"Can we worry about that later?" hissed Flowerstem through clenched teeth and both apprentices turned to the queen as she spasmed again, "These kits are not waiting."

"What do we have to do?" asked Dawn, crouching down beside the queen.

"I am going to have to start pushing," meowed the older she-cat, squeezing her eyes shut. The apprentices nodded and as another spasm rippled through her fur, Flowerstem began pushing. Dawn and Dewpaw watched on and after long, painful minutes, the first kit appeared.

"Nip the sack around it," puffed the older she-cat and Dawn bent down over the kit, breaking the clear sac around the kit gently with her teeth and placed it softly next to the queen's stomach.

"It is a little brown tabby tom," announced Dewpaw quietly, licking its fur up the wrong way to try and warm it up.

"You are doing great," mewed Dawn, trying to sooth Flowerstem. The queen was panting heavily and had her eyes half shut, the dirt around her soaked in blood. The older she-cat summoned all her strength and began pushing again, a tiny calico she-cat soon placed next to her brother.

"How much more?" panted Flowerstem, energy almost all gone.

"I am not sure," meowed Dawn, looking at Dewpaw with concern in her eyes, "keep going, you are doing great."

"I am not sure how much more I can go," whispered the brown and white she-cat, closing her eyes. Dewpaw bit his lip and the she-cat apprentice gently put her paw on the medicine cat's stomach, feeling if there were anymore kits.

"You have at least one more," urged the calico apprentice, "come on Flowerstem, please try." The medicine cat nodded and took a deep breath in, as Dewpaw and Dawn looked at each other. They both knew that the older she-cat didn't have much energy left in her and it was going to take a lot of effort to try and birth the final kit. While trying to push the final kit, the older she-cat had to pause many times to try and catch her breath, but when she began again, it was obvious that she was fading.

"Here it comes!" announced Dawn eventually, "Keep going Flowerstem! You are almost there!" This seemed to give the queen strength and soon, a silver tabby tom was laying next to his brother and sister.

"They are perfect," breathed the she-cat apprentice. But both she and Dewpaw could see that the silver tabby tom was really tiny, tinier than the calico kitten, and it was slightly worrying. He didn't seem to have the strength to suckle and when Flowerstem nudged him, he didn't even mew. Then, as all three cats watched, he stopped breathing and didn't wake up, despite the medicine cat's attempts at trying to revive him. The apprentices bowed their heads and watched as the medicine cat wrapped her tail around her kits.

Then, a shape began to rise out of the silver tom's fur and Dawn gasped as it formed into the little kitten, with sparkling fur and bright blue eyes. She watched as he leaped out of his body and nuzzled his brother and sister before licking Flowerstem on her cheek. The kit waved his tail to Dawn and bounded after a butterfly as a black and white StarClan tom appeared. He dipped his head to the calico apprentice and swept up the silver tom with his tail, both disappearing in flash on light.

"What is it Birdpaw?" asked Dewpaw.

"Nothing," smiled the she-cat, "come on, lets go check on Inky and Angel."

The two apprentices smiled at the new kits and lept out of the bushes, but Inky and Angel were no where to be seen.

"Inky?" called Dewpaw, "Angel?" There was no reply and Dawn, with a smile on her face, randomly lept onto a pile of leaves, but the kits where not hiding there. The cream tom jumped onto a cave of sticks, but the kits weren't under there either.

"Inky, Angel, come out right now," meowed the calico she-cat sternly, but the two kits didn't appear.

"This is not a joke," called Dewpaw, but there were still no kits. Then suddenly a faint voice called from outside the shelter.

"Help!"