Alright, first off, cupcakes to all my reviewers out there! On the cupcakes is Lightstreak's face in frosting. …Yum? Either way, reviews are usually always welcome, unless they are flames. Discarding the fact that I am a pyromaniac, these flames are not fun!
More apologies! It's not that I'm busy a lot, I get really side-tracked and can't force myself to write. Although, having forty bazillion stories doesn't really contribute to getting these done. As twenty ideas float around my head, I'm fumbling to get them written down.
The sun rose in the sky, bringing with it a wide expanse of pale heavens, the clouds retreating at the sight.
Howlsong awoke to an uncomfortableness in her lower body. Her belly sagged lower than usual-with each sunrise, she grew larger and larger. Jayfeather predicted three or four kits, but the bulge beneath her chest and chin told her otherwise.
It feels as though for each star in the sky, there is a kit in my belly. She mused to herself. It was only last night that Jayfeather revealed she was having kits. Being it her body, Howlsong was already aware of her pregnancy, but her mate had not been. Wolffire had been shocked-disturbed, even-to learn that his sister was carrying his own kits. She knew she would receive no exceptional cosher from him-they had to make it seem as if he had no idea.
Once Jayfeather had dismissed the pair, they had wandered into the moonlit camp, where most of the Clan was asleep after the Gathering. None of the camp remained awake to see how she was doing, pardoning the fact that Howlsong had remained in Jayfeather's den for most of the night. By the time they had left, the two siblings slipped into the warriors' den unnoticed, and she was able to sleep.
Yet, little was Howlsong aware that the previous night would be the last she would sleep in the warriors' den.
Standing up, Howlsong stretched out her body, even though pains in her stomach cried for relief. Carefully and slowly, she moved around through the warriors' den, cautious to not stumble onto a sleeping warrior.
The camp was being filtered with pale, morning light, which chased away the mist that wrapped a clammy hand in the dark night, invisible to eyes. Bramblestar lay on Highledge, surveying the camp with amber eyes. Looking up at him, Howlsong began to approach the tabby cat.
"Bramblestar." Howlsong stood below the ledge her leader was upon, waving her tail back and forth. The ThunderClan leader stood up, eyes upon her, and jumped down from the rock in one graceful, fluid motion. The tabby tom was obviously used to being leader and leaping off from Highledge. As he approached, his eyes drifted to her belly with curiosity.
"Yes?" He mewed, licking one paw and nonchalantly drawing it over his ear.
Intimidated after being put on the spot like so from her leader, she stammered, "I-I was wondering if you could have a few cats put together a den for me in the nursery, please."
Bramblestar seemed pleased, and he looked down at her belly with a smile. "I had a hunch that there was something between you and Ravenheart," he mewed, "but I hadn't realized that it would turn into kits so quick." He paused, then noticing the look in Howlsong's eyes, amended, "My apologies if I seemed nosy. Kits are always welcome in the Clan. I trust you saw Jayfeather, then? Did he say how many? It would be helpful so we could know how big to make your den." As he said that, the two cats walked from Highledge towards the nursery.
Howlsong nodded. "Jayfeather guessed about four kits, but it feels a lot more than that! But I'm sure all queens must feel like that, right?"
Bramblestar purred with laughter. "I wouldn't know, I've never been a queen! But I suppose you can ask Hazeltail. That is, if her kits aren't being too rambunctious."
The leader and warrior walked the rest of the way to the nursery in silence, Howlsong moving more yarely than Bramblestar, eager to find a comfortable nest in the nursery for her and her unborn kits.
Howlsong greeted Hazeltail with a dip of her head. "Howlsong," welcomed the queen warmly, "What are you doing here?" Runningkit swaggered up to Howlsong, and, sniffing her, mewed a hello.
Howlsong licked Runningkit over the ears, and looked up at Hazeltail. "I'm carrying kits, and can't stay in the warriors' den! Bramblestar suggested I talk to you about it."
Hazeltail smiled, pinning down Runningkit with a paw, who was preparing to pounce on the tail of Howlsong, swishing back and forth. "I suppose you can have Cherrynose's old den, though we may need to make it bigger to suit you, seeing as you are getting quite big. I think you can use all the space you need, as long as when we get another queen, they also have room." Hazeltail indicated the flattened patch of moss that looked unused. "If you like, I'm sure an apprentice would create more space for you. Why, even my kits would be glad to do it."
At that moment, a slightly sharp, sudden stabbing occurred in the base of Howlsong's tail. Whirling around, she shook her tail, to find Rowankit sinking his dull, non-lethal claws into Howlsong's appendage. Chuckling slightly, a playful growl emerged from her throat as she lashed back her tail, and flicked it across the kit's face. A smile lit it up, and he continued to bat it around like a moth.
As she let the kitten play with her tail, Howlsong responded, "thank you Hazeltail, I really appreciate this."
The queen just tipped her head with a smile. "Every cat is welcome here, long as they do not harm us." She turned her head to her kits. "Nudgekit, can you take your brothers over to the apprentices' den, and wake up Stormpaw? She's still asleep, and has to do some work. Surely she can make Howlsong a nest."
Nudgekit mewed a yes, and called over to her brothers. They each picked up their heads, and at her call, scampered off to wake up a Stormpaw, who would growl at them for waking her, before begrudgingly agreeing.
As Howlsong had to lie in the sunning rocks in camp, the apprentice, along with the help of Hazeltail's kits, set up a large nest for Howlsong by sunhigh. By the time the den was finished, Cinderheart, Lionblaze, Lightstreak, Ravenheart, and Wolffire had approached her. Most of the conversations were dull, save for Ravenheart's, who talked to her first.
The small black and white blinked at her, dipping his head in a greeting. "Good morning, Howlsong," he said in a jovial voice. She greeted him in the same manner, and he settled down beside her, brushing their fur, and placing his tail upon her back.
Howlsong sucked in her breath, then mewed, "Ravenheart, I have some good news." She paused, and he remained silent, an indication for her to go on.
"I'm having kits. And their yours." She declared, looking up at the sky, not able to tell him a lie directly.
He jumped up right away, crying out in delight. He asked all sorts of questions, which she answered half-heartedly, a hole in her heart created by the fact that she had to lie to him. The hole remained for the rest of the day, after talking to a continuous stream of visitors, even after she was in her nest.
However, when Jayfeather came to visit her once she was settled in her new nest, he offered her little to no benevolence. His harshness was in the place of the kindness Howlsong expected, due to the fact she was having his blood-related kits, but he offered her none. He was cold form the moment he popped his head to check on her, to the moment he left.
"Ravenheart suggested I check in on you." He said as his blind paws led him confidently towards her nest, near the back. "But you seem fine to me."
Howlsong picked her head up from licking her chest. "Yes, I'm quite alright. He's just worried about me." She murmured, avoiding the medicine cat's gaze, even though he could not see.
Jayfeather crept a pawstep further, and mewed, ever so softly only she could hear, "He's a good mate, Ravenheart. I'm sure he's delighted to be fathering your kits." But Howlsong could detect no happiness for Ravenheart, and for a moment, he almost thought he was mocking her, and that he knew Ravenheart was not the father.
She shook her head, and Jayfeather didn't seem to notice. "Yes, I'm sure he's very excited." She responded, just as softly, and Jayfeather turned and left the nest.
Finding herself breathing a sigh of relief at his departure, worry clenched at her own chest. What if, somehow, Jayfeather did know who the real father was? What if Wolffire had told him? No, he wouldn't have. But Howlsong's fear followed her into a restless night of sleep as she worried. But there was no turning back. Her and brother had committed a terrible crime, and they would do all in their power to stop it from coming to light.
A bit strange at the end, in my opinion. This chapter was sort of a filler, but necessary to the story. As you can see, Jayfeather surely has not left our storyline, and I think I'll keep it this way for a bit. He's proven to be an excellent character to work with.