Rain fell heavily on the Riverclan camp, and that did nothing to stop heavy-set grey tom that paced lazily in front of the nursery. Silvery water droplets slide effortlessly down his thick fur and peering his sky-blue eyes up at the Newleaf clouds that blanketed the peachy dawn the tom let out a frustrated sigh.
"How long is it going to take, Patchcloud?" The tom called, his face pressing into the reed woven den. A grumble echoed through the den, and a ragged white she-cat peered coolly out of the nursery. Golden eyes lingered over him, but then darted back to the den as she pushed through the entrance. Her flattened muzzle turned up in a slight smile.
"Patchcloud is doing all he can, Perchscar. I'm more than confident in his abilities."
She narrowed her eyes as the heavy tom nodded as he run his pink tongue around his scarred jaws. Scars littered the warriors thick fur, a few criss-crossing the pale muzzle and several slashed across his flanks. How long had it been since that brutal Thunderclan raid? Perchscar would have been an apprentice then and a very new one at that.
Cloudberry let out a purr of amusement, watching the plump tom figit on his wrenched front paw then back onto his heavy haunches. Even though she was an elder, she couldn't help but feel a bubble of pride for the young tom for settling down so soon after his apprenticeship. It spread across her chest even more as she saw Patchcloud slip through the nursery entrance with his almond shaped green eyes glimmering with trumpimpt. His slivers of black fur were matted with herbs, and a shred of a raspberry leaf clung to his ebony ear.
"Wavesong has had a litter of healthy kits," He purred with his fluffy tail wrapping around his paws. Patchwind met his father's former apprentice with a sheepish smile as the grey tom slumped from where he was sitting, thick muscles visible dropping as if the stress leaked slowly out of him. "Two she-cats and a tom."
"That's good." Perchscar muttered, his eyes misty.
He pushed past the former Thunderclan cat, and he flicked an ear as he heard the ginger and white tom mew his congratulations. Perchscar took a deep breath of the milky scented air, and the fain scent of blood lingered on the draft. It didn't bother him though because all that mattered was the dove grey tabby that laid curled in the farthest nest from the entrance.
Wavesong blinked her tired green eyes up at him as he perched at the edge of her nest, her white paws curled underneath her saggy stomach. A multi-colored mass squirmed in the center with a collection of stumpy tails, closed ears, and tiny legs poking from different parts of the fuzzy mound. Shades of ginger, patches of orange and spots of white swirled in the nest.
"Is it as easy as you told me it would be?"
Wavesong let out a slight murmur, eyes blinking slowly. "It's harder than I thought it would be."
Her fluffy tail curled around the mass as she dragged the kits from the purring mound they had formed. One was a dark grey tabby with black stripes, and paws while her white toes struggled in her mother's grip. Her brother had curled into his long dark ginger and brown fur, but Perchscar couldn't help but laugh when he picked up the tom to move him closer and the lion-like ruff tickled his nose. The final kit twitched her ginger tabby paws as she slept, and her white body seemed like a splash of snow in the nursery. She buried her ginger tabby face in Wavesong's fur with a faint mewl.
"I'm glad you're alright." He muttered while his sturdy tail stroked over the delicate kits. Wavesong flattened her ears, the notched one doing the odd twitchy thing that she had done since they were apprentices. "But we really need to talk."
At the word talk, Wavesong tensed visibly as they bunched beneath her smooth fur. "You already know the truth, Perchscar." Her green eyes dimmed as the mostly white kit let out a mewl. Her tail slide back and forth as tiny shreds of moss were flung out of the reed woven nest. "I'm already being punished enough as is. You and I already know that I didn't want kits."
Perchscar bristled at the snap in her tone. "You didn't want kits with me." He paused as a tiny wet nose began pushing against his misshapen paw. Glancing down, the one kit who could be his let out a wet wail when no milk could be found in his fur. Her ears were curled up like unfurled petals. Anger slowly drained of his body, leaving it lax as he returned the fragile kit to her mother's milky belly. Wavesong refused to meet his gaze, claws churning at the mint moss.
They didn't ask for this. No kit deserves to know that their mother jumps from nest to nest like a kit desperate to be comforted by whichever queen will snuggle them first. It's possible that the tiny grey and black tabby is mine ,but her mother has similar coloring. I can't be mad at them though, that's not what warriors stand for.
He let out an aggravated huff. " I just find it a bit funny that you couldn't stay loyal to me for a moon, Wavesong. Yet you're more than willing to allow the clan to believe that they're mine." Like a snake, his grey tail slithered between his paws. "I never heard you say anything that might indicate that some other tom sired them."
Wavesong jerked her head away from the kit she was washing, white teeth glinting in the filtering light from the den. " You won't tell be telling Darkstar anyway, because you know that half the clan would look down on the great and loyal Perchscar for not noticing his mate was cheating on him till it was too late! Besides he was better than you. Is that what you wanted to hear already?" Grey fur bristled along her spine, rising to her paws.
"I already knew that, Wavesong. Why settle for a simple warrior when you can have a deputy?" He snarled, voice low in case any cat stirring might hear. "No good she-cat would even attempt to stay loyal to their mate." Wavesong recoiled as if he had struck her with his unsheathed claws, turning back to her nest. "But I don't blame them." His blue gaze drifted down the shrieking kits. "They can't help that their mother is disloyal."
He paused by the entrance of the den, his shoulder bunching as muscles corded with tension. Wavesong gazed at him from her nest, green eyes shimmering with an emotion he had never seen on her face. Glancing over his shoulder, his white claws scored the sandy floor of the nursery.
"For all appearances to Riverclan they'll see that you are happy to bear me a healthy litter and I'll be the loyal warrior that dotes on the mother of his children . It shouldn't be too hard to keep up the charade for you will it?" A mournful smile crossed his smile muzzle. "You've gotten so good at lying that you might even trick yourself into believing it."
Perchscar pushed through the nursery were a knot of warriors met him with cheerful congratulations. Still it felt like stones had been tied to his paws, and chilliness leaked up in his throat. He hardly felt as a saggy coat of calico fur pressed up against his, and a pink tongue roughly lapped at his ear.
Appledusk appeared from the shade of the warrior's den, ears flicking in greeting as his mate and former apprentice greeted him. His green eyes shone with fatherly pride as if Perchscar was one of his own kits.
"It always comes as a shock with your first litter," Mapleshade purred, as she wrapped her tail with her mate. The former Thunderclan cat twitched her whiskers, amber eyes glancing sideways at the nursery. Does she know? Her thick tortoiseshell fur was matted from sleep as was Appledusk's tan pelt.
"What shock?"
The senior warrior let out a chuckle as he slumped into his mate's crumpled fur. "That lightning like shock of affection." Appledusk curled his tail up in amusement. "I felt it with all my kits." He turned to Mapleshade, who arouse to her wide paws and began to pad over to her daughter and her half-sibling. A shot of longing bumbled through his veins as the two tan she-cats' grins widen. If only Reedshine had lived through her birth, then maybe she would have pressure one of her unmated daughters—Applefrost and Shyheart—to turn their beautiful gazes to him. Wouldn't be stuck in the mess I'm in now that's for sure.
The lingering scent of milk still clung to him, but the paw that gently rested on his came as a shock. Wavesong's green eyes met his for a split second before she gave a greeting nod to Petalwater and Shyheart. Her ears flattened to her skull, teeth biting into her bottom jaw. Why is she so worried at me looking at other beautiful she-cats when none of those kits might be mine? She cheated on me!
"The grey kit," Wavesong whispered in his ear, and her sweet breath swirled his ear fur. "Might be yours anyway, even though it's unlikely." Her green eyes glittered with anger. "I'm sure we will know when her eyes change just in case there is any doubt on your part. You should name the little scrap because she's not getting a name otherwise." Smiling, her ivory teeth glistened as sharp as silver-thorn. I should call it off now. She pressed her warm body against his. Starclan give me strength. Can they hear me now even though it's daytime?