A life for a life [open]

In a moss lined nest, Mossheart rested her heavy body, curled up with her tail tucked around her to keep out the elements. The she-cat was tired, fatigued from the occasional pangs of pain the resounded within her. She was close to kitting, Dawnflower and Alderpaw had looked her over and told her to rest, but after a few days, she hadn't started yet. It was a little concerning, but she kept a level head.

That was until she woke up in the middle of the night, deep pain lancing through her side. The she-cat squeaked, surprised, before yowling out for her mate. "Mudfoot! Mudfoot! Someone! Please fetch my mate, and Dawnflower!"

Mudfoot sat outside the warrior's den, enjoying the warm air. Mossheart was expecting kits soon and he watched the nursery entrance, his gaze never leaving it. He was about to lay down and relax a bit more when he heard his mate's meow. Not wasting a minute to think about anything, he shot into the nursery. "Mossheart! Are the kits-" He stopped mid sentence. Part of him was filled with joy but the other half was worried for his mate's safety, for kitting could be very dangerous.

Alderpaw was in his den when the frantic cries of Mossheart, followed by the concerned sprinting of Mudfoot woke him up. The dilute calico was quick to get on his feet, bringing with him a bundle of herbs to help with the kitting. Borage, Chervil, and ragweed, one for milk, the other for pain, and the final herb to give strength. That's all that he thought he needed, so he was off, carrying the bundle in his jaws to where the couple were in the nursery.

"Oh, Mudfoot. You're here." Mossheart sighed with relief, relaxing a tad bit before tensing up again with pain. It was a sharp stabbing sensation in her lower half, one that made the she-cat's legs curl up and twitch before hanging loosely against her. "I think they're excited to meet you. They don't seem to want to wait even a minute longer." She joked between panting and gasps.

Quietly, Alderpaw snuck in and dropped the herb bundle in front of Mossheart, dipping his head in acknowledgement of Mudfoot, before getting to work. He laid out all the herbs and gave them to the queen to eat.

Mudfoot nudged his mate's chin with his muzzle, a smile on his face. "I can't wait to see them either." He chuckled. Relief flooded him when Alderpaw came in. "Just take it easy, okay?" He wanted to stay by her side and prayed that Alderpaw wouldn't make him leave.

Mossheart ate all the herbs placed in front of her quickly, and took comfort in her mate's presence. With Mudfoot here, she could believe that everything would be fine. Alderpaw was young, but she trusted him to help her through this kitting without a problem. But first, she had to get through the pain.

"Urghh." She groaned, heaving out the first kit. It was a little tortie she-cat. The second kit was a little black she-kit. The next was chocolate tabby that resembled her mate. The final kit was a ginger and white that looked like her. "They're beautiful." She panted out, curled around the three of them.

Briarheart watched his old mentor have her own kits... thinking what it would be like if he had kits with Robinflight

Nervous yet overwhelmed with joy, Mudfoot nudged his mate's cheek as she gave birth. "Hang in there," he meowed softly. He hated seeing her in pain, and wouldn't dare leave her side. After a few more moments of pain, the kits were born. Mudfoot had never seen such beautiful kits and a purr escaped his throat. "They're wonderful, what shall we name them?"

The chocolate tabby tom meowed softly as he crawled towards his mother’s belly, his tiny paws and nose being the only things that guided him in his current state, obviously still too young to see or hear anything around him. His soft meowing didn’t stopped until he felt comfortable, pressed against Mossheart’s body and finally feeding.

The Black She-Kit nuzzled close to her mother, feeling the warmth of her mothers fur as she began feeding with her siblings.

A cozy warmth of someone big and pleasant-smelling was the first thing a tiny white-ginger she-cat ever felt. She began to crawl towards the source of it, following her instincts.
Suddenly she bumped into something fluffy, approximately of her size, and meowed piteously, not knowing how to deal with an unexpected obstacle.

The black She-Kit felt something bump into her. She lashed her tail trying to push it away but she was too weak to push it away so she mewed helplessly.

Before she replied, Mossheart picked up the black kit and placed her so she could suckle freely. Curling up so each of them were toasty and warm, she tried to stay awake to reply to Mudfoot. "This brown one, looks like a owl... Doesn't he?" She purred, but there was something off. Her eyes looked glassy, and couldn't quite focus on her kits. "And this one," she pointed at the white and ginger kit. "Her spots of ginger look... Looks like yew berries on a tree... A raven." She murmured, looking at the final black kit.

This was the point Alderpaw realised something was wrong, the apprentice was quick to leap onto his paws, and bolt out the nursery to call for Dawnflower. He didn't know the first thing about to what to do when a queen became out of it like this. "Dawnflower! Dawnflower!"

"Oh... I feel odd, Mudfoot." Mossheart mewoed, her head drooping as she rested her head against him. "What's going on?"

Mudfoot watched as Mossheart and the kits curled up together. He had a family, a wonderful, beautiful family. Giving his mate a lick on her head, he didn't take his eyes off the kits. "She does," he meowed in reply, but before he could say anything, Mossheart's voice started to slow down. "Mossheart?" When Alderpaw dashed out of the den yelling for Dawnflower, he knew something was wrong. "Mossheart!" He meowed with a worried stricken tone.

Dawnflower lifted her head from her laying position in her nest, she let Alderpaw handle Mossheart's kitting knowing he could do it, but as soon as she heard him calling her name, she stood up quickly not wasting anytime something was wrong. The light colored she cat raced over to the nursery, and quickly checked over the new queen. There wasn't anything that Dawnflower saw was wrong... She checked over again and again but nothing stood out. "There... there is nothing I can do..." She said in a soft defeated tone.

Snakepaw went into the nursery. He saw his mother and her kits, his sisters. Tears began to form in his eyes, yet none came down. He turned to Dawnflower. "Please, can't you give her chervil or raspberry leaves? Or anything?!" he demanded.