Seeing the silver leader dash off towards the medicine den draws a shaky breath of relief of Echolight as she eases back, her pants blowing rapid white air against the freezing temperature.
The noise of Heavy Snow dashing off undoubtedly to retrieve Brightshine becomes lost to the queen when another contraction makes her wince, and once more the blaring reminder that her kits were on their way . Yewberrys presence is a comfort despite the fact that the tom was practically radiating anxiety. She leans into the nuzzle, "Thank.. thank you. Please, can you get Daisykit? Take her to Dandy’s den, she won’t take kindly to a rude awakening" she asks, throwing her head over her shoulder knowing full well that the commotion more likely than not had already woken her daughter.
A cold nose is pressed against her head, and Echolight nods assuringly, "Thank you, Mal" she replies, trying not to choke on the emotion that has begun to bubble up in her throat. She see’s Dandelionwish exit the medicine den and goes to settle down once she’s sure Daisykit had been whisked away from what would surely be an intense scene.
When Pollenfur is beside her, the queen leans into her aunt, tears blooming at her waterline and finally shedding shamelessly.
"Mama’s on her way… breathe…" she echo’s her aunts words in a trembling voice as another contraction pummels at her, "oh stars, Pollen- I’m gonna be a mom!" A sudden realization it was not, but suddenly her little bunnies weren’t going to be a concept, a hypothetical that wasn’t quite there yet, they were going to be a reality- her reality.
Familiar calico fur rushes in, and Echolight reaches for her, Brightshine, the mother that taught her all the good she knew.
When Dandelionwish makes his way in, offering her a raspberry leaf and ordering her brother to get a stick, Echolight can feel her children taking the cue that the three cats she needed were there now. "HOLY MOTHER OF-" The exclamation is abrupt and shrill, and Echolight snatches the herb offered to her. Dandelionwish tells her to breathe, but the pain causes hitches in her breath.
Just wait until I can get the stick, bunnies!
——
To say the process had been brutal would be an understatement, but as the last kit was placed in the curve of her belly, it was as if the pain evaporated, melted into nothing but joy.
Her paw subconsciously reaches for her mothers as she gazes upon her little wonders. Three, two sons and a daughter. Tears stream down the calicos scarred face, and she leans back a little as to not cry over her children. The boys could practically be twins if not for the faint splashes of burnt orange on one, while the other looks as though he may grow into the ivory dapples vaguely freckled along his neck. Her daughter was the day to her brothers night in her coloring, sporting the same white dapples as her brother.
"Oh.. mama, they’re…" words cannot find the mother as she sniffles.
She looks up towards Pollenfur, her gaze shining with tears of joy to be wept, before her eyes dance back towards the oldest, the tom with fire in his fur. "Spark-kit" she decides quickly, the memory of Ember burns when she looks at her son, her own pale flamed fur resonating in her families legacy- her aunt would want the credit for that, Echolight cannot help but think with a bittersweet smile on her maw.
She moves to the other midnight-hued tom at Spark-kits side, his pelt reminds her of another, of Leechpaw. Dark as the abyss. "Ebonykit" Echolight breathes, the name coming to her with ease.
The last one is more difficult, her lilac fur resembles no one she can think of off the top of her head, and Echolight has to pause, fidgeting with the stick next to her she has clamped down on only a pawful of minutes prior. She looks to her mother for a moment, before her one-eyed gaze drifts towards the outside of the den, where her brother had kept his promise to stay nearby.
"Lark-kit… this one’s Lark-kit" Echolight announced softly when her gaze returns to the molly. "Spark-kit, Ebonykit, and Lark-kit" Echolight repeats with a shaky exhale, "What… what do you think, mama?" The lilac queen asked with a sniffle when her powder blue gaze finds her mothers emerald once more. "Did I do okay?"
"Speech."
[ WHAT A TIME ]
