I DID IT! I FOUND MY INSPIRATION FOR THIS STORY AGAIN! Thank you all so so so so much for the reviews - honestly that's what did it. My dogs had be up at 2 in the morning and I checked my emails, saw that this story had a new review and I just. Gah. I reread ALL of them and guys you are so great and you deserve so much more effort in this story. So I hope you're ready for some updates, because they're coming in hot!
This chapter is just a bit of fluffy filler, the plot will pick back up once the kits are a tiny bit older, though there's hints of what's to come in this chapter, as well. Anyway, without further ado, here's the long awaited, much anticipated...
Chapter 5!
Bluefur let out a deep sigh as she woke, "And where do you think you're going?" She opened one eye and fixed it on the suddenly sheepish kit standing at the entrance of the nursery. In the pale gray light of dawn it was easy to make out the bluish shine of Mistykit's fur. Caught red-pawed, the little she-kit padded back to Bluefur's nest.
"Nowhere, I guess…"
Bluefur rolled her eyes, sitting up to rasp her tongue across the crestfallen kit's fuzzy pelt. "You know you're not allowed outside until your siblings have opened their eyes," she scolded her daughter half-heartedly.
"Sorrelkit's are open," Mistykit objected, "can't we go together?"
"No, Mistykit, that's final."
With a purr of amusement, Willowbreeze woke. "It won't be long now, Mistykit," sthe pretty queen soothed. "Why don't we play with a moss ball for a while?"
"Okay!" The blue-gray kit scampered to Willowbreeze's nest eagerly. Bluefur blinked gratefully at her friend. She wasn't sure how she'd survive without the silver tabby's help. It had been a quarter moon since she'd kitted, and in that time the first snow of the season had come, and with it more work. Oakheart had been called back to his warrior duties, leaving Bluefur and Willowbreeze to rely on Whitepaw to deliver their meals and clean their nests. Occasionally Sedgenose—a pale brown warrior not much younger than Willowbreeze—would help. Bluefur suspected a little more with each visit that the cream-colored she-cat would be joining them in the nursery sooner rather than later.
A pitiful squeak drew Bluefur from her thoughts, prompting her to nose each of the kits still sleeping at her side. Sorrelkit was waking, stretching his little legs and rolling onto his back. Another yawn, accompanied by another squeak, parted his pink lips.
"Good morning," the red-furred tom scrambled to his paws, muddled blue eyes blinking rapidly to focus. "Have they done it?"
"Good morning," Bluefur started washing the scraps of reeds and moss from her son's fur. "They're still sleeping, Sorrelkit, we won't know until they wake up."
"Oh." He looked around the nursery, his eyes lighting up when he saw the moss ball Mistykit was chasing after. "May I play, too?"
Bluefur rolled her eyes. "Yes, yes, go on before you wake your siblings."
As Sorrelkit hurried off, Bluefur heard a sigh. "I'm already awake…"
"I'm sorry, dearest," the blue-furred queen touched her nose apologetically to Stonekit's head. He tilted his head back, blinking uncertainly at her. "Hello, there," she purred, touching her nose to his. "I see you've decided to open your eyes."
As if he'd only just realized he could see, Stonekit's blurry eyes shot wide. "I did," he squealed. "I…" He squinted up at her. "I can see you!" A bashful purr rattled in his little chest. "You're so pretty…!"
"Thank you, little one," Bluefur's tail curled in silent laughter. Stonekit spun unsteadily, letting out another squeak of surprise. "Is that Mistykit? She looks just like you! But… Fluffy."
"It is," Bluefur mewed. "And Sorrelkit and Willowbreeze. Why don't you go play with them? Your brother and sister will be excited that you've opened your eyes."
Though he was fidgeting with excitement himself, Stonekit hesitated. "What about Shiverkit?" He looked at their littlest sister. "When will she open her eyes?"
"When she's ready," Bluefur gave the tom-kit a nudge. "Go on and play, Stonekit."
Before long, Whitepaw pushed his way into the nursery, two shining fish in his jaws. He deposited them proudly, his green eyes bright. "I've brought breakfast!"
"Whitepaw!" Mistykit cheered, abandoning their game off mossball to go greet the apprentice.
"Thank-you, Whitepaw," Willowbreeze meowed gratefully. "Any longer and I may have withered away."
"They're not as plump as they could have been," the dark brown apprentice muttered apologetically. "The edges of the river were frozen this morning."
"Is that why your paws are so cold?" Sorrelkit crinkled his nose as he sniffed the apprentice's damp forelegs.
Whitepaw crouched down to the kit's level with a nod. "Mhm. And it's snowing outside."
"Snow?" Stonekit echoed, mystified.
Mistykit bounced back to her brother's side, "Snow! Whitepaw told us that it's this powdery cold white stuff that falls from the sky!"
Whitepaw's eyes widened slightly. "Stonekit, you've opened your eyes," He glanced at Bluefur curiously, and the queen shook her head.
"Shiverkit's not ready yet," she explained. "It won't be long now though; I can feel it."
"I can, too," Willowbreeze chimed in warmly.
A sharp yowl sent Whitepaw backpedaling out of the warmth of the nursery, meowing hasty goodbyes the whole way. Bluefur pulled her meal closer and called the kits back to her nest, relieved when they settled easily and started nursing as she ate. When she'd finished her fish and the kits' had each had their fill of milk, Bluefur curled around them and shut her eyes, dozing off and on as she listened to Willowbreeze cough faintly in her sleep.
Shiverkit opened her eyes just four sunrises later, much to the delight of her siblings. After stalling for as long as she possibly could, Bluefur finally relented.
"Alright," she sighed, gazing levelly down into four sets of stormy blue-gray kit eyes. "Now that sun's up and it's a little warmer we can go outside. But you must listen, and stay out of the way of the warriors."
"Will we see Oakheart?" Mistykit ran circles around Bluefur's paws as the queen padded towards the entrance of the nursery.
"If he's not on patrol I'm sure you will," Bluefur purred. She hoped they would—the snowfall had kept him away from the nursery far too long. He hadn't been able to visit since before Mistykit opened her eyes.
Bluefur slipped out of the den and stretched luxuriously, enjoying the weak leaf-bare sunshine and the freedom of the camp.
"Bluefur," Brambleberry called from outside the medicine den, her tail shooting straight up. "Have you brought the kits outside?"
Instead of answering, Bluefur stepped aside and let her litter tumble out behind her into the camp. The snow had been cleared away, leaving chilled, packed earth for them to test their paws on.
"It's so bright!" Shiverkit screwed up her eyes and pushed her face into Bluefur's hingleg while she waited for them to adjust.
"Is this really RiverClan's camp?" Sorrelkit lifted his nose and his stubby tail, inhaling deeply. "There are so many scents…!"
"Yes," Bluefur agreed, "and they all belong to your Clan-mates. Soon enough you'll know the difference between one and the other, and know the name that goes with each and every one." She wrapped her tail around the four kits, stopping them from darting off in every direction. Stonekit and Sorrelkit were practically shaking with the desire to go explore, while Mistykit's whiskers twitched mischievously.
"Can't we go explore?" Stonekit peeked curiously over Bluefur's plumy tail.
"You can," she meowed, "but! You mustn't enter any den unless you are invited and you must stay where I can see you. If you set even a whisker out of line, it's right back into the nursery."
Almost before she'd finished speaking they were off. They scampered and skidded across camp to greet Brambleberry, who purred loud enough for Bluefur to hear from in front of the nursery as they bombarded her with questions. Trusting the medicine cat to keep them occupied for a moment, Bluefur trotted to the fresh-kill pile. She picked a fish for herself and the only water vole in the pile for Willowbreeze. The silver queen was still sleeping, albeit fitfully, when Bluefur pushed her way back into the nursery. Not wanting to wake her, she left the fresh-kill in front of her nest and left again.
Outside, she settled in a patch of watery sunlight to eat her fish, one eye on her litter as they chased after a brittle leaf caught in the wind.
"My, my," Graypool yawned as she pushed her way out of the warrior's den. "Look what finally broke out of the nursery." The lithe gray warrior dipped her head in greeting to Bluefur. "They look healthy enough," she observed with a snort of amusement as Mistykit tripped over her own paws. "Oakheart will be pleased when he gets back."
"Dawn patrol?" Bluefur tilted her head. Graypool nodded.
"I'm about to take a hunting patrol myself; it's a shame you're stuck looking after these scraps. It seems the rest of the Clan have taken to hibernating!"
Bluefur's tail curled. It was only after she'd seen how well Willowbreeze liked her that Graypool had come to accept Bluefur. Bluefur was glad to count Graypool among her friends—the she-cat's sharp tongue and dry sense of humor kept a light atmosphere around her. After sniffing at the fresh-kill pile and rolling her eyes, Graypool slipped back into the warrior's den with an indignant snort.
"Who was that?"
Bluefur started and blinked down at Shiverkit. "Graypool," she answered. "She's a warrior, and Willowbreeze's littermate. Like Mistykit is yours."
"Ohh…" Shiverkit watched with wonder in her eyes as Graypool emerged again, this time followed by Loudbelly and Sedgenose. Almost at once Sedgenose stopped in her tracks.
"The kits," she gasped, whirling to face Bluefur. "They've come out?"
"Obviously," Graypool drawled. "You can see them later, right now there's prey to be caught."
In high spirits, the patrol left, leaving Bluefur purring quietly to herself as she watched her kits continue their small journey. As the sun was nearing its peak, the blue-furred queen stood.
"Kits, come here," she padded to the fresh-kill pile. Seeming to pick up on Bluefur's energy, all four kits ran haphazardly to meet her. With quick, brisk licks Bluefur tugged their fur into a semblance of smoothness, letting out a satisfied growl as she finished just in time for the sedges at the entrance of the camp to start trembling. Sorrelkit chased his tail around Bluefur's paw, and Shiverkit pressed into Stonekit's side.
"Are you ready to meet your father, little ones?" Bluefur gave Mistykit another reassuring lick. Before they could answer, the sedge parted to reveal Oakheart's glossy red pelt. His amber eyes blazed more brightly than the sun when he saw his mate and kits. With his chin high, the big warrior trotted to the fresh-kill pile, followed more slowly by Duskfall and Ottersplash.
"Bluefur," a purr rumbled deep in his chest as he bent and touched his nose to hers. "I'm sorry I haven't…"
Bluefur shook her head. "The Clan's needed you. But it's time for you to meet your kits."
Mistykit squealed in disbelief. "This is our father? He's so big…!"
"He must be the best warrior in the entire Clan!" Sorrelkit growled, shaking his haunches as if he were about to pounce.
"I don't know about that," Oakheart stretched out on his belly, letting their kits clamber over his broad shoulders and sniff him from nose to tail-tip.
Duskfall and Ottersplash exchanged an amused glance before skirting the playful encounter to get fresh-kill. Oakheart glanced up at Bluefur.
"They're brilliant," he winced as Stonekit's kit-sharp claws dug into his tail, but the shimmer of pride didn't leave his eyes. "They really are."
Bluefur touched her nose to the top of his head, too moved by the sight to speak. If ever there was any doubt about her decision, it was all wiped away in that moment. This is where we belong.
A/N: Please don't be mad that Oakheart hadn't been visiting Bluefur as much after the kits were born- I really love the idea of the dad's meeting their kits once their eyes are opened and just being amazed at how much they've grown and blah blah, and you have to remember that Oakheart is trying to become Crookedstar's deputy- the Clan needs his strength. So yeah, anyway, I hope you enjoyed this little update, let me know what you think! I love you guys 3