Dim Light (Stormwind)

Within a day or two, Glaciertail came bounding back to the group. They'd been on a downward trajectory for some time, coming out of the mountainous area by the lake and into a wide valley. It was still snowy there, but some signs of the oncoming melting were present, like water dripping down from the trees onto the traveling cats. "Guys," the scout panted, "You've gotta see this!"

Jewel was waiting in the den for Swiftstream to wake up as Spottedpelt and Riverflight arrived.

Swiftstream fought sleep for as long as she could before finally succumbing to exhaustion.

Tyson nodded idly, soon falling asleep.

Her fur bristled and she hissed at him, wrapping her tail around the feeding Puddlekit and keeping Streakkit and Flashkit between her forelegs/paws protectively.

Tyson eventually spoke up after it seemed Swiftstream's breathing had evened out. "I'll help if you need anything," the tom offered simply, not pressing the matter any as he laid back down and dozed off a bit. Jewel and Coffee had had to leave by that point, leaving only the two of them in the former leader's den.

Swiftstream took care of her living son first, before gently grooming her dead kits' fur, sniffling quietly. In her mind, she named them, determined to give Streakkit and Flashkit and proper burial and to not let anyone take Puddlekit from her. 

Flashkit: Golden-furred tom with deep blue eyes. Stillborn
Streakkit: Cream-furred she-cat with a white underbelly and deep blue eyes. Stillborn
Puddlekit: Small cream-furred tom with light blue-green eyes

Tyson acknowledged her anger and distrust. Instead of forcing her to do anything, he laid down so that she could just see him in the corner of her eye, curling up there without a nest and falling asleep.

(Did you know that I stink at making cats give birth? XD)

The first two, a male and a female, were stillborn from being born early and due to stress, but the third, a male, lived. Once the birth was over, Swiftstream curled in on herself and her dead and alive kits, snarling at them whenever they tried to get close to either help her or take away any of the kits.

Tyson kept the nosy she-cat couple back as they tried to get closer and watch, the miracle of kitting unfamiliar yet fascinating to them, especially since they planned on raising the litter as their own kin.

It seemed to take hours before she finally actually started giving birth, digging her claws into the ground and straining.

Tyson pinned his ears at her sudden rejection but tried no further intervention in the birth.

She swatted it away, not wanting anything from them.

Tyson pressed the stick up against her muzzle in case she wanted it, admiring the female's strength.

Swiftstream still bared her teeth at them, trembling and claws half-unsheathed, holding back her yowls of pain through sheer force of will even as contractions rippled through her.

While the majority of the rogues were truly assholes, Tyson gave her her space, blocking Jewel and Coffee from pressing any closer to Swiftstream than she was comfortable with.

Swiftstream was holding back with sheer willpower, pressing herself into a corner as far away from the theee as she could and praying earnestly to StarClan.

(Close enough. XP)

Tyson, the de facto medicine cat of the rogue group, was really only able to offer a stick for her to bite on and borage afterwards, Jewel pressing up against Coffee lovingly as they waited for their new kits to be born.

Swiftstream tried to squirm away from them, not feeling safe at all. It was a well-known fact that the more stress a momma cat is under, the worse the labor was. (I think?)

Jewel glanced at Coffee quickly, dismounting Swiftstream. "Hon, she's going into labor, get Tyson in here!"

Swiftstream suddenly froze, an involuntary hiss escaping her and vibrating Coffee's pussy slightly, as her stomach clenched, a jagged bolt of pain striking her.

Glaciertail elected to remain behind as well, knowing the group needed his tracking ability to find anew place to settle.

Snarling, Riverflight turned around and started to rescue Swiftstream, Spottedpelt not far behind, the pair disappearing over a ridge on their new mission as Glaciertail padded out ahead of the group Theo continue scouting.

Rainstorm didn't move, and Shadowleaf was pregnant so she couldn't go anyway.

(Sure!)

Quickly, Spottedpelt joined Riverflight, glancing back at the other cats to see who would be brace enough to go back.

(*uneven blinking* I was thinking Swift's kits come early and all but one are stillborn)

Swiftstream squirmed, only just now registering the bone-deep exhaustion that was tugging at her.

The group seemingly at an impasse, Riverflight finally spoke for the first time since being stopped. "The we'll split up. If you're loyal to the clan leader, keep on heading out. We'll follow your scent back. If you're loyal to the code, then follow me." Angrily, he padded back towards the old camp, his tail lashing as his glare dared anyone to stop him again.

"Fine," Jewel snarled, glancing over at her lesbian mate Coffee knowingly before sinking onto Swiftstream's muzzle, riding it like a cock to get some sort of pleasure from the bound, muzzled female.