An Awkward and Strenuous Night [CLOSED]

ooc: i hate you roo :')

ic:
Acornheather had been beating herself up from the moment she noticed the changes.

Pregnancy wasn't an unfamiliar topic to the medicine cat. Definitely not. She knew everything there was to know about kitting. Everything but what it felt like. Her duties and heart told her never to find out. She didn't want to. But it seemed StarClan had other plans for her.

Why would they allow this to happen? It wasn't just one medicine cats, but two. Two of their most loyal, most devoted healers, caught in a love affair. Gorsefeather had been strict in his teachings of the code, expressing his major distaste towards code-breakers. Her own morals mirrored hers. The only love she ever felt for anything was for her family, and her clan. The tabby couldn't imagine herself loving anything more.

So how did she end up in the Abandoned Barn, her belly swollen beyond belief? The fawn-coloured she cat barely had any recollection of the night. After a rather long medicine cat gathering, she decided to catch up with her soon-to-be-retired mentor. They wandered for some time, talking about various things like medicine, alliances, the normal stuff. It felt like a rather long walk, and for the she cat who barely left her den and the old tom, it was enough to force them to relax. They found themselves near the Twolegplace, and out of sheer curiosity, tested the theory that catmint could do more than just treat coughs.

The rest of the evening was a hazy mess in the green-eyed she-cat's mind. She remembered a sense of enjoyment, and something a little more intense than that. It was all giggles and laughs and even if she couldn't remember specifics, she did recall the feelings of a great night. She might even label it as one of the greatest nights in her life, if it hadn't come with such repercussions.

By now she was nearly due. Her belly hung low and heavy, leaving her crippled in her makeshift nest. As soon as she saw the growing of her belly, Acornheather left her camp, feigning a strange dream and the urgent need to speak to StarClan. It felt wrong, lying to her leader and clan, but she couldn't let them see her in this sorry state. There were no doubts in her mind that Crowstar would be frantic, running around and looking for their lost medicine cat. The fawn tabby hissed at the thought of abandoning her clan so soon after Breezestar's death, but Oceanpaw knew what to do. They would not be lost. Hopefully soon the she-cat could return home.

Since she was so close to kitting, Gorsefeather had come to the Abandoned Barn for the time being. She herself was a medicine cat, yes, but she could not do this alone. Especially with the size of her litter. There was no way to be sure, but there was no denying it was one of the largest litters the clan had ever seen. Perhaps is would be of equal size or more of the RiverClan deputy, Mistfeather's litters. Preferably not. Eight was a large number.

The queen felt another sharp kick, causing her to reel in pain. They were getting stronger by the day, and she wondered how much longer she would be kept here. It felt uncomfortable in the barn, with several cats who had betrayed the clans, and rogues who followed them. She kept herself hidden most of the time, refraining from looking them in the eye lest they judge her for her crimes. But it became harder to hide when a wave of pain shot through her belly. It was different from a regular kick, a much less centered pain. The she-cat held back the rising yowls, gritting her teeth when another wave made its way through. "G-Gorsefeather..." Acornheather snarled through her teeth.

The pros? She would be leaving this place soon.
The cons?
Well, I think that's obvious.

ooc2: welp, kill me now.
just so you know, I'll be posting all the births in my next post. so none of y'all have to wait.
as well, the kits will be staying with her for some time as she recovers. she'll ween them early, but they may have some recollection of her, if you choose so (things like scent, fur colour, nothing obvious)

like roo said, a couple will be taken to rc, a couple to wc, one to sc, and the others will be coming with acorn. to make things easier, you'll go to my skc warrior, poppysong.
if you want to discuss whether or not they'll know about their mother and father's identities, shoot me a pm. we can talk about it, but I'd prefer if they don't remember.

'Your destiny is inescapable, the actions of others has predetermined your future. But what you make of it from now on will make or break your ties with everyone you know. You have the potential to be great, but you must endure like the gorse plant you were named after through the hardships that lay ahead. Remember that your line must end with you, or you will follow the fate of your forebearers.'

The words of StarClan had been rattling in the calico's head for days on end as he paced around the barn where his apprentice, and now mate laid swollen with his kits. Gorsefeather did his part, catching prey for her, collecting herbs, it was the least he could do, but he was working on autopilot. His every pawstep felt numb with the knowledge he'd broken the code, and has done the one thing StarClan had warned him against at his medicine cat apprentice ceremony. There was a churning nausea instead whenever he thought of these kits that were to be born, he was no better than his father, Suntail. At least Suntail had done it for love, he'd adored Nettlewing, his mother, and chose this life for himself. Even in exile, Suntail had been true to himself, but Gorsefeather... He didn't love Acornheather, she was his apprentice and that was all she really was to him. Their little fling was an affair that happened while they were hazy off catmint.

He was worse than scum. How could he return to his clan? Technically he was still a medicine cat, he'd yet to retire. He'd only recently told Sablestar that he had a vision it was time to retire... Did his warrior ancestors know this would happen? Was that why they sent this vision? They did tell him that his future had already been predetermined by his ancestors. Was it the Suntail blood in him that corrupted him so? In that case, he would loathe his father till the day he died. All he'd ever wanted was to be a better cat than him. How did he fail so badly?

Gorsefeather wanted to wallow in self-pity a while longer, digging his claws into unyielding grey earth and revelling at the pain, but from the barn, Acornheather called for him. He ducked his head to pick up a bundle of herbs in his jaws and raced over to his apprentice/mate, bringing her over a stick, Borage, Chervil and Juniper berries. He would have liked some marigold, but he couldn't find any. "Acornheather, is it time? If so, eat, you should know what they are." He said to the she-cat, she looked as though she was in some pain, if it was time, he had a hunch this wouldn't be an easy kitting. She looked bigger than any queen he'd ever seen.

Acornheather looked down at the herbs, her eyes straining as she did. The herbs looked all to familiar to her once they properly came into her vision, but she had always been the one administering it, not taking it. She had heard queens complain about the taste before. At least now she might understand what they mean.

Scarfing down the herbs, she wasn't surprised at the bitter taste that stuck to her tongue. The tabby let out a few small coughs before another contraction ripped through her body. There was no doubt in her mind. It was time.

Giving Gorsefeather a quick nod, she picked up the stick in her mouth and began pushing.

After what felt like nights of hard pushing, eight small, but surprisingly healthy kits were born. The medicine cat flopped down, letting the stick roll out of her maw, and heaved as she tried to catch her breath. She was shocked by the amount of kits that she had birthed, and also somewhat concerned. What would happen to them? There was no way she could bring eight kits into SkyClan without an explanation. Nor could the tom.

ooc: i got lazy
sorry for the delay
u r born
go have ur ceremonies

The soon to be Swallowkit mewled and struggled around looking for his mother.

The love he felt when he looked down at the eight wriggling bodies was incredible, Gorsefeather didn't even know it was physically possible to feel so attached to anything. He'd known them for less than a minute, yet he knew that he would easily kill for them, kill himself even if it meant their survival. It was only with their birth that he truly understood why the medicine cat code was in place, how could he prioritise WindClan and his duties when his heart called for these eight kits?

"They, they're..." He was about to say something sappy, but he managed to catch himself. No, he could love them with all his heart, but they could never be theirs. He was a medicine cat, and so was she. Clawing down the overwhelming love, he focused on the future, the future of them as a family. "There's no way I can take them all to WindClan, they won't survive the journey. And neither can you take them all to SkyClan. We'll have to split them. The weakest can remain with you, the rest... I'll leave them for RiverClan and ShadowClan patrols to find. Their parentage, this is our sin to bear."

Alderkit mewled around blindly, knocking against his father's paw accidentally on his search for milk. Gorsefeather picked him up by the scruff and dropped him near his mother, not wasting any affection on him. He couldn't survive it if he grew anymore attached to them. Their place couldn't be with them. Even naming them felt too much.