I figured the life of Whitefang could use a little fun this chapter. As for your questions:
Amberstorm233: When Whitefangs brain is full of jumbled emotions, it sort of does turn her dreams into a parallel universe just to torment her.
Silky Kiwi: You love hate Timbermask because of his potential and his reality...how that happens, though, is my little secret ingredient ;)
Catqstar: Feel free to use Brighteyes in your story!
Cinderfire16: 1. Whitefang's emotions sort themselves out in her dreams, to ease and torment her heart. In a way, it's her mind's way of trying to organize her life, when it really just confuses her more. 2/3/4. They are the parallel universe her emotions create. 5. The last dream, the one she can't truly remember, is actually very prphetic. Keep that in mind ;)
Ryuuka: It's my job as an author to make you think :) and by think, I mean get confused until that AHA! moment
BraveWolfScourge: Whitefang's love life shall remain a mystery...until, of course, when it isn't
Cupcaketail of Windclan: No, she was not in the Dark Forest. It was more a prophetic dream, foreshadowing events to come.
And now...let the story continue
"Aw, please, come on! I'm her apprentice! Or, was, anyway." Whitefang protested, standing outside the nursery in the thick drifts of newly fallen snow. Shyfawn shook her head firmly.
"For what must be the hundredth time, no, Whitefang! A new mother needs her rest!" The black and orange tortie frowned.
"You let Icegaze in!" Whitefang argued stubbornly, stomping her forepaw on the icy ground, "OW!"
"He's the father! And what have I told you about being careful with that leg?" Shyfawn groaned.
"Sorry," Whitefang muttered, "But being stuck in camp for an entire moon with nothing new to see gets dull."
"You think I don't know that?" Shyfawn asked.
"I know you do so you'll let me see the kittens," Whitefang pointed out, grinning. Shyfawn sighed with defeat.
"Fine. But be quiet and respectful." The medicine cat reminded the warrior as Whitefang pushed her way inside.
"You think I'm not?" She called over her shoulder.
"I wasn't kitted yesterday, Whitefang. I know you!" Shyfawn mewed, a bemused expression on her face as she padded away. Whitefang chuckled as she made her way into the dark, warm nursery. But something pulled at her tail before she made it through the entrance.
"Not going to see them without me, are you?" Swanmist teased, squeezing into the tight gap next to her sister.
"Not anymore!" Whitefang smiled, continuing into the den. Swanmist followed excitedly. Pausing after making her way in, Whitefang blinked a few times to get used to the darkness. The only faint light that came through the densely woven walls of the nursery was from the entrance, where the winter wonderland of the outside world seemed blinding in comparison. Whitefang swept her golden gaze about the cave-like space. In one corner, dozing peacefully, was Mothwhisker, her dusty brown belly bulging. Won't be soon 'til she'll be kitting too. Beside her in the center, however, was a sight for sore eyes. Waterfall lay in her nest, emerald eyes half closed, watching three fuzzy lumps at her belly squirm and wriggle. A sleepy smile was evident on her muzzle.
"Hey, Waterfall," Whitefang whispered, carefully padding toward her former mentor. The white warrior was glad Icegaze wasn't in, or she would be pierced with disdainful daggers shot from his silver gaze. She shivered at the thought. The gray queen looked up at Whitefang and beamed.
"Isn't that sweet, you coming to visit me!" She purred softly.
"Well, when you're confined to camp life for three moons, Waterfall, something like a kitting is hard to miss," Whitefang giggled. Swanmist rolled her eyes.
"Even when you aren't confined to camp, Whitefang, new kits are a wonderful distraction!" She corrected. Leaning over the mossy nest, Whitefang ignored her sister and sniffed daintily at the little ones.
"Aw, they're adorable!" She squealed, "What did you name them?"
"Shh! Why do you have to be so loud?" Swanmist admonished. Waterfall laughed lightly.
"They're heavy sleepers, Swanmist, don't worry. I bet they'd even be able to sleep through Featherfall's snoring!" The gray queen joked, "But we agreed on the perfect names,"
Waterfall said to Whitefang, "They are: Fadingkit for the smaller she-kit," She said, touching her nose gently to a pale gray kitten. Her muzzle was black, and as you moved your gaze to her full face, it lightened in shades of gray. Same was for the black points on her paws and tail.
"Beautiful," Whitefang breathed.
"Shiverkit for the second she-kit," The berry-pink nose of the next kitten twitched as her mother said her name. Her pelt was pale gray, almost white; it looked as if some cat had dipped their paw's pads in snow and pressed them all over her pelt, making bright white leopard-like spots, like snowfall on ice.
"Lovely," Swanmist murmured.
"And finally, Stormkit for my little tom!" Waterfall mewed affectionately, giving her only son a lick on the head. He mewled in protest, causing the young warriors to giggle. He was the same gray as his mother, with one white ear. His paws were enormous.
"He'll be a big warrior, won't he!" Whitefang exclaimed, taking in the size of his paws.
"Yes, maybe bigger than you!" Swanmist joked. It was no joke, though, that the white and silver she-cat's younger sister was one of the largest warriors in Shadowclan. She dwarfed the she-cats and matched many toms in their size and ferocity.
"One can only hope." Whitefang shot back. Waterfall sighed at their antics and rested her head on her paws. Whitefang glanced at her and took the hint.
"We'll leave you to rest now, Waterfall." She mewed quickly, turning to the exit so as not to exhaust her former mentor further.
"Sweet dreams!" Swanmist purred softly, following her sister out of the nursery.
Once the two young warriors had returned to the snow-coated clearing, Whitefang turned to her sister.
"Those kits are adorable! I want one as my apprentice!" Whitefang grinned, tail waving excitedly. Swanmist glanced around camp to make sure no cat was around before she replied:
"You sure you wouldn't prefer one of mine?"
"Well, I don't know…Timbermask would probably be even crueler if I was chosen to mentor one of his kittens." Whitefang spat bitterly.
"Oh, I'll see to it that he changes his mind!" Swanmist meowed confidently, "Hey wanna go out hunting?"
"Sure!" Whitefang mewed eagerly, praying that her sister wouldn't remember her leg…
"Oh, wait. You have two more moons to go, Whitefang. I'll go find Duckflight," Swanmist said, glancing down at her sister's splinted foreleg.
"Fox dung. I was hoping you'd forget." The warrior grumbled.
"A little hard to forget when you're so busy trying to hide it!" Swanmist laughs, gesturing to where Whitefang was busy trying to unwrap her thick tail from around her leg.
"Oh, shut up. You wouldn't like it if you were confined!" Whitefang growled, wrestling with her tail. Half of it had gotten caught in the tight splint.
"Haha, look a you!" Swanmist giggled, flopping onto the ground. Once she hits the snow, the light crust that had formed overnight cracked, sending the pretty she-cat a foot down into powder.
"Who's laughing now, Ice-face?" Whitefang grinned, wrenching her fluffy tail free and laughing wildly at her sister, who was now struggling to remove herself from the snowy hole.
"A little help?" Swanmist grunted, scrabbling at crust that was fast collapsing around her, widening her predicament.
"Nah, I think I'm good." Whitefang snickered, leaning back against a drift. A high-pitched giggle sounded behind the crippled white warrior.
"Oh, look! Dinner and a show!" Cherrypaw mewed through her mouthful of squirrel.
"It's not funny!" Swanmist hissed, thrashing.
"Did you catch that? In Leafbare?" Whitefang asked in awe, looking at the plump squirrel in her young friend's jaws.
"Pttoo!" Cherrypaw spat the rodent out onto the ground and dabbed at her tongue to rid it of hairs, "Yep! We found a nest of them! Wanna share?"
"Sure," Whitefang purred, tearing her eyes away from Swanmist to lean down and take a large mouthful of the squirrel, "And, remember," Whitefang meowed through the juicy meat, "To take one over to the nursery. Waterfall's gonna be needing some with those extra mouths to feed!" Cherrypaw lept into the air.
"Waterfall kitted?" She shrieked.
"Oh, yeah. You were out. Two she-kits and a tom." Whitefang said, swallowing.
"Starclan! Are they cute? What're their names? I'm gonna go see them right now!" Cherrypaw squealed, dashing to the prey pile, snatching a squirrel, and racing over to the nursery, where a crowd of clanmates had already gathered, back from patrols for the evening.
"So…" Whitefang said through another bite of prey, "How you doin' in there, Swanmist?"
"Shut up, you big ol' badger!" Swanmist snapped.
"Whatever. Tell me when to call in a rescue." Whitefang smirked.
"Fine! Help me out!" Swanmist growled grudgingly, resting her head on her tired forepaws in the now-packed powder.
"What's the magic word?" Whitefang mewed in a sing-song voice.
"Please," Swanmist sighed. Whitefang got to her paws slowly and sauntered over to her sister, grabbing her firmly by the scruff and giving a mighty tug. The slender white and silver swirled warrior popped out of the hole in a burst of snow. Whitefang set her down gently.
"Thanks." Swanmist said, shaking out her sleek pelt.
"Anything for the magic word," Whitefang winked, "Want some squirrel?"
"Don't mind if I do," Swanmist smiled thankfully, leaning down to snap up a quick piece.
"Go on, eat more than that. You are preggers, after all." Whitefang purred jovially, though her heart felt a though it were being clawed out. Will I ever have kittens? What tom would want me? She wondered. Swanmist's sharp voice brought her back.
"Not so loud! I told you, it's a secret!" Swanmist hissed, cuffing her sister over the ear.
"Hey! Not so rough on the cripple, 'kay?" Whitefang tried to joke around with her sister, ignoring the pain in her chest.
"Sorry, it's just that…it's getting even colder and I'm starting to get worried." Swanmist murmured, giving her chest fur a few embarrassed licks.
"You'll be fine. They'll be fine. We'll all be fine." Whitefang soothed. Must be the hormones too…She decided. Swanmist's never usually this jumpy.
"Thanks, Whitefang. I'm gonna go out and clear my head, okay?" Swanmist mewed, rising.
"Alright. I'll just sit here and finish this delicious squirrel alone." Whitefang shrugged, trying not to feel abandoned. 'I'm gonna go out and clear my head,' seemed to be Swanmist's catchphrase these days. How much clearing can one head take? Whitefang wondered, chewing on a particularly touch piece of squirrel as she watched her sister leave camp.
"Hey, is this seat taken?" A deep, unmistakably male voice sounded above her. Whitefang looked up. To her surprise, Bouncestrike was standing over her.
"Uh…no?" Whitefang mumbled around her food. The black tom nodded, satisfied, and plopped down beside her.
"So…umm…want some squirrel?" Whitefang asked cautiously. The older warrior nodded his thanks at her offer, but politely declined.
"So, uh, you seen the kits yet?" He asked awkwardly, shifting his paws. Whitefang scrutinized him.
"Oh, uh, right…you're in camp all day…" The tom muttered, "Well, this is awkward."
"No kidding." Whitefang said, watching him.
"Well, Whitefang…" Bouncestrike sighed, "I'm sorry my siblings are such jerks to you. And my mom. They're…I don't know. But you don't seem that bad, I guess. Not bad at all, really. I don't get the hype," Bouncestrike stumbled around his words, seemingly unnerved by the younger warrior's emotionless stare.
"Thanks, Bouncestrike. But honestly, why are you talking to me? It's not like I have a fan club." Whitefang mewed, straightforward. So straightforward, in fact, that her honesty seemed to throw the tom even more off.
"You're, uh, friends with Cherrypaw, right?" Bouncestrike asked, shuffling his paws again.
"Yeah. Her ceremony is in two moons. When I can get my stupid splint off again." Whitefang said, taking another bite of squirrel, yet not redirecting her gaze anywhere other than Bouncestrike's face.
"Yeah, so…do you…can you…doyouknowifCherrypawlikesme'causeIreallylikeher?" His words flood from his mouth like a hurried, babbling brook.
"Ummm what?" Whitefang asked. Bouncestrike took a deep breath, and met her intense golden gaze with his amber stare for the first time.
"Do you know if Cherrypaw likes me? 'Cause I really like her and I really need to know!" He said in one giant breath, gasping at the end like a fish gulping for air.
"Like you?" Whitefang blinked, "Like you? She loves you, Bouncestrike; it's actually pretty crazy. Just…wait 'til she's a warrior, 'kay?"
"Wow! Really?" Bouncestrike beamed.
"Yep. Can I finish my food now?" Whitefang asked impatiently
"Thanks so much Whitefang! Great Starclan, thank you!" Bouncestrike purred, giving her a sloppy lick on the cheek before bobbing happily away through the crowd of cats gathering near the freshkill pile.
"Um?" Whitefang's jaws hung open as she stared dimly after the black warrior. What in Starclan's name just happened? Cherrypaw came bounding up to her a moment later.
"Why do you look like you just got whapped over the head with a tree branch?" The tortie apprentice asked, bemused.
"Uh…." Whitefang blubbered.
"Whitefang? You're drooling. And it's getting all over my half of the squirrel." Cherrypaw frowned, "What happened? Someone lick you or something?"
Ah, what happens when you realize you may not be as underappreciated as you are led to believe.
QOTD: Do you guys like the kittens? And...given the lovey-doveyness of Bounce and Cherry, what are your ships?
Thanks so much for your support on The Great Divide rewrite! Chapter 1 in progress!
-Bright
