And Thou Hell Twins Came Forth (Open)

It was the middle of the night when pregnant Echoflame started to feel pain in her side. Screeching, she started to scramble her feet! The kits were coming. Her breath became panting, and she faded in and out of consciousness, vaguley aware of what was going on around her. She could feel paws, and hear words, but it didn't stop until she shoved and the first kit came out, almost a heartbeat later followed by a second one. In a blurry haze, the warrior nipped the sack and started licking. Where was Sedgestrike?

Sedgestrike had heard Echoflame's screech from outside of the camp. His head snapped up, water fell off his maw from the thawed snow at his paws before he streaked towards the entrance of the camp. He felt no shame in shouldering any poor cat that happened to be in his way. The only one spared such treatment being Rippedsky as he scurried into the nursery to his mate's side.
"Echoflame!" He called out. His eyes widened at the sight of two wet little shapes by her belly.

Then all he could feel was pride. Warmth pricked into his pelt as he padded the last couple of steps to her side. He licked her forehead affectionately, allowed himself a brief moment to nuzzle and comfort her. Then he leaned down to assist in cleaning the precious bundles that mewled helplessly next to her. The loud squeaking sounds made his heart tremble and ache.
"They're beautiful." The words were barely audible above the raucous of the kits.

One of them found Echoflame's belly and began to suckle, but the paws of her sister kept interrupting her! She mewled in a loud complaint. This new dark world was cold, uncomfortable, and it felt weird! The moss of the nest kept tangling in her fur as a warm tongue rasped against her back. Miserable, she snuggled up to the only familiar thing she knew most intimately. Her sister.

It felt like an eternity since her mate arrived at her side. Happily, Echoflame bumped her head with his, something she did as a joke. They had been together, and he made her happy. Looking down, her newborn kits made her happy too. She purred, and nuzzled her babies closer. Then, something caught her eye... "Sedgestrike... They look exactly the same...." she whispered, blinking. She looked closer, and her heart raced. How in StarClan's name could she tell her own kits apart?

The silver tom purred at the bump. His green eyes looked down at his family with happiness and content. For once his pride and arrogance shoved entirely aside as he prepared to spend the rest of the day just being there with his mate and kits. As she spoke, however, he turned to look at them more closely.

He felt his jaw fall slightly. As beautiful as they were, Echoflame was right. There wasn't a single difference in the pair. They each had the same soft silvery blue coat with black markings that were so prominent they had to come from Echoflame's side. He nudged one of the kits very gently, the other already in a position to reveal her belly and they each bore the exact same white spot. He pulled back and fixed Echoflame with a bemused look.
"...They definitely do." He blinked, puzzled. He wondered about ideas on how to tell the pair apart. Perhaps a small dab of mud on one of their backs? "Can you tell them apart?" He questioned.

Echoflame shook her head. "No... I can't. Let's... tie.... some moss around this one's tail?" clumbisly she used her mouth to tie moss around one of their tails. She flicked her tail toward that she-cat. "Let's name this one Starlingkit. You can chose the other one's name."

Sedgestrike nodded. It seemed like a solid plan. He looked down at the kits thoughtfully, the kits looked like sweet tiny bundles of fluff.
"Sparrowkit." He decided with a smile. "Starlingkit and Sparrowkit." He licked the tops of their heads with a soft purr, as he curled up around them to keep them warm. His tail wrapped around Echoflame's.

Sparrowkit mewled as she wriggled. Her pelt brushed against something strange as she pressed her tiny milk-filled body against her sister and pawed at the piece of moss, pulling it loose as she tucked up to her sister in sleepy bliss.

It seemed like just yesterday Sedgestrike had gotten his warrior's name. And already, he and Echoflame were having kits. The tom, when he was first apprenticed, was a cat he would have never wanted his youngest daughter to be with. However, they made a good pair now. At the first signs of her kitting, Rippedsky had finished up organizing the patrols and headed for the nursery. A smile touched his maw as he poked his head in and looked over the tiny bundles at their mother's stomach, "They're... beautiful." There was a hesitation in his voice as he cocked his head. It was true, they were beautiful little kits. But, there was something about them that confused him. They were the same.

After a moment, he noticed the most tied around one of the pair. Apparently, the new parents had realized their predicaments as well. He finally meowed, "So, what is each one named?" The deputy stared at the tiny scrap of moss. He had to remember which one was which, especially when it came time for ceremonies. Or, this would be a problem...