Moth Flight’s Vision

Chapter 24

She woke into a misty meadow and knew at once that she was dreaming. “Micah?” She scanned the swirling fog, straining to catch a glimpse of him.

“Moth Flight?” His voice echoed from the murk.

Her heart leaped. Joy surged beneath her pelt. “Micah! Can you hear me?”

“Moth Flight, are you there?”

Moth Flight darted forward, searching for him, but there was no sign of him. Only his scent. “Can you hear me?” she repeated, panic rising.

“Moth Flight?” His voice echoed back, sounding lost. “I need to tell you something.”

He doesn’t know I’m here!

“It will be okay.” His mew was tight with worry. “I know you’re sad. I miss you too. I love you. I’ll always love you.

Don’t let sadness change you. You have to keep going!”

“Micah!” Her cry turned to a wail of frustration. “I need to see you!” Why couldn’t he show himself, like Half Moon and the others?

She glimpsed his eyes sparkling through the mist on the far side of the meadow. They seemed to stare right through her, anxious and searching. She raced toward his gaze, his scent enfolding her as she neared.

“Keep going!” he called.

“I’m coming.” She raced harder, pushing against the dewy grass.

“Don’t give up. You have to be strong. Not just for yourself but for—”

A paw buckled under her and she stumbled, rolling onto the grass. Pain jerked her awake. “My leg!” Her forepaw was twisted clumsily under her chest. She pulled it free, kneading her paw against the bottom of the nest to ease the cramping.

“Dumb leg!”

Shadow surrounded her nest. It was still night. She growled crossly. Micah was trying to tell me something important!

As the pain eased, Moth Flight thrust her paws under her muzzle. Perhaps she could finish her dream. She screwed her eyes shut, trying to ignore the pounding of her heart as irritation pricked beneath her pelt. With every waking moment, her dream would be fading, and Micah with it.

Be strong! Not just for yourself but for— What was he going to say?

Outside, an owl screeched through the pines. A ShadowClan cat was snoring somewhere in camp. Wind swished through the branches high above her.

I’ll never get back to sleep. Heart sinking, she lifted her head. As her eyes grew accustomed to the moonlight that filtered dimly through the brambles, she wondered if dawn was near. She opened her mouth and let the night scents wash her tongue. The dewy air tasted of dusk, not dawn. I’m sorry, Micah. Guilt pricked at her belly. She’d let him down. He’d tried to speak to her and she’d woken up.

Why was he still roaming the murky meadow? Why wasn’t he in StarClan’s hunting grounds yet? He’d be safe there, with Half Moon and the others. Do farm cats join StarClan? Her fur lifted along her spine. What if she never saw him again? She stared, frozen. The brambles seemed to close in around her. I’ll never be with him. Ever.

She lost track of time, her thoughts spiraling in and out of panic. I should take a walk. There was no chance of sleep now.

But her paws seemed rooted beneath her, her body heavy with dread.

When dawn comes, it’ll seem better, she told herself. But how long until dawn? Her heart pounded in her chest as she watched though the endless night.

She must have slept eventually, because Pebble Heart woke her.

“Moth Flight!”

She lifted her head sharply. There was fear in his mew.

“I need your help!”

She leaped to her paws, her heart lurching. Dawn light showed at the den entrance. “What’s wrong?”

“Juniper Branch started kitting in the night.”

“But she’s not due for—”

“I know!” Pebble Heart’s eyes were wide. “The kits are stuck. She’s pushing, but they won’t come. I’m scared they might die. That she might di—”

Moth Flight cut him off. “We won’t let them.” She bounded from her nest and ducked through the entrance. Scanning the camp, she tasted the air. The sour scent of fear pulsed from an opening in the brambles beyond the patch of long grass. She headed for it, Pebble Heart at her heels. She nosed her way through a gap in the branches, surprised by the size of the den inside, hollowed from the thick bramble wall.

Juniper Branch lay beside her nest, her eyes wild with pain.

Raven Pelt crouched beside her, his pelt spiked with fear. He glanced at Moth Flight as she slid in beside him, his hackles rising. “What are you doing here?”

“I’ve come to help.”

“It’s okay.” Pebble Heart padded past her. “She’s a medicine cat too.”

“She’s young.” Raven Pelt eyed her warily. “Does she know anything about kitting?”

“Do you?” Pebble Heart returned sternly.

Moth Flight pressed her cheek to Juniper Branch’s belly.

“They’re still moving.” She could feel the kits squirming inside.

“They want to come out.”

Juniper Branch moaned. “I’m trying!” Her body convulsed and she shrieked as pain rippled through her.

Moth Flight darted behind her and checked to see if there was sign of a kit. The ground was bare. “Could something be blocking them?” She glanced at Pebble Heart. The den was dark, but enough light filtered through the brambles to see his face.

He looked grim.

“Raven Pelt.” She turned to the dark tom. “I want you to fetch moss and soak it in water. Juniper Branch will be thirsty.”

Raven Pelt glanced at Pebble Heart questioningly.

“Get it,” Pebble Heart told him.

The tom headed from the den.

Juniper Branch stared at Moth Flight, eyes dark with fear.

“But I need him with me.”

“He’s not going far.” Moth Flight crouched in Raven Pelt’s place and rested a paw on the queen’s belly. The squirming was stronger. “Pebble Heart and I will help you.” She exchanged looks with Pebble Heart. I hope.

“Why won’t they come?” Juniper Branch wailed.

Moth Flight narrowed her eyes, her thoughts quickening.

Either something was blocking their way, or they weren’t ready to be pushed out. “They aren’t due for a half-moon,” she murmured to herself. Could Juniper Branch’s body be pushing them out too soon?

Another spasm gripped the queen. Her belly convulsed.

“Don’t push!” Moth Flight ordered sharply.

“But I have to.” Juniper Branch began to pant.

Moth Flight leaned closer. “Keep panting. Focus on that. We need to stop your body pushing and let your kits find their own way out in their own time.”

Pebble Heart blinked at her. “She can’t be like this for a half-moon!”

“She won’t need to be,” Moth Flight told him. Calmness swept over her. She remembered heading into the Highstones tunnel for the first time. She was gripped by the same quiet certainty she’d felt then, as though she knew what to do. “What happens when you stub your paw?” she asked Pebble Heart.

“It hurts?” He stared at her, puzzled.

“What else?”

“It swells up.”

“Exactly.” Moth Flight rested her paws low on Juniper

Branch’s belly. Heat pulsed from the queen’s fur. Something was inflamed. “Her body’s not ready yet. I can feel where she’s swollen. And each time she pushes, it gets worse. The swelling is blocking the kits’ way out. She has to stop pushing long enough for it to go down.”

“So they’ll have room to come out!” Pebble Heart’s eyes widened with understanding.

Juniper Branch growled. “Another pain is coming.”

“Keep panting!” Moth Flight darted out of the den and scanned the clearing. Her heart leaped as she saw a thick pine twig lying at the edge. Racing to it, she snatched it between her jaws and headed back to the den. She thrust the twig into

Juniper Branch’s jaws. “Bite on this when the pain comes. Put all your energy into biting, not pushing.”

Juniper Branch screwed up her eyes. A low moan rolled in her throat. The wood cracked between her jaws as she bit down hard.

“We’re going to need more sticks,” Moth Flight told Pebble Heart.

He nodded and ducked out of the den.

Moth Flight lapped Juniper Branch’s belly with her tongue, relieved to feel no spasm reach the kits. “Don’t worry, kits,” she murmured between strokes. “We’ll have you out of there before long.”

Juniper Branch fell limp.

Moth Flight jerked her muzzle around and stared at the queen. Her eyes were glazed with exhaustion, but the spasm had clearly passed. The crushed pine twig lay on the ground next to her. “Well done!” she meowed. “You didn’t push that time.”

Juniper Branch drew in a deep breath and closed her eyes.

“This is going to be difficult,” Moth Flight told her. “You need to stop yourself from pushing for a while longer. Just until there’s enough space for the kits to get out.”

“It’s hard,” Juniper Branch moaned.

“I know.” Moth flight felt a wave of sympathy for the queen.

“But you have to do it. For your kits.” And yourself. She held Juniper Branch’s fearful gaze. “We are going to help you.”

As she spoke, Pebble Heart slid into the den. He dropped a fresh twig on the ground. “Mouse Ear and Mud Paws are scouring the forest for more.”

“Have you got any poppy seeds?” A pang of guilt jabbed Moth Flight’s belly. Had she eaten his whole supply that first night?

“Dappled Pelt brought two leaf wraps,” he told her.

“Fetch what you’ve got,” Moth Flight ordered. “We need to ease her pain.”

“I’ll bring thyme as well. It’ll calm her.”

“Good idea.” Moth Flight met his gaze, relieved they were facing this together.

As Pebble Heart disappeared again, Juniper Branch began to moan. “Here comes another one.”

Moth Flight grabbed the fresh twig and slipped it between

Juniper Branch’s jaws. “Remember. Focus on your breathing.

The pain will pass before you know it.”

She rested her paws gently on Juniper Branch’s belly as the queen stiffened with the effort of not pushing. No! The small movements inside were weakening. Hang on, kits. It won’t be long now. She hoped she was right.

Spasm after spasm gripped the queen. Moth Flight soothed her as she fought each one. Pebble Heart returned with poppy seeds and thyme. Juniper Branch swallowed both and, when Raven Pelt brought water-soaked moss, she lapped at it thirstily.

“Is she going to be okay?” Raven Pelt gazed fearfully at his mate.

Pebble Heart nosed him toward the den entrance. “We’ll do the best we can,” he promised.

As the black tom let himself be guided out, Mud Paws stuck his head inside and dropped a bundle of pine twigs.

“Thank you!” Moth Flight nodded gratefully to the tom and quickly thrust one of the twigs between Juniper Branch’s jaws.

Another spasm was coming. She pressed her paws low on the queen’s belly. The kits were hardly moving inside. But there was no heat pulsing from her fur. Had the swelling gone down?

She caught Pebble Heart’s eyes as he came back in. “Feel this.”

She moved away and let him place his paws where hers had been. “Less swelling, right?”

He nodded slowly, eyes narrowing with alarm. He lowered his voice to a whisper. “But I can hardly feel the kits moving.”

“I know.” Moth Flight leaned close to his ear. “She needs to start pushing now or we’ll lose them.”

“But what if it’s too soon?”

“It’ll be too late if we leave it longer.”

Pebble Heart gazed at her darkly. “I agree.” He pulled his paws away and ducked down beside Juniper Branch’s head.

“When you get the next spasm, we want you to push.”

“Really?” Relief sparked in Juniper Branch’s gaze. She gasped, her body stiffening.

Moth Flight swapped looks with Pebble Heart. StarClan help us.

As a fresh spasm swept Juniper Branch, the queen moaned with effort and pushed. Moth Flight placed her paws on the queen’s belly and felt her bear down.

Pebble Heart crouched at the queen’s tail. “I see something coming!” Excitement edged his mew.

“Keep pushing!” Moth Flight urged.

Juniper Branch’s moan turned to a growl as she gritted her teeth with effort.

Pebble Heart gasped. “It’s here!”

Moth Flight darted to his side and stared at the tiny shape beside the queen’s tail. A membrane covered it and Moth Flight instinctively reached out and sliced it open with a claw. Fluid spilled out as the wet kit struggled free, mewling as it gulped its first breath.

Juniper Branch lifted her head, straining to see. Moth Flight grabbed the kit by its scruff and placed it beside her muzzle. As she reached to lick it, her eyes shining with joy, another spasm seized her.

“Push!” Moth Flight told her sharply. She rested her paws on Juniper Branch’s belly once more, feeling it convulse.

“Another one!” Pebble Heart’s mew was jubilant. Moth

Flight rushed to see. He’d split open the membrane by the time she reached it. A purr throbbed in her throat as the kit wriggled and mewled. Lifting it gently, she placed it beside the first.

“How many more?” Juniper Branch asked.

Moth Flight ran her paw over the queen’s belly, feeling movement inside. “Another one at least.” As she spoke, Juniper

Branch jerked with pain. She shuddered, panting as she pushed.

“It’s coming,” Pebble Heart urged.

Juniper Branch pushed again, yowling. The kits squealed and wriggled blindly beside her cheek.

“I think it’s the last one.” Moth Flight glanced at Pebble Heart as Juniper Branch fell limp. The movement inside her belly had stopped. “We did it!”

The ShadowClan medicine cat was staring down, his eyes dark.

“What’s wrong?” Moth Flight darted to his side.

“It was a she-kit,” he mewed softly.

The kit lay on her split membrane, motionless.

Moth Flight’s heart lurched as she stared at the limp body.

She thought of Emberkit, who’d died moments after he’d been born. StarClan, help it! She reached out a paw and touched the lifeless kit’s pelt. She was smaller than her littermates, her pale gray fur slick beneath Moth Flight’s pad. She leaned down and sniffed her tiny muzzle. “She’s not breathing,” she whispered.

“Like Drizzle!”

Pebble Heart blinked at her. “What do you mean?”

Moth Flight touched a paw to the tiny kit’s ribs. “She might have water inside her chest!”

Pebble Heart looked confused. “Do you know how to help her?”

Moth Flight rolled the kit onto her back and placed her paws on her chest. “I think so. But she’s so small!” The kit felt as fragile as a sparrow. How hard dare she push?

She began to pump, gently at first, and then, as she felt the easy resilience of the kit beneath her paws, harder.

“What’s happening?” Juniper Branch was reaching her muzzle around to see, her eyes wide.

“Take care of the other two,” Pebble Heart told her. “We’ll take care of this one.”

“Is it dead?” The queen’s mew was thick with fear.

“We don’t know.” Pebble Heart moved, blocking the queen’s view as Moth Flight kept working on the kit.

“What are you doing to it?” Alarm edged Juniper Branch’s mew. She tried to struggle to her paws, but fell back, weak with exhaustion.

Raven Pelt darted into the den. “What’s going on?”

Moth Flight didn’t look at the black tom, but kept pumping the kit’s chest. Am I doing the right thing? Was Half Moon watching? Breathe! Please breathe! Fear sparked beneath her pelt.

Raven Pelt shouldered his way past Pebble Heart. “What are you doing?” He stared at Moth Flight, his eyes round with horror.

As he spoke, the kit jerked and water bubbled at her lips.

Moth Flight flipped her over quickly and began to massage her back as the kit spewed up liquid. Then it mewled a loud, desperate mewl.

Moth Flight sat back on her haunches, joy lighting her like sunshine. Trembling, she met Pebble Heart’s gaze.

“You saved her.” Pebble Heart’s eyes shone.

The kit flailed its paws and mewled again.

“I think she wants her mother.” Moth Flight backed away and let Raven Pelt scoop the kit up by her scruff.

He placed it beside the others and gazed proudly at Juniper

Branch. “They’re beautiful.”

Moth Flight suddenly realized how weary she was. Juniper

Branch must be exhausted. “We should get her into her nest,” she murmured to Pebble Heart.

“I’ll see to that,” Pebble Heart told her. “You look worn out.”

Moth Flight blinked at him gratefully. “I am.” Her gaze drifted to Juniper Branch and Raven Pelt. They were gazing at their kits, and then each other, with eyes warm with love. Moth

Flight’s heart twisted, grief stabbing her so suddenly it took her breath away. She and Micah would never share such joy. Weak with sorrow, she heaved herself onto her paws and padded out of the den.

Behind her, the kits mewled while Raven Pelt and Juniper

Branch purred. The happiness Moth Flight had felt as the kit had come to life beneath her paws disappeared like mist in the wind. Oh, Micah. I miss you so much. Loss hollowed her heart once more. She longed to stop grieving, but how could she? She could never have the life she’d planned with Micah—only emptiness and long days alone. She felt as though all her dreams had died with him.