i'm back! a few days late, but still.
TW for:
insinuated NSFW / rape
if you wish to skip this, move to the 5:21 AM section
also headcannon that Hollyleaf was the runt of the litter and not Jayfeather lmfao
so she's like. extra small in this fic, like 5 moon old kit small
Night ; 1:40 AM
Previously...
"Sol, stop it. I want to get used to this place first, please. I want to be sure my kits will be raised in a safe environment." Holly gave a slight hiss, though her voice wasn't one of warning, instead, it sounded pleading. She curled protectively around her stomach, as if she really was expecting.
This didn't settle well with Sol, but he didn't push it any further. The tom shifted closer and wrapped himself around his mate again, giving a comforting lick on her ear as if to settle their disagreement. He felt the she-cat reluctantly relax against him, her jade eyes slowly closing.
Holly's breathing slowed eventually, pulling her into a well-needed slumber, and soon enough, Sol did as well, the two cats curled against each other.
The she-cat was awoken by a tongue rasping its way over her neck fur, and she let out a slight mewl at the interaction before her eyes slowly opened. As expected, Sol was the one grooming her, his copper eyes briefly meeting her own jade as he slipped her a gentle smile.
Holly shifted a bit and moved closer, the chill from the outdoors seeping it's way in. She didn't feel tired any longer, but she supposed it was because they fell asleep only a bit after sunset. Resting her head on his larger paws, the femme allowed herself to let out a weak string of purrs while he slicked down patches of fur that were sticking up.
Her tail flicked a bit, before finally intertwining itself with Sol's. The silence was comforting, only the chirp of insects from outside, and maybe the occasional rustle as well, but neither posed a threat. The tabby's stomach pained with hunger, but she ignored it, it wouldn't be long until the morning and the rest of the cats we're up. Briefly, she noticed her body seeming a bit skinnier than it had a mere few days ago, she knew why, but it still shocked her.
Eventually, Sol stopped grooming her, much to the she-cat's displeasure. The quiet lasted a bit longer before the tom finally decided to speak up, as if he had to say something.
"Get up, I want to show you somewhere." The tom said quietly, but sternly before standing up.
Holly gave him an anxious look, one of uncertainty, but got up none-the-less. She'd just be forced up anyways, whether she wanted to go or not. Her tail brushed against some hay as Sol started walking, obviously expecting her to follow, in which she did, reluctantly.
It wasn't that she didn't trust him, in fact, it was the opposite. He'd swooped in and saved her during her weak points, just like the hero he prided himself for being. Her reluctance to follow him sprouted from their spar just a mere few hours earlier. Who knows what he'd try to pull, especially with them being separated from the other cats.
The she-cats pawsteps were quiet as she slipped through the exit after Sol, her paws greeted by the unfamiliar texture of concrete. She made a face at the feeling, she definitely missed her grassy homeland, the closest thing to concrete that she'd experienced was the stone by the moonpool during her brief medicine cat training.
The tom lead her further away from the building, only increasing her anxiety as he turned towards an alleyway, secluded a few blocks down. Holly felt the urge to speak up, her paws shifting nervously. There was nothing extraordinary here to look at, only a dumpster and a few cardboard boxes littered among the stone.
"Sol? What are we doing here? I want to go back, it's cold."
The tabby spoke quietly, her tone wavering a bit in fear as she stepped back an inch or two. Sol turned towards the she-cat, his expression unreadable with the dark surroundings, not even the full moon providing enough light. He moved towards her at a normal pace, coming up beside her and positioning his body to make his stance seem bigger.
Instinctively, Holly flattened her ears, the eerie silence sparking fear in her as her paws itched at her to flee, but she didn't. Instead, she stood put, her body slightly lowered to the ground as she looked up at him, expecting an answer- and hopefully a positive one.
"You know I love you, right?" Sol finally spoke, his voice oddly calm, almost too calm. His tail traced up her spine as the she-cat flinched a bit.
"I- I know, Sol. I love you too. Can we go back, please? I don't want to be here, I'm tired." The onyx cat murmured, struggling to come up with any excuse she could in order to avoid this situation. At least back in the basement, she was shielded from the cold and there were other cats around, here, there was nothing but the sound of the wind and harsh, below-freezing temperatures.
Sol's tail flickered for a moment, squinting his amber eyes that almost seemed to spark in the shady surroundings, before he pounced, using his much more bulky body to pin the lithe she-cat to the ground. A shriek sounded from Holly as she wildly fought in an uncoordinated fit of kicks, caught off guard by the action. Her back claws furiously pushed against Sol's stomach as she struggled beneath the larger tom.
Of course, this came to no positive outcome, and eventually, Holly's body went slack, unable to fight any longer due to her weakened state. The femme trembled with fear as she met Sol's gaze, tears threatening to prick at her emerald eyes. The tom's tail slowly traced her neck, but he didn't say anything, he didn't even look phased. If fact, he looked just as calm as before.
"Please let me go, I won't run, I promise." Holly said meekly, but Sol shook his head, only lighting more fear inside her stomach.
"I'm afraid I can't, kitten. Now, stay still and be pretty for me, okay? I love you." Sol whispered into her ear, his voice threatening, but soft.
The she-cat felt a tear dribble down onto her cheek, soaking the fur in it's path. Giving one last attempt to flee, she weakly tried to squirm beneath him, but Sol's combined weight and strength held her much smaller frame down easily. A soft hiccup escaped her maw, and for a slight moment, Sol almost started to feel guilty.
Before he could process this feeling though, his teeth roughly gripped onto her scruff, eliciting another noise of panic from his mate. The tom could just barely hear her pleads to be released, but he certainly could smell the pure terror radiating off her pelt.
With that, he started to breed her, struggling to will away the building guilt in his gut.
Morning ; 5:21 AM
It'd been a while since the incident, the two cats now back in the basement. The other cats didn't seem to be awake yet, which was unfortunate for the both of them. Luckily, the place was practically crawling with mice and rats, so hunger was no longer an issue.
Sol's amber eyes shifted towards the black-furred figure of Holly, who was curled up in the corner and fully refusing to eat the rather plump mouse that sat a mere inch from her paws, despite how desperately hungry she was. Since earlier, the poor she-cat had been on-edge and breaking down into crying spells once every thirty minutes or so, all while avoiding Sol the best she could.
Eventually, Sol gave into the guilt eating away at his stomach. Deep down, he knew that he shouldn't feel guilty, that wasn't his character, it never had been - but then again, the tabby she-cat had an entirely different effect on him, festering emotions that he never thought even existed until that point.
Cautiously, the tom rose to his paws, internally wincing as he saw Holly's face contort into one of fear as she back up a little more against the wall. He flattened his ears and slowly approached her in the least threatening way he could, before stopping a few feet in front of her, allowing her the illusion of freedom and space to run if needed.
He gently crouched and met his amber eyes with her own green ones, an attempt of a soft, non-threatening purr escaping his maw.
"Holly, can I come closer?" Sol asked slowly, a slight smile gracing his face as he saw Holly soften up the slightest bit at the question, before almost instantly turning back into her cautious state, her fur puffing up twice it's size as she moved her paw in front of her, as if getting ready to flee.
"Get away, you fox-heart!" The tabby spat, that being the first words she'd spoken since earlier, her tail lashed and she quickly darted from the corner, and back into their nest. Her eyes glared daggers into Sol's multi-colored pelt.
The tortoiseshell let out a huff at his failed plan, slowly turning back to Holly and keeping his gaze low.
His eyes softened up as he looked at Holly, trying his best to look sorry- which didn't require much effort, he genuinely felt bad for her, and almost disgusted with his own actions, though he'd never admit it.
"Hey," The tom started, slowly inching forward, "I'm so, so sorry for earlier, okay? I don't know what got into me. I love you, Holly, please let me at least be near you. You don't have to forgive me, but I hope you can."
Holly's tail stopped lashing as she looked at him warily, but she could feel herself slowly give into his sweet-sounding tone, despite her brain protesting. Soon enough, Sol ended up curling next to her, and this time, she didn't flinch.
"Please don't do that ever again, it was really scary." The she-cat said eventually, her voice strained and weak, as if she was on the verge of tears, before she spoke again, "Sol, I don't think my body can handle kits. Jayfeather always warned me- my body's really small compared to a lot of other cats, one litter could kill me, and the kits might not even survive."
She choked out, wrapping around herself while Sol looked at her with a frightened gaze. He pressed his nose against hers briefly, before licking her forehead comfortingly, his tail wrapping around hers.
"We're going to get through this together, okay?" The tom-cat murmured, "I won't let you go through this alone, as much as you hate me right now."
Holly simply turned her head and flattened her ears, not bothering to say a word after that.
Morning ; 7:06 AM
A soft, and careful nudge woke the long-furred femme from her nap, her eyes opening to peer at Sol's familiar face. For a second, she felt scared, her mind resorting to the last time he'd woken her up, but her emotional stance faltered as she noticed Pip standing behind him.
Pip's tail gave a friendly flick as she let out a peppy laugh,
"Come on, slow-slug! The others are excited to meet you, Penny's been up since dawn wanting to play with you again." The siamese announced excitedly, practically bouncing on her own paws.
Holly flicked her ears and reluctantly rose from her spot, her body contorting into a stretch as she flashed a smile towards the other she-cat. She felt a little comforted knowing that there was at least one cat here that she was on good terms with, if it happened that the others didn't like her for some reason.
Her tail flicked as she brushed her fur up against Sol's, who gave a pleasantly surprised purr as he started to lead her away from the nest, following Pip's paw steps. Holly hesitated a bit before opening her mouth to ask something, the question having been on her mind for a while now,
"Hey, Pip? Do you know if any of the cats here have medical experience? It's just- you know. I want to be sure." She felt Sol lean down and nip disapprovingly at the spot between her ear and the top of her neck, eliciting a slight whimper from her maw, which she kept quiet.
Pip glanced back and gave a reassuring smile, ducking beneath a fallen plank of wood, leading to an entirely different room.
"Oh, yeah! Jerky does, he's kinda the unofficial medic in our little group, he's not the absolute best, but he knows about herbs and all that. We're not exactly the most prone to injuries here though, two-legs tend to treat us if they do find us hurt." The blue-eyed she-cat mentioned casually, unaware of Holly's confused and concerned expression.
"Two-legs? Why would you guys let them do that?" Holly asked curiously, her voice on-edge as she flattened her ears.
"They aren't a threat here, sometimes they feed us and treat our wounds - but they never take us in as kittypets, I guess they know better than to mess with feral cats. The real threat though is their offspring, they're too foolish to know better. I know Penny's siblings got taken by a few, he hasn't seen them since."
Pip said with a bit of remorse in her voice, before turning towards the room, around 4 cats looking back at them.
"As you guys know, Harry, who goes by 'Sol' now," The siamese started, her voice having an odd twinge to it at the end, "- has returned, and he brought another cat with him, which I mentioned last night, if you all aren't too mouse-brained to remember."
She light-heartedly teased, before turning towards Holly, who was very visibly tense and struggling to relax.
"This is Holly, she'll be a new addition to our group."
press F to pay respects this took a lot longer than expected but yknow, i got it done. four days later than i wanted to, but at least its out.
anyways, idk if im going to go by the logical cat genetics that male torties/calicos aren't fertile because i mean, i want Holly to have kits but im. kinda a science nerd and i feel like it'd be more realistic if she isn't able to via Sol.
my original plan was to have Holly have a false pregnancy or she loses her kits some how and she can foster Luna's kits because Luna won't want to raise them as a single mother but who knows. i'll probably change it lmao
until next time!