They always tell us the story the same way. It was a rainy day in late greenleaf, with the entire sky painted a menacing shade of gray. DragonClan was tensing for the storm, but no one was prepared for what happened next.

"I can't do this anymore!" Sagesoul's yowl cut the air like sharp claws, louder than the thunder of the storm overhead, and everyone in the camp turned to hear it. Her wide eyes looked at what had once been her clan. "The prophecy Knottedspeech recieved is fake! My prophecy is real. The kits I carry in my belly have twice the strength of any of you pathetic warriors." She hissed.

Shadowstar said nothing. She had always been too kind to Sagesoul, even and especially when she did something stupid or deliberately against the code. Now she watched silently as Sagesoul dashed out of camp for the last time.
"Sagesoul, wait!" Drakesoul, her mate, ran after her.
Knottedspeech, the deputy, narrowed her eyes. A small hiss found its way through her bared teeth. "Let them go."
Shadowstar said nothing. Her own belly was full of children. This promised to be a large litter, possibly that largest group of kits DragonClan had ever seen four- no, three queens now- all pregnant at once.

As if to show its indignance, thunder boomed loudly in the distance. The cats began backing into their dens. The whole clan had just gotten up and a solemn Shadowstar had made no patrols. Knottedspeech, in her place, had suggested they wait for the storm to blow over.

It showed no signs of stopping. The rain grew harsher, now fiercely pounding the ground. Every drop hurt like a needle and everyone hid in their dens, breath held.

There was another flash of lightning and an almost immediate roar of thunder when they saw the first signs of floodwater. Illuminated by lightning, the floodwater rushed forwards, creeping into camp as if it was alive and angry.

"The nursery!" yowled Foxfern.
Shadowstar's eyes widened. "Get to higher ground! All queens! Now!"
"Shouldn't someone go after Sagesoul?" Peacockwish asked.

"No time!" Knottedspeech replied. "Everyone, get to high ground! There's some above the Highfall!"
The camp was build under a drop in the landscape where a waterfall cascaded into the river below. It wasn't more than fifteen feet, but to them it was large and intimidating and now it was furious. The water was up to the nursery now, and Foxfern tried to drag herself out but yowled in pain. "Kits!" she screeched.

Shadowstar's words caught in her throat. Her kits were coming as well, kicking furiously within her. Not too far away, Scarletsky, the final queen, dropped down.
Knottedspeech began yelling orders. "Emberstreak, Cloudfrost, Tinyblossom! Each of you to a queen! Everyone else get all the bedding up above the Highfall cliff. Go, go, go!"
Foxfern gave birth to a single she-cat as water continued pouring into the nursery. Cornered in the nursery, she gave her kit to Emberstreak and whispered for her to run. Emberstreak, terrified, began thrashing in the fully submerged nursery and made her way out, only breathing through her nose and inhaling water quickly.
On the cliff, warriors shouted for her. Wave, a rogue who lived in the area, dove in and carried her on his back to the leader's den, shoving her and the kit up to safety.

Emberstreak dropped the kit, panting, only to find Shadowstar already there, surrounded by five kits and Tinyblossom.

"Where's Foxfern?" asked Tinyblossom.

Emberstreak broke down, gasping, unable to say a single word in terror and self-loathing.

"We have to go back for her!" yelled Bluestorm, who dove back in despite Knottedspeech's cries for him to stop.

They found him floating face up once the storm was over. Foxfern's body was found later.

Not moments later, three apprentices bought the last kits ashore. "These are Scarletsky's." Titanpaw said, licking one vigorously.

"Is Scarletsky dead too?" asked Tinyblossom.

"It takes a lot more than that to kill me." purred a voice from above. Scarletsky hopped down from the ledge, her mate by her side, and swam to the leader's den.

For a while, all ten kits and all the cats stood in silence, all terrified.

Slowly but surely, things got better. The water stopped rising. The sun came out.

My mother, Scarletsky, always claimed that we sparkled like StarClan cats when the sun first warmed us.

One by one, we were named to the cheers of all the warriors- I would be Rushkit, for the rushing tides; my brother would be Sparrowkit for the birds calling above; and Hailkit, my brother, would be named for the silver of summer hail which he resembled, being a big ball of white fluff. After that, all Shadowstar's kits were named, ending with Sharpkit, Foxfern's wayward child.

My mother looked down at us and purred, "You are all special and perfect."

That's what she tells us, anyways.

She says it's a miracle we all lived.

Sometimes I wonder if it would be more of a miracle if none of the warriors had died for us.