Chapter Text
A beautiful she-cat with flecked fur so light brown it appeared lilac sat with her tail covering her paws. She had stars entangled in her pelt, and seemed to be almost transparent. She was dead, and had been dead for a very long time. Her green eyes were wide as she surveyed the scene with interest.
In a small, secure den made of woven reeds, a tan spotted she-cat was collapsed on her side before her, heaving with effort and clawing at the ground. She whimpered weakly as a smaller white tom with a brown and black marbled pelt dripped some water into her mouth from a moss ball.
“You’re doing well, Ribbonweed,” Mewed an older blueish-gray she-cat. With her tail, she silently beckoned the white tabby over to her. Without taking her eyes off of Ribbonweed’s heaving body, she bent over to murmur in her apprentice’s ear. “Something is wrong. Get Rushstar, but don’t cause any alarm.”
The apprentice gave her a frightened glance and nodded, then took a moment to smooth down his fur before exiting the den.
“Snowpaw has gone to get some more herbs,” The medicine cat purred soothingly, though they both knew that she was lying. If Ribbonweed had the strength to look up, she would have seen the grim expression across the other cat’s face.
She managed to wheeze out; “Bluefisher… What is wrong with me?”
Bluefisher’s ears were flat against her head, and she grimaced. “There is a lot of blood.” She admitted.
Ribbonweed opened her mouth to respond, but interrupted herself with a long howl of pain. Bluefisher, old with experience, did not flinch, but instead she placed both her forepaws on the other cat’s stomach and helped her push.
A flurry of pawsteps alerted her to Snowpaw’s return, followed by Rushstar. Rushstar was a small tabby with long brown fur, and sharp fangs. He stood beside her while Snowpaw rushed to her other side and immediately started to help, quickly staining his white paws red with blood.
“Here comes a kitten Snowpaw,” Bluefisher snapped. “Take it immediately and clean it up.”
Snowpaw obeyed his mentor’s orders, catching the kitten with his paws and biting open the sac. He stepped a pace away and started to frantically lick at the kit to get it warm and breathing. “A tom,” He meowed, in between licks.
“A son,” Bluefisher purred to Ribbonweed. “He looks like you. What’s his name?”
Ribbonweed’s breathing had slowed, but not steadied. “Dawn,” She rasped out, closing her eyes.
“Ribbonweed,” Bluefisher snapped, giving the queen a shake. “You can’t rest yet, you still have another kitten inside of you.”
Ribbonweed made a small sound of protest, and Rushstar settled by her head, nudging her and propping her up a bit. “You still have a little more strength,” He urged. “Then you can sleep.” He glanced at Bluefisher. She shook her head, clearly stating that if Ribbonweed went to sleep she would not be waking up.
Ribbonweed gave a few more heavy breaths and opened her eyes again. She was fading fast.
“Go ahead and push,” Bluefisher urged.
“I can’t feel my legs,” She replied. Bluefisher placed her paws back on the queen’s stomach and started to help her push.
“Try as hard as you can,” She urged. Ribbonweed strained her muscles, gritting her teeth together.
“I can feel movement,” The medicine cat encouraged her. “You’re almost done.”
With a jolt, Ribbonweed’s body suddenly went limp. A small moan escaped her lips and she didn’t move.
“Ribbonweed?” Rushstar asked, nudging her again. Her head lolled to the side.
As the leader and medicine cats attempted to revive her, Ribbonweed stood up, leaving her body behind. She glanced around in shock, looking down at her paws. She was confused for a moment before a wave of realization rushed over her.
“Oh, no,” She pleaded. “I can’t be dead. Not yet, I have to take care of my kittens! I’m supposed to have my whole life ahead of me.” She frantically swatted at the forms of Bluefisher and Snowpaw, but her paws just passed right through them. They were worlds away.
“I’m sorry, dear Ribbonweed,” Finally stirring, the beautiful ghost cat spoke up from her place a few paces away. She stepped forwards and Ribbonweed whipped around.
“Who are you?” She snapped suspiciously.
“My name is Duskstar. I am your kin from a very long time ago, before the mountain fell.” She introduced herself. She leaned forward and tapped Ribbonweed’s nose with her own. A shiver ran through the other she-cat’s body, and when she had recovered, she noticed that small stars were beginning to dance around her own fur.
“Why are you here?” Ribbonweed asked. “Why am I not in StarClan?”
“I am here to walk with you to StarClan,” Duskstar promised, taking her place right beside Ribbonweed’s tangible body. “But I have something that I have to do first. Come wait with me.”
Ribbonweed obeyed, wrapping her tail over her paws like Duskstar did. She looked at her own body, watching as Bluefisher pushed on her chest to try to restart her heart. Her eyes drifted to Snowpaw, curled up around Dawnkit.
“I don’t want to leave him all alone,” She whimpered. “There were no other queens in the nursery. Who will take care of him?”
“He wont be alone,” Duskstar promised. She brushed her tail across Ribbonweed’s shoulders. “He will have his sister.”
“But I couldn’t finish the delivery,” Ribbonweed choked. She started to look around frantically. “She died with me. Where is she?”
“Just wait.” Duskstar promised. “Your daughter is very special. While I created the Clans alongside my mate Goldenstar, she -and another kit being born right now across the lake- will have the power to destroy them.”
“Destroy the Clans?” Ribbonweed sniffed. “How could she do something like that? She hasn’t even been born yet.”
Duskstar shushed her, and the two dead cats watched as Bluefisher hung her head and retreated a pace away. “I lost her,” She finally declared. “And her unborn kit. They’re dead.”
Rushstar stood beside her, brushing his pelt with hers. “You did the best that you could,” He declared.
“We will have to clean up her body before we take her outside for the Clans’ vigil.” He mumbled. “I don’t want them to see her like this.”
“And what about Dawnkit?” Bluefisher mumbled.
Rushstar paused for a moment, then moved to turn away. “I will send a patrol to the other Clans. We will see if there are any nursing queens who are willing to foster him until he is weaned.”
He left the den with a swish of his tail, and Bluefisher looked at her apprentice. “You did well, Snowpaw.” She praised him. “We can’t save everyone.”
He nodded quietly, but all of a sudden gasped, his eyes flicking to Ribbonweed’s body. Bluefisher watched with shock.
“What are you doing?” The spirit of Ribbonweed asked, as Duskstar tensed her muscles, narrowed her eyes in focus, and slammed her forepaws down on the body, sending a convulsion through it.
Bluefisher whipped around, stepping out of the den for long enough to shout, “Rushstar! Quickly, something is happening!” She returned to the body, and ran her paws over the dead queen’s pelt, whiskers trembling.
Rushstar sprinted back in, “What’s wrong?” He asked, green eyes flared wide. Behind him, Spicefur, the young deputy followed.
Bluefisher stared in shock and confusion. “There’s movement. I can feel it,” She stammered.
Duskstar’s ancient spirit tensed for another push, and slammed her paws down just above Ribbonweed’s hips as the dead queen watched in horror. For a third time she slammed her body down, sending a convulsion rippling through the dead body. Then there was a horrible wet noise, and another kitten was born.
The group of cats were frozen in shock, before Bluefisher snapped out of it and dove for the kitten, nipping open the sac and immediately working to clean her up and get her heart started.
“She was dead,” Spicefur mumbled, looking at his leader. Rushstar nodded.
“It’s a she-cat,” Bluefisher meowed, and the kitten took her first breath. She passed the kit to Snowpaw and closed the distance between her and the other seniors.
“She’s cursed,” Spicefur hissed. “She was born from death. She shouldn’t be alive.”
Rushstar glanced at him, looking surprised that his deputy would say such a thing, but before he could reprimand him, Bluefisher hissed crossly. “Don’t you ever say something like that again!” She snarled, getting up close to the tom. “StarClan wanted this kitten to be born. She’s destined for greatness.”
“Or she will curse WillowClan,” Spicefur insisted. He didn’t have time to react as Bluefisher struck him, quickly tearing his ear. He flinched away, letting out a gasp, and was about to retaliate, but thought better and caught himself.
“If I hear you spreading rumors, I will tear your fur from your hide,” Bluefisher snarled. She lashed her tail and looked over the two toms. “No cat besides us will ever know the circumstances of her birth. She will never know that her mother died before she was born. We will tell them both that their mother died immediately after.”
Rushstar nodded his head, and nudged Spicefur. He looked reluctant, but eventually he agreed, though he glanced at the little kit nervously.
Duskstar finally moved, brushing up against Ribbonweed’s spirit as she looked longingly to her kits, curled up against Snowpaw.
“What will happen to them?” She asked.
“They will be raised by their Clan.” Duskstar replied, beginning to move away. “We can hope that they will be loved and cared for by the others, but we will have to wait and see how they turn out. Now it’s time for us to leave now.”
“Wait!” Ribbonweed snapped suddenly, digging her claws into the ground. The dirt did not stir. “What about the she-kit? What’s her name?”
“Tell Bluefisher.” Duskstar meowed simply. Ribbonweed looked thoughtful for a moment, before approaching the medicine cat.
“What will the she-kit be called?” Rushstar asked, looking at Bluefisher. The medicine cat felt a chill crawl up her spine, and she twitched her ear.
“Her name will be Duskkit.” She declared, but she wasn’t sure if it was her that made the decision.