Sanctuary [Owl Tree Litter]

Maplespring had found the confines of Riverclan camp to be so much more comforting with each passing day. At first, she missed her mooren tunnel of a home, but quickly adjusted. Not having to go underground to find your nest, but instead simply curl up in one above the water was much easier with her current state. Weariness tugged at her bones more and more, to the point she had practically simply spent the last few sunrises sleeping. She had to support the growing life in her belly, and it wasn't like she was allowed outside of camp anyways. So Maplespring followed the conditions Perchstar had given her faithfully. The golden tabby did the best she could to stay out of the way of any other Riverclanner, as well as stay inside of camp. It wasn't like she had anywhere else to go.

So having been comfortably resting in her nest, alarm bells went off in her mind as she woke to the pain in her belly. Having had Birchkit, she knew exactly what was coming. Something about it felt different, and she could only presume it was because she had more kits in her than just one, but the tiredness that trudged at her would hopefully go away. Still, even if she knew what the pain was, it didn't make it less uncomfortable. "Poppyshine! Owlshriek! ... Dovesight!" She called for the cats she knew, hoping they'd come in time. Inhaling deeply, all she could do was ride it out.

Dovesight panicked as she heard her name be called. Oh stars, she had no idea what she was going to do! And she already had to help a cat give birth?

She didn't have time to think, no time to figure out what herb to use. She just grabbed something from each pile, some of each herb, hoping the right one would be in the mix. The only one she really knew was the stick, though.

Rushing over to the nursery, she sat down beside the kitting queen. "I, um, it's going to be okay Maplespring. Just, um, take deep breaths and bite down on this stick, okay? We're going to get through this."

Stars she hoped that was true.

Perhaps the one good thing about being tasked with apprentice chores was that he got to spend more time with the elders. They didn't mind certainly, but they did give him a hard time. But, their nests certainly were cleaner, and the heat was kept out of their den by Owlshriek's patchwork. He had already done the nursery while helping Maplespring settle in. It felt odd seeing her in their camp. But, as the days passed, he got used to seeing her face.

His name rang out in the camp once more, and the tom lifted his head from the moss in one of the elder's nests. "Excuse me." He managed, squeezing his way out, and rushing towards the nursery, just a heartbeat after Dovesight. Owlshriek had never been near a kitting queen before, let alone a kitting queen with his kits. The thought threw him for a loop, but he managed to push the thought away for a moment and step to her side. "What can I do to help?" He mewed, tail lashing nervously.

It was a relief to see the medicine cat first, and instantly, the queen grabbed the stick as soon as it was within her reach. Being able to bite down on the wooden branch as each wave of pain only grew was certainly helpful, and she also could let herself focus on that instead of anything else. Or, well, on anything that wasn't the pain.

Owlshriek's appearance was also comforting, and for a moment, her mind drifted back to Lavenderdrop. A small shake of her head and that thought was gone, especially with him speaking. They sounded different. Were different.

"Just... stay by me." She spoke quickly, through a partially clenched jaw. It definitely seemed faster this time around. A rather large rush of pain came, and she instantly went for the stick, biting down on it as hard as she could. Soon enough, a kit was left in wake of the pain. It was a black tom, with a pattern reminiscent of Owlshriek. Maplespring felt the small bit of relief, but much more exhausted than just before.

Instinct told her to groom the kit and move him closer to her belly, and just as she did, more pain came, then yet another kit. Another tom, this time, chocolate in color. Maplespring felt shocked she was handling the pain much better than the first time she'd kitted, and if anything, was thankful it was fast, but couldn't help but feel uncomfortable at just how much energy it was all taking. It wasn't like that with Birchkit.

Taking the chance with the reprieve to groom her two new sons, she'd gotten them close to her belly when sure enough, two more came. Toms yet again, one a tiger-marked tabby, and the other much more pale, much more like Maplespring herself. She took a fair bit longer before having those two brought to her to clean off and nestle, as all she queen wanted to do was sleep.

It seemed her body had another plan though, with the pain of one more kit rippling through her. She didn't even have the energy to grab the stick at this point, instead simply lowering her head to the ground on her paws. Her jaw clenched, and ears flattened against her head as her body worked to deliver her final kit. It was strange, though, and definitely not what Maplespring expected as she almost felt as if she was dozing off. No, I need to be awake for them. She told herself.

The final kit seemed to steal her heart immediately, a precious silver tabby, and a she-cat. Out of a litter of five, four of them were toms, and one girl. She already looked like all she wanted to do was take a nap, much like Maplespring herself. "...This one is Sleepykit..." The queen said, exhausted, as she held the young kit between her paws to groom them. Maplespring herself was slow, clearly exhausted, but did her best as instinct told her to make sure her kits were okay, before nudging them all close to her belly.

Tired eyes looked over towards the other two with her, and in the moment, her mind had completely forgotten about them. "O-Owlshriek, you can name the others... I just wanted to name her." She said with a rather gentle smile, settling her head on her paws.

Watching another cat in pain was a normal occurrence as a warrior. With border skirmishes, or other issues pain was part of their life. However-- the tom flinched watching the pain rush through Maplespring. It was another thing altogether to watch someone he cared about go through agonizing pain. It felt like an eternity before each of the kittens were born, their tiny mews brought a smile to his normally stoic demeanor. "They're beautiful." He murmured, helping Maplespring clean off the kittens.

Sleepykit. It seemed fitting. The silver tabby moved much less than her brothers, the only sign of life was the gentle rise and fall of her flank. Slightly worried, the tom nudged her closer to Maplespring, before turning towards the other kittens. Going in order of birth, Owlshriek was careful to name them. The first one, that looked a lot like him-- "Sootkit." He mewed, gingerly licking the kitten's head to encourage him to drink. The next was a warm brown kitten with the same thickness as his own fur. "Hickorykit." The brown reminded him of the tree, and Owlshriek hoped he would turn out just as strong.

The next was a striking tabby, like a tiger. Even at such a young age, he stood out with bright colors and stripes, likely mostly the kitten's mother's bloodline. "Hawkkit." Another hunting bird. Perhaps a warning to other cats, the kitten was not one to be messed with. Then, a gently striped kitten was left. His pale pelt was a mixture between his own faded stripes and Maplespring's soft pelt. Soft, like the rain. "Rainkit."

Looking over them all, Owlshriek felt a rise of pride and a happy purr. "I can't wait to see who you all will become."

--

The single she-cat in the litter was slow to move. With the nudge from her father, the young kitten found her place among her siblings. Though, her small frame only drew shallow breaths.

Rainkit let out a tiny sneeze as he nuzzled into Maplespring’s belly. It was so nice and warm, it was so comforting. The small kitten noticed his sister next to her, but he was more focused on milk instead.

Dovesight breathed a big sigh of relief, sitting back on her haunches to watch the scene unfold. The kitting had gone well, from what she could tell, although Maplespring was worryingly exhausted. What was that herb Poppyshine used when taking her to the moonstone? For strength? Would that be good here?

Well there was only one way to know. She pushed the herb over to Maplespring. "Um, here, try eating this. It should, um, help get your strength up. You seem like you, are, um, tired? Uh, yeah, these should help."

Sootkit wriggled around a little trying to get his bearings, trying to follow the scent of milk that he smelled, but it was all disturbed for a moment by a single lick from his father. The second the lick was done, it seemed the tom used all the air inside his lungs to let out a loud, and drawn out screech. Once he quieted down he finally moved closer to his mother's belly.

The newly-named Hickorykit wiggled a lot next to his mother, eyes still shut tight, hiding away the blue-toned eyes that all newborn kits had. He kicked and wriggled, not at any cat in particular, just the air around him. Soon enough, the small brown ghost tabby stopped moving and started to drink at his mother's belly. He looked... Peaceful.