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Description
Go watch the AMV *xHalfaLife101x made for the story!
It's why I changed the title and updated the end of the story a bit.

Story time.

Shallowpool stretched, carefully curling her tail around her wide belly as she yawned. "Where is that old man?" she grumbled. "He promised to take me for a walk today."
Fleetfoot carefully poked his nose into the nursery and called out to his mate. "Come on, my whale." The tom grinned and backed away, and Shallowpool growled. "I told you I wouldn't be late." Fleetfoot winked as his mate exited the den. He licked her ear and placed his tail over her shoulder. "How far do you feel like walking today?"
"As far as you can go, old man." Shallowpool grinned back at the ageing tom. His green eyes still sparkled and melted her heart, no matter how much grey dusted his ginger chin. She rubbed her head under his jaw ans slowly plodded towards the camp entrance. "Oomph. There must be a hundred kits in there! I feel like..." Shallowpool grunted. "A whale?" Fleetfoot prodded. She shot him a glare and flicked her tail at his nose, making him sneeze. "Ha. Yeah, like a whale. Why did we want more kits again? I'll never get back to the size I was."
Shallowpool picked her way carefully through the snowy grass behind Fleetfoot. "You know, my mother walked with my daddy like this, before I was born. I just hope this walk doesn't end like their's did!" Fleetfoot coughed. "You're at least a week away, Starsong said you'd be fine."
The two walked further, tunneling through the frozen grass and reaching one riverbank. Shallowpool sighed and leaned against a rock, warm from the sunshine. "Come sun with me. My feet are swollen, I can't go any further." She climbed carefully onto the rock and spread out, her white fur spreading onto the rock like a bleach stain. Fleetfoot smiled and walked to the other side of the rock to climb up. He placed his front feet on the side, and was about to leap, until his back slid under the rock and into a hole. "Yikes!" Fleetfoot meowed and slipped, scrambling out of the hole and away from the rock. "What happened?" Shallowpool called out, peering over the rock. "Nothing, I, I slipped-" Fleetfoot meowed back, but he froze as he heard a slithering, rasping hiss.
The tom gulped and peered at the hole. A scaly narrow head rose out, red eyes flashing. Shallowpool gasped and growled, her hackles rising. The snake flashed its head up, turning its aim on the she-cat. "NO!" Fleetfoot screeched, and batted at the scaly creature with one long arm. The snake, angry at being awakened mid leaf-bare, make no warning. It struck, lightning-fast, faster than the aging ginger tom.
"Fleetfoot!" Shallowpool cried. He growled once the snake dug its fangs out of his leg, and leaped at the thing's head, smashing it against the rock. His leg burned from the bite. "Shallowpool, get off on the other side, I'm coming around. We've got to get back to camp..." He limped over, meeting his mate and quickly leaving the riverbank. "Fleetfoot. That snake BIT you, didn't it?" the she-cat mewled nervously. The bite was small; no blood was obvious on Fleetfoot's leg. But she was sure it had bit him. Fleetfoot grimaced, then turned it into a grin so not to alert his mate. "I'm fine. We just need to get back." He sighed.
Shallowpool trotted ahead quickly. Fleetfoot lost ground every minute; his leg stiffened first. By the time they were halfway back to camp, the bitten leg wasn't moving at all, and his other shoulder was starting to stiffen.
"Shallow. I need to lean on you. I can't..." He flinched and she caught him. She dug her teeth into the scruff of Fleetfoot's neck and half walked, half drug him towards camp. "I've got you. You will be ok." She meowed into his neck.

Leafpaw paced outside of the medicine cat den, not wanting to settle next to his mother. "W-why won't Stars-song let me help? I-I-I know snakebites, I c-c-c-c" Shallowpool grabbed her son as he raced by and licked his nose to make the stutter stop. "Starsong doesn't want you in there because it's your dad she's treating. You know how nervous you get treating me in the nursery, and I'm not even sick." Shallowpool meowed calmly.
"Your daddy will be fine. But YOU won't be if you don't park that fluffy hind end. You're making me nervous."

The heart-wrenching shriek spread over the camp and out into Iceclan territory. Shallowpool screamed again, thrashing her tail and pulling her head into her chest. "You said he'd be FINE. It wasn't a big snake! We got him here quickly!"
Starsong hung her head, and carefully stepped closer to the grieving she-cat. "Fleetfoot's heart, Shallowpool. A young cat could have survived that bite, but his heart... it just gave in. I tried everything, I am so sorry..." Shallowpool lashed out, claws thankfully sheathed, hitting the medicine cat across the nose. She shrieked again, wrapping around her pregnant belly and sobbing.
Leafpaw pressed his nose into his forepaws, blocking his tears. He could still smell his father on Starsong's fur, and tried hard not to cry. "Where is Wrenpaw? She need-eds to be here, t-t-t-to know..." He stiffened. "Mom?"
Shallowpool was convulsing silently on the floor of the medicine cat den. "MOM! Starsong, what-?" Leafpaw's stutter stopped the rest of his question.
"She's having labor pains, Leafpaw. Get the willow bark, and the borage leaves ready."

"They're so small." Wrenpaw poked at one wobbly kit, a white and ginger female. "Well d-d-duh, Wren, they're babies." Leafpaw smiled at the dark tom kit, who rolled over and yawned.
Shallowpool opened one eye and watched the clean kits mewl and roll around with her older babies. She sniffed and could smell milk, sweat, borage leaves, and...
A slight breeze ruffled the fur of her ears as the image of a starry tom-cat appeared curled up beside her. "There is one more star out there for you tonight, my love." the tom whispered before nuzzling her neck and dissapearing.

"Fleetfoot." Shallowpool whispered. A single tear fell down her face as the she-cat burrowed her head into her paws and fell back into blessed poppy-induced sleep.

Linearts used and edited.
Wrenpaw lines (c) ~Divine-Marshal [link]
Brightkit lines (c) ~PiPeachu [link]
Longtail lines (c) =Beatlesbiggestfan1 [link]
Stumpytail lines (c) ~ghostgirlDiamond [link]
Raven Reincarnate lines (c) *Savannah-Nanna [link]
Shallowpool lines (c) =Wildfur365 [link]
Leafpaw lines (c) *muffinxkat [link]
Fleetfoot lines (c) ~Hollyleaf1998 [link]

Description
Go watch the AMV *xHalfaLife101x made for the story!
It's why I changed the title and updated the end of the story a bit.

Story time.

Shallowpool stretched, carefully curling her tail around her wide belly as she yawned. "Where is that old man?" she grumbled. "He promised to take me for a walk today."
Fleetfoot carefully poked his nose into the nursery and called out to his mate. "Come on, my whale." The tom grinned and backed away, and Shallowpool growled. "I told you I wouldn't be late." Fleetfoot winked as his mate exited the den. He licked her ear and placed his tail over her shoulder. "How far do you feel like walking today?"
"As far as you can go, old man." Shallowpool grinned back at the ageing tom. His green eyes still sparkled and melted her heart, no matter how much grey dusted his ginger chin. She rubbed her head under his jaw ans slowly plodded towards the camp entrance. "Oomph. There must be a hundred kits in there! I feel like..." Shallowpool grunted. "A whale?" Fleetfoot prodded. She shot him a glare and flicked her tail at his nose, making him sneeze. "Ha. Yeah, like a whale. Why did we want more kits again? I'll never get back to the size I was."
Shallowpool picked her way carefully through the snowy grass behind Fleetfoot. "You know, my mother walked with my daddy like this, before I was born. I just hope this walk doesn't end like their's did!" Fleetfoot coughed. "You're at least a week away, Starsong said you'd be fine."
The two walked further, tunneling through the frozen grass and reaching one riverbank. Shallowpool sighed and leaned against a rock, warm from the sunshine. "Come sun with me. My feet are swollen, I can't go any further." She climbed carefully onto the rock and spread out, her white fur spreading onto the rock like a bleach stain. Fleetfoot smiled and walked to the other side of the rock to climb up. He placed his front feet on the side, and was about to leap, until his back slid under the rock and into a hole. "Yikes!" Fleetfoot meowed and slipped, scrambling out of the hole and away from the rock. "What happened?" Shallowpool called out, peering over the rock. "Nothing, I, I slipped-" Fleetfoot meowed back, but he froze as he heard a slithering, rasping hiss.
The tom gulped and peered at the hole. A scaly narrow head rose out, red eyes flashing. Shallowpool gasped and growled, her hackles rising. The snake flashed its head up, turning its aim on the she-cat. "NO!" Fleetfoot screeched, and batted at the scaly creature with one long arm. The snake, angry at being awakened mid leaf-bare, make no warning. It struck, lightning-fast, faster than the aging ginger tom.
"Fleetfoot!" Shallowpool cried. He growled once the snake dug its fangs out of his leg, and leaped at the thing's head, smashing it against the rock. His leg burned from the bite. "Shallowpool, get off on the other side, I'm coming around. We've got to get back to camp..." He limped over, meeting his mate and quickly leaving the riverbank. "Fleetfoot. That snake BIT you, didn't it?" the she-cat mewled nervously. The bite was small; no blood was obvious on Fleetfoot's leg. But she was sure it had bit him. Fleetfoot grimaced, then turned it into a grin so not to alert his mate. "I'm fine. We just need to get back." He sighed.
Shallowpool trotted ahead quickly. Fleetfoot lost ground every minute; his leg stiffened first. By the time they were halfway back to camp, the bitten leg wasn't moving at all, and his other shoulder was starting to stiffen.
"Shallow. I need to lean on you. I can't..." He flinched and she caught him. She dug her teeth into the scruff of Fleetfoot's neck and half walked, half drug him towards camp. "I've got you. You will be ok." She meowed into his neck.

Leafpaw paced outside of the medicine cat den, not wanting to settle next to his mother. "W-why won't Stars-song let me help? I-I-I know snakebites, I c-c-c-c" Shallowpool grabbed her son as he raced by and licked his nose to make the stutter stop. "Starsong doesn't want you in there because it's your dad she's treating. You know how nervous you get treating me in the nursery, and I'm not even sick." Shallowpool meowed calmly.
"Your daddy will be fine. But YOU won't be if you don't park that fluffy hind end. You're making me nervous."

The heart-wrenching shriek spread over the camp and out into Iceclan territory. Shallowpool screamed again, thrashing her tail and pulling her head into her chest. "You said he'd be FINE. It wasn't a big snake! We got him here quickly!"
Starsong hung her head, and carefully stepped closer to the grieving she-cat. "Fleetfoot's heart, Shallowpool. A young cat could have survived that bite, but his heart... it just gave in. I tried everything, I am so sorry..." Shallowpool lashed out, claws thankfully sheathed, hitting the medicine cat across the nose. She shrieked again, wrapping around her pregnant belly and sobbing.
Leafpaw pressed his nose into his forepaws, blocking his tears. He could still smell his father on Starsong's fur, and tried hard not to cry. "Where is Wrenpaw? She need-eds to be here, t-t-t-to know..." He stiffened. "Mom?"
Shallowpool was convulsing silently on the floor of the medicine cat den. "MOM! Starsong, what-?" Leafpaw's stutter stopped the rest of his question.
"She's having labor pains, Leafpaw. Get the willow bark, and the borage leaves ready."

"They're so small." Wrenpaw poked at one wobbly kit, a white and ginger female. "Well d-d-duh, Wren, they're babies." Leafpaw smiled at the dark tom kit, who rolled over and yawned.
Shallowpool opened one eye and watched the clean kits mewl and roll around with her older babies. She sniffed and could smell milk, sweat, borage leaves, and...
A slight breeze ruffled the fur of her ears as the image of a starry tom-cat appeared curled up beside her. "There is one more star out there for you tonight, my love." the tom whispered before nuzzling her neck and dissapearing.

"Fleetfoot." Shallowpool whispered. A single tear fell down her face as the she-cat burrowed her head into her paws and fell back into blessed poppy-induced sleep.

Linearts used and edited.
Wrenpaw lines (c) ~Divine-Marshal [link]
Brightkit lines (c) ~PiPeachu [link]
Longtail lines (c) =Beatlesbiggestfan1 [link]
Stumpytail lines (c) ~ghostgirlDiamond [link]
Raven Reincarnate lines (c) *Savannah-Nanna [link]
Shallowpool lines (c) =Wildfur365 [link]
Leafpaw lines (c) *muffinxkat [link]
Fleetfoot lines (c) ~Hollyleaf1998 [link]