ever and evermore [birth topic]

Unfortunately for Primroselight, this being her second litter didn't seem to dull the pain at all. At least this time she knew what she had to brace herself for. She had also promised to herself not to think about Mallowkit and Dustkit. Muddythorn, who had been sitting beside her when the flashes of pain started, had briefly disappeared to go find Beechface. And just to their luck, Sparrowflight was out hunting and possibly on the other side of the territory whilst his mate was having kits.

"Beechface?" Nonononononono. Muddythorn frantically dashed across camp. Was he panicking a lot? Yes. He couldn't help being reminded of the littermates he never knew. But this time there would be two medicine cats, and that had to count for something. It didn't take long for him to find his mentor, and in one breath he said, "Mumhavingkitsrightnow." He didn't give her time to respond before he was running back to the nursery. He hadn't been under this much stress since he started trying as a medicine cat. Muddythorn had absolutely no idea what to do. They hadn't really covered kittings yet, but it seemed to be more of a learn-on-the-job kind of skill.

"I've got the chervil and raspberry leaves, relax, Muddythorn. Grab some sticks, too." Beechface could sense her apprentice's panic and worry, and the best thing to do for him would be to stay calm herself. This wasn't the first litter she'd helped with, not even close, and Primroselight had done this before.

Grabbing the bundle of herbs, Beechface stepped out of the den and made her way toward the nursery. Ducking inside, she lightly touched her nose to Primroselight's head. "Hey sis, I'm right here." She mewed, "Chew on these but don't swallow." She added, placing the bundle of chervil in front of her before shifting her way to Primroselight's flank. She placed a careful paw on her flank, noting that this didn't seem to be a large litter. Hopefully it would go smoothly this time, and Beechface would do everything she could to ensure that would happen.

Deep breaths. Deep breaths.

Muddythorn took a second to compose himself before finding the sticks. This bit was the part he could do. He had chosen the healing, not the stress that came with it. Collecting a few sturdy-looking sticks, he rejoined his mother and aunt in the nursery. "I've got them. Here mum, bite down on this," He was proud to say that some form of calmness had reentered his voice.

---

Just like Beechface had predicted, the litter was small. Two she-kits, but both were healthy. Despite the pain being no less, it felt like the kitting was over faster, and thankfully lacked the bitter-sweet happiness that had masked the ending of her last. Sparrowflight finally made his way into the nursery, apologising profusely for accidentally being on the other side of the territory. They had sent an apprentice to go find him and tell him the news, but it still took longer than any of them would've liked. Much like last time, her mate settled beside her to name the kits.

"The first is a tabby like me, but she's got a bit more white on her. Looks quite a lot like my ma, actually. And the other one," He hesitated slightly, and Primroselight could tell that he was properly looking at her for the first time, "looks a lot like Dawnhawk." The last word came out so quietly Primroselight barely heard it over her heavy breathing.

"Then we'll call her Dawnkit. She can be the warrior he should've been. And we can make sure we don't make the same mistakes." Primroselight said immediately. This definitely wasn't a decision that should be made by the faint of heart, but she had been thinking about it a lot recently. Would her brother had been the way he was if he was raised differently? "The other one can be Stagkit. What, you think I'd let you name one of them after last time?" She joked, desperately trying to ease the tension in the den that had just been created by her unorthodox naming choice.

Beechface gave Muddythorn an encouraging nod, glad that he'd managed to at least hide the sense of panic in his voice at least. Assisting births were usually stressful, but he needed to learn eventually.

---

"Two she-kits, both healthy." She told Primroselight, "Congratulations." Her sister deserved the happiness, and their birth had gone smoother than last time.

"If you need anything, you know where I'll be. I'll leave you in peace." Beechface turned, beckoning Muddythorn with her tail. He'd have plenty of time to spend with his little sisters-

Dawnhawk- Dawnkit-

Beechface's head snapped around to face Sparrowflight and Primroselight. "Dawnkit." She repeated slowly, "And I thought dad was bad at names. Are you... sure?" The scrap of golden fur did look a bit like him, but she also looked like Primroselight. Still, Beechface supposed that they weren't her kits, and it wasn't her place to name them.

"Good luck telling mom and dad. Now I'm leaving." She said briskly. Smokefeather hadn't approached the nursery at all, and she didn't know where Bloodstrike was. Just as well, she decided. She turned away with a sigh, pushing her way out of the nursery. Dawnkit was just a kit, she wouldn't wind up like her namesake... She hoped.

Unaware of the…controversial name that had been bestowed upon her, Dawnkit basked in the warmth of her mother and sister. Eyes still tightly closed, she let out a few mews through her mouthful of milk. Life was good. She had family, food, and warmth. The little she-cat curled up in a small ball, the faintest hint of a purr escaping her mouth. She nestled herself into her mother and sister and swiftly fell asleep, mouth hanging slightly open.