Copperstar thought it was only stress. He never expected that the end result of the gathering would have his paws carrying him here with haste. After tumbling back home from the gathering, tension hummed within the clans like an enraged nest of nasty wasps.
The sting of the killer that had haunted about the clans for moons had finally been revealed, and it was far worse than anyone ever imagined. Renly was massive, so much so that he towered over even the largest of warriors.
Renly’s voice had brought back a merciless surge of unpleasant memories for Copperstar, where he had gone out in search of the missing and had ended up being mauled inside a cave on the shore of Riverclan territory. He had barely escaped the brutal onslaught and made it back to Riverclan to be treated.
Copperstar was fortunate to have escaped and more so was lucky that his kits remained seemingly unharmed, thank Starclan for that. Copperstar would have been undone by devastation if anything had happened to his unborn kits.
Speaking of kits, that’s exactly why he had headed straight for The Medicine Cat’s den, urging Rainysky and Venomrose to follow after him with a commanding flick of his tail. The tom knew exactly what was happening to him, when a piercing pain flowed through him and rippled fiercely through his lower abdomen. He had gone through this once before, with his first litter, and though he had hoped it was a false alarm as he made his way back to camp- deep down he understood he was about to kit.
A violent burst of anxiety prickled like lightning through his very bones, as he realized that these kits were coming rather early. They weren’t due to be born until later on this month, and to say he was concerned would be an understatement. Copperstar wasn’t concerned, no, he was beyond his mind with trepidation, what if the kits were all stillborn, or worse? What if they only lived a few days, or even worse yet- minutes? Or perhaps the most pressing of all, was what if they suffered health conditions for the rest of their lives?
Copperstar tried to banish those thoughts as he entered the Medicine Cat Den with Rainysky and Venomrose trailing after him, the Leader turned towards them and without missing a beat he spoke clear and concise, despite the terror tearing him up from the inside out.
“I am kitting, it’s early.”
|| ℚ𝕦𝕚𝕟𝕔𝕖𝕤𝕙𝕒𝕕𝕖 ||
𝕎𝕒𝕣𝕣𝕚𝕠𝕣 𝕠𝕗 ℝ𝕚𝕧𝕖𝕣ℂ𝕝𝕒𝕟
Ordered to stay home for the Gathering, the tom had reservations about his mate leaving while being so close to kitting. But he had no choice, so in order to occupy his mind he had volunteered to join a hunting patrol with one of his step children, however that had bit him in the arse as well. Duskpoppy had been sent to fetch him, stomach in knots and his heart stuck in his throat as he rushed after the molly. How could he have been so foolish and disappearing from camp when Copperstar was so close to kitting? Ignoring his troubling thoughts, the tall and muscular tomcat lowered his head to the medicine cat den, his orange eyes dilating in the shadows when he noticed his mate laying in a nest.
Grunting, the tomcat moved towards Copperstar, lowering his head to rub his muzzle against the other toms. “I’m sorry I wasn’t here.” Quinceshade purred comfortingly before lifting his head and sniffing at his scruff, judging how far along he was during this labor. “Is there anything I can do to help you?”