5 moons had passed since the discovery of lost Clanmates. Sharptalon walked into camp, Stormgaze at his side. They headed towards the prey pile. Dark gray clouds passed across the gloomy sky. Rain was on the way. 

Stormgaze dropped her mouse and squirrel in the prey pile. Purring, she looked at Sharptalon, her green eyes warm.

Sharptalon dropped his prey in the fresh-kill pile. He twitched his whiskers. He looked at Stormgaze. "Rain is on the way. We should take shelter somewhere before it starts to come down."

As soon as Sharptalon finished his sentence, a drop of rain landed on his nose. He blinked. He padded beside Stormgaze as they headed for the warriors' den. 

Suddenly a loud yowl rang out. Sharptalon turn, looking around. It sounded as if it come from the nursery. He looked at Stormgaze. "Stay here, I'll go see who that is," he meowed.

Stormgaze blinked at Sharptalon, but didn't protest.

Sharptalon raced forward. Was Leafpool or one of the other queens having her kits? He squeezed through the entrance. 

Monarchwing was stretched out in her nest, her face twisted in pain. Leafpool was crouched over her. "Get one of your medicine cats!" She hissed.

"They aren't in camp, none of them!" Sharptalon meowed. He crouched down. "What can I do?"

"Go find a stick and get thyme from the medicine den!" Leafpool explained. 

"I don't know what thyme looks like," Sharptalon admitted guiltily. Stormgaze's voice sounded outside the den, "I'll fetch a stick!" 

"Watch over her, Sharptalon! I'll go and fetch thyme," Leafpool meowed, padding from the den. 

Coriander padded over, her tail flicking. "Something is wrong!" She gasped.

"The.... kits!" Monarchwing screeched. "They're coming too early!" She mewed with pain. 

Ambertuft and Phoenixwing padded up, their eyes clouded with concern. "Monarchwing, you're going to be okay!" They mewed.

Monarchwing's flanks convulsed, her eyes closing tight. She let out a loud yowl. "It hurts!"

"Sharptalon! Get Lighttail!" Monarchwing mewed, her gaze clouded with desperation. "Please, get your brother, I need him! I can't do this without him!" 

Sharptalon stood still. He felt something stirring inside him. Why should I care about helping the cat who blamed me for killing her father? She's hated me all her life! 

"Don't just stand there, you mouse-brai- Argh, ach!" Monarchwing's hiss turned into a painful yowl. She flattened her ears.

Leafpool padded into the den, herbs and a stick in her jaws. "Move! I need space!" She meowed quickly, shoving past Sharptalon. She huffed. "Lucky you have a medicine cat here."

"I thought you gave up your role as a medicine cat for Crowfeather just to be with him," Sharptalon pointed out. 

Leafpool stared at him guiltily. She gave Monarchwing the stick. "Bite on this. It will help you from yowling so loud and will distract you from the pain. 

Monarchwing looked at them, her eyes clouded with pain. "Sharptalon! Get Lighttail!" She pleaded. 

"No! Lighttail doesn't have to be here!" Sharptalon hissed. "Why should I do it for you? You've blamed me all your life for killing your father, when it was actually the rogues that killed him! All you ever want to do is-"

"Shut up! All of you!" Leafpool hissed, her tail lashing. "Stop acting like kits! Just shut up and give me some peace and quiet! I need to concentrate." Leafpool leaned down. "Monarchwing, bite on this stick."

Monarchwing grabbed the stick, then bit down on it. Sharptalon heard the wood splinter as she crunched her jaws down harder. 

Leafpool stood over her, her amber eyes clouded with worry. "The first kit is coming! Push!" She ordered.

Monarchwing bit down on the stick harder, her yowls of pain slightly muffled. "I'm trying!" She hissed.

Suddenly something slid from beneath her tail. A small kit wrapped in a sack. Leafpool gasped.

Coriander rushed forward to her daughter. "Monarchwing!" She gasped. She looked at her daughter's new kit. She darted forward and began to lick the kit.

"No!" Leafpool's mew cracked. "He's dead."

"Dead? What do you mean 'dead'?" Monarchwing hissed, looking back at them. 

Coriander gasped, her eyes clouded with pain. "No, no! I'm so sorry, Monarchwing!" She whimpered. 

"There's another one coming," Leafpool announced. He crouched down. 

Blazekit and Needlekit watched in horror. They were cuddling in the corner with their sister, Sootkit. 

Blazekit looked up at his mother. "Ambertuft? What's going on? Is Mon... Monarchwing..dying?" He asked. 

Ambertuft blinked sadly at her son. "No, no, dear, don't worry," she murmured. She gently ushered him forward. "Come on. Sootkit, Needlekit, let's leave the den. Maybe you can talk to the elders." 

As Ambertuft left the den with her kits, Sharptalon felt strange. He thought of Stormgaze. 

"It's out!" Leafpool gasped. She nipped the sack the kit was in and placed him beside Monarchwing's belly. Monarchwing turned to lick her son. 

"Gently!" Leafpool warned. "I think there might be one more coming. Push!" She mewed.

Monarchwing's sides convulsed. She let out a loud yowl, crunching the stick between her jaws. The stick split in half. Blood was leaking from beneath her tail and she coughed out blood. 

Leafpool's gaze was clouded with concern. "Oh shoot, something is wrong!" She gasped.

"What?" Coriander gasped. "What's wrong? Is my daughter ok?" She asked.

"She-she..." Leafpool trailed off. "There shouldn't be this much blood," she murmured. She gasped suddenly. "Here comes the last one!" 

Sharptalon felt a shove behind him and bristled, seeing Lighttail. His fur was slicked with rain.

"Monarchwing!" Lighttail cried. "It's ok! It's ok! I'm here for you, ok?" He whimpered. 

Leafpool nipped the sack of the kit and placed her beside her brother. The she-kit whimpered, then began to suckle. 

"Great job, Monarchwing!" Coriander gasped. "Smoky would be so proud," she murmured. 

Monarchwing smiled softly, her gaze warm. "They're.... beautifu...l," she rasped. Suddenly she gasped, her eyes widening. She then started jerking wildly in her nest.

"Monarchwing! Monarchwing!" Lighttail cried. His two kits started to whine.

Sharptalon's ears were filled with the crying of the kits. They echoed in his mind like thoughts. He stared down at Monarchwing's flailing body. She gasped with shock. Leafpool watched in horror. 

Suddenly Monarchwing was still, her eyes wide. She stared upwards at nothing, her eyes dull and distant. 

Lighttail gasped with horror. "No! Monarchwing! Wake up, please!" He whimpered. He put his paws on her shoulders and shook her, his eyes wide. 

"Lighttail! Stop, she's dead!" Sharptalon meowed, lashing his tail. "She's with StarClan now, with her son," he murmured. 

"Her s-son?" Lighttail echoed. "What do you mean? Did one of my kits die too?" He hissed. He backed away from his mate's dead body, shaking his head in disbelief. "No, no," he whispered. 

Lighttail gazed down at his son and daughter, then looked at his other son, who was dead, still in the sack. He sat down, wrapping his tail around his kits. He looked at Monarchwing's dead body. "Don't worry, Monarchwing, it's ok. I'll raise our kits to be the best warriors ever," he murmured. 

"Lighttail, I need to bring them to Ambertuft. She's got kits of her own, she can nurse yours," Leafpool pointed out. 

Lighttail glared at her. "It won't be the same!" He hissed. He unsheathed his claws. "You didn't even try to help her!" He growled. Suddenly, he lashed out, has claws striking her ears.

Sharptalon gasped with shock. Was his brother crazy? He ran forward. "Lighttail! Enough! I know you're sad that your mate is dead, but that doesn't give you the excuse to attack a pregnant cat!" He hissed.

"Put yourself in my place, Sharptalon. What would you do if your mate died because of someone else?" He growled. 

"It- it's my fault," Leafpool murmured, lifting her head. The tip of her ear had been sliced and was bleeding badly, trickling down the side of her face. "I should've been more ready."

"Yeah, you should've. This really is your fault," Lighttail growled. 

"Shut up, Lighttail! This isn't Leafpool's fault! It's only your fault! Sharptalon hissed to his brother. He saw surprise light in his gaze. "You're the one that got her pregnant, even if you knew that she was too young to be having kits!" He hissed. 

Lighttail avoided his gaze. He shifted his paws. It was quiet enough to hear the rain pounding outside, and to hear Coriander whimpering softly. She was laying against her dauhgter's body, her muzzle buried in her neck. 

"I... I," Lighttail whimpered. He backed away and bolted from the den.