"Hello? Hey, are you okay?" A brown she-cat said as she nudged a nearly lifeless form.
The kitten opened one eye halfway before sliding it shut again.
A young white cat leaned forward, sniffing the red kitten cautiously.
"Oakpaw, stay out of the way," a third cat warned, swishing his tail impatiently. "Brambleheart, do hurry up."
"Shh," Brambleheart said softly. "Don't disturb her, Sparkstone."
"Well, can we get going? It's freezing!" Sparkstone hissed, standing quickly and picking up the mouse that lay at his paws. "Come on," he mumbled around the prey. "Let's get back to camp."
Oakpaw scooped up a scrawny starling and followed his mentor down the path. Brambleheart carefully picked up the kitten by the scruff and followed the toms through the frozen forest.
/
The cavern was largely empty when the small patrol returned, padding quietly across the cold stone. The prey was deposited atop a small pile, and Oakpaw bounded into a scoop in the wall, settling between two other cats. He was whispering to them as Brambleheart walked across the cavern, her breath billowing in front of her.
Eyes opened and cats began to emerge, curious. Halfway across the cavern a lean red she-cat stepped in front of Brambleheart, who stopped short. She set the kit between her paws, raising her head to make eye contact with the other cat.
"Maplestar," she greeted, dipping her head slightly.
"I see you found something on patrol, Brambleheart," Maplestar said, looking suspiciously down at the scrap of fur, which shook from the cold. "What do you expect me to do with it?"
"She needs to be warmed up," Brambleheart mewed, wrapping her tail around the kit. "Surely one of the queens has room for one more?"
"You haven't heard." Maplestar looked concerned as she leaned forward, murmuring, "Whitetail kitted while you were out on patrol, Brambleheart."
"Really?" Her eyes lit up. "Can I see them?"
Maplestar shook her head sadly. "None of them made it."
Brambleheart's face fell, and she picked up the kit, pushing past her leader with a frown. Her pace was brisk as she padded through the cavern. When she reached the far wall, Brambleheart slipped into an alcove and carefully weaved around a pair of nests to a third nest in the back.
A brown and white she-cat lay there, her tail wrapped around her four lifeless kits as she wept.
"Whitetail, I'm sorry," Brambleheart murmured, pressing her muzzle briefly against her friend's cheek.
Whitetail shook her head. "There's nothing you can do, Brambleheart."
She nodded. "I know."
Brambleheart pushed the kit forward, nudging her up to Whitetail. "Look what I found."
The queen looked down at the kit, her tears dripping off her nose and landing on the red and white she-kit.
The kitten let out a weak cry, her tiny face scrunching up.
Whitetail licked the top of the kit's head. "She's lovely." She looked up at her friend. "Thank you."
Brambleheart shook her head. "Don't. She needs a mother."
Whitetail nodded, now focused on her new kit. Brambleheart quietly left, turning back to watch her friend push the dead kittens out of her nest and pull the red kitten close to her belly.
A dark gray tom pushed past Brambleheart, rushing to Whitetail's side and leaning over her.
"Look at her, Crowfoot," Whitetail said softly. "She's beautiful."
Crowfoot's eyes softened as he settled beside his mate and began to groom her. "Does she have a name?"
"Not yet," Whitetail said. "But I think she should be called Pinekit."
Brambleheart smiled as she ducked out of the nursery. As she curled up the nest she shared with her mate, Brambleheart knew she had done the right thing.

A/N: Hope you enjoyed the first part of this story! So sorry I didn't update last week, but here's a double update to make up for it. Maps will be up ASAP.
--Caroline