// TW description of labor and birth
It storms outside today. Howling winds roar past, which frequently send snow drifting across the entrance of Forestshade's cave. Inside, the air is warmer, still heavy with the tang of stone and earth, but it's more lived in now. The torbie lays curled in her makeshift nest of moss and feathers, her sides heaving with the effort of labor. The contractions come in waves, sharp and relentless, drawing ragged gasps from her throat. She scratches her claws against the stone floor, her ears flicking back against her skull as pain wracks her body. "You've got this," She mutters hoarsely to herself through gritted teeth. "You've done this before. This is no biggie. No-" She winces as another contraction comes, "…biggie at all."
The kits within her had been restless for days, their movements pressing against her ribs and making any amount of hunting near impossible. She's hungry as a result. Weakened. But now, as the first (and what she'd soon discover to also be the last) begins its journey into the world, all she can focus on is the task before her. Time blurs into an endless stretch of effort and exhaustion, but finally, with one last cry, it's over. A small, wet body slips onto the moss, its scent fresh and new. Forestshade's ears swivel toward the tiny mewling sound that breaks the stillness of the cave. Only one?
Her paws move instinctively, gathering the kit closer. She leans down to lick its fur in long, rhythmic strokes to warm it. "There you are," She murmurs, her voice soft now, tinged with wonder. Her tongue pauses briefly, her nose brushing the kit's head as she inhales its scent, memorizing it. She can't see her child, but she doesn't need to. She can feel its warmth, its tiny heartbeat against her paw.
A she-kit, she soon realizes. She has another daughter.
Forestshade's chest swells with an ache so deep it's almost painful. She hadn't expected bring another life into the world after leaving ShadowClan. But here she is, cradling her newborn in her forepaws as it squirms and cries. She has a new purpose now. "Shadowkit," The name falls from her lips in a whisper. "That's who you'll be." She hadn't thought much of names before now, but it is instinctual. She will always be a ShadowClanner at heart. And so will this kit, somewhere in her blood. This little one, she has the heart of a clan cat, Forestshade is sure of it. Not only that, but she will carry the memory of her sire with her own name. Sharpshadow, if only you could see her. There is pain at the thought. How much would it ruin the cat she cares for most in this world to know he has a child out in unclaimed land? If she did know…would she leave ShadowClan for his kit? I can't do that to her, She realizes with a frown. So, she will not tell her.
The new queen curls protectively around her daughter, her tail sweeping over the kit like a shield. The storm outside has all but stopped now, leaving the cave in a muffled quiet. For the first time in what feels like seasons, Forestshade lets herself relax. She doesn't know what the future will hold for her or Shadowkit, but for now, it doesn't matter.
They have each other.
