The nursery was quiet except for the light rustling of other queens and the occasional squeak of a kit. Jumpingjack laid her head on her paws, carefully stretching out her spine to loosen the cramping in her full stomach. She was near the end now; the calico she-cat could feel it in her bones. She only hoped the ‘event’ would happen when she’d had enough sleep. Closing very yellow reptilian eyes Jackie tried to get some rest. A ripple of pain flowed through Jumpingjack and the she-cat huffed out a breath of panic, eyes snapping open. She wasn’t ready yet, she’d never given birth in her life!
Taking a couple of quick shallow breaths the she-cat tried not to think about what was happening and sent one of the other queens to search for Eagleflight. More ripples of pain followed and Jackie gasped in barely concealed pain. Quickly the she-cat turned her head to see a small, slime covered, calico she-cat. Gently biting through the sac Jumpingjack pulled the little bundle of fur closer to her side and frantically licked the kitten’s head.
“Colourfulkit,” she whispered, looking fondly down at her child. Her first born, her treasure.
Another rippled of pain flowed through her and Jumpingjack was painfully reminded of her situation. Nudging the small calico close, Jackie dug her claws into the floor of the nursery and wailed softly. The throbbing soon passed and the calico turned her head to catch the next kit. With careful movements she repeated the process, licking the small silver spotted she-kit and nuzzling her close to the warmth of her belly.
“Fawnkit,” she murmured, pressing her petit pink nose into its steadily warming fur. Both were she-cats so far and she admired the both of them with tired, but proud eyes. When this was all over she would be able to show them off to the rest of Windclan. The throbbing came hard and fast this time, catching the calico totally off guard. Moaning softly Jumpingjack closed her eyes to try and wait out the pain. The ripples reached right down to her toes and pinged across her eye lids like the stars of the silverpelt. Jumpingjack sighed in relief when it passed; tiredly turning her head to bite open the next sac. Quickly she began licking the small Bengal tom, driving warmth and love into every stroke.
“Toykit,” she stated through gritted teeth, the pulsing sensation of the contractions gripping her body. Yowling, Jumpingjack felt her eyes water and she fiercely tried to get a grip on herself. The normally shy and collected feline whipped her head back in agony before sighing with relief as the ripples passed. Quickly she moved her head to catch the next kit Another calico. Jack felt a moment of pride that her coloured coat was given to two kits. Biting through the sac Jumpingjack gently licked away the grip of the cold from the tiny she-cat till the small body took a gasp of air.
“Cherrykit,” she said, shifting the smaller body closer to the other three kits. Beautiful. That’s the only word that came to mind when she looked upon the four angelic faces of her children. She felt worn out and mentally tired beyond all reason but she was happy. Smiling, she gently nuzzled the bodies into line and laid her head on her paws. She was done, it was over. She felt empty and more than a little weightless.
Suddenly a ripple of pain flashed through her and Jumpingjack let out a yelp of surprise. Hadn’t the medicine cat been certain she was only going to have four?! Hissing is irritation she clawed at the ground and rode out the throbbing with a determination she didn’t know she’d possessed. When the waves of agony finally ended Jumpingjack slumped into her nest almost too tired to move. Slowly and somewhat apprehensively the she-cat reached back and cut the last sac. The slimy and beautifully marbled tabby was quickly swamped with licks from it’s mother. Jumpingjack pushed the last, small body close to her own and let her head fall back. Now that she could actually feel it there was a definite difference between after Cherrykit and after….
“Forgottenkit,” she whispered to the nursery wall, slowly closing her yellow reptilian eyes, “that you never be forgotten again.”