"Momma! Wake up!"
Brookshadow blearily opened her eyes to see Torrentkit's nose inches from her own. She gave a stretch and parted her jaws in a huge yawn. Sunlight filtered into the Nursery. "Are you alright?" the tabby queen asked her kit. "Where's Sandpiperkit?"
"Outside with Dewfur. He told me to come and wake you." Torrentkit purred.
Brookshadow smiled and pulled herself to her paws. "Okay. Thank you," she mewed, leaning down and giving her brown kit a lick on her forehead.
Torrentkit gave her a huge, adorable smile and pressed against her, purring softly. Brookshadow felt her heart jerk in love as she realized how big Torrentkit was getting- how big both Sandpiperkit and Torrentkit were getting. They were four moons old now. Two away from becoming apprentices, two away from leaving Brookshadow to grow up for themselves. Torrentkit gave her mother a lick before slipping quietly out through the Nursery entrance. The tabby she-cat gave a sad yet happy sigh and glanced over at Cinderheart's nest. Her gray-pelted friend wasn't there, nor were her kits. She must be outside, then, Brookshadow thought to herself before pushing out of the Nursery.
The sunlight blinded her for a few seconds. She squinted as her eyes adjusted, then looked around the clearing. It was almost Newleaf, though the weather still had a chilling bite at times, and there were still traces of snow on the ground. The camp had the usual evidence of a typical ThunderClan morning- a few cats having breakfast, grooming, or sharing tongues and gossiping on the latest ShadowClan problem. Brookshadow spotted her mate, who was being playfully attacked by both of their daughters, who were also being playfully tackled by Cinderheart's kits. Cinderheart was a few tail-lengths away, purring in amusement as Dewfur writhed.
Brookshadow trotted over, feeling the strength of her right wrist come flooding back once more. It had taken over a moon of careful treading mixed with a few comfrey treatments, but her wrist was now almost just as strong as ever. She watched as Dewfur genuinely struggled to wrestle his two kits away from him and let out a snicker of amusement when he gave up, going limp.
"Had enough?" she asked, a laugh in her mew.
"Brookshadow," he groaned, looking at her with annoyed love. "Mind telling your kits to get off of me?"
The two she-kits giggled and glanced triumphantly at each other.
"Right, my kits, because they're not yours when they attack you," she emphasized jokingly before brushing Sandpiperkit and Torrentkit with her tail. "Off your father, loves, he's getting old."
Cinderheart let out a laugh as they hopped off Dewfur. "If Dewfur is old, what does that make me?"
"Really good-looking," Brookshadow replied with a wink before bursting out in laughter.
Dewfur rolled to his paws and glared good-humouredly at Brookshadow and Cinderheart. "I am not old! They're just getting too big to be pinning me down anymore."
"We're too strong for you now!" Sandpiperkit boasted, dropping to a crouch, her tail waving playfully in the air behind her.
"Not one-on-one," Dewfur huffed, a smile on his muzzle.
"Not one-on-one yet," Torrentkit snickered. "We'll be able to fight you someday soon!"
Dewfur purred and gently nuzzled her. "I can't wait for that day to come, little ones."
Brookshadow chuckled, then turned to Cinderheart's kits. "Starlingkit, Redkit?"
Starlingkit, a gray and white she-kit, and Redkit, a golden-red tomkit, both gazed at her, smiles on their faces. "Would you mind playing tag with Torrentkit and Sandpiperkit?"
"Not at all!" Starlingkit mewed happily.
Redkit beckoned to them. "Come on!" He headed off to a less populated corner of camp, though it was still fully visible from the Nursery.
Cinderheart purred and lowered herself onto her side, stretching out in the sun and closing her eyes peaceably. Dewfur brushed against Brookshadow, and she purred and butted her head affectionately against his shoulder.
"You hungry?" Dewfur asked, giving her ear a lick.
Brookshadow nodded. "Just a little bit."
"I'll be right back, then." Dewfur mewed and was gone. Brookshadow watched him trod over to the freshkill pile, then crouched down next to Cinderheart's resting form, tucking her paws under her chest and half-closing her eyes as she felt the sun soak into her pelt. The sounds of the kits' game of tag reached her ears and she sighed contentedly.
"You're it, Redkit!" Torrentkit's voice reached her.
"You'll pay for that! Raa!" Redkit replied, and the squeaks and soft squeals she heard made Brookshadow smile to herself as she imagined Redkit chasing Torrentkit, and Torrentkit running as fast as her legs could possibly take her.
She heard fur brush dirt and opened her eyes to see a mouse placed in front of her by Dewfur. She purred as her gray mate settled beside her and took a bite of the vole he'd chosen. She ate her mouse slowly, enjoying the time of relaxation.
Not long after she finished her mouse, a loud yowl broke her out of her content state.
"ShadowClan!"
Brookshadow turned and looked to see the source of the noise. It was a bloodied Ivypool, panting from an obvious run. "ShadowClan has attacked our border patrol! We need backup!"
Bramblestar was already off of the Highledge, Squirrelflight right behind him. "How many?" he demanded.
Ivypool shook her head. "They outnumbered us three to one."
Bramblestar growled deep in his throat, his eyes alight with anger. "Squirrelflight, I'm going to lead on this one."
The orange deputy nodded and glanced quickly around at the gathering cats. "Lionblaze, Millie, Spiderleg, Birchfall."
The called cats stepped forward and Squirrelflight took a breath before continuing her list. "Dewfur, you up for it?"
Dewfur nodded from beside Brookshadow. "Of course."
Brookshadow glanced at him, feeling anxiety snake around her paws. "Be careful, please.. they need you." She glanced over at Torrentkit and Sandpiperkit, who had stopped their game of tag in place of watching the warriors with curious eyes.
Dewfur turned his gaze to her, then touched his nose with hers. "I'm always careful. I'm not going anywhere without a heck of a fight first, I promise."
Brookshadow breathed in his scent, then watched as he pulled away, following Bramblestar's battle patrol.
Leafpool was sniffing at Ivypool carefully.
"Let me go!" Ivypool was protesting. "I need to help fight!"
Leafpool gave her a stare, and she silenced, though her tail still flicked impatiently. "You've got a deep wound there that'll keep bleeding if it isn't patched up. Would you prefer to bleed to death while fighting ShadowClan, or live to battle another day? They have enough warriors to fight without you."
Ivypool grumbled a bit, but nodded.
The tabby medicine cat gently nudged Ivypool to the medicine den's entrance, then stopped and glanced around. "Brookshadow, would you mind coming to lend a paw? Jayfeather's out collecting herbs."
Brookshadow pricked her ears and nodded. "Cinderheart-?"
The dark gray cat was smiling. "Of course I'll watch them."
"Thank you," the light brown queen purred, giving her friend a quick nuzzle before trotting across the clearing into the medicine den. The scent of herbs washed over her, as well as the tang of blood from Ivypool's wounds. Once her eyes adjusted to the dimmer light, Brookshadow could make out Ivypool's figure, Leafpool right next to her and pressing a cobweb to her shoulder.
"Cobwebs are just there," Leafpool mewed without looking away from her patient, flicking her tail in the direction she meant.
Brookshadow found them and wound some around her paw, then padded to Ivypool and gently nosed the she-cat to look for wounds. Her nose hit wetness and she recoiled as the metallic smell of blood engulfed her senses. She quickly and gingerly placed cobweb on the wound, hearing Ivypool suck in her breath. "Leafpool, do you have marigold?"
It was a moment before Leafpool replied. "Yes. Here."
Brookshadow reached out and gently dragged the leaf that contained the poultice toward her. She pulled her cobweb up and saw that the bleeding had stopped, so she set the cobweb aside and lapped some of the poultice up, feeling the tang on her tongue. She then gently began to lick it into Ivypool's wound, being sure not to use too much or too little. Afterwards she spat the remaining poultice out and gently pressed a fresh cobweb to the wound.
"Any other wounds, Ivypool?" she asked softly as she finished.
Ivypool shook her head. "I don't think so. Thank you both."
"Of course." Leafpool mewed. "Come and see me tomorrow so I can check on them, alright?"
"Will do." Ivypool stretched carefully and took her leave.
Leafpool began clearing the used herbs and cobwebs away. Not wanting to take up space uselessly, Brookshadow started helping her.
"You're getting better," Leafpool commented.
"Better?"
"At healing."
"Oh.." Brookshadow shrugged. "I don't really see how. I don't do it nearly as much as you or Jayfeather."
"Of course not. You're a warrior, and right now you're a queen. But you're getting more confident every time you help."
"Well, I had a good teacher."
Leafpool smiled at her. "Would you mind helping me get more poultice together? We're going to need it for the battle party and the rest of the border patrol."
"Of course I will."

Five poultices later, Brookshadow's tongue was numb from the different herb tastes. But they'd finished, and just in time, Jayfeather got back. The battle patrol came back moments after Jayfeather entered the den, and suddenly the medicine den was filled with blood-scent and cats who needed treating. Brookshadow was relieved when Dewfur showed only one deep wound and several scratches. Most of the cats had only one or two deep wounds. Bramblestar was the worst case, with a deep gash on his chest and a nicked ear, along with tufts of fur missing along his left haunch. But the blood dripping from his claws and the triumphant look in the bloodied cats' eyes was more than enough to reassure them that ShadowClan had gotten the worst end of it.
Finally all the warriors were treated and Brookshadow was permitted to leave the medicine den. She was mentally tired, but energized at the same time.
She was glad to see that all the kits were still outside with Cinderheart. Torrentkit, Redkit, and Starlingkit still seemed to be playing tag, while Sandpiperkit was curled next to Cinderheart and taking a nap.
Brookshadow settled down next to Cinderheart and brushed her tail gently and affectionately over Sandpiperkit's sleeping form. "Have they been behaving themselves?" she mewed quietly to Cinderheart.
Cinderheart nodded and smiled. "Of course. They're almost always the sweetest things."
Brookshadow purred softly. "I almost don't want them to grow up."
"Every queen has felt that. We love our kits but we need to let them grow up and live their own lives, no matter where it takes them."
Brookshadow was about to reply when she heard a muffled snap and then a cry. She whipped her head around to see Starlingkit standing over Torrentkit, her ears pressed flat against her head and a wail coming from her open mouth. "I didn't mean to! It was an accident!"
Brookshadow was by their side in an instant. "What happened?" she asked urgently, her eyes trained on the unmoving form of Torrentkit.
An image flashed in her mind: A muffled snap, a wail, Leafpool shaking her head sadly at her.. StarClan, no, no, please, no...
She was pushed aside by Leafpool, though she barely felt the push due to the numbness spreading through her body. Starlingkit's worried mewls reached her ears. "We were playing tag and she slipped, I couldn't stop in time- I ran into her, I'm so sorry, Torrentkit, I'm so sorry, Brookshadow, I didn't mean to!"
Leafpool stopped moving. She stood slowly and pinned back her ears, then turned to Brookshadow.
"Leafpool-" the tabby queen choked out.
"I'm so sorry, Brookshadow," Leafpool whispered. "Torrentkit is dead."