Foxtail's New Kits!

[♠ Spade ♠]

The russet furred queen was laying in her nest, her yellow green eyes only open in little slits as she stared at a spot on the nursery floor. The way her tail twitched back and forth in an almost irritated manner betrayed how bored she really was. She felt as big as one of the twoleg nests that bordered the Clan's territories and could hardly wait until her kits were finally born. Then she would go back to a more normal size and she would have her kits to look after to keep her occupied.

The medicine cat had come and gone over the passed moon or so and guessed that she would probably have three kits. Three is a good number, she thought sleepily. With a deep sigh, she slowly pushed herself up in her nest. She sat there for a moment, but moving up from her resting position must've upset something within her because a wave of mild pain swept through her. It wasn't enough to really hurt, but Foxtail sure thought it was strange. She couldn't figure out why it would be hurting to sit up like she had.

It took her a moment to finally come to the conclusion that her kits were finally coming and by the time she did, another, stronger wave of pain knocked her on her side with a gasp. What a time to be alone in the nursery, she thought with an annoyed twinge to her inner voice.

On the bright side, she was never alone for very long. There was always someone checking up on her, especially since she had been so close to her kitting. Another fierce bit of pain interrupted her thoughts for a moment and made her hold her breath for a moment. She was beginning to lose her strong front and desperately wanted someone there with her. Of course, Oakstripe and Darkpuddle jumped to her mind before the medicine cats. Her skeptical side was doubting that her mate would be with her when their kits were born. He rarely visited her in the nursery and when he did it was really only to bring her food. Even then, Oakstripe and the medicine cats were mostly the ones that kept her fed.

By now, she was beginning to pant. Her eyes were locked on the entrance of the nursery, trusting that StarClan would send someone in that would go off and fetch Nettlepaw and his mentor. She went through her life being strong enough to stick up for herself, but she wasn't stupid. She was aware that it wouldn't hurt at all to have someone there to keep her company and help her kitting.

447 words

[❦Jadepaw❦]

>>The day was warm and sunny. Maskpaw enjoyed the feeling of warmth on his tan colored pelt. He purred lightly and stared at the cats walk by. He'd already went on the dawn patrol and gone hunting, and the young tom was exhausted. He sighed and flipped onto his stomach, watching as the tall she cat Dawnwing stalked out of camp. What is WITH her? She's always so......angry. Ha, I guess I shouldn't be a hypocrite He thought with a soft smirk. The young tom sat up and licked his paw, wondering about the clan. Nothing's up with Onestar....same with Addertooth. Dawnwing's as strange as ever, Foxtail's close to kitting and- He cut himself off. Maybe I should bring her some fresh kill......I don't know, I'll see With that Maskpaw got up and picked out a big crow from the fresh kill pile. He smiled through the black feathers and padded slowly over to the nursery.

>>The crow's feather got caught on the thorn as Maskpaw got close. It fell out of his mouth and he spat angrily. The tom sat down and carefully worked the feathers free. From inside the nursery he could hear Foxtail suck in a breath. he pricked his ears but thought nothing of it. Starclan, finally! He picked up the crow and padded towards the entrance. He set it down on the ground and poked his head inside. Foxtail stared strait at him, eyes wide and glazed. She was panting like a dog. Maskpaw's ice blue eyes widened. The seemingly untouchable apprentice lost his cool demenor. "Starclan!" He cried, running away from the entrance.

>>It took Maskpaw a moment to compose himself and go back to his calculating nature. Nettlepaw. Find Nettlepaw and his mentor The words stung terrirbly, but he swallowed his confusion and anger. The tom sprinted towards the medicine cat den and looked inside. The medicine cat wasn't there, but Nettlepaw was. "Nettlepaw," It took all the strength Maskpaw had not to spit out the name like venom. "It's Foxtail...Foxtail's kits are coming!" He announced, dark brown tail lashing the air. He stepped out of the way and looked around. "What do I do know?!" he murmured softly to himself. The tom shook his head and ran back across camp to pick up the crow. He threw it back in the fresh kill pile, ignoring his own hungry stomach. He poked his head through the nursery door again. "I've got Nettlepaw coming in, Foxtail!" He said, quickly moving out of the way so Nettlepaw Could get in. It made the tom so angry, he sunk his long, clear claws into the earth. He bunched his powerful shoulders and jumped up, back to his old self. But a tiny flicker of worry spread through him. I don't know Foxtail very well but....I hope she's okay. The clan needs it's new kits and queens. Wait..what about her brother....Oakstripe The apprentice looked around, ice blue eyes flashing. He padded quickly over to the warriors den and announced to everyone, but in a quiet voice. "Foxtail's kits are arriving" He didn't check to see if Oakstripe was there, and slowly made his way over to the medicine cat den. The smells of herbs, comfrey, cobwebs....everything a medicine cat needed. The tom sighed and watched the nursery with dull eyes.

[/size][/blockquote]


Notes: bad...spacey...1st one, woot! xD
Muse: bad as usual.
Listening To: Dakota: Rocket to The moon. (?) no idea....
Word Count: 637

[τhιsτlə]

____________________________Don't let the Nettle sting the Paw .!

Medicine Cat Apprentice of Shadowclan .!____________________________

The large tabby's whiskers quivered, amber eyes narrowed with concentration. The green leaf between the tom's paws lay neatly before him, paws nimbly nudging the poppy seeds into neat bundles upon the seeds. When it came to things like this, Nettlepaw was a perfectionist. Healing was his thing, as his mentor was out collecting herbs, Nettlepaw had made it his duty to organize and dispose of the old healing herbs.

It was the anxious voice of Maskpaw that broke the large tabby's concentration. The seeds scattered under Nettlepaw's claws, his ears slung back as he turned his head to fix the apprentice with a glare. The medicine cat apprentice's lips peeled back to give this tom a piece of his mind, but Maskpaw's words quickly sunk in.

Snorting, Nettlepaw batted the leaf aside with a large paw. Shouldering toward the herb store, his amber eyes scowered over the many supplies, his mind relaying what he was to need. The tabby quickly ruled out poppy seeds, and settled for borage leaves, as well as some bilberry.

Wrapping the herbs in large leaves, Nettlepaw took a deep breath, gripped them in firm jaws and spun around. He trotted to the mouth of the den and into the clearing. Maskpaw had already retreated, but Nettlepaw made straight way for the nursery.

The large tabby apprentice paused at the mouth of the den, setting down the bundles. He fixed amber eyes on Maskpaw, flicking his tail sternly. "Don't wonder anywhere, I might need your help." He growled. Normally, Nettlepaw would have ordered the apprentice to go out and fetch his mentor, but the tom solely believed he was ready enough for this. He'd prove his mentor proud.

Spinning around, Nettlepaw picked up the herbs and pushed into the nursery. Nudging the bundles toward the queen, Nettlepaw knelt at her side. "Greetings, Foxtail." The apprentice meowed calmly, whisker quivering. "I'm going to need you to eat these, they'll help with you milk, and nursing." Nettlepaw assured.

"You're going to need to keep your breathing even and strong, alright?"

[♠ Spade ♠]

Foxtail glanced up at Maskpaw when he came in. The smell of the crow he brought with him would normally make her mouth water, but now she wanted the feathered thing far away from her. She had more important things to worry about. She stared at him with another small groan of discomfort before he turned and left again.

A moment passed and then Maskpaw appeared again mentioning that Nettlepaw was on his way. She let out a strained puff of relief before another wave of pain made her catch her breath in her chest. She could hear voices out in the main camp, but it was far from what she was focusing on. She hardly glanced up when Nettlepaw came in, she recognized him mostly by scent.

She was very tempted to box the medicine cat apprentice over the ears for his calm greeting. I'm kitting and all he has to say is 'greetings'? she thought irritatedly. Her thoughts didn't have time to go on before he dropped the herbs in front of her. She gave them a disdainful sniff, being surprisingly picky considering her condition. She changed her mind rather quickly and ate the leaves, trying to school the disgusted expression at the taste of the herbs.

She looked up at him at his next instruction and gave a small nod. She realized how often she'd been holding her breath and began making a conscious effort to control her breathing and making it steadier. She took a deep breath and looked up at Nettlepaw. "What now?" she asked. There was a slight waver in her voice and she closed her eyes as another contraction rolled down her abdoment.

280 words

[τhιsτlə]

____________________________Don't let the Nettle sting the Paw .!

Medicine Cat Apprentice of Shadowclan .!____________________________

A look of amusement flashed across the large tabby tom's face upon the picky attitude of the queen, but it quickly became disapproving, as this was a serious matter at paw.

It was apparent that Foxtail was not pleased with the foul tasting herbs, but Nettlepaw didn't comment. They would help her, and if she decided to whine, then he'd give her an earful. But the she cat remained mute, shuddering against the pain in her stomach.

Foxtail turned her attention back on the medicine cat apprentice, looking for guidance. The tom froze for a second, double checking in his head that he was going over everything that needed to be done. Sinking to his stomach, Nettlepaw took a deep breath. "The kits aren't going to come by themselves. And it's going to hurt, but you're going to need to push. Whatever happens, make sure your breathing is normal, and try to stay as calm as possible." The large tabby informed the queen, keeping his voice even. He knew for a fact if he was panicky, she would panic. Just as if he were calm, she was most likely to keep in a calmer state.

"I'll be right here to help with what I can."

[♠ Spade ♠]

Part of the queen was hoping that the kits would just stroll out into the nursery by themselves, but Nettlepaw was right. She would have to go through the pain of giving birth whether she liked it or not. She listened carefully to her instructions and gave a slow nod. She was making a conscious effort to keep her breathing normal because of the steady waves of pain.

Foxtail took a couple deep breaths and when she felt the next contraction, she pushed like Nettlepaw said she should. She wasn't sure how, but she could feel that she was doing something right. She tried not to cry out at the pain of trying to give birth to the biggest kit of her little and she managed to keep her breathing relatively steady with just a few hiccups in the rhythm here and there. After a couple more pushes, her first kit fell down into the moss. She glanced at Nettlepaw as if expecting him to clean off the kit. She didn't get much of a break before she felt the need to push again and she did. This kit was easier to push out then the first, she could tell the second kit was smaller. It was either that or she was quickly learning to ignore the pain.

She paused to take a breath when she didn't feel the need to push again. She decided to take the opportunity to clean her kits. Foxtail was able to quickly, but sloppily, clean off her kits before she felt the third and final kit coming. So far, both her kits were black, more like their father. A small part of her was hoping that her last kit was the same dark ginger as her and her brother, or even the pleasant creamy brown that her mother, Treesong was. It didn't take long before her third kit was born. The new mother cleaned off the third kit, this one black and flecked with shades of orange and brown, and took a deep breath. Other then being the most painful thing she'd ever experienced, she felt that her kitting had gone over rather smoothly. It didn't look like any of her kits were still born and there had been no complications.

She inhaled deeply to steady her shaking form and looked up at Nettlepaw. He was the medicine cat so she could be wrong in assuming they were three healthy kits. "Nettlepaw, are they alright?" she asked airily, obviously winded from the experience. Her eyes were half closed as a sudden bit of exhaustion came over her. She'd finally had her kits and now all she really wanted was a nap....and maybe something to eat.

451 words

[τhιsτlə]

____________________________Don't let the Nettle sting the Paw .!

Medicine Cat Apprentice of Shadowclan .!____________________________

The first kit was born, a black little scrap, seeming to take after Darkpuddle's pelt. Foxtail looked expectantly to the medicine cat apprentice, holding his breath, the large tabby edged forward as cradled the little thing in a loop of his tail, pink tongue working furiously over it's dark pelt.

Nettlepaw worked rapidly, hoping to warm it and get it's blood and lungs pumping as quickly as possible. Working rhythmically up the body. The second kit was born, another dark feline. Foxtail seemed to endure the pain in near silence, despite the intense pain that rippled through her veins like blood. But the queen worked rapidly on the second kit, for as long as she could until the coming of a third kit paralyzed the queen.

But the birthing was quick and smooth, as the third kit was born, there were also traces of the pretty Foxtail along with it. Nudging the first born toward the mother, Nettlepaw rose to his paws as the queen tended to her last born. "They seem healthy enough, nothing out of the ordinary that I can tell, for now at least." The large tabby informed the russet she cat.

Glancing over his shoulder, Nettlepaw shifted from paw to paw. What now? "How are you feeling?" Nettlepaw could guess what the answer would be, but he wanted to be sure, just in case.

[♠ Spade ♠]

It seemed that the new mother had been holding her breath because when Nettlepaw said that her kits looked fine, she let out a puff of breath. She smiled lazily down at her newborns and glanced up at the apprentice's question. "I'm feeling okay...still a little sore, but nothing to bad," she meowed. She yawned before continuing speaking. "And I'm tired," she mewed and paused.

She was trying to decide if she wanted visitors or not. She thought about it for a moment before deciding that she could stay awake long enough to see the cats she had in mind. "Nettlepaw, will you do me a favor?" she asked, her voice holding a bit more energy and perkiness then it had a moment ago. "Will you go find Darkpuddle and Oakstripe and tell them, please?" she asked.

She lifted her head and looked at Nettlepaw for a moment before looking back down at her kits. They were the loveliest kits she'd ever seen despite the seemingly plain color of their dark fur, but it was probably a bias. She didn't stop to consider that her view on the beauty of her son and daughters. Even if it didn't seem like it, Foxtail was bursting with pride and she wanted nothing more than to share her new kits with everyone. And if she actually possessed the energy to get up and leave the nursery and if her maternal instinct wasn't gluing her to her nest and newborns, she would be parading around camp announcing the Clans newest members to anyone who would listen.

262 words

[shiningheart]

[/i]. The unfamiliar word tumbled into her brain on it's own accord, and she wondered idly what that meant.[/blockquote]
[/ul]

((Too advanced, or is that good for a newborn kit?))

[τhιsτlə]

____________________________Don't let the Nettle sting the Paw .!

Medicine Cat Apprentice of Shadowclan .!____________________________

Foxtail visibly relaxed after Nettlepaw has mentioned they looked perfectly healthy, as any mother would. The large tabby nodded half to himself, flicking his tail as the queen looked tired, but lovingly, down at her new kits. Foxtail finally responded, assuring the medicine cat to-be that she was fine, a little sore, but fine and tired. That was to be expected. Again, Nettlepaw responded with another curt nod, running over thoughts in his skull

What would his mentor say? Had he done all the right things? Checked all the things needed to be checked? A full medicine cat would know. The thought was venomous and impatient, constantly eager to earn his rank within the clan. However before the silence could drag on, or get awkward, Foxtail spoke up again.

A favor? Great. Nettlepaw had half the mind, being the impatient tom he was, to 'gingerly' tell the queen to get some apprentices to fetch them(who he liked to believe had unimportant lives), though he held his tongue. "Uh, sure." The tabby tom muttered in reply, a little less than enthusiastic.

Casting a last glance at the queen and kits, the medicine cat apprentice spun around and shouldered out of the den. His eyes narrowed across the clearing, tail flicking impatiently. "Maskpaw." Nettlepaw addressed the apprentice, amber eyes fixed on the other tom. "I need you to find Darkpuddle for me, I think I sent him just outside of camp to fetch some marigold." The tabby meowed firmly, though didn't bother to wait for a reply as he whirled to stalk toward the warriors den for Oakstripe.