A Good Day Gone Bad

Gustpuddle knew there was something off about this pregnancy. She was sure that maybe it was just a little different than the last, no big deal, but she still knew that something was different, whether it was good or bad, she couldn't tell. She just couldn't seem to shake the feeling. As she lay sprawled out in the nursery, her protruding belly started to clench. She knew what was coming, and this time, she was prepared. She knew what to do- call for Sagepaw and Hollowfa- No, not Hollowfang. "Sagepaw! It's the kits!" She yowled, looking around to find a stick. When she found one, she gripped it firmly with her teeth, already knowing that was exactly what she'd be told to do.


OOC: Yall who have kits, please don't post till I PM you letting you know it's alright, as that may interfere with plotting. Thanks!

Training had been going fairly well. Sagepaw already knew quite a bit, so it was easy for her to catch up. However, at the sound of one of their queens crying for the apprentice, Rabbitfoot stopped dead in her tracks. "Coming!" She shouted back instinctively, dropping the herbs she had and running over to Gustpuddle. It was strange that she was going to be helping a Windclan queen, but it was almost exhilarating doing exactly what she was meant to do. "Good, you already have the stick. Experienced mother, I presume?" she asked, getting right to work, feeling out the she-cat's belly gently with her paws to count the kits and help the process along.

Gustpuddle's call brought Sagepaw instantly to her feet. However, Rabbitfoot responded before she even had the chance to. Her ear flicked in a mild aggravation. I can take care of my own clan! She wanted to yowl at the Skyclan medicine cat. But this was not the time, and the sweet she-cat was only trying to be helpful. Even if this path was far from her least favorite, her drive to succeed and thrive was what pushed her on. The medicine cat apprentice pushed away her feelings of frustration and instantly jumped into her healer mode. Circumstances had forced her to get used to being quick. But most of the time she had to handle it on her own without Beetlewing around. Today, Rabbitfoot would help.

The grey and white she-cat took a couple of moments to gather any herbs that would be useful. Skyclan's medicine cat was at the queens side. She could spare a second to get the necessary things. It wasn't bad having someone else around to help. Her paws were a blur as she threw together the bundle before picking it up gingerly in her teeth and rushing to the nursery. Sagepaw set everything down and looked over Gustpuddle. The queen seemed prepared for what was about to happen. Sagepaw looked down at her and managed an encouraging smile, "You know what you're doing, Gustpuddle. This will all be over soon."

Gustpuddle clenched on the stick between her jaw, only just barely catching what Rabbitfoot had said. "S-sure am, one ha-happy litter..." Her sentence trailed off as she started to concentrate more on the coming events, which would take work. When Sagepaw came in with the herbs, she managed a weak smile, the waves of pain getting more and more intense. "Thanks, S-Sagepaw." She looked up to Rabbitfoot, who seemed to be doing the exact same thing that Beetlewing did with her last litter- counting the kits. "Do you kn-know how m-many?" She asked jokingly, but Rabbitfoot didn't even have time to answer before Gustpuddle felt the first kit coming. She bit down hard on the stick, wincing slightly. Before long, the first kit, a black she-kit, was born. She smiled, licking the small bundle and placing her beside her stomach to suckle. As the pain continued on, it was only a short time until another kit, a lighter gray she-kit, was born. She did the same as before, licking her gently before placing her to her side.

As the smokey gray and white queen continued the process, there was another kit that was born. It was yet another she-kit, but this time a mix of gray and white dapples. At this point, everything was going fantastic, but there was still one more kit to be born. Another kit to go- then she'd be done- or at least that was what she thought. After the laborious process was done, there was one kit that stood out from the others, although Gustpuddle, being tired and barely awake, didn't notice. 'Last time', she thought, 'I didn't feel this way.' Her head swirled and she soon began to feel dizzy. She kept her eyes open, however. She needed to name her kits. "St-tormkit, Sootki-kit. Sof-Softkit..." She trailed off, naming them from first born to last. When she only saw three kits by her side, she began feeling even more nauseous. She looked around, seeing the last kit unmoving on the ground. "Wh-what's wrong w-with her? Why i-isn't she m-moving?" Gustpuddle let out a couple coughs, already beginning to fall unconscious. "Her name is D-Dapplekit..." She trailed off, slipping unconscious.

OOC: Yall with the kits, you can now post!

Softkit squirmed up beside her siblings and started to suckle. She barely noticed her mother falling unconscious as she drank from her mothers belly. She was the smallest and weakest of the four. Softkit felt her mother's body shake as Gustpuddle coughed. This caused her to let out a startled wail that was cut off abruptly by her mothers fur.

((Sorta short but eh :T

(OOC: Ooh one of the kits should be evil. I want to play an evil cat for once...)

Sootkit shivered after being exposed to the cool air. She let out a small cry at Gustpuddle's cough, as the vibrations shook her body to her core. She instinctively buried her muzzle deep within her mother's fur, trying to find more warmth and comfort. She began to suckle once she became accustomed to her new environment.

OOC: boi

As the kitting continued and Sagepaw joined in, Rabbitfoot just proceeded with the typical procedure of a queen giving birth. Considering she had helped with plenty of these in Skyclan, this was almost second nature to her and she was highly considering letting Sagepaw take over. However, all too quickly the kits were there. Four little babies crawling around to find their mother's belly, but almost immediately the medicine cat noticed one of them wasn't moving. Gustpuddle had noticed as well, but Rabbitfoot's stomach dropped as she realized just how bad things were getting. Gustpuddle sounded exhausted, but not just from the kitting. Glancing over to the queen, the she-cat could tell immediately that something was wrong. Before anything could be done, though, the queen fell unconscious and suddenly everything went into emergency mode.

In a panic, Rabbitfoot suddenly went into tunnel vision. All she could think about was saving this kit and Gustpuddle. "Gustpuddle, stay with me!" she meowed worriedly, checking on the queen to make sure she was still breathing. Almost immediately, Rabbitfoot backed away, a new look of fear crossing her face. The queen's breathing was horribly labored and her skin was burning up. How does greencough show up during Green-Leaf? Looking up with a new burst of energy, she turned to Sagepaw. "Sagepaw, go grab some wet moss! Try to wake her up! That'll be our first step for now. I'll grab the kits." Instantly, Rabbitfoot was being as careful as she could, trying to snatch up the kits quickly to get them away from Gustpuddle. If they caught her sickness, that would be the end...

Finally, she snatched up Dapplekit, but as soon as she did, the smell of disease hit her hard. Trying her best not to breathe as she carried the poor kit, Rabbitfoot was quick to take the tiny she-cat into the medicine den away from the others. Thankfully she was still alive. Maybe they could save her still. "Don't let anyone near this kit or Gustpuddle, Sagepaw. You understand me? They are both very sick and I don't want them to infect the clan."

"Yes, Rabbitfoot." Sagepaw meowed in response to the older medicine cat. Dapplekit's sick stench caused her nose to twitch. She had been told to leave before she had noticed it. Already, a moss soaked ball was at her feet. The apprentice passed on the wet bit to Rabbitfoot. Everything had seemed to happen so  quickly. All she could do was be quiet and let Rabbitfoot take the lead. It felt wrong, but a seed of worry sad heavy in her stomach. If I can't handle this now, how am I supposed to do it as a full medicine cat? So far, she had saved several lives. The grey and white medicine cat knew what she was doing, but in the moment, another clan's medicince cat had taken over. The swarm of thoughts was overwhelming, but she had to focus on the kit before her.

"It'll be okay, little one." She meowed lowly, words devoid of conviction. Gingerly, she took the tiny bundle's scruff and carried it to a secluded part of the den. There was no need to allow any other cat to get sick. Worriedly, the she-cat sorted through her herbs, finding anything she thought would help. Sagepaw grabbed some lavender to soften the smell of sickness. The tiny kit was too small to take anything; it was all she could do for now. Anything outside of the den, Rabbitfoot would have to handle. Puddlepaw... please help me.

OOC: I was allowed to jump in

Pigeonpaw had heard a commotion in the nursery, and the gray tom hadn't minded until he heard frantic talking and saw a cat carrying kits towards the medicine cat's den. A heavy stench of sickness rolled in the air, mixed with the smell of Gustpuddle. His Sister-in-law. He had knew that the she-cat was pregnant and that he would be an uncle, so when some newborn kits were hurried away he felt acid start to climb up his throat. "Gustpuddle..?" he softly said as he rounded the corner and peered into the nursery. His heart skipped a beat when Pigeonpaw saw the black and white cat lying, unconsious and barely breathing. Scrambling backwards with a yelp he raced towards where Sagepaw and Rabbitfoot were scrambling through herbs and setting down what looked like Hollowfang and Gustpuddle's kits. "W-What's happuning?!" he asked frantically. "Why is Gustpuddle... Why are the kits..." his voice seemed to stop working as he stood in front of the entrance, his yellow eyes glistening with worry.