Writing is hard, just sayin'.
Thanks again to everyone who fav'd, followed and reviewed.
Very short chapter today. This is a fluffy filler. Questions? Feel free to ask.
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Roughly a moon and a half had passed since Dawnpaw had found out she was carrying Timberclaw's kits. The clan had taken the news better than she thought. Waterstar especially welcomed the idea of new kits, even though the mother was an apprentice. Dawnpaw's parents were shocked that she was becoming a mother so early, but once the surprise faded after a few days they doted on her like she was a newborn again. Thunderpaw ignored her, like usual. Dawnpaw only saw her brother a few times each day when he went out with Icepelt to go training. For once, however, Dawnpaw was grateful for her brother's absence.
But there was one cat that she wasn't grateful to see, and it wasn't Thunderpaw. Blackwing visited almost every hour of every day. The moment Dawnpaw announced she was having kits, Blackwing like her shadow. Quite literally, considering her fur was black.
Blackwing visited more than Dawnpaw's parents and Timberclaw. Every morning when Dawnpaw lay awake, in the nursery, a piece of fresh kill was always there by her nest with Blackwing smiling next to it. Blackwing's devotion always surprised Dawnpaw, almost to the point of annoyance. Dawnpaw was tired of being doted on by her foster sister and friend. Now, the grey she cat hated when another cat groomed her just because Blackwing took it upon herself to groom Dawnpaw whenever she visited the nursery. Dawnpaw also couldn't stand the sheer amount of food given to her by Blackwing on a daily basis. Normally, the silvery apprentice loved meal time. But now she had another general distaste for something she liked.
Dawnpaw sighed into her nest moss and scrunched it up a little with her claws.
I really, really hope that isn't Blackwing coming through the barrier over there.
The reed barrier in front of the nursery rustled heavily and parted to reveal a brown tabby tom. Dawnpaw almost let out an audible sigh of relief. Blackwing was too busy to show up today.
"Dawnpaw, want to go for a walk with me?" Timberclaw mewed cheerfully. Dawnpaw visibly lit up.
"Sure!" she said and slowly got up onto her paws. Much to her surprise, Dawnpaw's body felt heavy and slow. Her normal apprentice energy and flexibility was almost nonexistent now. Timberclaw pressed his shoulder to Dawnpaw's.
"Are you ok?" he asked. Dawnpaw nodded and stepped beside her mate. Timberclaw let Dawnpaw lean on his shoulder, but she hissed in frustration.
"I hate being fat." The silvery apprentice hissed. Timberclaw twitched his whiskers.
"You won't be like that for long. It looks like our kits will be born in the next quarter moon." Timberclaw replied gently.
"Does that mean I can get back to training?" Dawnpaw asked hopefully. Timberclaw just stared.
"I don't know about that," he mewed, "you might be a warrior by then anyway." The tabby said, trailing off towards the end.
"Let's just go, Dawnpaw."
The grey she cat almost said something in protest, but thought against it. Quietly, she shut her mouth and followed Timberclaw out of the camp. On the way, she received several soft, gazes from the she cats in the clan. Dawnpaw nearly bristled; she felt self-conscious and nervous around their sights. She hated every minute of her time in public.
Luckily, the pair quickly left the camp into the silence of the forest. The river murmured softly against the quietness of the trees. Suddenly, all was well again. No embarrassing clan, no Blackwing, no pregnancy, it was just Dawnpaw and Timberclaw. Dawnpaw padded slowly into the river, savoring the time away from RiverClan. The silvery she cat relished in the sweet chill of the river water. Dawnpaw loved how the water gently rushed over her paws. She even loved the smooth pebbles on the shore and how they rubbed her pads when she walked on them. And for the first time in moons, Dawnpaw smiled.
Timberclaw approached his mate and nuzzled her. She responded by licking him on the cheek.
"I love you," Dawnpaw mewed. Timberclaw blinked slowly.
"I know. I love you too."
"Can I tell you something, Timberclaw?" Dawnpaw asked. She could feel tears well up in her eyes. Timberclaw just nodded.
"Of course."
After taking a drawn out breath, Dawnpaw spilled out everything that she had been feeling over the past couple of moons. She revealed her feeling about being a mother, and how anxious she felt every day, knowing each day brought her closer to the birth of her kits. Dawnpaw had always felt like she would be a bad mother to her kits. She never liked young kits in general and she was always afraid she would hurt them or say something wrong to them. The apprentice then told Timberclaw about Blackwing and her suffocated behavior. Dawnpaw felt like she would burst if Blackwing gave her anymore affection. But Timberclaw just nodded to her as he heard it. Dawnpaw let the growing tears fall into the river.
"It's ok. I'll be here to help you with the kits," Timberclaw whispered, "Blackwing is just worried about you. She just wants to make up for what happened in the past."
Dawnpaw shivered a little, but blinked up at Timberclaw to tell him she understood what he was saying. The grey she cat gasped a few breaths before letting out a tiny sob.
"It won't be so bad, I promise," Timberclaw said softly, "they'll be born and apprenticed before you know it."
Despite the comfort, Dawnpaw continued to cry.
"I know," she gasped, "it's not just them I'm worried about. I'm worried about myself."
Timberclaw's eyes widened, surprised.
"What if I won't be able to take care of them? What if some other queen does? I won't be their mother anymore. They won't know me. That will kill me inside."
"That won't happen. I'll be there too. Even if that does happen I'll always remind them that you're their true mother and that you loved them enough to give them a better life away from you." Timberclaw almost growled. Dawnpaw was shocked at his aggression. She was amazed how much he cared.
He'll make a great father, unlike me.
"Let's stay out here for a while, Dawnpaw. You just need some fresh air is all." Timberclaw soothed. Dawnpaw sighed and took another deep breath. Her tears nearly dried and she sat down next to Timberclaw in the flowing stream. Dawnpaw relished in the abnormal silence.
"Take all the time you need. I'm not going anywhere." Timberclaw meowed. Dawnpaw just stared at the water and lapped up a few mouthfuls. She let the quiet sink in between the pair of them. There was enough that was said and enough emotions to suffocate her. The silence seemed to restore the peace in her mind and her world.
In the dead quiet, all was calm and all was right. Dawnpaw wanted to keep it that way, at least for the remainder of the day.
"Can we stay out here the rest of the day?" Dawnpaw asked. Timberclaw nodded at her.