Warriors: Heart of Winter - Chapter 1

Chapter 1

    A snow shower pelted the landscape of the forest during moon-high.  A howling wind blew through the trees, which carried some snowflakes with it.  The tree’s branches shook, and the pine tree’s needles swayed.  It was leaf-bare, the cruelest part of the year.  However, in the Deerclan camp, a miracle was happening.
    “Eaglepaw, grab one of the sticks by the entrance while I feel Specklefang’s stomach!” ordered Dreamleaf.  Her young apprentice then ran to the entrance of the nursery and grabbed one of the snow covered branches in his jaws.  He brought it over and gave it to Spottedfang, whom held it in her mouth.  Dreamleaf then placed her white paw onto the gray she-cat’s stomach.
    “There will be two kits, Spottedfang,” the medicine cat meowed.  The queen nodded her head before a spasm shook her body.  A minute later, a gray she-cat with darker flecks was born in the nest.  
    “It’s a she-cat!” Dreamleaf exclaimed before cleaning the kit so she could breathe.  The tortoiseshell made sure to lick the fur the wrong way to warm up the kit.  Spottedfang then had another spasm, and a light gray kit was born.  
    “It’s another she-cat!” Eaglepaw meowed before licking her clean.  He did exactly what Dreamleaf did and warmed the kit up.  Then Dreamleaf nudged the kits to their mother’s belly so they could suckle.  A light gray head peeked into the den, carrying a mouse in its jaws.  The tom shook the snow off of his fur before entering.  
    “I came as soon as I heard that Specklefang was giving birth,” the warrior meowed after dropping the mouse at his mate’s paws.
    “Yes, Frostclaw, you are now the father of two beautiful she-cats,” Specklefang meowed before licking the pale gray cat’s chest.  Frostclaw purred and crouched down to get a closer look.  
    “They’re beautiful, what are their names?” the new father asked.
    “Well, I was thinking about naming the dark gray one Spottedkit, but you can name the pale gray one,” Specklefang said before looking at her daughters.
    “I’ll name her Winterkit, after the great Winter that helped found Deerclan,” Frostclaw purred.
     “That’s perfect,” the new mother purred before licking each of her daughters.  “Spottedkit and Winterkit.”     The snow shower outside soon turned into a snow flurry, and less snow drifted to the ground.  Specklefang then turned her kits onto their backs to lick their chests clean from any moss.  As she licked Winterkit, the new mother noticed a gray spot on her daughter’s chest that was shaped just like a heart.  
    “Hey, Dreamleaf, come check this out,” Specklefang meowed with a little worry in her voice.  The medicine cat had decided to stay behind to look after the new mother, but came closer as she heard her name.  
    “Yes, Specklefang?”
    “Do you see that spot on Winterkit’s chest?” Specklefang asked.  “It looks like a heart, could it be a sign?”
    “I’ve never seen a cat with that marking before.  But, then again, spots come in all different shapes and sizes.  Starclan hasn’t warned me about something like this in moons,” Dreamleaf said as she looked closely at Winterkit.  As she did this, Winterkit let out a few small mews abd slowly batted at nothing.  She couldn’t see yet or do any harm.
    “And what if it isn’t just some spot, then what?”
    “That’s for Starclan to decide,” Dreamleaf meowed.  “You should rest and not let the spot go to your head.”
    “Okay,” Specklefang meowed before flipping over Winterkit with her nose.  She then layed down her head on the soft, warm moss and drifted off to sleep.