EarthClan - Warriors - Part 1

Somewhere deep in a British forest...

   “Hello, Goldentail. What brings you here?” The short-furred black-and-white cat purred. “Good news for once, I hope?”
   “Yes, Midnightstar! Fantastic news!” The pretty golden cat said happily, swishing her long, flowy tail. Her eyes were alive with excitement as she continued. “Sunfur’s having another kit!” Midnightstar, the black and white cat, jumped up onto her paws. Her wise amber eyes bored into Goldentail’s emerald green ones.
   “Is this true?” Midnightstar asked.
   “Yes! Hurry!” Goldentail said.
   The two cats rushed out of the large crevice in the cliff that was Midnightstar’s den.  They hurried over to a large bush and pushed through a small opening in the bottom, dashing through an underground tunnel. The two she-cats soon got to a cavern, where several cats were gathered around a pretty she-cat with shining orange fur.
   The orange-furred queen, Sunfur, was lying on the ground, meowing in pain. At the front of the crowd was a long-haired white cat with patches of amber fur - Autumnleaf, EarthClan’s medicine cat. She was leaning over Sunfur. She was whispering gently into Sunfur’s ear while pushing a few poppy seeds towards her. Sunfur lapped up the seeds with some difficulty. She stopped her pained meowing almost immediately.
   “Thank you, Autumnleaf... the pain is gone.”
   “You’re welcome. I hope this kit arrives safely. I don’t want you to have to go through the pain of losing a kit again, after...” Autumnleaf trailed off as Sunfur lowered her eyes. “I’m sorry.” Sunfur’s eldest and only tom kit had died from the tom’s disease(an incurable disease that had killed almost all toms in the Clan). So had her mate.
   “It’s alright.” Sunfur sighed. Then she gasped. “Oh!”
Autumnleaf bent over her. “Hush! Stay still...” Sunfur shuddered as Autumnleaf talked. “Ah! There we are.” The kit had been born! She pushed her nose against the small, wiggling black kitten, and began to lick it gently. The kit took a gasping breath. Autumnleaf kept licking until it began to mewl.
Sunfur smiled weakly as she turned her nose towards her child. Midnightstar stepped up and examined the kit. It was a fluffy brown kit, with startlingly blue eyes.
   “Skykit.” Sunfur murmured, staring into the sapphire blue eyes. “I want to name her Skykit.”
   “This kit shall henceforth be known as Skykit!” Midnightstar repeated. A cheer went up through the watching cats. “Congratulations, Sunfur. She is beautiful. I have a feeling she will make a strong warrior.” Midnightstar whispered to the queen, who was now licking her new kit’s face gently. Sunfur smiled.
   “Thank you, Midnightstar.”
   Midnightstar smiled back and then turned to the crowd. “Let’s go. Sunfur will need some time alone with her kit.
   The crowd of cats squeezed out through the tunnel and resumed their work. Midnightstar walked over to Goldentail’s apprentice, Shimmerpaw. The young silver tabby jumped when Midnightstar called her name.
   “Oh, Midnightstar! How are you?”
   “I am well, thank you. Could you run and fetch some freshkill from the pile for Autumnleaf? She must be exhausted.”
   “Oh, yes!” Shimmerpaw looked delighted. She bounded over to a boulder, which was propped up with a smaller rock. She squeezed through an opening in the bottom to get freshkill from the pile that was under it. She trotted past Midnightstar, heading for a tree stump with a hole under it. She wriggled into the hole. The stump was actually Autumnleaf’s den.
   Shimmerpaw emerged again after a moment, looking extremely proud of herself.
   “Thank you.” Midnightstar said with a grin.
   “You’re welcome!” Shimmerpaw said happily. If only all apprentices were so eager, Midnightstar thought. She remembered her own apprentice - stubborn, disobedient, and reckless. She sighed and walked back to her den. Then she saw a light gold kit walking in front of her.
   “Daisykit?” She asked. The kit looked up sadly.
   “Oh. Hello, Midnightstar.”
   “Cheer up, Daisykit. You’re getting everyone down with this mood you’re in.”
   “Sorry...” The kit sighed.
   “Have you even gone to see your new little sister?”
   “No.”
   “You should. She’s adorable.”

   “Alright...” Daisykit sighed again, slumping off to the nursery. The four-moon-old kit had been horribly depressed ever since her father and brother died from the tom’s disease.
   With a horrible ache in her stomach, Midnightstar remembered the adorable, fluffy brown kit playing, jumping around at a leaf - the last time she had seen him alive. Poor Earthkit... he didn’t deserve to die so young. But if StarClan wished it... Why, though? He was innocent!
   Midnightstar shook her head, trying to clear it of the painful thoughts. She sighed like Daisykit and settled down in her den for a much-needed nap.