Chapt 21

Lionblaze leaped to the side, and swiped his claws down the attacking cat. The ginger she-cat hurled herself up in the air, trying to land squarely on Lionblaze's shoulders, but he was too fast for her. He ducked and rolled on his back and flicked her off his legs as she landed on him. She got up quickly and lunged for his under-belly. The ginger cat flipped him over and drew her paw up for a throat scratch.
      "Good job Gingerpaw," Lionblaze purred.
      "Do you really think so? I know I missed you a lot and I tripped in the beginning." Gingerpaw jumped of Lionblaze.
      "You won the battle and that's all that counts." Lionblaze purred. His own apprentice was watching them practice advanced battle moves at the edge of the clearing. Gingerpaw's mentor, Rowanstar, was on a hunting patrol. Mistystar was watching the apprentices, Lionblaze knew she was assessing Gingerpaw.
      "Why don't we go back to camp, the elders would like to hear about your training." Mistystar suggested.
      "It seems like the only thing Puddleplash wants to do is complain about how the moss I get him is always wet." Snakepaw muttered. Lionblaze flicked his tail over the young apprentice's ear and gave him a stern look.
      The warriors and apprentices padded into the camp. The apprentices picked up a piece of fresh kill and padded to the elder's den
      Lionblaze picked up a vole from the fresh kill pile and padded towards the nursery. He didn't hear the usual squeaking and scuffling of kits and he got worried. He thought something had happened to them so he broke into a run. He couldn't find them in the nursery, not even one of the queens. He ran to the medicine den and breathed a sigh of relief. He could hear the queens talking and kits squealing. He licked his chest fur and padded in with his vole.
      "Lionblaze!" 10 kits squeaked in unison. The kits tottered over to the golden tabby tom and began to ask him questions.
      "Frogpaw says your the best fighter in all of Thunderclan, is that true?" Sheepkit mewed loudly.
      "Well, I wouldn't say-" Lionblaze began.
      "Can you teach us some fighting moves?" Duskkit began to swat at an invisible foe, as if she was waiting for the enemy to strike.
      "Is it true you killed a Dark Forest warrior?" Firekit mewed loudly.
      "Kits! Come on. Leave Lionblaze alone, he has important warrior business to do." Ashfoot's amused mew called to the tiny cats. the kits scrambled over one another to the gray queen.
      "So I'm guessing you didn't come here to talk with the kits," Cinderheart mewed, padding up to him. He dropped the vole at her paws.
      "I was looking for you," He replied.
      "Thanks for the vole, it feels like I haven't eaten in ages. All I had today was a scrawny wood pigeon and some borage. Jayfeather says they should be coming in the next few days." Cinderheart looked down at her swollen belly. Lionblaze could see she was heavily pregnant, her belly fur touching the ground.
      

       "Is she okay, can I get her anything?' Lionblaze's voice faltered as he thought of his beloved mate dying while having his kits. His usual confidence faded and panic spread through his body.
       "She's fine, she needs water though." Willowshine mewed calmly. Lionblaze tensed as his mates voice screeched through the clearing. She had given birth to one kit, a small spotted kit she-cat. Jayfeather suspected that there was only one more kit, but he also thought it was a big kit.
        Lionblaze ran into the medicine clearing and grabbed a mouthful of moss and soaked it in a puddle of water. The dripping moss ran down his pelt and made him shiver which made the moss drip more. by the time he got back to the nursery, Cinderheart had given birth to the second and final kit. Lionblaze pushed past the medicine cats and stood in front of his mate and his kits. The second kit was a broad shouldered tom, black with orange stripes. The tom was bigger than any other kit in the nursery, even Twigkit and Leafkit who were 5 moons old.
       "There beautiful," Lionblaze murmured
       "I've thought of some names," Cinderheart looked exhausted," The spotted she-kit could be Leopardkit, and the tom could be Mountainkit."
       "Mountainkit and Leopardkit," Lionblaze purred warmly,"Perfect."
       Twigkit and Leafkit padded over to the Cinderheart wide eyed.
       "Mountainkit is bigger than me!" Twigkit mewed disbelievingly.
       "Leopardkit is so tiny!" Leafkit purred. Lionblaze pushed the moss towards Cinderheart, who lapped up the water quickly.
       "Thank-you! You wouldn't believe how thirsty I am, and hungry!" Cinderheart also looked exhausted.
       "You can eat after you sleep, you look exhausted." Willowshine mewed.
       "Nonsense, I could fight all of the Dark Forest right now!" Cinderheart contradicted herself by yawning.
        It was only sunhigh that Lionblaze was eating a vole with Cinderheart. Now moonhigh, he had 2 healthy kits, and the whole world seemed to change. He licked his mate's ear as she slept and walked out into the clearing. The whole clan was up and watching the nursery.
        "Congratulations!" A voice called out behind him. He nodded his thanks and ran towards his sister, Hollyleaf.
        "What are their names?" Hollyleaf's voice was tired, but she looked genuinely excited.
        "Mountainkit is a black kit with ginger stripes. He's the biggest kit in the nursery, even bigger than Twigkit. Leopardkit is a gray she-cat with black spots. I think Mountainkit took all the growth from Leopardkit because she's so tiny!" Lionblaze purred.
         "Are you sure that the kits are yours?" Hollyleaf asked seriously.
         "What? Of course their mine! Cinderheart was your best friend, how could you even think that about her?" Lionblaze stalked away from his sister, angry and bewildered. She obsessed with the lies that Leafpool and Squirrelflight told us! Lionblaze knew she had to get over it, him and Jayfeather did and so did most of the clan, including Bramblestar. He lashed his tail as he lay down next to Bumblestripe in the warrior's den, still angry at Hollyleaf. He purposefully slept on the opposite side of the den, and turned his back towards her.
          "Will you lead dawn ptrol tomorrow?" Bumblestripe murmured to Lionblaze.
          "Sure, who should I take?" Lionblaze yawned.
          "None of the she-cats, Jayfeather want to see them all tomorrow." Bumblestripe mewed, stiffling a yawn."
          "Nothing serious, I hope?"
          "He says he just checking the she-cats for pregnant queens. He wouldn't tell me why." Bumblestripe mewed, closing his eyes.