Chapter 16 - Chapter 15:Baring his Kits

Allegiances

ThunderClan:

Leader: Downystar: a handsome black-and-white tom

Deputy: Eagleheart: a ginger warrior with black paws, and a strong and sturdy young cat who lives up to his name

Crimsonpaw- Eagleheart's apprentice; a deep orange tom

Medicine Cat: Bladestorm- a young golden tom

Warriors:

Cattail- wise and young she-cat tortoiseshell with a dark brown colour on the end of her tail

Crowdance-a large, sleek, shiny black tom whose fur glows like a crow's

Gorsepelt- young black tom; sturdy and thickset

Tenorvoice- A large and sturdy white tom with equally white eyes.

Glasseyes-A small and adventurous she-cat; black and brown

Manglepelt-a gray and blue mottled furred she-cat; her body is permanently cracked to one side



Queens:

Gloryheart- A pretty roan she-cat, white paws.



Gloryheart's Kits: Dapplekit

Truekit

Seakit



Crippledjaw-a white, strained she-cat whose back has a cripple, only Crippledjaw also suffers from a permanently dislocated jaw.

Elders-

Embersnout-a once-handsome, old but experienced ginger tom

ShadowClan

Leader: Ragingstar-rusty coloured tom with a sixth claw on each paw

Deputy: Boldstripe- A she-cat on the edge of retirement to the Elders; completely black pelt with one white, splotchy stripe going down her back

Danglepaw-Boldstripe's apprentice; a large gray pelted tom

Medicine Cat: Taintedheart-a tortoiseshell she-cat with a large scar across her belly. Long scars go from her temple to shoulders

Warriors-

Soilear-a pale nutmeg coloured she-cat with twin tabby ears

Frisklegs- a black cat with white ears and white on the tail

Redpaw-Friskleg's apprentice; a small, bright roan tom with yellow paws

Smalleye- a ginger, tom with long dangerous claws. Enormous paws on sturdy legs. Tiny eyes, hence the name

Pouncepelt- a sleek, brown tom with large hind legs

Whitefoot- a black senior warrior tom with completely white paws

Scringeclaw-a large tom with gnarled claws and a twisted leg

Apprentices:

Redpaw-a small, bright roan tom with yellow paws

Danglepaw-a large gray pelted tom

Queens:

Daisypelt-a beautiful she-cat with strong and muscular paws, nursing three kits

Elders:

Drowzytail-a black tom with a tail that seems broken

Gracelegs-a ginger she-cat with long, elegant legs, white face

Frownface-a white she-cat with blue eyes, she is deaf

WindClan-

Leader: Azurestar- a shiny, blue-gray pelted tomcat, with black ears

Deputy: Tiptail- a gaunt, black tom with part of his tail missing

Medicine Cat: Fuzzpelt- a golden she-cat

Warriors:

Ripclaw- a large tortoiseshell tom

Queens:

Gonetail- the eldest and only nursery Queen, with only a stump for a tail, nursing two kits

Elders:

Threelegs-a tortoiseshell she-cat with only three legs

RiverClan-

Leader: Wildstar- a white, wise and generous tomcat whose name is the opposite of his calmness

Deputy: Foresttail- a young orange tom

Medicine Cat: Rabbitleaf- a quick-witted, old golden furred cat, forest green eyes

Warriors:

Redspeck- a roan tom

Caimanclaw-a young but determined black warrior

Apprentice, Demonpaw-a gorgeous silver tom with darker speckles

Queens:

Elders:

Loners/kittypets:

Bloodclaw-a traitorous roan tom; formerly of ThunderClan

Madclaw: an insane black lone cat

Scruffy- a young black and white kittypet

Rogues- a large band of rogue cats















Chapter 15: Baring his kits





Inside the bramble thicket, in a bed of warm, dry moss, was a roan she-cat, a large, heavy belly rising and falling steadily in her sleep, the white paws she carried twitched in her ominous dream.

It was almost sunhigh by now, and outside a ThunderClan meeting had been called, while she was asleep.

A big, thickset tom slid into the nursery den with his black pelt, to check on Gloryheart, who was supposed to be bearing her kits any days now. “Gloryheart, it's me, Gorsepelt. When you are ready to hear the news after this Clan meeting, call for me.”

He then slipped back out of the entrance way to the nursery, proudly lifting his head. He was going to be a father! Of his best friend's kits!

Suddenly it seemed so strange, how he and Gloryheart, along with Glasseyes, had been best friends through their apprenticeship right on until warriors; Gorsepelt had fallen in love with his friend and she with him. Eventually, the kitting would arrive.

Glasseyes was rather amused and teased them about it, but they became playful and would bat at her tail and such.

Seating himself at the edge of the clearing, where he and his friends usually sat, he listened intently to the meeting, whilst Glasseyes came to join him, sitting back on her tortoiseshell haunches to hear the serious meeting.

“Cats of ThunderClan,” Downystar began, a growl rumbling in his throat, “On our Medicine Cat's way back from his meeting with the other Clan's Medicine Cats, WindClan attacked him!”

The ginger tom below the Highrock shook his head, than spoke up in a cracked voice, “Downystar, only Azurestar attacked me.”

The black and white leader craned his head towards the rays of sunlight, narrowing his eyes, than looked down again, “Okay, so the bloodthirsty WindClan leader has attacked us; we must make it known throughout the ranks of the Clans at the next Gathering that he must be exiled or killed!”

A small voice chipped in, “I understand how this must feel, to be threatened by a Clan leader who has no sense, but may I ask something, Downystar?”

The cats turned their heads to see the young golden apprentice, tail twitching and emerald eyes determined.

“Yes, you may Bladepaw.”

“Well, Embersnout was talking to me some time ago, and he said…something like `I want you to take over; I am well beyond the time when a cat should head for the elder's den' and…I was wondering if it could begin.”

The ginger tom in front of him nodded his head proudly and wisely, and meowed, “Downystar, it is his time to fulfill his destiny as Medicine Cat. He has been to Moonstone many times now; I am becoming frail.”

The black and white tortoiseshell leader sat down, his clear blue eyes were disks of chipped ice while he thought carefully.

“I shall hold the ceremony now.” He meowed, and the clearing was filled with yowls of approval.

Flicking his tail to beckon the golden tom forwards, he began, “I, Downystar, leader of ThunderClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. He has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend him to you as our new Medicine Cat in his turn.” Turning to the golden apprentice, he continued, “Bladepaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code, and to protect and heal this clan, even at the cost of your life?”

“I do!” Bladepaw's voice rang out clearly.

“Than by the powers of StarClan” Downystar declared, “I give you your new name: Bladepaw, from this moment you shall be known as Bladestorm. StarClan honours your intellect and sense, and we welcome you as a full Medicine Cat to ThunderClan.”

The black and white tom put his head on the Medicine Cat's head, and Bladestorm licked his leader's shoulder formally.

Spinning around to face his Clan, they all crowded towards him, meowing gleefully, “Bladestorm! Bladestorm!”

Leaping from Highrock, Downystar flicked his tail for silence and meowed, “Manglepelt, choose two other cats to go along with you on a quick sweep of the border by WindClan; Gorsepelt and Glasseyes can patrol the area near ShadowClan and RiverClan. For the moonhigh patrols I want Tenorvoice, Cattail and Crowdance, the two new members of ThunderClan.”

Sighing, grateful that it was done, he headed towards his comfortable den, in Highrock, only to hear his deputy's voice behind him, “Downystar, what about hunting patrols?”

The tortoiseshell leader was not one to be caught off guard, and he replied coolly with, “Ah, yes, you can take Gloryheart and Manglepelt.”

There was uncertainty in the ginger tom's eyes, and he spat, frustrated, “What is it, Eagleheart?”

The deputy shook himself, than amusement poured into his brown eyes, “Manglepelt is on Border patrol, remember? And Gloryheart is kitting; she can't run with that belly on her!”

Bewildered, the leader sighed and gave in, and allowed his older warrior deputy to suggest, “I know I can go, but maybe I should take my apprentice, Crimsonpaw?”

“Yes, good idea.”

“There, and Downystar, don't fret, you will get used to it, I am sure.”

“I thank you, Eagleheart.” The younger tom responded, though his eyes smoldered with the fire of humiliation.

I'll get the hang of it alright! He thought with frustration as he stalked into his den.

Inside the nursery, Gorsepelt told Gloryheart of the recent events, and her fur bristled with alarm and outrage. “Oh, Gorsepelt, if I was out there, you know what I would have done!”

“I know; run into WindClan territory with your headstrong boldness and get eaten alive by Azurestar.” Gorsepelt scolded. “I only want you to be safe, Gloryheart.”

“I…I know, but you understand, don't you? Once my kits are born and apprenticed I will see to that stinking piece of fox-dung myself!”

The roan warrior beside her sighed, than meowed to Crippledjaw, who was nursing two kits, a dappled brown female and a blue and gray male, “Please talk some sense into Gloryheart, Crippledjaw; you wouldn't want her to perish from her thoughts, would you?”

The old queen let out a mrrow of laughter, than dipped her head solemnly, “Of course, Gorsepelt.”

As the black tom left to join his patrol duty, Gloryheart lay her head to rest comfortably, while she listened to the soft, cherishing purr of Crippledjaw as she looked in awe at her young 2 moon old kits.

By sunhigh the next day, mewls of newborn kits sounded quietly throughout the clearing, and Gorsepelt was not the only one who noticed them.

“My kits! They've been born!” he meowed happily to the nodding Eagleheart, who watched with a glitter in his eyes as he remembered his kits born.

“Gorsekit, Glasskit and Glorykit…” he recalled happily, thinking of the days that passed as he watched his kits grow to apprentices, and his apprenticed kits growing to full-out warriors.

“Gorsepelt, Glasseyes and Gloryheart, so old now…I must be heading for the elder's den soon!”

When the black shape of Gorsepelt slipped into the cramped, bramble thicket, he saw with love in his yellow eyes, his beloved with less of a belly, and three adorable newborn kits suckling at her belly. She licked each and every one in turn, cleaning them to ensure healthy apprentices in six moons.

Looking up with sparkles in her icy blue eyes, “Gorsepelt, aren't they wonderful?”

She looked towards the one black and blue she-kit and mewed, “I, Gloryheart, call upon StarClan to approve of my names for these young kits,” she halted, thinking for names, than continued, “The first one shall be known as Dapplekit, in honour of her dappled coat.”

She than looked to her other two kits, and added, “The second kit shall be known as Truekit, for her true blue coloured pelt and lightning blue eyes. The third shall be called upon as Seakit, for his fur stands out like the waves of the waters miles from here.”

Gorsepelt nodded solemnly, and meowed, “Beautiful names, Gloryheart. They are beautiful.”

He licked all three, than left to do hunting duties yet again with Tenorvoice and Crowdance, while Gloryheart lay in the den.

Gloryheart had bared Gorsepelt's kits!

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