Nightfall's Prophecy - Ch. 21

"No… Tallstar!" Nightfall wailed, scrambling to her paws. Suddenly a wave of pain flooded through her and she collapsed to the ground, teeth clenched to hold back a yowl.
Stupid piece of fox-dung, the words echoed in her head - other than the pain it was the only thing she seemed to be able to think about.
"Tallstar!" she cried again, unable to focus her eyes properly. Remembering that he had nine lives, she was a little less worried. But she couldn't hear anything other than her own pained breathing. That wasn't his last life, was it?
Her head swam with millions of different thoughts, so quickly she barely noticed them all.
Then she heard a gasp. Tallstar's eyes flicked open and he jumped to his paws.
"Nightfall! What… oh, StarClan…" he hurried over to his mate's side and rested his muzzle against hers comfortingly. "I'll go and get Barkface."
"Don't… don't leave me…" Nightfall whimpered weakly.
"I'll be as quick as I can," Tallstar promised, resting his long tail briefly on her shoulder before sprinting away towards the WindClan camp.

Barkface jumped as Tallstar skidded to a halt just inside the entrance of the medicine den, panting heavily as if he had just run a long way.
"Tallstar? Is everything okay?" he asked, remaining his usual calmness.
"N… Nightfall," Tallstar gasped, trying to get his breath back. "She wanted to get out of the camp for a while… but… we were attacked by Tigerclaw and some rogues."
"Is she badly hurt?"
"I don't know," Tallstar told him, trying to hide the panic in his voice. "But… I think her kitting's started."
Barkface gave him a knowing glance. "Okay, I'll come. I'll just find some herbs first."

Nightfall had been listening out for Tallstar's return since the moment he left. She was almost getting used to the pain by now - but every time a shudder passed through her body, she was forced to let out a shriek. The image of Silverstream kept flashing through her mind - was it a memory, or was the RiverClan cat actually trying to speak to her from StarClan?
"Nightfall, I'm back!" Tallstar called as he appeared over the rise, padding over and settling down next to her.
She didn't attempt to say anything, only pressed closer to his side.
Barkface placed the small pack of herbs he'd brought with him on the grass and rested a paw on Nightfall's belly.
"Will she be okay?" Tallstar asked quietly, his voice taut with worry.
Just talk about me as if I'm not here, Nightfall thought indignantly, though as if in answer to his question another bolt of pain shook her and she let out an agonized wail.
"Kitting's always painful for queens," Barkface shrugged.
"Great," Nightfall sighed through gritted teeth.
Barkface glanced down at her. "Nightfall, the only way the pain will go away is if you get these kits out. The next time you feel pain, I need you to try and push them out, okay?"
Nightfall nodded silently, trying not to waste her already limited energy by speaking. As another bolt of pain shuddered through her, she pushed as hard as she could, letting out a bloodcurdling shriek. A tiny bundle flopped onto the grass.
Barkface picked it up and lapped at it's fur, trying to stimulate it's breathing. He stopped briefly, a concerned expression on his face, and rested a paw on Nightfall's belly. "Two more to go."
"Oh for StarClan's sake!" Nightfall wailed, tears of pain and despair now rolling down her face.
"It'll be over soon," Tallstar murmured, resting his long tail across her flank.
She held back a cry as the second kit was born; the pain didn't seem so bad now. A final spasm rippled along her body as the last tiny bundle landed on the grass. She took a deep breath and finally mustered the energy to raise her head.
"You did it," Tallstar purred, resting his muzzle against hers.
"Don't celebrate too soon," Barkface warned, examining the three kits, his face still filled with concern.
"What… what's wrong?" Nightfall asked nervously.
"The first two aren't breathing," the medicine cat said sadly. "It looks like their spines have been snapped."
A growl rose in Tallstar's throat. "Tigerclaw."
"What about the third one?" Nightfall persisted. She couldn't have gone through all of that for nothing.
Barkface nudged the tiny black and white kit and it wriggled irritably on the grass, letting out a mew. He smiled and picked it up by the scruff, placing it gently next to it's mother. "Well, you still have one beautiful she-cat."
Nightfall wrapped her tail around the tiny she-kit. She couldn't help but let out a purr as the tiny bundle of fur snuggled deeper into her fur.
"I guess we should get back to camp," Tallstar suggested. "I mean, it's starting to get pretty cold out here…"
Barkface nodded knowingly. "You take the she-kit and help Nightfall if she gets tired. I'll carry these two back and we'll bury them in the morning."

Nightfall curled up in her nest in the nursery. Tallstar rested the kit by her side and settled down next to her. "I guess we should name her," he smiled.
"I hadn't really thought about names," Nightfall admitted.
"I'll find some marigold for those scars, Tallstar, before they get infected," Barkface told the WindClan leader, brushing through the entrance of the nursery.
"I'd actually forgotten about that fight," Tallstar laughed quietly, making sure he didn't wake any of the sleeping cats outside up. He let out a happy sigh. "You got any good names?"
Nightfall gazed down at her kit. She was mainly white, but the lower halves of her front legs and her tail were black.
"What about Snowkit?" she suggested.
Tallstar watched the kit for a moment as she twitched in her sleep. "Snowkit. I think that's a perfect name for her."