An aroma of scents flowed through Sweettooth's nose as he cut different stems, leaves, and petals. Sweettooth had already chopped up horsetail into small droplets on a piece of willow bark, and was now cutting a dock leaf in a similar fashion.
Over the past moon-time, Sweettooth experimented with different plants and prey to make the fresh-kill tastier. Now, for his kits' first entire fish, Sweettooth was preparing a carp. Sweettooth had a carp, horsetail, dock leaves, honey, cob nuts, and a vole, most of these he gathered during his early hunting patrol.
Sweettooth swept aside the freshly cut dock leaves into the same pile as the horsetail bits, in order to leave place for the next ingredient. Sweettooth laid the vole on the bark board and gently tore away the meat from its shoulders, haunches, and legs. While munching on the lone morsel left from the small vole, Sweettooth thinly cut the pieces he had on the board.
Now that he had his pile of green and red, Sweettooth began working on the fish. It'll be safer if I remove its scales and bones now. They'll still need to learn to do it themselves but I can treat them from time to time. Sweettooth skillfully cleared all bones and scales from the fish, leaving only its meat and pelt, sliced on the bark.
Sweettooth gave the pile of vole, dock, and horsetail a final mix by gently running his paws through it, and then used it to cover the fish, rubbing the carp meat a few times to let the additions reach its entirety.
Sweettooth dug a small hard clearing in the ground near him, and laid the cob nuts on the flat hard ground. After putting another piece of tough bark on top of them, Sweettooth pounced on the bark, and heard a loud crack which told him he successfully cracked the nuts. After crushing them into smaller pieces, Sweettooth spread the nut bits over the sliced carp, to give a better texture when eating.
For a final touch, Sweettooth covered his work with honey, and it was now ready to serve. Sweettooth pushed the bark plate towards the nursery, where he now saw Shelldawn grooming their kits at the entrance.
"Breakfast is ready!" Sweettooth yowled to signal his mate and kits to come and eat.
"What is breakfast?" Silverkit's question bewildered Sweettooth.
"I don't know." Sweettooth answered, and proceeded to explain the carp he prepared. "I've made you a scaleless, boneless carp, drenched in a concoction of vole, horsetail, and dock, with crushed cob nuts on top, all covered in a honey soaking."
"Wow!" Torrentkit meowed amazed.
"What is a concoction?" Silverkit asked.
"Thank you StarClan for this prey." Maplekit thanked and began eating.
"Thank you StarClan for this prey." Silverkit and Torrentkit did the same.
Sweettooth watched in wait as his kits delicately ate the fresh-kill. Every time the sound of a soft crunch was heard from their little mouths, Sweettooth's heart beat faster in anticipation.
Torrentkit was the first to swallow, the kit put a large smile on his face. "It was delicious!" He let out a cheerful squeal only a kit can manage and buried his head back in the prey to eat more.
The other kits didn't waste time voicing their own opinion of the meal, and kept chowing down on their feast.
"Shelldawn," Sweettooth called to his mate. "Try some."
Shelldawn and Sweettooth each took one morsel and kept watching the kits eat peacefully. "You should stop eating now," Shelldawn meowed once the kits seemed nourished. "Eating too much could give you a bellyache."
"But I want more!" Torrentkit objected.
"You'll have many seasons to eat more." Sweettooth responded. "Now go to the nest, strong warriors need a strong rest."
"Okay." Silverkit meowed reluctantly. The kits entered the nursery, leaving Sweettooth and Shelldawn alone.
Shelldawn's expression grew sad, in a way Sweettooth has never seen before. The kits are fully weaned now. "You're not ready to leave the kits yet," Sweettooth got closer and comforted his mate with a lick. "Are you?"
"Oh Sweettooth you're a great father and I want you to raise our kits," Shelldawn began, very upset. "But I can't think about leaving them."
"I understand." Sweettooth meowed truthfully, hurting for both his wishes to stay with the kits and for Shelldawn's situation. "And it is completely in your rights to stay with them until they're apprenticed."
"But you also want to raise them!" Shelldawn objected. "They are your kits as much as they are mine, you care for them so much! Look at this," Shelldawn pointed her tail at the half-eaten fresh-kill Sweettooth prepared. "You even carried out the kitting! You should be given the same chance to raise them."
"Okay," Sweettooth kept rubbing Shelldawn with his head. "Let's go speak with Reedfeather and Icewing about this."
Sweettooth pushed the bark plate with Shelldawn by his side towards the leader's den, where Reedfeather and Icewing were casually conversing.
"Sweettooth, Shelldawn," Icewing greeted. "Did your kits enjoy their fresh-kill?"
"Yes," Shelldawn answered, not managing to fully hide her sadness. "They enjoyed it very much. We've brought you what's left over."
"But that is not why you came, is it?" Reedfeather announced the obvious. "Do you still wish to leave the nursery early Shelldawn?"
"I do," Shelldawn rasped half-reluctantly.
"It is hard leaving your kits." Icewing commented. "Especially so soon. I think I understand your wishes, both of yours. Shelldawn, what if you return to nurse the kits in a moon or so? Will that be fine with you?"
Sweettooth and Shelldawn shared a glance of agreement. She's happy again!
"Yes," Shelldawn purred excitedly. "That's a wonderful suggestion."
"We were glad to help." Icewing ended. "Now, let's taste this fish. You two are relieved of warrior duties for the rest of the day, but Shelldawn, I expect to see you on the next dawn patrol."
"Ha! You're the fox now!" Silverkit exclaimed as she caught Torrentkit.
Sweettooth watched as his kits chased after one another, running in the sunny clearing. While seeing the kits play cheerfully was more than enough to keep him happy for seasons, Sweettooth had more tasks to fulfill.
After laying a dried bindweed stem on the ground, and another two on top of it laid across, Sweettooth put a scale right between the elevated stems, each of the stems touching one of its six sides, and tied the lower stem around the scale.
This is the best one so far. Sweettooth thought. I reckon I can make a full pelt in a moon.
"Got you!" Torrentkit rejoiced at his successful chase after Maplekit.
As the kits kept playing, and Maplekit was rapidly closing the distance behind Silverkit, Sweettooth noticed the kits were getting tired in the warm New-Leaf sun.
"Kits!" Sweettooth called to gather his kits together. After Maplekit crashed into Silverkit, and both scrambled to join Torrentkit and sit near Sweettooth, Sweettooth continued his suggestion. "What do you say about having your first go at a swim? Shelldawn should return soon, she'll be so happy when she sees you."
"Yes!" Torrentkit meowed, puffing his chest. "I'm going to swim faster than a fish!"
"I'm glad you like the idea." Sweettooth was excited about teaching his kits to swim, while his kits were displaying the same excitement. "Let me just put these away."
Sweettooth moved aside parts of the thorn bush that hid the medicine den, and shoved the scales and bindweed inside with the help of his kits.
After arranging the supplies in their designated places, Sweettooth led the kits towards the camp stream Shelldawn crossed earlier.
"Now, start by walking in until water reaches up to your belly." Sweettooth began teaching while following his own instructions. "Swimming is very much like walking, do the same thing but put more power into your movements. Maplekit, would you like to go first?"
"Of course!" Maplekit yowled and charged into deeper water.
Maplekit flailed his legs, seeming calm and in control. The kit was swimming very well and was already figuring out twists and turns.
"You're doing great!" Maplekit's littermates cheered him on.
"Yes," Sweettooth agreed. "You are, now go back to the shallows. Silverkit, it's your turn."
As her littermate returned, Silverkit padded farther into the stream and began swimming as graciously as Maplekit had.
"You're also a great swimmer!" Silverkit's littermates exclaimed.
Sweettooth let Silverkit swim around some more before returning her to the shallow water and sending Torrentkit after her, repeating the same process.
Seeing that all of his kits are natural swimmers, Sweettooth knew that a less careful watch would be needed. "I'm proud of you all." Sweettooth meowed. "All of you can swim together now."
At Sweettooth's encouraging words, Maplekit and Silverkit joined Torrentkit in the deeper water and all three kits splashed around happily.
"Wait for me!" A thrumming of pawsteps came from the direction opposite of camp after a few moments of the kits swimming. Not many heartbeats later, Shelldawn splashed into the stream, and began swimming and playing with her kits. "You're swimming so well already! I'm proud of you all."