Hay!
I love some of the kit comments I got, it makes me so happy that you guys commented! I get so excited every time I get an email for a comment… it took all of my will power to wait three days for another chapter
Appreciate this chapter, I had major writer's block and flipped a small table, like so : ()︵
N'Joy! (Expect a little bit of funni in this chapter) xD
TROUTCLAW'S POV
Kits.
Kits.
Kits…
His kits.
Their kits.
Oh, great Starclan, help him.
Emberwing looked just as stunned as he felt, but she also looked a bit fearful. Her body was locked in place, her eyes as wide as the full moon. Her tail seemed to wrap unconsciously around her just-slightly swollen belly.
He was finally able to push against the swell in his throat and began firing questions at the ragged medicine cat in rapid succession.
"We are having kits?! When? Where? How many? Will Emberwing be okay? What were those pains she was having? Has any other cat experienced this?"
His mate was just still standing there, so he took the liberty of wrapping his tail around her shoulders. Stormwater looked unfazed by Troutclaw's questions, like he was used to them.
"As to how many kits, I have no way of knowing until she births, in around a moon, give or take a sunrise or two. I am guessing she will have them in the nursery, unless you would like to have her birth in the forest, you fish-brain. Her pains are normal when the kits are large, or in the wrong positions."
Positions? Kits had positions? He thought this was birthing, not hunting! And what did Stormwater mean, they were in the wrong position? Did he mean they would both come into the world at once, or something?
"And to your first question, Emberwing is having kits. I have no idea who the father is." At this, he looked at the calico cat beside him. She stared at him for a moment, digesting what he had said, and then cuffed him so hard he fell back onto his haunches.
"I was kidding," he muttered, before sniffing Emberwing's belly once again.
"I will have Whitepaw create a nest for you in the nursery, it will be ready by moonrise." With that he padded off, and left Troutclaw alone with his mate and their unborn kits. Oh, Starclan, what was he supposed to say?! Was she going to say anything to him about it? Did she still want to hunt, was she hungry?
"I'm going back to the camp. You should go walk around, clear your head; you look pretty stunned." Her voice was quiet, but still full of determination and just a bit of excited-ness.
Troutclaw felt the pull, once again, to tell Emberwing how much he loved her. She was having their kits; they were going to be a family. He was going to be a father to a beautiful kit or two. He was sure they would look like Emberwing, maybe with his eyes or his slightly longer fur.
"I love you, Emberwing. I know you'll be a great mother to our kits." He licked her ear, troubled by her fearful eyes but he was sure if he knew that little kits were going to pop out of him in a moon, he would freak a bit, too.
After exchanging goodbyes, they parted ways and he went darker into the forest. Now more than ever, he would have to hunt and fatten up his mate. Maybe he could catch a duck and line her nest with some fluffy down… Troutclaw wondered if he should play with Robinflight's kits to get ready for theirs, or ask Nighttallon some questions. That sounded like a good idea! Nighttallon, although older and a senior warrior, just had his first litter ever with the former deputy.
His tail held high and a mouse in his jaws, he pushed past the entrance and went to the nursery. He saw Emberwing being groomed by Lilyflower and being questioned by Beetleeyes and Maplebelly, where they all laughed and shot glances at him as he made his way over to the hole in the tree roots. There were little mews as Lightkit, Flamekit, Mistkit, and Greykit scented him and deserted the moss ball they were playing with.
"Troutclaw, can you tell us about fights you've been in?"
"Yeah, please? We promise to be quiet," Flamekit piped in. Troutclaw purred, and knelt down for a ride.
"How about a ride for right now, I'll tell you all a story later on, okay?"
And like that, Troutclaw was being steered around the clearing by the kits and looking for the familiar black pelt of the older father. Finally spotting the amber eyed tom, he let the kits off to swarm some other poor cat and nodded to Nighttallon.
"Congratulations, I heard from Robinflight that Emberwing is expecting?"
"Yes, we found out this morning. You would happen to have any advice, would you?"
The black tom looked thoughtful. "Try not to ask them if they're okay, because usually they get really cranky and just won't answer. When she does birth, I would recommend just staying out of everyone's fur, but if you insist to stay with her, be ready for a lot of screeching and claws digging into your pelt. Also, try not to sit on the kits. Or let them out of the camp because they will try, and don't feed them certain typed of fish until they are old enough so they don't get belly aches."
Great Starclan, help him.
I hope this one was funny! I tried to make this one showing the confusion and worry a father would feel when their mate has kits, because I wanted to.'
QUESTION OF THE DAY: if you have a tom OC, how would he have reacted to this kind of situation? How about your female OC?
My cat Wildfire would've spent all of her moon and a half creating kit names… and none of them would have been any good xD
KIT POLL WILL GO UP SOON!
'till next time, Emberfall