"Alright, kits, where am I?"
Icewing was filled with amusement as she watched her son look around, his face showing his confusion. Beside him, Silverkit simply stared with a dumbfounded expression. Cherrymist had hidden her face behind her hands, apparently disappearing before the kits' eyes.
It was a sunny day in late greenleaf, without so much as a cloud in the sky. A cool breeze blew through the trees, casting a few drifting leaves into the river, which flowed at a lazy pace. From outside the nursery, where Icewing was settled, she could see the rushes moving ever so slightly. Tiny fish were undoubtedly darting among them in the water.
The weather was perfect for teaching kits how to swim, but Icewing knew her litter wouldn't be ready for a few more years. Kit-games like this would be it for now. Not that her kits were bored in the least bit.
Sunkit let out a delighted sound as Cherrymist uncovered her face. Silverkit, feeding off her brother's excitement, leaned forward and reached out. Obediently, Cherrymist lifted the kit into her arms, raising her high in the air.
"Ah, you're so pretty! Yes you are, Silverkit, you look just like your mama, don't you?" Cherrymist cooed.
"Careful," Icewing warned playfully, "Remember what happened last time you lifted her like that."
Her friend's eyes widened, "I thought you said she's stopped spitting up."
Cherrymist wasn't taking chances, however. Icewing watched her lower Silverkit back down, nestling the giggling baby in between her legs.
"Did I? Must have just been a dry spell, then. I woke up with it in my hair last night," Icewing replied, her nose wrinkling at the memory. She then looked down at Scorchkit, "Or maybe it was him."
Scorchkit either didn't understand or didn't care about the disdain in his mother's voice. He kept suckling, gazing at her with wide blue eyes. Out of his siblings, Scorchkit ate the most, and he was the least willing to be weaned. The only time he deviated from milk was when Icewing ate some of whatever minced meat or mashed fruit she was trying to feed him.
He doesn't just look like Hawkthorn. He acts like him too.
Just as quickly as that thought entered Icewing's mind, she banished it. It was true though. Silverkit took after Icewing, and Sunkit took after Icewing's father. Scorchkit, on the other hand, looked just like his ThunderClan sire. If Hawkthorn could see their kits, he'd probably be elated. But that bridge had been burned.
"Maybe," Cherrymist agreed, letting Sunkit crawl into her lap. She smiled at the kits in her arms, "StarClan, you're so cute."
"Cute enough to make you want your own? I could use some better company in the nursery," Icewing mused.
Stormbright wasn't exactly the type of warrior she liked being around for an extended amount of time. She didn't like talking, and largely ignored Icewing and her kits. Her son, Perchkit, ran around like crazy half the time, and Stormbright never bothered to stop his antics.
Cherrymist snorted, "I'm not that deep in baby-fever. No, Stonepool and I aren't ready for kits just yet."
"Where is Stonepool anyways?" Icewing asked. She hadn't seen the tall warrior all morning.
"He took Brightpaw on patrol," the freckled woman replied. She hesitated before adding, "Nightflower's with them."
"What? After she came back with that bruise on her arm? Didn't Haysong say she should rest?" Icewing demanded. Every single time her mother went out of camp, she'd come back with some sort of cut or bruise. And it was only when Spiderheart was with her. She paused with that thought, and growled, "Is he..?"
Cherrymist nodded solemnly.
Icewing hissed, "Of course. He can't let her be around any other man, can he? Not even when that man has a mate."
In the two years since Sunstar's death, Nightflower had taken Spiderheart as a new mate. The man had been the one to find her father in the first place, and he'd been the one to comfort her mother as she mourned. At the time, Icewing thought that he was kind for letting Nightflower cry on his shoulder, but now she knew what he'd really been up to. Little by little, Spiderheart had taken control over her mother, telling her what to do and who to be around. The bastard had even ordered Nightflower to slap Brightpaw when she sassed him.
Icewing had practically blocked her mother out of her life after that. She'd been furious that Nightflower was letting herself and her kits be domineered by Spiderheart. But that anger faded as soon as her mother began showing signs of being beaten. Now, Icewing worried that the situation would only get worse.
"Stonepool won't let him hurt her," Cherrymist soothed, "And don't forget Brightpaw."
A purr rumbled out of Icewing at the mention of her younger sister. Brightpaw always got in trouble for her mouth, considering she never knew when to back down. It made dealing with her trying at times, but Icewing was happy that she was so strong-willed. No one, especially Spiderheart, could make Brightpaw's resolve crumble.
If only Mosspaw had gotten some of that resilience. But Icewing supposed her position protected her from Spiderheart's wrath. The warrior had an obvious distaste for healers, often claiming them to be cowardly. Icewing wished Haysong would overhear his rants. She had a strong feeling that the strict woman wouldn't respond well to the slander.
"I just wish Rainstar would do something," Icewing growled. Scorchkit whimpered at the sound of his mother's displeasure, a trickle of milk running down his chin. Immediately, Icewing felt a twinge of guilt for upsetting her kit, and she gently patted his back to soothe him.
She still frowned, "Sunstar wouldn't have let something like this happen."
Cherrymist sighed, "You know what Rainstar said. She can't punish Spiderheart when no one's actually seen anything happen. That, and Nightflower's too scared to say anything to incriminate him."
"The bruises should be enough evide—Scorchkit, ow!" Icewing screeched as she felt Scorchkit bite down on her nipple. He'd sneezed, and opened his jaw back up once he recovered. That didn't change the fact that Icewing's nipple was now burning with pain.
Cherrymist burst out laughing, causing Sunkit and Silverkit to erupt into their own giggles, though they had no idea what was going on.
Icewing winced as she gently removed Scorchkit from her breast. Her son didn't mind too much, and didn't look in the least bit sorry for biting her. At the sight of her reddened, swollen teat, Icewing groaned in distress. The skin hadn't been broken, but with the way it was pulsing, it may as well have been.
She had to get her kits weaned.
Her anger forgotten, Icewing grumbled to Cherrymist, "You're sure you don't want kits yet?"
"Absolutely," her friend said with a grin.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
A/N: Ugh, I feel like this chapter wasn't very good. I apologize. But the next one will hopefully be much better.
So yeah, this story is almost like an experiment for me. It's going to be faster-paced than Origin, and it'll definitely be shorter. I'm aiming for a max of 15 chapters.
Please remember to review! Feedback motivates me more than you know, and I greatly appreciate it!
Fun-Fact: Dovewing and Ivypool gave birth around the same time. They both have two daughters and a son.
Later, my lovelies~!
- Tina
