This story is brought to you by Snivy
Aspenshade and Hailstorm are in love. They come from different Clans - Thunder and Shadow. But love cannot seperate them. And they are willing to die rather than surrender it..
Inspired by Bluestar and Oakheart's love.
ThunderClan
Leader: Fogstar - silver tom with blue eyes
Deputy: Nettlefish - grey she-cat with green eyes, temporary deputy
Medicine Cat: Riverdawn - blue-grey tabby she-cat with a rosy-ginger slash over one shoulder
Apprentice Eaglenose
Warriors (she-cat and toms without kits):
Bubblefoot - mottled silver and white she-cat
Apprentice Windpaw
Fireflare - dark ginger tom
Quailfur - brown tabby she-cat
Troutcloud - blue-grey she-cat
Birdtail - black tom with brown underbelly, paws and tail-tip
Ferretnose - red-brown tabby tom
Apprentice Harepaw
Brackenfish - golden-brown tom with a slash that resembles a flopping fish
Apprentice Jasperpaw
Flickerclaw - black tom with white paws
Owlfeather - dark brown tom
Apprentices (over 6 moons, training to be warriors):
Eaglenose - mottled white and brown tom
Windpaw - silver tom with amber eyes
Harepaw - dark cream and white tabby tom
Jasperpaw - red-brown tabby she-cat with blue eyes
Queens (she-cats expecting or nursing kits):
Rowanflame - dark ginger she-cat, expecting Fireflare's kits
Snowrose - white she-cat with strikingly pink nose, expecting Fogstar's kits
Aspenshade - dark ginger and cream she-cat
Elders (former warriors and queens, now retired):
Vipergorse - grey and cream tom
Skyfire - dark ginger and silver she-cat
Cloudwhisker - white tom with green eyes
ShadowClan
Leader: Finchstar - light brown tabby she-cat
Deputy: Hailstorm - grey tom with white spots like hail
Apprentice Kestrelpaw
Medicine Cat: Embersun - blonde tom with a ginger patch on forehead
Warriors (she-cat and toms without kits):
Fernfoot - silver she-cat
Treefire - brown tom with ginger paws
Apprentice Rainpaw
Reedheather - red-brown tom with silver paws
Sunfog - light brown tom with cream paws, underbelly and tail-tip and a silver slash on shoulders
Darkscar - dark grey tom with black stripes
Watershadow - blue-grey she-cat with black paws
Apprentice Lavenderpaw
Gorsecloud - cream tom
Fishtalon - thick-furred dark grey tom
Apprentices (over 6 moons, training to be warriors):
Kestrelpaw - mottled brown and grey she-cat
Rainpaw - grey tom with darker spots
Lavenderpaw - light grey she-cat with blue-purple eyes
Queens (she-cats expecting or nursing kits):
Iceheart - white she-cat with blue eyes, nursing Sunfog's kits: Heatherkit and Brownkit
Kits (younger than 6 moons):
Heatherkit - dark cream she-kit
Brownkit - brown tom with lighter paws
Elders (former warriors and queens, now retired):
Lilypond - white she-cat with rosy-ginger stripes
Jayfire - grey tabby she-cat
Prologue
It was love at first sight.
The tom and she-cat met as apprentices at both of their first Gatherings.
Hailpaw - a grey and white tom as handsome as his name.
Aspenpaw - a dark-ginger and cream she-cat who had green eyes that shimmered like dew on leaves.
They rose to become the warriors Hailstorm and Aspenshade. Both deputies of their Clans, prehaps the most foolish of all cats.
They continuously met at the Island the Clans gathered at every moon - night after night until Hailstorm finally had the guts to ask what he wanted to for a long time.
"Aspenshade," he blushed as the she-cat's tail brushed against his side. "will you make me the happiest cat in the Clans, and be my mate?"
Of course Aspenshade said yes. Why wouldn't she?
"But we have to keep this a secret," Aspenshade whispered to her mate.
"Yes," Hailstorm mewed. "we will."
And they fell asleep together under the stars that night, not knowing how much this would anger StarClan..
Chapter 1
I groaned. My belly was round and swollen with kits. But Hailstorm's kits are inside me! How could I not be happy?
I remembered Rowanflame, another queen, giving birth to her kits. It looked painful. And gross. But I don't care! I'm carrying Hailstorm's kits!
I stood up, my belly swinging beneath me. I groaned as a light pain swept through it. I went out the nursery.
I had managed to convince everyone that my kits were Oatnose's, a cream and white tom who I used to have feelings for. Sadly enough, the poor soul died of an infection.
"Aspenshade!"
I turned around. Riverdawn, the ThunderClan medicine cat, was padding up to me, a scowl plastered onto her pretty face.
"Get back into the nusery!" she hissed (or ordered. Riverdawn's emotions are mixed up all the time). "You're due any day now!"
"Yes, Riverdawn," I groaned, amused. "although I would like to get some fresh air."
"You're due any day!" Riverdawn repeated, this time with a hint of amusement. "But come on," her face darkened. "you don't want to hurt yourself before you kit, like Rowanflame did! Now one of her kits is blind!"
I gulped. Riverdawn had a point.
"I'll go back," I promised.
I sighed and turned around, padding into the nursery.
I wondered about Hailstorm while I lay there. Would he miss me? I knew we couldn't meet each other anymore due to my pregnancy. I shook my head.
Of course he misses me. It'd be weird if he didn't!
I sighed and fell into a restless sleep.
...
When I'd opened my eyes, I saw that it was already sunhigh.
I stood up slowly.
"Can I come out now?" I asked Riverdawn, who was padding towards me.
"Yes," she replied with a roll of her eyes. "I'm checking on Rowanflame. Make sure you don't leave camp without an escort!"
"I know!" I yowled as I ran sluggishly out of the nursery. I stopped as a pain started in my belly.
Okay, I thought. No more running.
"Can I go on a walk with you, Flickerclaw?" I asked my brother.
"Yes," he mewed, padding off ahead of me. "I told Nettlefish that I'd take you on a walk with you, anyways."
I nodded gratefully.
We went near the ShadowClan border.
"ShadowClan," Flickerclaw hissed. He crouched down, sniffing for more scents.
There was indeed ShadowClan scent near us. And the scent of..
"Hailstorm!" I breathed.
"What was that?" Flickerclaw asked me, raisning an eyebrow as he stood up.
"Oh, nothing important," I told him, though Hailstorm was important.
To me, at least.
"ThunderClan!" a tom thrust his muzzle into my face. I realized it was Treefire, a senior warrior in ShadowClan, according to Hailstorm.
Speaking of Hailstorm..
"Spying again, are you?" my handsome mate growled to Flickerclaw.
"Actually, we were heading back," my brother retorted. "We'll be leaving now."
"Good!" Kestrelpaw, Hailstorm's apprentice, yowled.
As the ShadowClan patrol padded away, Hailstorm hissed, "Get your brother distracted! We need to talk!"
Wasting no time, I let out a high shriek, which caught Flickerclaw's attention. He was starting to pad away from the border.
"What's wrong?" he fretted.
"I got cut!" I wailed.
"Go back first," Hailstorm hissed. "I'll help her."
Flickerclaw paused, then nodded, padding away.
"I told my Clanmates I'd hunt for a while," Hailstorm explained.
I nodded. I sat down next to my mate, as he did the same.
"So," Hailstorm drawled. "how's my fat rabbit?"
"Fat rabbit?" I hissed, flicking him in the nose with my tail.
"Sorry, I couldn't help but say that," Hailstorm mewed, amused. "but seriously. How are you?"
"Great!" I mewed, leaping up, which caused the kits in me to wriggle fiercely.
Hailstorm put one paw on my belly, as if trying to feel his unborn children.
"They'll be beautiful," he whispered.
I nodded, purring.
"I've always wondered what it's like to have kits," I meowed. "I guess I'll find out soon!"
"I should go," Hailstorm mewed, standing up. "bye!"
"Bye!" I mewed, licking my mate's shoulder.
I stood up, and padded back to camp.
...
It had been two days since I met with Hailstorm. I remembered the words I told Hailstorm about having kits.
"I guess I'll find out soon!" I had mewed. Well, I'm definitely finding that out right now.
I groaned. Another spasm passed through my belly, stronger than ever before. I shrieked as blood poured out from under my tail.
"Deep breaths!" Riverdawn yowled. Behind her was her apprentice, Eaglenose, who was covering his ears.
I tried, I really did. But the pain was so intense.
"That's weird," Riverdawn mewed in confusion. "It doesn't usually hurt as much as this."
StarClan! I realized, my heart dopping. StarClan must be punishing me!
Turning her gaze on me, Riverdawn yowled, "Push as hard you can!"
I shrieked as I felt an intense pulling sensation under my tail. I gasped. I couldn't push the kit anymore.
"It's stuck, Riverdawn!" Eaglenose yowled as he padded over to my tail. I tried looking for my kit - lifting my head. I saw the large body of a slimy, grey shape that seemed to be stuck at my tail.
That was it. My first kit. I thought about its stuck body and wondered if it was wailing in its sac, if it was going to die because I was too weak.
I pictured Hailstorm's face in my head, filled with joy that he was a father.
My body was filled with strength as I pushed.
"It's not moving!" Eaglenose fretted, pushing on my belly. I shrieked. I continued pushing as Riverdawn shoved a big stick into my mouth.
I bit on the stick and pushed.
"It's here!" Eaglenose announced. He split the sac open to reveal two kits squirming, wailing for milk.
I gaped. "Twins!"
Riverdawn felt my belly.
"At least one more!" she called.
The next pain was not as painful as the previous ones (prehaps it was because of the twin kits).
"A she-kit!" Eaglenose yowled triumphantly as a wet bundle slid out from under my tail.
I purred, which was interrupted by a sharp pain, so intense I thought I would die.
"A massive one!" Eaglenose yowled, recognizing the symptoms at once.
I pushed.
Riverdawn helped me by pushing her strong paws onto my belly, which had gone down alot, although still very swollen.
Finally, it was over.
At my belly were four kits - two she-kits which were both dark grey with white spots around their eyes and on their legs. The other two were a dark ginger and cream tabby she-kit and a massive cream tom.
I purred.
"What will you name them?" Riverdawn asked, clearly worn out from having to put up with me shrieking for ages.
"The twins will be Spottedkit and Stormkit," I declared. I named them that because of their spots, and I wanted one to be named after her father.
"The others?" Eaglenose asked, using one paw to rub his sore ears.
I stared at them for a long time.
"Maplekit for the she-kit and Breezekit for the tom," I decided finally.
"Great names!" Eaglenose exclaimed.
I curled aorund my kits and fell into a deep sleep.
Hailstorm, you have three daughters and one son.
Chapter 2
Aspenshade was the only thing I could think about.
Ever since that day I was talking with her, I've never stopped worrying for her.
What if she dies? What if our kits die when she gives birth? What if they all die?
I was still worrying, even when it had been a half-moon, and time for the Gathering.
I listened eagerly for Thunderclan's news.
"Aspenshade has given birth!" Fogstar announced. "Three she-kits and a tom!"
My heart leapt for joy. I had four kits! Four, most-likely beautiful kits!"
"Their names are Spottedkit, Stormkit, Maplekit and Breezekit," Fogstar continued.
I couldn't suppress my purrs, which caught the attention of Nettlefish, the sharp-tongued temporary deputy of ThunderClan.
"Why does the birth of Aspenshade's kits make you happy?" she growled, arching her back.
"Oh, it just makes me so happy when new kits are born," I purred, thanking StarClan that I'd thought of preparing what I'd say if any cat got suspicious.
Nettlefish snorted and sat back down.