I have several chapters already written, so you can have another this month, as a treat!
Having Webhollow back and almost sleeping in the same nest as her in the warriors' den felt like a dream come true. Not that Hootpuddle had meant it like that when he had made her promise to wait for him all these moons ago.
It was just that her fur was soft, her voice gentle and her scent comforting, and before he knew it, he had become a less exuberant version of Mumblepond.
He knew that she hadn't told him the whole truth about her departure, but at least she looked better now. And to be honest, she successfully distracted him after Blossomstar's announcement about the Moontree and Springpaw, Honeypaw and Baypaw's ceremonies. They had been scheduled for a hunt at dawn, just the two of them, and Hootpuddle had fully intended on getting answers. Not even her cute sleep-wrinkled whiskers could have stopped him.
"Do you want kits?"
He had tripped over his own paws and looked at her in disbelief. Webhollow seemed perfectly normal, even with the pointed look she threw over her shoulder. He has asked her to be his mate after his warrior ceremony but they hadn't discussed it much before she had left again to guide Pricklesong and Blossomstar to the Moontree.
"Why are you asking me that?"
"I thought about it, that's all."
"And?"
"And what?"
"Do you want kits? Honesty, remember."
She had sat with her tail curled around her paws and had closed her eyes, turning her face towards the sky; the position placed her directly in the rays of the rising sun and Hootpuddle imagined that the way her pelt seemed to burn in the light might not be so different from looking at a fire. Then she had sighed, breaking the peaceful illusion, and beckoned him closer.
"I don't mind not having kits. I… I'm not Alderwhisper. I don't want kits and more kits… I don't think I could take the pain."
It was obvious that she hadn't been thinking about physical pain. Inevitably, his mind had strayed to Lichenkit and Bluestripe's anguished cries. A shiver had ran through him.
"So you don't want them."
"No, I…" the golden tabby had shaken her head. "Let's hunt."
"Hey, what about honesty?"
"Sorry, I just… Don't have words to tell you how I feel yet. I promise to say something before we go back to the camp alright."
Hootpuddle had never participated in a hunt with such a strange atmosphere before. He was too tense and Webhollow too distracted for either of them to do well. It was practically a miracle that they had managed to catch a mouse before giving up and heading back as sunhigh approached. They had been near the tunnel when the she-cat had stopped and waited for him to drop their kill.
"One… I don't mind having one litter if it's with you."
His heart had leaped in his throat.
"It sounds good. One litter with you. Together. I can't wait."
Pressed against his mate as they lounged in the clearing, he had purred so hard and for so long that he had woken up Flipspot from her nap. When she had asked what made him so happy, Webhollow had suddenly gotten up, fur a little puffed and, claiming she was tired, had disappeared in the warrior's den. Her embarrassment to talk about this with their old mentor was somehow endearing… StarClan's kits, he was really becoming more and more like Mumblepond.
That day – not so long ago – was the very thing that had led to the current situation. Hootpuddle stood half out of the nursery, distractedly listening to Crookedflight's kits being introduced as apprentices, because he was actually supposed to be there, and wondering if Webhollow hated him now. It was true that she despised being the centre of attention, and today was the exact opposite of that.
Cheetahpaw was paired up with Alderwhisper and the leader threw him a questioning look from the Flatrock.
He turned back to the relative darkness of the nursery.
"Will you be alright?"
A barely understandable groan answered him.
"Go."
He joined the rest of the Clan just as Blossomstar finished the first part.
"… you will be known as Pigeonpaw. Your mentor will be Hootpuddle. I hope he will pass down all he knows to you," she paused. "Hootpuddle, you are ready to take on an apprentice. You have received excellent training from Flipspot, and you have shown yourself to be strong and resilient. You will be the mentor of Pigeonpaw and I expect you to pass on all you know to him."
The fluffy ginger tabby kit looked up at him with eyes full of awe, and Hootpuddle suddenly wondered if he had looked like that – if his kits would look like that. They brushed noses and he went back to sit with his Clanmantes, squeezing himself next to Heatherrump.
"Could you come with me to check on Webhollow?" he whispered in the medicine cat's hear. "I'm pretty sure it's time, but she's so shy, she didn't want to interrupt…"
The white tom threw him an alarmed look and ushered him away. He would apologise to Pigeonpaw later for the sudden departure. In their haste, he barely heard Blossomstar saying that she would take Skypaw as her second apprentice. The nursery was quiet, his mate not whimpering or groaning anymore, and he couldn't tell if it was a good sign or not.
The medicine cat approached first and gasped.
"Well, you started without us!"
Looking closer, Hootpuddle notice a small two-colored bundle of fur curled against the golden belly. He began purring, both in happiness and to soothe Webhollow.
"There's three more," Heatherrump mewed after thoroughly palpating her. "Do you need a stick?"
The queen shook her head, gritting her teeth. The young warrior tried to distract her.
"Look at our first kit! It's a she-cat. Have you noticed the grey around her lower back? Doesn't it look like a lightning bolt?"
Another kit joined the first one and he couldn't help the pleased sound that escaped him.
"Oh, that one looks just like you! A little paler maybe… She's so cute!"
"No favouritism," his mate mumbled, and the grey-speckled tom looked away sheepishly.
The third kit was a two-coloured tom and, quickly after, the last kit, another tom, a ginger tabby this time, was left to burrow against his exhausted mother's flank to look for milk.
"Two of each! Can I name the she-cats?" Hootpuddle asked excitedly, hovering behind.
"If you sit down and swear to let me nap right after…"
"Then, Flashkit for the one with the lightning bolt. And, mh, Rainkit for the other one."
"Why would you want to name her after something wet?" Webhollow groused.
"A good feeling, that's all. Come on, it's your turn. Choose our sons' names."
"Tawnykit for the tabby. Hopekit for the grey and white."
"Why Hopekit?"
"I don't have to justify anything to the tom who named our daughter after water. But it's a good reminder I think. Everyone needs hope sometimes…"
"Flashkit, Rainkit, Hopekit and Tawnykit. I like the sound of that."
When he would later introduce his new family to his very first apprentice, Hootpuddle would still feel like his heart was about to burst open from joy. And he was certain that this feeling would never leave.
A little happiness goes a long way, right?
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