Bluestar's Prophecy/Chapter 19


 * A moon after Bluefur's trip with Pinestar to the Moonstone, she goes out on a morning border patrol with Adderfang, Thrushpelt, and Thistlepaw. It is now greenleaf, and RiverClan has retaken Sunningrocks without a battle, since Pinestar decided not to challenge them when they moved their border markings. Thistlepaw is frustrated at this move, wistfully saying that it would be a nice day to be lying out on Sunningrocks. Adderfang growls that they should have attacked RiverClan already, and that the reddish-brown tom's move is making ThunderClan look weak. Thrushpelt, however, points out that they have enough prey in the rest of the forest, so it's a pointless battle to fight. Thistlepaw argues that they might not have enough in leaf-bare, however, when they need every whisker of their territory. Bluefur thinks that the gray-and-white apprentice is just quoting back what his mentor Adderfang has told him and replies that she is sure Pinestar will try to reclaim the land if it becomes necessary.


 * Back in camp, Bluefur heads towards the fresh-kill pile and joins Lionpaw and Goldenpaw. Sunfall, passing by, asks the three if they know where Pinestar is. Lionpaw replies that he thought the Clan leader was on a hunting patrol, but the ginger deputy responds that the hunting patrol had just returned without the reddish-brown tom. Lionpaw asks if Sunfall wants him to look for the Clan leader, but the deputy instead decides to take him out to patrol the RiverClan border again. Bluefur, Swiftbreeze, and White-eye also are asked to join Sunfall's patrol. Goldenpaw, meanwhile, goes out to do battle training with her mentor Dappletail to prepare for her next assessment.


 * When the patrol reaches the border, they look across it and see several RiverClan cats, including Crookedjaw and Oakheart, lounging on the rocks. Lionpaw, itching for a fight, calls that they are cowards, but his mentor Swiftbreeze pulls him back, telling the golden tabby to only start battles he can win. Oakheart, hoping to taunt the ThunderClan cats, gets up off the rocks and paces along the border, staring at the patrol. Bluefur is infuriated by this, stepping forward and hissing at him, finding that she can't stop glaring at the reddish-brown warrior. Sunfall warns her back, however, and Swiftbreeze advises her not to let the RiverClan tom get to her. Sunfall's patrol heads back to camp, and they find that Pinestar is back when they arrive. The deputy reports to his leader that all was quiet on the RiverClan border, while Pinestar replies that prey had run well with him. Bluefur spots a freshly caught starling on the fresh-kill pile, and is pleased to see that Pinestar had been hunting rather than hanging out with Jake in Twolegplace. Her relief, however, quickly turns to dismay as she learns that the Clan leader hasn't actually been hunting anything; the bird was Rosepaw's catch.


 * Suddenly, Featherwhisker bursts from the nursery, exclaiming that Leopardfoot's kits are coming. Swiftbreeze gives a worried murmur, commenting that they were not due for another half moon. The medicine cat apprentice tells Pinestar to go to the nursery to sit with his mate while he gets supplies. However, the reddish-brown tom backs away, awkwardly saying that it's best left to Featherwhisker and Goosefeather, so Swiftbreeze sits with her daughter instead. The silver-gray tom goes into the medicine den to get supplies and as he enters Goosefeather goes out. The speckled gray tom is informed that the kitting is going on, and the medicine cat says that he knows. However, he makes no move to help and instead starts turning picking through the prey in the fresh-kill pile. Patchpelt frowns and guesses that the medicine cat is looking for signs, but Snowfur objects that omens can wait and that helping Leopardfoot should take precedence.


 * Featherwhisker heads into the nursery to help the queen, while Goosefeather instead goes out into the gorge to look for omens in the clouds. The ThunderClan warriors, returning from their patrols, gather anxiously in the clearing to await news of the kitting as the afternoon turns to evening. Goldenpaw comes back to the camp as well, pleased that Dappletail had said she would be fine for her assessment. Meanwhile, Featherwhisker remains in the den tending to Leopardfoot, whose agonized wailing can be heard through the camp.


 * All of a sudden, the medicine cat apprentice emerges from the nursery. Bluefur rushes over to see what the matter is, and he tells her to go get moss and raspberry leaves from Goosefeather. The blue-gray she-cat explains that the medicine cat isn't in his den, so Featherwhisker, trying not to panic, describes what the raspberry leaves look like to Bluefur and she goes to fetch them instead. She returns to the nursery with the leaves in her jaws, but is frightened when she sees how much pain and fear Leopardfoot is in. She tries to encourage the black she-cat, saying that she can make it through the kitting. The blue-gray cat tells Leopardfoot that she has always been the strongest, and reminds her that when it is over, she will have beautiful kits. Leopardfoot just blinks her eyes dully and doesn't seem to have heard her, so Bluefur slips back out of the den.


 * Outside, the entire Clan is uneasy; many of the warriors are pacing the clearing, while the four elders huddle together beneath the Highrock. Pinestar, noticing his Clan's anxiety and the fact that the fresh-kill pile is untouched, tells them to eat, because starving themselves would not make these kits come faster. Bluefur is surprised that he referred to his kits as "these kits" and wonders if he cares about them or Leopardfoot at all. However, his words produce their desired effect and many cats take prey from the pile and begin to eat it. Bluefur decides to share a mouse with Rosepaw and Sweetpaw. By now, night has fallen and the stars are out, and Leopardfoot's kitting is still not finished. Sunfall tells the Clan that there will be duties tomorrow no matter what happens, and many of the cats begin to retreat to their dens to get some sleep. Bluefur remains awake, not able to sleep knowing how much pain the mottled black she-cat must be in.


 * Eventually, a thin wail begins to rise from the nursery, and Bluefur races in to find that a she-kit has been born, and is in time to see the birth of the other two kits, another she-kit and finally a tom. Goosefeather, who also comes to see the kits with the young warrior, announces their birth to the Clans. Relieved meows, congratulations, and purrs follow, but the old medicine cat interrupts them. The speckled gray tom tells them not to get too excited yet, for the kits may not make it through the night.

Mistakes

 * Oakheart is mistakenly described as tawny.