Rosebuds Bloom [closed birth]

OOC: This takes place a few days after this topic and this topic. Beartooth has been dead for only a couple sunrises now.

Ferretnose watched the moon swell in the sky in the nursery. Leafbare kits were not common. It was more empty inside than usual, though she shared a place with Dustcloud, who was rearing Coniferkit, Daisykit, and Leopardkit. They were rambunctious and getting quite large. She appreciate the presence of young ones, too innocent to understand her grief. She liked that kits, at least, would never treat her strangely.

Names were a point of discussion. Ferretnose was terribly self-conscious and made anybody who would listen give her input on her names of choice. She wanted something for the trees... Barkkit, maybe. Birchkit, Maplekit, or Cedarkit, even. It could be assumed that they'd be a great bunch of brown tabbies, so she was decidedly confident that Harefoot wouldn't object. And, of course... little Beekit, as she had chosen all those days. She hoped the name would honor Beartooth. Her guts twisted, a pain that cut through her melancholy and made her cry out. Was this birth?

"Mossbloom!" she bayed. "Comeherecomeherecomeherecomehere! Hurry!"

It hadn't been very long at all since Beartooth's death, and something had been itching in the back of Mossbloom's mind. All of her checks on Ferretnose had shown that she would be kitting any day now, so Mossbloom had gotten prepared. Cursing the fact that Beartooth would miss it, when Ferretnose called out to her she immediately jumped into action, grabbing the herb bundle that had been prepared and the stick she had found for the occasion. Making her way quickly into the nursery, she set the stick in front of the queen and opened up the herb bundle at her side, plucking some leaves of chervil and juniper berries from the stash. 

"Here, Ferretnose, eat these berries then chew on the leaves and swallow the juice. You concentrate on that, and I'll check on the kits, okay?" Leaving Ferretnose to the herbs, she gingerly started pressing her paws gently against her swollen belly, feeling the ripples of pain as the kits prepared to make their entrance into ThunderClan. It would be soon, very soon. Pulling back and looking at her friend, Mossbloom gave her a small, reassuring smile. "It's almost time. When the pain gets bad, you can bite down on that stick, okay? You'll do great, I know it. I'll be here to help the entire time, okay?"

Ferretnose hissed as another jolt ripped through her torso, and she bit down until the stick began to splinter. For a moment, panic filled her chest cavity. Something must have been wrong... But if that were true, Mossbloom wouldn't be so calm. She shut her eyes and curled her claws into the moss beneath her, heaving with the effort. And then, her first daughter was born. Mossbloom placed the kit tenderly at Ferretnose's side. She was a beautiful grey tortoiseshell... and with a bright smile, the queen realized her kit had extra toes.

Another electric shock attacked her body, and her moment of peace was already over. She had two more kits before the pain subsided again. They were two more she-kits. One was entirely black, and the other had Harefoot's beautiful brown-ticked pelt. They mewed and squirmed at her side. She couldn't help but feverishly run her tongue over their wet coats.

The next pain was the worst. Ferretnose's back legs kicked out as she screamed, tears warping her vision in her good eye. In her state of fear and anguish, she felt it might be better if she were dead. Who would care for the little kits, though? Harefoot alone? Ferretnose's ears pressed back against her head as she picked up the stick and snapped it in half. As the wood splintered in her mouth, the first and only tom of her litter was placed by his sisters. He was enormous. The pain had been so great, in fact, that it made the last two kits feel like a breeze. Two more she-kits: two brown tabbies, one darker than the other.

At the end of it all, Ferretnose lay in the nursery with six kittens and Mossbloom close beside her. She watched them drink and giggled at their kicking and meowing. "I've got names for you now, I think," she whispered to her litter. She lapped her tongue over the two brown she-kits. "Barkkit and Cedarkit for you two, just like I planned. You're just as beautiful as I imagined you would be." Ferretnose moved her attention to the black one. "You're like the night, with your shiny pelt. Nightkit!" She nuzzled her little Harefoot-look-alike. "You'll be Sorrelkit... a beautiful name, an herb's name... For my dearest friend, our medicine cat. It's for you, Mossbloom." Ferretnose smiled warmly at the calico. Mossbloom was always so patient and kind... it was the least she could do. She poked her one handsome son with her nose and watched as he cried out and wiggled around on her stomach. Ferretnose burst out in laughter. "So you're the little bumblebee, huh? You're the one who's been keeping me up every night? If you insist, then. You're Beekit, my love." She named her first daughter last. She didn't have a name for her in mind yet. She hadn't expected such a unique pelt color. But, of course, it came to her as soon as she set her eyes on that little wiggling thing. "My darling... You'll be Dovekit. I pray you bring us peace..."

Suddenly, the bubble of love she had enveloped herself and her children in was once again penetrated by grief. Beartooth watched from the stars. He wouldn't know these kits. The kit he did know was scornful and harsh. Houndheart became deputy of the clan in his place, mere hours after dishonoring his body as it was mourned by the clan he was raised in. How ungrateful he looked. She hated to call Oakstar misguided, but...

"No," Ferretnose murmured. "This stops now. My children, listen, if you can hear me. Harefoot and I are your parents, but so is Beartooth, who walks above you in the stars. He was quiet, and wise, and beautiful. He didn't know how much we all loved him. When he looks down at you, I hope he always feels your love. I know you'll make us- all three of us- very proud. Our family is the spirit of ThunderClan, and one of its great deputy watches over you. I love you all so much."

---

A little tabby kit nuzzled into his mother's stomach. He felt his sisters, all 5 of them, fighting over milk. He did not know his paws were oddities passed on through blood, nor could he rationalize the deformities of his bottom canines. He did not know that he was marked by a long history of violence and pain. But none of it mattered. All he knew was mother, sisters, fathers, and love.

The squirrel dropped limply from Harefoot's jaws. He'd been picking it from the fresh-kill pile, thinking numbly about sharing it with his last surviving mate, pregnant with kits in the nursery. Her call and Mossbloom's fast reaction had caused him to drop it without a second thought, rushing to the nursery after the medicine cat and clinging just outside the den. He didn't dare enter, not only for reverence of Mossbloom's work, but also because he didn't want to crowd the she-cats already inside. Instead, he glanced through the opening, trying to comfort Ferretnose with a loud purr and several reassuring smiles. Mossbloom was serious, but not panicked, even when his mate began to thrash and scream. His heart stopped momentarily but the issue seemed to be resolved rather quickly as the medicine cat worked her magic and Ferretnose pushed through the pain. He was certainly glad that he was not the one birthing their kits, especially the rather large tom. "Thank you, Mossbloom. Thank you so much." Harefoot meowed after the contractions had subsided. The kitting had ended and they were all okay. He rubbed his cheek against Mossbloom's, grateful for her help. Then he slipped into the den, curling up at Ferretnose's side and looking over the litter.

"Oh, Stars, Ferretnose... they're lovely." Harefoot was breathless at the sight of the squirming furballs. Their children. All three of them had made this litter. He purred, pleased to let his mate name them as they liked. He was laughing, a soft giggle of elation rumbling in his chest, but tears welled at his mossy green eyes at the same time. "I love them. Dovekit, Barkkit, Cedarkit, Nightkit, Sorrelkit, Beekit. I love you all. And I love you, too, Ferretnose. I love you so much and I'm so proud of you." He nuzzled her softly, his cheeks wet with gentle tears of joy and grief. He had a family now - the first family he'd ever had. He would never let go of them. Not like he'd let go of Beartooth.

The little kit squirmed around, trying her hardest to compete with her siblings for a taste of her mother's milk. It was all she knew to do. She didn't comprehend how one day she may rely on the very same cats she was fighting against now. She didn't understand when she had been given her name, Sorrelkit, or what it meant for her mother and the medicine cat. She could not fathom what the words Ferretnose spoke of Beartooth stood for. All she knew was what was in front of her. Food. Warmth. Companionship. Love. Safety. And in the end, that was all that mattered for the young Abyssinian at the moment. Maybe that was all she would ever need, or maybe she would long for more. Where time would take her would remain a mystery. But for now, she was at peace right where she was.

Sensing her dear friends growing panic, the medicine leaned forward and soothing licked between the queens ears, purring words of encouragement as they both prepared for the first kit to make it's entrance. Finally, after what seemed like moons and also mere heartbeats, a small she-cat came into the word. Nipping the sack that enveloped it, Mossbloom ran her tongue along it's back, forcing it's fur the wrong way and doing a quick check. She kept her eyes on Ferretnose as she did, knowing there was only more to come. She didn't notice the extra toes until she placed the kit next to her mother, and looked up to meet Ferretnose's smile with her own bright one.

Two more she-cat's followed, given the same treatment as the first. Three beautiful kits now lay at their mother's side. Something shifted with the next kit, though, and as the queen's legs kicked out in pain Mossbloom felt the claws of fear grip her heart. Her expression grew serious, the smile fading as she focused solely on this kit and the cat birthing it. Her ear flicked as she heard the stick crack, and she started licking the queen's flank. "You're doing great, Ferretnose, just a little more, you're fine, the kits are fine, just keep going. I know it's hard, dear." Finally, the large tom entered the clan, and Mossbloom let out the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. Great StarClan, this tom was huge! She didn't think she'd ever seen a kit so large at birth.

In the next few heartbeats, the tom had been placed next to his sisters, and two more she-kits followed. As Ferretnose's body started to relax, Mossbloom set to work making sure there were no further kits, and was pleased to discover that the litter of six kittens was complete. Returning to her bundle of herbs, she extracted borage and some more raspberry leaves, as well as a little bit of sorrel. Placing them in front of the new mother, she nuzzled her between the ears. "You did so well, Ferretnose. They're all beautiful. Here, eat those, they'll help with your milk and the pain, okay?"

She turned at a sound from the entrance of the nursery, and smiled as Harefoot stepped in, purring and returning the gesture as he rubbed his cheek to hers briefly. "Of course, Harefoot. They're beautiful, Ferretnose did amazing." She lingered for a few heartbeats as he curled by his mate's side as Ferretnose began to name her large litter. The first three were greeted with their names, and Mossbloom smiled as she watched it play out. The next one caught her by surprise, and her eyes widened as Ferretnose looked to her. Her eyes softened, as did her smile as she felt tears pricking the edges of her eyes. "Thank you, my dear friend" She whispered, touched and honored by the gesture.

The rest of the kit's names followed, and Mossbloom giggled at the lone tom's antics as he received his name. As she finished naming the kits, a sudden look of grief surrounded the queen, and Mossbloom immediately knew what, well, who, the she-cat was thinking of. Beartooth, their deputy that had never gotten the chance to meet his kits. Her head lowered in remembrance of the tom, but she was sure he was watching from the stars. Standing, she stepped forward to like Ferretnose's ears and press her nose gently to Harefoot's head. "Congratulations, to all of you." With that, the she-cat turned and took her leave, letting the family settle in together in peace. They deserved the happiness, and as she emerged from the nursery and looked to the sky she searched for the brightest star in the moonlit night, and upon finding it she stared for a few heartbeats, praying that it was Beartooth looking down and his mates and kits. If it wasn't, she'd have his star-dusted hide.

Cedar’kit’s wriggling body squirmed for a taste of milk. Her eyes and ears were squeezed shut, and she let out a loud, high-pitched mew. She heard conversation, but none of it made any sense to her. As she drank the milk, a warm sensation filled her body and she purred softly. She continued to nurse until she felt fully satisfied. She found a spot with her head resting on her mother and fell asleep, entering the peaceful world of her dreams.

OOC: Ahh, this is late, sorry

Barkkit nuzzled sleepily against her mother, purring against Ferretnose's warmth. Her scent was safe and familiar, and the she-kit instinctively pressed closer. Even though she had yet to have words to express the feeling, there was already a natural feeling of being at home. An instant love for her mother and littermates. Still, for the time being, she had no care except for being warm and well-fed.