The Dawn of Night | A Warriors Fanfiction ✔

Chapter 28

"My paws are cold," Irispaw groaned. The ground was soggy from rain and clouds held the promise of a coming storm. "Is it true you're going to have kits? Shouldn't you be in the nursery by now?"

"I will, once you're a warrior and the nursery's rebuilt," Sunstorm replied. "It'll be nearly done by now."

"But Littlerose's kits are just barely warriors and they're so much older," sighed the apprentice. "It will be ages."

Sunstorm rolled her eyes with a purr. "Persistent as always."

They reached the gorse barrier and pushed through. The nursery was mostly repaired, and Tulippaw was holding a bundle of brambles while patting some down to form a wall.

"Fa forns hurf mah mouf," she grumbled through her mouthful of it.

"You're doing fine," Redflame assured her. "Try holding them more with your teeth instead."

Tulippaw scrambled awkwardly to find footing while she shifted her grip on the brambles. "Fhaf's beffer," she nodded. "Whaf parf next?"

Redflame stood back to see which parts had to most holes. "Near the top, in the back," he decided. "Patch up the hole and fill it in with bracken."

Tulippaw let out out a sulky moan and climbed up to the spot he had indicated, balancing on her hind paws in order to be high enough to spread the brambles over the hole.

Sunstorm turned around and saw Flintpaw return with a wad of bracken in his mouth. He bounded over to the older apprentice and placed it next to her. Tulippaw picked it up and began stuffing little tufts of it in the gaps in between the brambles.

"I'm going to go eat," Irispaw told her mentor. "Acornpaw told me Bluestripe and the elders are fed already."

"Help yourself," Sunstorm nodded. Bluestripe and her kits were temporarily sleeping in the elders' den; it was too loud in the warriors' and apprentices' dens. With only three elders there was plenty of room for them to make a comfortable nest.

"How far along are you now?" a voice interrupted her thoughts behind her.

She turned to face Falconwing. "Really close," she informed him. "A little under a half-moon."

"I can hardly wait!" Falconwing seemed to bounce off of the ground. "I'm going to be a father, Sunstorm!"

"And hopefully you can teach your kits to be patient," she teased, gently rubbing her flank against his.

"Are you feeling well?" he asked her. "Do you need poppy seeds or anything?"

Sunstorm sighed. He seemed to be getting more and more critical about her health the closer to kitting she became. "I'm fine," she assured him. "Sometimes I get a little sick in the mornings is all."

"Well... Okay," he replied, apparently unconvinced as usual.

Sunstorm glanced down at her belly, which seemed to be getting slowly heavier with each sunrise. She wondered how many kits there were; how many she-cats and how many toms. It seemed too much for her to bear.

"Do you think you should move in with Bluestripe while the nursery's being built?" her mate asked her.

"No. It won't be long anyway. Bluestripe just needs the quiet because her kits are so young; I'm only one cat."

"I can ask Stormstar to excuse you from patrols and hunting if you like," he meowed. "I can take up Irispaw's training."

"I'm just fine, Falconwing!" she purred. "Irispaw won't have to wait a half-moon, even. I can train perfectly until then - I just need to take it easy. She can always practice battle moves with Patchpaw and Flintpaw to sharpen her skills, if you like."