When Thunder Fills the Sky

It was raining. The wind howled outside the barn, the old wood creaking in an attempt to stay standing. A harsh barrage of water bullets pounded upon the roof. The landscape outside was dark and gloomy, occasionally lit up with a bright white flash. Only mere seconds would pass before a deafening roar shook the very ground.

Inside the barn, all was quiet. Even the mice were too scared to skitter around in the hay. Between the raging storm, and an entire clan of cats, any mouse in their right mind would stay tucked away in their nest. A screech cut through the heavy silence, the sound of a cat in terrible pain. A lone pair of amber eyes shone through the darkness, dull with exhaustion and agony. "Dreamleaf, Bluesong!" Gentlenose managed to choke out. Who would have ever thought giving birth would be this painful? The young she cat had new respect for not her own mother, but for any she cat who had ever had kits. She yowled out in pain once more, another contraction rippling through her small frame.

Dreamleaf scrambled through the barn, running into things. She cursed multiple times on her way to Gentlenose. Not very Medicine Cat like of her. When Dreamleaf arrived, she was grumbling. The Medicine Cat set down her bundle of herbs and exhaled. She pulled out a Poppy Seed and Chervil. She pushed the two herbs over to Gentlenose silently. She had a stick prepared, in which she lowered next to Gentlenose, along with a wad of wet moss. Then the calico she-cat settled down beside Gentlenose and closed her eyes. She pressed her paw against Gentlenose's belly and felt for the contractions.
"I want to push when I say push. And... Push," Dreamleaf demanded.

---

Bluesong's ears perked up at the sound of her name echoing through the barn. The old warrior staggered up wearily and looked around.
"Wha?" Bluesong cooed. Then she cleared her head and looked around. When she heard Gentlenose's yowling, she bolted. The warrior tore over to Gentlenose's nest and found Dreamleaf already there. She decided to stay quiet and she stepped back a bit, embarrassed at her sudden entrance.

Thinstripe ran to Gentlenose, was she having kits already? Thinstripe looked at Bluesong in surprise and turned back to Gentlenose.

Gentlenose looked between Jayflight and Bluesong, glad the two cats she was closest to were with her now. She gladly lapped up the herbs, ignoring the taste, and took the stick in her mouth. She clenched her jaws down, cracking the stick as another contraction rippled through her. She pushed when Dreamleaf told her too, delivering a small, brown tabby tom. Gentlenose's breath came in gasps as she reached for her newborn son. All she wanted to do was sleep, but she wasn't done yet, there was one more on the way.

Dreamleaf whipped her head to the other cats gathering around.
"Bluesong, get that kit breathing. Gentlenose. I want you to push... now," Dreamleaf demanded calmly as she felt the last ripple.
--
Bluesong obeyed the Medicine Cat and crouched down, licking the kit's brown fur to get it breathing.

The fluffy brown kit scrambled around on the floor, it sneezed as it searched for warmth.

The stick splintered in two, falling from Gentlenose's jaws as she pushed out a second kit. Gentlenose instinctively pulled the pale white she kit towards her belly, covering her with strong, swift licks. Once the little kit was breathing, Gentlenose looked to Bluesong. "You're a grandmother," she purred, joy managing to shine through her tired amber gaze.

As soon as air filled her tiny lungs, the small white kit started to meow softly, crawling instinctively towards her mother’s belly and not being exactly helpful with her attempts to clean her. The tiny kit’s young mind was only focused on one thing, the quest of looking for Gentlenose’s body heat and milk.

Dreamleaf sighed quietly then sat up. She had wished that Stonepaw had been here to see how to do this but he hadn't been around. Dreamleaf smiled.
"Congratulations," Dreamleaf mewed.
---
Bluesong stared at the kits carefully. A grandmother. She was that old already. The warrior let out a tired laugh and she licked her daughter's head lovingly.

The tom snuggled into his mothers belly once he felt her, he began to suckle and pressed against his sister.

Gentlenose nodded, curling around her kits. "Too bad the couldn't have been born in the camp..." she sighed wistfully, remembering all the fun she had had there when she was a kit. "Hey Jayflight," she called the tom over. "What should we name them? This one looks like a blizzard..." she nuzzled the tiny white she cat.

Jayflight sat down beside his mate "How about Blizzardkit" he mewed "And that one seems to look like a sedge" he added.

When Blizzardkit felt her mother’s nuzzles she stopped suckling, curious about what just had happened, her eyes still closed but letting her sense of smell guide her until her tiny pink nose bumped her mother’s softly. However, sooner than later she lost interest, the hunger regaining her full attention as she returned to feeding.

Gentlenose smile only grew bigger when she felt her daughter's nose touch her own. "Blizzardkit and Sedgekit. They're prefect," she purred, looking to Jayflight with amber eyes full of love.

Cloverpool poked her head inside and padded over. The pretty brown tortoiseshell she cat sat down next to her granddaughter, Bluesong and her great granddaughter Gentlenose. Her family was getting quite huge with all the cats she and her kits had bore. She was a great grandmother again and now she was a great great grandmother again. The old she cat purred and nuzzled her great granddaughter. "Youll make a wonderful mother just like your mother and your cousins have. Gentlenose always be strong especially in hard times. And you mister Jayflight you be good to my great granddaughter or you'll have me to answer to." The old warrior purred jokingly the last part of what she said visibly.

OOC: hope this is alright