Before Sunrise, They're Your Kits. (Birthing Thread)

[Winter is Coming]

@wildpelt , Isilme , @moonpaw , Glorilyss (tagging for obvious reasons, hope you don't mind)

Crowfern was lounging lazily in front of the nursery. No duties, no other queens to discuss mild topics with, just pure silence. A silence that buzzed in her ear until she felt it; a sharp pain that exploded from within her stomach. She yowled, and jumped up. "They're coming! The kits are coming!" That was all she could really say, before charging into the nursery, only to trip and fall into her nest.

Luckily, she rolled at the last second and fell upon her back, keeping her precious babies safe from harm, but doing harm to herself. And oh, how it hurt. She trembled as she curled up in her nest, shaking in pain and fear. Where was that Medicine Cat?! Since she didn't have a mate to help her, the wide eyes of Wolfpelt at the den was a comfort as he came in to watch over her. The two had become close friends lately, and looked out for each other. "Duskflame!" Wokfpelt barked in that harsh lisp of his, lashing his fluffy tail.

[Glorilyss]

[Sorry for such a delay!]

Duskflame had been curled in a tight ball in her nest, amber eyes dull and barely catching the faintest light. How had everything gone so wrong for her? The entire world had been torn apart, it felt - but then she twitched her whiskers. No, no, of course not. Nothing had really changed, and she'd never be defeated by the enemies that she had. She swore silently that they'd never get the best of her, never win. Clearly, StarClan had allowed her to stay in the position of medicine cat despite knowing the truth, so she could only conclude that medicine cat was where they wanted her. She would just have to stand firm and deny everything, as she had done before, as she would continue to do.

Suddenly, a loud yowl broke her from her roundabout thoughts, bringing the young cat to her paws. There was a sense of stagnation about her, a feeling that though her fur had been kept clean and tidy and her face was as lively as ever, her heart had cooled a touch. Brushing off the lethargy that had settled over her, she took a step towards her herb stores, grabbing the few things she would need and stifling an uncharacteristic sigh before heading for the nursery.

"Calm down, you're not going to die and that shouting won't do much." Her voice was deadly calm without a trace of irritation in it, though she did wonder why she was called for kittings. Cats had been giving birth for moons before medicine cats were around - queens in Clans were just too frightened by the pain and the unfamiliarity, and Duskflame was almost certain that this was the queen's first litter. Those were always the worst, sure, but Duskflame could tend to her blindfolded, if cats had had that notion.

"Eat this," she instructed. It was just a bit of thyme, but it should help the queen calm down; Duskflame had begun adding it to her kitting packets. She'd hold off on the raspberry until the kits were free, and the borage, too. She'd brought birthwort, of course, but she didn't want to use it until she absolutely had to. Still, first kittings were sometimes difficult, especially if the queen fought against the process, so it was always safe to keep some nearby. "Grab me a stick for her to bite on," she called casually over her shoulder to the tom that had called her, barely flicking her eyes at him. "Now, you have to calm down. I'm sure it hurts, and I've seen queens go through every sort of pain available, but you're young and healthy and nothing should stop you having a fine litter of kits. Work with your body, dear, not against it." She settled back to wait, amber eyes large and luminous in the nursery's dimness.

[Winter is Coming]

Crowfern drew the herb to her, chewing it up as instructed. It tasted kind of bitter, but at least it would help. Wolfpelt disappeared from the den, coming back moments later with a smooth stick, placing it down before Crowfern's muzzle, giving her head s lick. "You're doing great, Crowfern. Just do what Duskflame says." He said, purring ssoftly. Crowfern smiled up at the wolfish tom, eyes bright with equal amounts pain and happiness that her kits would soon be here. "They'll call you Uncle Wolf, probably. We're practically family, with how close we are." She said behind the stick she now clamped in her jaws. Wolf only laughed, sitting down, surprisingly calm for witnessing his first kitting.