderful, and hoped that Firecloud's kits would like them as well. Placing a paw over the small stone, she moved it idly around while the little kit scampered off to fetch her other treasures. Dovetail looked up upon her return and saw the small grey feather. "It's lovely," she praised the young she-cat, then gasped as a particularly strong contraction shuddered through her.

Her eyes flickered over to the den entrance as Firecloud returned with the medicine cat. Sandcloud hurried over and placed a few furry-looking leaves in front of her. Sniffing warily at them, the tabby queen grimaced at the unappetizing smell and ate them as fast as possible. They left an unpleasant taste in her mouth, but it was very little compared to the pain rippling through her body. "It's... okay," she panted when Firecloud scolded Dawnkit for bothering her. "She was only trying to help-" Breaking off, Dovetail convulsed and started gasping more heavily. "I think the first one's coming," she wheezed to Sandcloud, her eyes wide. Then she gritted her teeth to keep from yowling as her first kit was finally born.

OoC// Littlekit makes his entrance! Wow, it sounds like this took all of three minutes. x3 But it would be boring RPing two hours of this, so we're gonna skip ahead a bit.

[Kitty]

Sandcloud purred. "Good job," she meowed after Dovetail ate the borage she'd brought along. Then the kit first kit was born. "Here's the first," she announced, nipping open the sac and licking the newborn kit fiercely to help get its blood pumping. It was times like these that she felt proud to be a medicine, but also wished she had an apprentice. She led the kit to its mother's belly so it could begin suckling. Newborns always seemed so hungry!

"You're doing fine, Dovetail," she murmured, encouraging the queen in soft words. "The next one should be coming at any time." She placed a paw gently on Dovetail's rippling flank. She would never know what the queens went through for the birth of their kits. She would never know how it felt to be in love, either. But she was determined to do all she could for the mother and her kits.

[hedgie]

Dawnkit watched the whole goings-on, her paws absentmindedly pushing that stone back and forth, the feather now sticking out away from her as she held it in her mouth. The cream tabby she-kit was being really quite mature for the events, her tail twitching like it always was.

Maybe, when Sandcloud was done, she'd show the medicine cat all the seeds, leaves and flowers she'd collected. Maybe Dawnkit had accidentally found something the pretty Medicine cat could use. It was a good thing the feather was in her mouth, or she would've asked Sadncloud right then and there.

This was interesting, she guessed, grinning as the first kit arrived. It was so tiny. Had she really been that small? Dawnkit looked herself over, noting the pale stripes that ran across her pelt, how big her paws, ears nose and tail were compared to that squirming was born.

She dropped the feather, blurting out a question as softly as she could.

"Do you need any help? Should I leave the den?"

[Kitty]

As much as she hated to admit it, Dawnkit was in the way a little bit. Sandcloud didn't want to chase her out...but she had offered. The medicine cat placed a paw on Dovetail's side and glanced gently at Dawnkit. "Please leave." Hoping the little kit didn't take it the wrong way, she quickly tacked, "When you come back, there will be a few new kits waiting. Just too young to play with."

She turned her attention back to the queen as another powerfil ripple went through her.

[☆ Y e l l o w ☆]

Firecloud cast a glance back at Dawnkit as she questioned whether or not she should leave. The queen didn't want Dawnkit to be out of the den without her to watch; that was the last thing she wanted. Nervousness pricked at her pelt and she was about to say she should stay, but Sandcloud answered before her. With a quick glance at the medicine cat, Firecloud felt uneasy but Dovetail's condition called for her attention. "Fine." she said, nodding at Dawnkit that it was okay to leave the den.

Firecloud padded closer to Sandcloud and Dovetail, inspecting the tiny kit by its mother's belly. "It's so small..." she murmured. For the first born, it was. Concern dipped in her words as she worried if something was wrong with it. "There's another one coming?" This time her voice was confused. If the first kitten was so little, the next one would have to be even smaller. Watching Dovetail with sympathy, she hoped the next kit would be okay.

[. s p o r e l e t t ♪]

Dovetail looked over at her newborn kit and rested a bit as she prepared for the next kit to be born. Sandcloud lowered the little kit to her belly, and the grey queen began licking the damp, greyish-brown bundle. "It's a tom," she murmured lovingly. She didn't seem to notice Dawnkit offering to leave the den; her eyes were locked on her kit. He was so small... smaller than any of Firecloud's kits had been. Dovetail remembered visiting them after the ginger queen had given birth, and they were all larger than this one. But she didn't have time to fret further over the size of her newborn son. With her first kit suckling contentedly at her belly, Dovetail felt another contraction and knew that he was soon to get a sibling.

She cried out as a spasm wracked through her, and then lay gasping in her nest. Looking over her shoulder, she saw her newest kit and, without waiting for Sandcloud, leaned over to nip the casing off of it. Dovetail pulled her kit gently toward her and licked it roughly until it squealed. Then she nudged it next to its brother and looked fondly at both of them. This one was a tom as well, and it looked exactly like Mudwhisker. She had no doubt that when he grew up he would share his father's warm golden eyes. This kit was large and sturdy-looking, which was a relief, though it caused her to worry for the health of her first kit. The solid brown tom dwarfed his dust-coloured brother. Dovetail looked up at the medicine cat, worry in her eyes. "The first one is so small... do you think he'll be alright?" she asked, wondering if she was going to have more small kits like this one. "Are there any more kits coming?"

[Kitty]

Sandcloud was fairly sure the second kit was going to be fine, but she gave it a good sniff first. He smelled like...well, like a newborn kit, actually. A healthy newborn kit. Amber eyes flickered over to glance at his brother as she bent to give the much smaller newborn a thorough sniffing. There, too, appeared to be nothing wrong with him. Just a nice, clean, kit-scent.

"No need to worry, Dovetail," Sandcloud assured. "Your kits are fine." It was normal for queens to worry about the health of their kits, especially their first litter. "And if it doesn't hurt any more, then there are no more kits coming," she added. And since the queen wasn't gritting her teeth in pain anymore, she figured that that was all the kits that were coming. She remembered one litter of kits whose mother had neglected herself during her pregnancy. All her kits ended up sickly, one of them half deaf and one of them blind. That was one of the more recent litters. The one Smallpaw was born into. He was an often occupant of her den.

"You should get some rest, now, Dovetail. The other kits won't bother you or your kits. I'll see to it immediately." She dipped her head and rose to her paws. "I trust that you'll send Firecloud to fine me if you need anything, correct?" she checked, glancing over at Firecloud as if to say, Help her if she needs it. "If you are worried about something about your kits or the way they're acting, you can send a cat for me, or ask Firecloud." She nodded to the ginger queen.

Automatically, Sandcloud glanced around for the herbs she'd brought. But then she remembered that Dovetail had already eaten them. Good. They'd help her milk come. "I'll be bringing you herbs every day at sunhigh to helpyour milk come."

[☆ Y e l l o w ☆]

Firecloud couldn't help but smile, her eyes twinkling as she saw the two newborn kits. Dovetail had done a good job; she was proud. She nodded at Sandcloud. If Dovetail needed anything, she would get the medicine cat immediately. But she had the feeling that things were going to be nice and peaceful for once. "I'll leave too, to let you have some rest." she said quietly. She glanced around for her kits again, beckoning Dawnkit and Bramblekit. She thought she had seen Tigerkit slip out of the den earlier when she was distracted. "Let's leave Dovetail with her kits for now. We can come and see them again later." She doubted they would object to leaving the nursery, she thought with mild worry as she padded outside.