Back~
So that tension I mentioned will be next chapter, I just couldn't get it to flow this time.
*UPDATED WINDCLAN ALLEGIANCES, INCLUDED MATES AND RELATIONSHIPS! ONE YOU'LL SEE HERE :D*
Onwards!
Arrowkit was playing. With another kit.
It was a mellow, humid green-leaf day. Water drops glistened in the distance, resting on leaves, too hot and tired to move. Every cat's pelt dragged them down, like the fur had a mind of its own and had decided to rest. Not a single cat wasn't panting, exhausted by the sun.
But that didn't stop any of the kits from playing.
Of course, they all stayed away from Arrowkit, save Firekit, his newest and only den-mate friend. They were locked in a tight one on one game of mossball, and they were neck and neck, both sets of eyes drooping, ready for a nap.
"Oh no, you don't!" came the high shrill of Firekit. Arrowkit had just taken the ball and was proceeding to take another point. He had learned that while Arrowkit was bigger than him by a landslide, he was slower and clumsier. He used this to his advantage, manuevering his way out and about, constanly tripping Arrowkit's big paws. He snatched the ball and prodded it towards his goal, making Arrowkot stumble.
"Oh, yes I will!" replied Arrowkit, fire now in his blue eyes. After the Bigpaw incident, he wasn't going to be challenged without a fight. His bigger size made it easier for him to swat the mossball towards himself and use his body as a shield. Firekit would always ram into his fluffy coat. Arrowkit pinned the ball down, which made Firekit trip, and he heaved the ball straight towards his goal, and it passed in between the marked posts.
"Yes! I won!" he yowled as he plopped down on the open moorland, soaking in the remaining coolness.
Firekit fell down, too. "Did not!" he spat, eyes filled with annoyance. "I'm still three points ahead of you!"
"Well, I'm better," replied Arrowkit curtly, shaking off his friend's tone. "You're always tripping in to me."
"Am not! You always trip, too!"
The smaller cat lunged into Arrowkit's body, which threw them both off. Squeals of delight tore out from each kit as they wrestled and toiled on the ground.
"Well, I'd never!"
They both stopped playing instantly to look up at the queen. Silverfur looked down at both of them fondly, eyes full of happiness.
"Who's your friend, Arrowkit?"
"Mama," he began, and in between grooming himself, said, "this is Firekit! He's my new friend. He said he's sorry for being mean and now we're friends!"
"Stop that, Arrowkit, you're dirtying yourself!" The queen pulled him by his scruff and started to bathe him, despite his desperate attempts to flee.
"Mama!" he whined, "Stop it! I was fine!"
"Shush," she scolded, voice thinning. "You were a mess."
"Silverfur?" timidly asked Firekit, looking at the ground.
"Yes, dear?" she answered before finishing with Arrowkit, who hopped out from beneath her tongue and settled next to Firekit, a defiant light in his eyes.
"I'm really sorry for being a meanie to Arrowkit," he started meekly, "and how I didn't talk to you. and-"
"Shush." Her rich voice returned, spreading visible chills of relief through Firekit. Arrowkit nuzzled him assuringly. "All is forgiven. I'm just happy to see my baby has a friend."
"Oh, mama..." Arrowkit pleaded, "can we play some more? You can be the mean badger!"
"Not now, little ones. It's too hot. Let's go take a nap, I'm positively melting out here."
Despite their insistent pleas to play, they followed Silverfur in the den, enticed by the coolness. Immediately they took their spots in the den and next to Silverfur as they started to doze, Silverfur whispering lullabies in their ears. Unlike most cats, Silverfur's pelt was insulated in heat or cool, so Arrowkit assumed his normal spot, next to her heart.
Thank you, StarClan, for my friend, Arrowkit thought as the comforting darkness started to take him under.
But something held him awake. Arrowkit went tense, eyes searching for a form, anything, big or scary, that could get him. He didn't know what it was, or why it mattered, but it felt like he was supposed to be wary.
It was terrifying.
He stole a glance to Firekit, who was soundly asleep, curled in a tight ball next to his mother's side. His feet were padding back and forth, as if in a chase. It was probably a moss-ball.
Th-thump, Th-thump, Th-thump.
He felt his mother's heartbeat, strong and soothing, against his flank, his own heart syncing with hers. He curled himself in a tighter ball and pressed deeper into her bosom as the random fear faded, leaving nothing but pure exhaustion. So his jaws parted in a mighty yawn, and he lay his head within the ball and immediately let the cool sleep take him.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Arrowkit found himself being shaken up. His eyes snapped open, and he was moving. He didn't know what was shaking him, and why he wasn't going anywhere.
Until he heard and felt it. Sobbing. And tears.
The salty liquid fell on his ear. He flicked them away as he looked up to his mother. Her eyes were closed, but her body wracked with sobs and tears gushed out of her eyes. Her tail twitched fearfully, and she winced every couple of seconds.
She's asleep... but she's crying?
He looked at his mother in awe. He'd only seen her cry once. But he never saw the great drops spill out her face. They were beautiful foggy raindrops that cascaded out of the waterfall that had built on her delicate eyelid.
Arrowkit thought this over. What had Silverfur done when he cried in his sleep?
She had woken and comforted him, because...
Shes's having a nightmare! he realized suddenly. Snapping out of his sleeping stupor, he crawled out of his hiding spot and went around her paws to her face. She was whimpering now, body involuntarily shuddering now. He got to work, licking the tears from her eyes. Arrowkit recoiled. They tasted nothing like they looked. The translucent rain was awfully salty, and provided no nourishment for him. But her kept going anyways, soft strokes taking the tears away. All while, he was calling her out of sleep, desperately shaking her.
Firekit had woken now, eyes opening and closing sleepily. "Arrowkit, what's happening? Why am I shaking?"
"Firekit, get the queens, now. Silverfur's having a nightmare."
His eyes widened as he backed out of the nursery, still groggy from the abrupt wakeup call.
Arrowkit turned his attention back to his mother. She was still crying, mouth half open in a silent howl, but she had stopped shaking.
"Mama..." Arrowkit pleaded, "Please wake up." he cooed in her ear.
All he could do now until the queens came was press his head against her face. He knew what this felt like. The fear. It was a terrible thing, something that froze his joints into place, made him unable to move. But this was mama. And mama always fought off nightmares.
Always.
Nothing changed until Blackrose came stumbling in, looking half out of her mind, eyes full of worry. She practically tackled Silverfur, squashing her with her body, hissing, "Wake up, Silverfur! Wake up!"
That did the trick for her. She lept to her paws, eyes snapping open. Arrowkit recieved a terrible shock when he looked at her; she was panic stricken, sheer horror reflecting in her eyes like the marshes relfected her family in his dreams.
"My kit! Where's my-" she stopped as she found him. "Oh, my baby boy! Please leave us for now, I must speak to him in private."
Blackrose did not argue as she briskly walked away, eyes wide with concern.
Silverfur scrambled to get to Arrowkit, tripping over her paws. She eventually curled herself around Arrowkit, who instinctively huddled in his favorite spot.
Thumpthumpthumpthumpthump
He'd never heard her heart beat this fast. It scared him.
"Oh, my baby," she repeated as her heart beat slowed. Arrowkit loosened and let iut a breath he didn't know he was holding. "I'm so sorry."
"Sorry for what, mama?"
"For everything. The way you're looked at, spoken to, Bigpaw, your dreams, Redscar..."
Arrowkit's fur bristled involuntarily. The thought of dreams shuddered its way to his very core, leaving a frosty chill in his heart.
"Mama?"
"Yes, dear?" her voice was very, very weak.
"Was my dream real?"
She breathed in very deeply, and exhaled very slowly. She licked him on his forehead again befire she replied, "Yes." She looked at the ground guiltily.
Arrowkit froze. The terror of his dream rose back up, as if it were happening before his very eyes. He started tremble, working his way in more, to hear her heartbeat. He was mewling pitifully before his mother intervened with her tongue, vigorously attempting to comfort her kit.
"Shh, my sweet, it's going to be okay... he won't get you, I promise..."
"But why you? Why is he mean to you? You didn't even do anything!"
She buried his head into herself even more, needing to feel his heartbeat. "I know," she whispered, "I know."
They stayed in their positions until sunhigh, and Rustkit had already moved on to find some cat to play with. Arrowkit eventually feel asleep and Silverfur found herself reflecting.
Was it even worth it, having a kit, if I knew he was going to mistreated...?
She felt his tiny breathing body, and the beating of his heart. That was her little life right there, her tiny beating heart, her little breathing body, her flesh and blood, her lifeline amd very soul that was at her bosom, peaceful and sleeping. She loved him ferociously, so she shook that out of her head. No, she loved Arrowkit, even more so than Redscar, who had promised forever. And she would have done the same thing again, and again, and again, if given the choice. Being mistreated was a part of life. Besides, Firekit was his first friend, and she was proud of her son. He had gone through what a kit shouldn't have gone through. And he had toughed it all out; almost like his father, she realized. And that only made her more proud.
I will protect him from anything, with my life, she vowed fervently.
While she was thinking about another Redscar visit, Blackrose came stumbling in, looking panicked, wide yellow eyes pleading for help.
Silverfur grabbed Arrowkit and put him iff to where he wouldn't wake up yet. She knew that look, but she asked anyways.
"Blackrose, what's the matter?"
"I-I w-was expecting... he's coming, I feel the contractions... help..."
Silverfur got to her feet and guided Blackrose to the kitting moss in the corner and nudged her dowm; meanwhile the other queens flooding in meanwhile.
"Oh, Blackrose, you're kitting?" shrieked Coldblaze in excitement. "I'll go get Smallfoot!" She dashed outside in a frenzy.
Stormfrost, per normal, was all business. "Okay, when you feel the next contraction, you're going to push. You know the drill."
Rosethorn, being the most excited, was bobbing up and down in anticipation. "You're kitting! Oh my goodness! I'm so happy for you! You can do it!" She only got this excited over kitting.
Silverfur was the mellow one, accepting kitting as a sacred labour of love for a mother.
"Next one," she cooed. "You're doing fine."
Soon enough, Smallfoot was there, and every cat parted for her. She quickly checked Blackrose's pulse, and pressed a paw on her stomach.
"Queens only!" she rasped. A group had formed, Oakstar in the lead, trying to push his way in. "There's only one. This will be easy."
The contraction came like an electric shock to Blackrose. She jolted, her stomach lurching unusually.
"Push!" Stormfrost's command was clear, and she pushed. The kit was already halfway out.
"More! Halfway!" yowled Stormfrost, taking complete control.
She pushed. It was apparent from her body language that it took everything she had left.
The kit finally was fully born. Rosethorn immediately proceeded to lick it warm and breathing.
Blackrose shuddered and she lie still. Silverfur's eyes widened as she feared for her friend, she wouldn't be the first queen that had died while kitting.
But Smallfoot gave her a berry, and Blackrose shuddered once more, but she dragged herself to her paws and looked around wearily. "Where is he?" she asked, eyes dull with exhaustion.
"Over here," cried Rosethorn. "It's a tom!"
"Yes, I knew that," she replied as she slowly walked towards the kit. It was completely black, but with a red ear. It had the build of his mother.
"How can you tell? I've never heard of that."
"Yes, and I've never heard of a queen who didn't consult her medicine cat!" growled Smallfoot, padding up to Blackrose. "Next time, you come see me. I will not have a kit or warrior die within my watch because I didn't know. Do you understand me?"
"Yes, Smallfoot, I apologize. I didn't want more worry to be in the camp than there already was. And it's kind of a six sense; I can tell what gender a kit's going to be for any queen."
Silverfur winced at that. Things were not looking very fluffy, especially since the Bigpaw incident.
"You needn't tell anyone else but me," came her reply. "But... what's his name?" Her withering gaze turned infinitely softer upon the mention of the kit.
Oakstar came crashing in, panting. He looked around before he saw his mate and the new kit. He bounded up to them and pressed his face into Blackrose's flank, and studied the kit. "He's wonderful," he cooed in awe, "And he looks like you. You get to name him this time, dearest."
She looked in his eyes happily and nudged the kit, who leaped at the sudden touch. Stunned silence overcame the room; a kit wasn't supposed to do that until at least a moon. Silverfur's eyes widened even more
She looked at hmim fondly. "Jumpkit," she mewed, "That's his name."
Oakstar licked her on the ears. "He's beautiful. And his name, Jumpkit." He said his new name with pride, eyes watering up.
A prick of jealousy troubled Silverfur. Junpkit had two loving parents, and was full clan.
Arrowkit had two loving parents, she thought, but he was still half clan. And that made him a piece of trash in all the Clans' eyes, or at least most the cats.
She sighed inwardly as she thought how much differently this cute little scrap would be treated next to Arrowkit, who was still sleeping, but moving. She curled up next him with a sincere "Congratulations" and "Welcome" to Blackrose and immediately dozed off into an useasy rest.
Well, that took longer than intended. Sorry D: I'll try to post again soon.
QOTD: What did you think of the kits playing, and how they have each other's moves figured out? Silverfur's dream and reflection? Blackrose, Oakstar, and Jumpkit?
Later,
Cobra~
PS- The next installment should be done by tomorrow. Sorry I've been slacking.