Clouds of Sorrow

This is a poem about Ferncloud.

Clouds of Sorrow
 My first litter, There were two. I knew that my lifeblood Was nothing compared to theirs. I knew that my heart, Now beat solely for theirs. Who knew a mother's love Was so strong? What griefs And pains, And sorrow.

Oh, StarClan curse me! The fault was mine! Three bundles of life, Stars in my night, Two dead by the morn… Who knew? Who knew how it tore at my soul! That one heart kept beating, His belly was empty, The world was dying, He was my lifeline, I clung to him, Did not want to let him go. His name, a birch, Strong and study, Withstanding those winds, Oh, Those confounded winds! Those confounded winds, Of death. Those winds, They picked me up, Threw me against the rocks, My head bled, My heart cried, For my dear darling Shrew Was dead. What use was it to live? My mate was my moon, Birchkit was my sun, Had it not been for them, My pelt would brush those, Of my kits in the stars. Moons passed, The leaves withered, The snows fell, Then the flowers appeared again, And with them, Came my two. Like the first, There were two. One as white as snow, The other as red as a fire. I hid them under my tail, StarClan forbid harm come to them! Protected them from dangers, Storms to come. StarClan has taken mercy, They lived. I grew old, Watched my kits leave the nursery, Become mothers and fathers of their own. Watched their kits live and thrive Coming home with their scars, Boasting of their battles, Something I would never do. My destiny lay here, To protect the new kits, So they would never die, Like mine. So when the darkness rolled in, I fought for Sorreltail, I fought for Brightheart. Sorreltail knew death, Like me. I did not want her to feel it again. I tried, My battle skills failed me, And I no longer had a mortal body. Now I am trusted by the spirits, To take young kits That die within their first moons, To StarClan. And I still walk with my family, Taking them to the stars, When it is their turn. Some called me lazy, They scorned me, But they will understand, When they feel a mother's love...