Red Maple

chapter 6: beauty

OH, STARCLAN MAKE it stop! Mapleshade writhed in agony and sank her claws into the dried moss.

"Relax," Ravenwing instructed, placing a paw on her rippling flank. She so desperately wished it was Redriver helping her through the birth instead, he knew so much about medicine from his mother, Violetshine, and his aunt, Silverwhisker.

A spasm wracked her body, making her clench her jaw and resist the urge to sink her teeth into Ravenwing's thick-furred black leg.

"It's another tom!" gasped Frecklewish. "Oh, he's magnificent!"

Mapleshade had already given birth to a fiery ginger tabby tom and a reddish-brown tom.

Ravenwing turned to look. Mapleshade sprawled in the nest with her eyes closed, trying to not think about the pain yet to come. Something wet and squirming was shoved against her muzzle. She opened her mouth to protest – and smelled the sweetest scent that she'd had ever known. She lifted her head and blinked down at the dark brown bundle if slick fur beside her. Oh, Redriver, you have three sons so far. And they're beautiful!

"Lick him, Mapleshade," Ravenwing mewed. "It will help him to breathe."

For a moment, Mapleshade wanted to tell the other cats to get out, to leave her alone with this tiny precious creature. Nothing will be as special as these heartbeats when she met her first kits. Then her body buckled with another wave of pain and she cried out. Ravenwing pulled the kit away. "You take him, Frecklewish," he ordered.

"Gladly," came the she-cats mew. "Come here, little one. Let's get you clean and dry."

Mapleshade tried to say that she could take care of her own kits but the spasm grew stronger and suddenly there was another two kits lying beside her, their mouths wide open in a soundless mew, one of them their fur patched with ginger and white like his mother's, and the other a sand-coloured tabby.

"A tom and she-cat," Ravenwing announced. "You're doing great, Mapleshade." He ran his paws along her belly. "One more, and that's it. Come on now, stay focused."

An irresistible longing to be alone with her kits gave Mapleshade a fresh surge of strength and the final kit slithered out at once.

"A she-cat!" purred Ravenwing. "Smaller than her brothers and sisters, but in excellent shape. Your turn to take over, Mapleshade." He nudged all six kits into the curve of Mapleshade's belly. She propped herself up and twisted around to gaze at them in astonishment. I did it, Redriver! Four sons and two daughters!

"They are gorgeous," Frecklewish whispered, her voice husky with emotion.

Ravenwing nodded. "You did a great job, Mapleshade. We'll leave you alone to rest, but I'll come back with some herbs for you after sun high. Do you feel okay?" There was a flash of concern in his dark blue eyes, and Mapleshade felt a surge of sympathy toward the young medicine cat. He had been in sole charge of ThunderClan for just two moons since the death of Oatspeckle, and this was one of the first deliveries he'd had to supervise.

"I couldn't be better," she told him. Her throat felt dry and sore. "Could I just have some water, please?"

"I'll fetch it!" Frecklewish hopped out of the nursery.

Ravenwing watched her leave. "You made her feel life is worth living again," he commented. "She took the loss of her brother hard."

Mapleshade buried her muzzle in the soft, damp fur of her kits. "These kits are my gift to the whole of ThunderClan," she murmured. "I will thank StarClan for them every day for the rest of my life."

The medicine cat touched her lightly with the tip of his tail. "And ThunderClan thanks you," he meowed before leaving.

Mapleshade stared down at her kits. A ginger tabby tom, a dark brown tom, a ginger-and-white tom, a dark ginger tom, a pale brown she-cat and a sand-coloured tabby she-cat. All beautiful kits with great futures.

Mapleshade will make sure of that.