End of an Era

Murkystar had been excited and terrified at the news that she was pregnant again. She loved her mates, and was excited to bring yet another litter of kits to the clan, but she wasn't a young cat anymore. Her mates had retired from warriors to become elders, and the gray at her maw was expanding with each day. The situation with the dark forest didn't help either.... As the sun began to rise, the kitting began. Calling for Basilbloom, Batglow, and Mistyfalcon, Murkystar labored for several hours before four precious kits lay at her belly. Something was different, though... This wasn't her first kitting, she knew how she should feel, and this wasn't it. She was light-headed and groggy, far different from the usual exhaustion. Her heart was pounding slowly despite her panting, and she desperately tried to grip reality as darkness threatened the edges of her vision. Panic filled her eyes as her body tensed, unnaturally pulling away from her kits as she struggled to breath, seemingly unable to get the necessary air into her lungs. Her heart rate quickened, and she weakly attempted to look towards her loves, but in a moment it was over. As Murkystar's head fell to the ground, her eyes blank and belly still, her spirit rose from what remained of her to stand over her own body. StarClan was silent, unreachable, and she found herself trapped, helpless to do anything but stare down at what she had left behind. What would they do now?

Murkystar has lost a life, and is unable to return due to the Dark Forest.

There was a distinct worry in Mistyfalcon's steps as he alternated between pacing outside the nursery and checking in on his mates during Murkystar's kitting. They were both older now, and the memory of their first litter of kits had never left him, as well as the knowledge of everything else that could wind up going wrong. It didn't matter that with Basilbloom, her new apprentice, and Batglow that Murkystar was in the best paws possible; he still worried. For Murkystar, for their kits. For Basilbloom, who pushed herself so relentlessly to be the best medicine cat she could be.

Mistyfalcon glanced down at the four bundles of fur at Murkystar's belly, lips curling into a smile. Three bundles of tricolored fur, and a single tom. "The calico reminds me of Rosethorn, almost... Rosekit for her? Harekit for the second?" He pointed out the two kits with his tail. The bright, vivid coloration of the newly-named Harekit standing out against the more mottled pelts of her littermates. He leaned forward, a quick lick between Murkystar's ears in comfort.

She was exhausted... Out of it, even. More than she'd ever been. "Murky, are you okay?" His worry spiked at the lack of response, and the way in which Murkystar pulled away from the kits, struggling to breathe. "Bat... Something's not- Get Basilbloom and Fuzzypaw!" And even as he spoke, her breathing seemed to grow shallower. And shallower. Mistyfalcon's fur bristled in alarm at the sight, but there was nothing he could do. He was no trained medicine cat. His own heartbeat seemed to pick up where Murkystar's had slowed, panic lodging in his throat.

A faint shadow seemed to rise from Murkystar's body, which was much too still. Snakedung. He thought, feeling his paws go numb. There was no Starclan. Presumably that meant no way to resurrect, too. Mistyfalcon didn't care much about the ancestors, but now he truly felt the vicious hollowness that their absence left. For a second time, Murkystar was dead. Only this time was different. Their kits now lacked a mother... And the clan lacked a leader.

Murkystar was strong. They'd find a way to get her back, he told himself. We'll get you out of this, Murky... We'll fix this. Somehow. For once, Mistyfalcon fought to bury his habitual pessimism. Believing that Murkystar was truly gone... No. He couldn't. His paws felt numb, and making himself move was a struggle. "Foxdung." He growled vehemently, "I'll-" He began, "I'll grab one of the queens." The kits, he knew, needed to nurse. Murkystar was dead for the moment, and the pragmatic part of him already knew there was nothing he could do about that. He despised it. But it was the truth.

---

The small she-kit with bright ginger and deep black fur mewled, struggling towards the warmth of her siblings and her mother. Blind and deaf still, she was blissfully unaware of her new name of Harekit, or of the commotion around her beyond the squirming of her littermates. She'd been nudged toward her mother's belly and hunger made her press forward, but the movement around her seemed to gradually become slower as she kneaded her tiny paws against Murkystar's belly. After a few moments an upset mewl escaped her.

Swiftheart heard little meows from the nursery and she grew very excited she eagerly approached upon hearing the little kittens calling. She was an older sister again and she couldnt wait to meet her new siblings!

Her father mistyfalcon paced nervously back and forth... but something was wrong as he suddenly left the den ... his expression was one of pure loss and she was confused by this... she slowed down tilting her head as she slowly entered the nursery. The wigling kittens were there all bundled up and she awed over them all "ohh you are all so cute and precious!" she purred. Hmm maybe dad was just overwelamed at becoming a father again.

..........

thats when it hit her... it took a minute to really fully sink in... Murkystar her mother ... was not moving. Not at all ... this was not some sort of sleep. She inspected closer and gasped as she realized she was not even breathing.

"Mom??" she choked out standing there in pure shock unable to really move or react at all as time seemed to blur.

no no no NOOO this was not happening right now.

Fuzzypaw heard his name called from the nursery, the tom barely able to get his paws underneath him fast enough. He had brought poppy seeds for the pain afterwards, but it seemed like that was a moot point.

He went to the mouth of the nursery and saw his leader, motionless.

StarClan, no… not Murkystar.

He heard her choking, trying to breathe. Fuzzypaw came to her side, hearing her breath getting more and more shallow, until it… stopped.

His leader was dead. Mistyfalcon seemed more composed than he was, much to his embarrassment.

“I can keep the kits warm while we get a queen,” Fuzzypaw offered, not having the expertise to help much else. He knew that the kits needed to be groomed because that helped them start breathing. The tom licked their little heads and tried to keep them warm under his fluffy and unruly pelt until they could nurse with a queen.

He turned his attention to Swiftheart, clearly distraught. “I’m sorry,” the tom mewed quietly. He didn’t know what else to say, or what could be said. He felt kittens wiggle under his belly, which was a weird sensation to say the least. Maybe Basilbloom would have something better and more helpful to say? Right then, he felt like a big idiot.

Batglow had struggled to get to the nursery to see the birth of his kits. He had stood by Mistyfalcons side as he looked at his new kits. The last two still needed a name. "Echokit.. cause he looks like an echo of his mom, and the other can be leafkit." He wasn't the best at naming but he felt the names fit and that's all that mattered.

Of course he noticed later than Misty had. Murky wasn't doing so hot.. at Mistys command he turned as fast as his infected wound would let him. "Basilbloom! Fuzzypaw!" He called in his weak voice, relieved to see Fuzzypaw was already on his way. "It's murkystar.." Was all he managed to croak out. By the time he turned around it was too late.

"Stars.. no.." Batglow voice was weak.. and his mate was gone.. he didn't know what to do.

the small, unnamed she-kit squirmed uncomfortably as it roped in the darkness for her mother. something was wrong. she could feel the fur, but why wasn't her mother breathing? several pitiful mews escaped the kit.

Nightstalker tended to keep his distance, becoming fairly more anti-social than usual as a response to all the goings-on. But the arrival kits were new and exciting, despite the horrors being presented to them daily. Nightstalker pushed past the nursery entrance to nothing that felt and looked like a celebration, but misery and grief, and the faint whiff of death permeated. Did one of his new siblings not make it? Pushing past Batglow, and his distraught sister, he peered down at an odd sight... his mother... Murkystar was not moving, was not breathing. Grief swelled in his chest, as he looked over her and then down to his siblings, covered and groomed by the medicine cat apprentice. Nightstalker was a cat of action, he shifted his gaze from his mothers body, and helped Fuzzypaw lick clean and groom his siblings, using his long fur to help keep them warm.