"Hawkspirit, I-"

"Not here," Hawkspirit mumbled through his bundle of herbs. They were still in ShadowClan territory, as pine needles pricked at Skyfall's paws with nearly every step they took. They were walking at a brisk pace. Skyfall was dying to go faster, but Hawkspirit insisted to go at a slower pace to avoid crushing or dropping any valuable herbs they may need.

Skyfall shut her mouth. She had thought that they were far enough away from ShadowClan's camp by now, and that it was safe for them to talk, but clearly Hawkspirit disagreed. The only contact they had made was the slight touch of their tails as they walked. They made sure to keep  a further distance than they normally would have when they were alone. Their distance pulled at Skyfall's heart, as she so desperately wanted to rub up against his warm fur, but she knew better. 

The ThunderClan border came into view, and Skyfall could begin to detect faint ThunderClan scent markers. Hawkspirit seemed to recognize the shortening distance as well, as Skyfall could feel him begin to loosen up, the tension falling from his stature.

Deciding that she would attempt to speak again, she whispered, "Thank you for coming."

Hawkspirit nodded. "I'm sorry that I am being quiet," He meowed with sincerity. "ShadowClan doesn't trust you. Or any of ThunderClan. I wouldn't be surprised if they had been following us."

Skyfall flicked her ear in acknowledgment. She knew how ShadowClan felt about her, and about her Clan. Irritation rose up within her when she thought about the fact that ShadowClan really thought there was a possibility that ThunderClan used a potentially dying queen and her kits as bait into battle. The fact that they think we'd do that is a reflection unto them, She concluded to herself. Since they thought of it, they wouldn't be past using it.

"So, Willowleaf went to the Moonpool?" Hawkspirit asked, curiosity thick in his mew.

"Yes," Skyfall confirmed. "We had a bit of an event happen today during my warrior ceremony."

Hawkspirit's eyes lit up. "Your warrior ceremony! I almost forgot!" His throat erupted into purrs. "I'm so proud of you, Skyfall - wait, Skyfall?"

Skyfall flicked her tail. "I see you've discovered our event," She chuckled. "Sunstar knows about the prophecy."

Hawkspirit was silent. She knew that he had a million thoughts racing through his head, just as she had when she heard her name for the first time. However, she didn't want to focus on the prophecy right now. She was exhausted, and there was an emergency back at camp. Hawkspirit needed to focus on what she had gotten him for - Flowermoon!

"Flowermoon's carrying a lot of kits," She quickly changed the subject. "Willowleaf said previously that she thought there was at least five."

Hawkspirit's ears perked in surprise. "Five? That's a lot, especially for a cat of her size." His voice reflected his worry. 

"Willowleaf has been saying it will be very dangerous for her," Skyfall meowed, picking up her pace. "We need to hurry. Not only is Flowermoon in grave trouble, but we can't let Sunstar know you're coming to camp."

"Wait, Sunstar doesn't know I'm coming?" Hawkspirit asked, turning his head to look at her. Fear was evident in the ShadowClan medicine cat's eyes. She knew that he must be scared out of his fur, considering that it was beyond obvious that Sunstar had a disdain for all medicine cats, but especially ShadowClan's. He knew as well as she did that Sunstar still blamed Hawkspirit and Nightflare for the first battle between ShadowClan and ThunderClan that she had been around for. 

"No," Skyfall confessed. "But it'll be okay. Flowermoon's been very quiet, and the only people who knew about her labor when I left was Rainpetal, Shadepool and I, since we were keeping our silent vigil."

"Why didn't she call for anyone?" Hawkspirit asked, curiosity thick in his mew. Skyfall could tell that his worries had subsided upon knowing that Sunstar would remain unaware of his visit for the time being.

"I don't know," Skyfall admitted. "It's almost like she didn't want someone to know."

Hawkspirit flicked his tail. The two mates quickened their pace as they crossed the ThunderClan border. Skyfall immediately felt more comfortable, as she was finally in her own territory. Instead of walking side-by-side with Hawkspirit, she took the lead, as she knew where to step in ThunderClan's frozen territory.

She felt Hawkspirit begin to slow down, obviously unsure of his footing, but she persisted. She knew chasing after her would keep him on his paws, since he had no other choice unless he wanted to wander by himself in ThunderClan territory. 

Before long, she was leading Hawkspirit through the gorse tunnel. Much to her relief, the camp was just as silent as she had left it. Shadepool ducked her head out of the nursery, and relief flooded through her green eyes when she saw Skyfall approaching, Hawkspirit on her heels.

"Thank StarClan!" Shadepool hissed once Skyfall and Hawkspirit had joined them in the nursery. 

Flowermoon was still laying on her side, her breathing shallow and rapid. Her paws were curling in pain. Rainpetal had been bringing the queen water that was soaked in moss, but Flowermoon seemed uninterested. Amberpaw was behind Flowermoon, horror plastered on her face as she paced back and forth.

"I don't know what to do! I don't know what to do!" Amberpaw wailed. Seeing Hawkspirit pulled her out of her trance, and she immediately leaped over to him. "I told Rainpetal to get her some water, but I don't know what to d-"

"The first thing you need to do is relax," Hawkspirit meowed sternly. Skyfall was slightly taken aback. She had never seen Hawkspirit in medicine cat mode before, besides for when he had treated her at the abandoned twoleg nest. He had been much gentler to her though, she had remained unaware that he had a stern bone in his body until now. "Stressing her out isn't helping anyone. Flowermoon," He meowed, his tone instantly getting softer as he turned his attention to the queen. "I'm Hawkspirit. I'm a ShadowClan medicine cat, and I'm here to help you."

Flowermoon stared up at him. Skyfall could tell that she was baffled that a ShadowClan medicine cat was helping her deliver her kits, but ultimately, she was in too much pain to care. She let out another low yowl, and Hawkspirit began to bark out orders. "Rainpetal, go get her more water, this is dried up," He instructed. "Shadepool, go find her a stick to bite on."

Her sisters leapt at his orders, bounding out of the nursery. Hawkspirit wasted no time unwrapping his herbs. Glancing up at Amberpaw, he passively asked, "Who are you?"

"I-I'm Amberpaw," She stuttered. "I'm Willowleaf's apprentice."

Hawkspirit looked surprised for a moment, but he flicked his tail in acknowledgement. "You should pay attention, this is a good teaching moment for you."

She nodded, relief flooding through amber eyes. Skyfall, once again, felt pity for the new apprentice. She was barely out of the nursery, and Shadepool had pulled her from her sleep, expecting her to deliver StarClan knows how many kits. Amberpaw just looked happy to know that the pressure was no longer on her, and that she could use this time to learn.

"Flowermoon," Hawkspirit called, his tone soft. "I'm going to give you raspberry leaves. These will help ease your pain."

Flowermoon's eyes lit up at the sound of her pain dissipating. She lifted her head and chewed the leaves that Hawkspirit had laid out for her.

Shadepool ducked into the nursery, fresh moss soaked with water in her jaws. Once she had set it down, Hawkspirit pushed it in front of Flowermoon. The tortoiseshell she-cat weakly lapped at it twice before putting her head back down. She scratched her claws against the bracken wall, looking for anything to escape her pain.

Moments later, Rainpetal returned with a thick stick for Flowermoon. Hawkspirit examined it briefly before nodding approvingly and giving it to the queen. She was very accepting of it, biting down on it almost immediately, using it to stifle another wail.

Hawkspirit began to feel her belly with his paws. Amberpaw watched intently, and Skyfall knew that she was taking mental notes of Hawkspirit's actions. Hawkspirit glanced at Skyfall, muttering, "I believe there's six of them."

"Six?" Flowermoon wailed questioningly, "Willowleaf said there was only five!"

"The sixth is small and hidden between its littermates, I'm not surprised it went unnoticed," Hawkspirit commented. Glancing around the den, Skyfall could see the trouble in his eyes before he began to speak. "Okay, there are too many cats in here," he observed. "You three," He gestured to Skyfall and her sisters with his tail. "Go continue to keep your vigil."

Skyfall was slightly crushed that she couldn't stay in the den with Hawkspirit, but she dipped her head. Shadepool ducked out of the den immediately, clearly uncomfortable with the whole situation. Rainpetal cheered Flowermoon on and gave her her best wishes before following Shadepool. Skyfall waited to see if she could give Hawkspirit an encouraging glance, but he didn't look up from his work. Nodding to herself, she followed her sisters outside.

They returned to their positions, ears perked and alert for any activity within the camp. Skyfall was relieved to find that the night was hardly half way over, despite how heavy her paws were and how long it felt like it had taken to get Hawkspirit into camp. Willowleaf would be returning by dawn, and Skyfall knew the medicine cat would be both embarrassed and upset that she abandoned Flowermoon during her birth. Her heart felt for her, because she knew Willowleaf didn't intend to cause this situation, and once again, it was all the prophecy's fault.

~*~

A few hours had passed. Worry tingled in her paws when she knew they only had an hour left before the dawn's light would wash over the forest.

Shadepool, Rainpetal and Skyfall exchanged worrying glances. None of them had moved from their vigil positions that they had taken on at the beginning of the night. Skyfall cringed on the occasion that she heard a muffled scream come from the nursery, and at the fact that neither Hawkspirit or Amberpaw had given them any updates.

Finally, Amberpaw's cream colored fur could be seen through the entrance the nursery. She ducked her head out, made eye contact with Skyfall, and used her ear to beckon her into the nursery.

Nervousness shot through her. She wasn't sure what she was walking into. Flowermoon could be dead, her kits could be dead, anything was a possibility. Skyfall was preparing herself for the worst.

Relief washed over her when she saw four kits mewing quietly in a nest near Amberpaw. By the time Skyfall had reached the den, Amberpaw had made her way back to them, and was licking them consistently to keep them warm. Flowermoon was still breathing, but her eyes were closed, and Skyfall assumed she was resting. Two smaller kits were at Hawkspirit's paws, and he was slathering them with herbs, but she was unsure of which ones. 

"Oh, great!" Skyfall chirped. Hawkspirit looked up at her. She was expecting his eyes to reflect the same relief that she felt within her, but much to her surprise, they didn't. They reflected something much more critical. She cocked her head in confusion.

Hawkspirit flicked his tail to Flowermoon's nest and stepped to the side. Skyfall could hardly believe her eyes.

Her nest was filled with blood. Flowermoon's hind legs, lower belly and her tail were stained crimson, her beautiful tortoiseshell fur clouded with red. Skyfall's heart sank, and her eyes darted back up to Hawkspirit, begging for answers.

He beckoned her to follow her to the other side of the nursery, away from Flowermoon's bedside. She followed him quickly, her heart racing.

"She's not going to make it," He whispered, his eyes dark blue pools of sorrow. "But four of her kits are healthy. Two of them may...follow their mother to StarClan."

Skyfall stared at him. She was baffled. She had always known that Flowermoon's delivery was going to be a dangerous one, but she never pictured this. She never pictured seeing the tortoiseshell she-cat coated in her own blood, her kits squirming and squealing, begging for their mother. She knew there was a possibility she would die, but she never realized the truly gruesome scene that would accompany her death. Even out of all the battle injuries she had seen, this seemed much more brutal. A cat was curled up in her nest, a place that was supposed to be safe and comforting, in a pool of her own blood. She didn't know what to say.

Hawkspirit's tail flicked her shoulder. She knew that her mate was trying to comfort her, but couldn't due to peering eyes. Once he had given her a moment to process the information he had told her, he continued.

"She asked to speak with you," Hawkspirit murmured. 

"Me?" Skyfall asked, once again feeling the electrifying emotion of shock. "Wouldn't she want the father of her kits?"

"She didn't ask for him," Hawkspirit responded. Skyfall remembered that Flowermoon had kept that tom's identity a secret, but she was certain that she would have wanted to speak with him at a time like this. He was blissfully unaware that his kits had been born, let alone that Flowermoon was dying before Skyfall's very eyes.

"I - okay," Skyfall stuttered. In all honesty, she didn't want to be the one to talk to Flowermoon, no matter how desperate the situation was. She hardly knew the she-cat, and she had always treated Skyfall quite negatively. She had absolutely no idea what Flowermoon would have to say to her, let alone what could be important enough for her to ask for her by name as she struggled to stay in ThunderClan's campground.

She turned to pad back to Flowermoon's side. She caught the glance of Amberpaw, and Amberpaw's eyes were pools of grief. She could see Amberpaw's heart breaking right in front of her, and the pain in her amber eyes was remarkable. Skyfall prayed to StarClan that this wouldn't turn Amberpaw away from medicine. Most medicine cat apprentices gathered herbs their first day in the medicine den, and here Amberpaw was, watching a new mother waste away before her as she struggled to keep her healthy kits warm. 

Hawkspirit returned to the two kits he was working on. Skyfall noticed that one was significantly smaller than the other one. She assumed that that was the smallest kit, the one that Willowleaf had missed in her preparations. Its personal characteristics were hidden, for Hawkspirit had herbs slathered on its fur, and was wrapping it in leaves and moss to desperately warm it up.

Reaching Flowermoon's side, Skyfall stood above her for a moment. Flowermoon didn't seem to notice that Skyfall was there. Glancing uneasily at Hawkspirit, she ducked her head close to the queen's ear and murmured, "Flowermoon, it's Skyfall."

Flowermoon lazily opened her eyes, glancing up at her. She closed them after confirming that Skyfall was there. Skyfall watched Flowermoon intently, waiting for the queen to say the words she had asked for her to hear.

Flowermoon drew in a shaky inhale. Her voice was raspy and faint, her throat dry, despite the few tongue fulls of water she had swallowed earlier. Skyfall stared at her intently, anxiousness building up within her with each second that passed.

"Don't let Sunstar near my kits," She croaked. Skyfall's stomach dropped at the mention of the ThunderClan leader. "You are the sky that will fall. Please, protect them."

Before Skyfall could come up with a response, Flowermoon's bloodstained body shuttered, her exhale in the form of choppy waves. Her paws curled slightly, and her tortoiseshell pelt laid still.

Skyfall stared at her, disconcerted with what she had just heard and what had just taken place before her eyes. The only thing that reached her senses were the mewling of tiny kits, longing for the mother they would never meet, and the pinkish pale streams of the dawning light shining through the bracken roof.

Hi everyone! I am very sorry for the wait. I really hope you all enjoyed this chapter (well, you know what I mean. It's a sad chapter but I hope it was enjoyable to read!). Please leave any feedback you have below! Anyway, I've been adjusting to college. Since a few of you have been asking, I'll give a little life update here.

College has been...alright. I mean, I don't hate it, but I'm thinking about changing my whole career path..and schools, lol. I know, I'm not even a semester in (barely even a month), but I didn't know for sure what I wanted to do. And now that I think I do, my school doesn't have a program for it, so go figure lol.

My major now is Professional Writing (aka business writing). However, I'm worried that since professional writing isn't creative writing, I won't be happy. Creative writing has my heart and although I am good with words and language in all forms of genres, I think I'll find writing professional documentation just...boring. So, instead I'm thinking I'll become a Diagnostic Medical Sonographer (SOOO different than what I originally planned, I know!). 

I've always had an interest in anatomy and being in the medical field, but I never really had the interest to spend like 2937 years in medical school, and I'm squeamish (so being around sickness regularly and wounds/surgery was just a no). But I feel like being a Sonographer (aka an ultrasound technician) would be a good fit for me because I still get to deal with the interesting parts of the medical field, but without going to med school (in fact, the program is only two years, three with prerequisites). The pay is also really great right out of school, and the field is expected to grow by like 24% in my state by 2024, so I shouldn't have trouble finding a job.

But, as I originally planned, this is all temporary until I manage to write a book that sells and I can make a living off of my written works! I just need a stable career for the meantime, and I hope to enjoy it as well!

Anyway, as I was saying, I really hope you all enjoyed this chapter and are looking forward to what's to come! As always, please vote/comment/share, and thank you all for your continuous patience and support! <3 

Kaylin

P.S. Sorry for this unorganized rant!