The gentle breeze rattled the reeds in a small clearing. The scents of several cats mingled with each other, their scents only slightly stale. Dark water lapped up at the shore of the nearby river, rising at an alarmingly quick rate.

 The only cat not asleep was a dark brown tabby tom. His piercing amber gaze swept across the camp, his eyes glinting with worry. Leaping to his paws, he bounded to a ledge with a cave beneath it and called out - "Nightstar" his cry echoed in the sleeping camp.

A night black she-cat padded groggily from the cave. Looking at the rising water, her green eyes widened in fright. "Evacuate the camp!"her yowl hit the air like claws on prey.

 Not even a few heartbeats later, several heads poked out of the many dens in the clearing. A  gray and black she-cat padded out of the nursery, stumbling slightly over an abnormally large belly. The brown to rushed to her side, burying his muzzle into her fur.

"Sparrowpooll!" he exclaimed, letting a purr rise in his throat. His amber eyes suddenly hardened."We need  to get out of the camp" he reported, his gaze flickering to the rising black water. 

Sparrowpooll nodded, walking with the rest of her clan to a small clearing deeper in the woods. She stopped abruptly. letting out a blood-curdling shriek, she collapsed on the ground, breathing quick, shallow breaths. "The kits are coming!" she wailed, closing her violet eyes in pain.

A silver she-cat bolted out of a different den, her blue eyes round. "Sparrowpool's kits!" She gasped, rushing to the queen's side. 

The brown tom padded up to her, carrying a rabbit in between his jaws. "B-Brackenf-flight..." Sparrowpool groaned, grasping her stomach with her paws. As fresh snow began to fall, The silver she-cat kneaded her paws on Sparrowpool's belly. "the first one is coming" she meowed. 

"it's a tom" she reported, returning to her intense focus. Sparrowpool let out another screech and a shudder as the second kit came. "another tom, I think you're done now, Sparrowpool"  The silver she-cat mewed reasuringly. "eat this rabbit, and we'll give you some time to think of names for your sons."

"Th-Thank you, Icetail..." she called after the medicine cat, who flicked her tail in response. 

Brackenflight sprinted over to her. "our kits..." he looked down in pride at the two mewling lumps of fur at her belly."They're so precious" he exclaimed. Sparrowpool looked up at him, her eyes glowing with warmth. "What will their names be?" Brackenflight prompted. Sparrowpool hesitated, staring at her sons.

Looking at them with love, she mewed softly, "The gray tom will be Rabbitkit, for the prey that you so kindly gave to me, and the black tom will be Snowkit, for the snow that  fell tonight." She looked up at the moon.

"Snowkit and Rabbitkit will be the strongest warriors in the clan, my love, I promise" Brackenflight whispered.