deimos
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Post by deimos on Sept 26, 2019 14:31:44 GMT -8
MOON 010 Written on January 2017. Weaselpaw could tell his mentor wanted to leave immediately after they had come back home from herb gathering as he could easily tell she was a lot more jittery than usual. Weaselpaw clenched his teeth, knowing full well it was all because of that tom he had loathed ever since he joined PineClan. It was almost like he put Skunknose under some kind of trance that she couldn't escape from. "Just leave." He meowed blankly, looking at the molly with an unreadable stare. "I'll cover for you, just get it over with."
Skunknose could feel that her apprentice was disappointed with her, her shame grew more as she knew that she was supposed to be the tom's example, but here she was fawning over a cat she wasn't supposed to. "Thank you, Weaselpaw." She mewed shakily, quickly leaving the den and camp before she became too emotional.
Skunknose raced through the forest towards the creek where Shrikeface had requested to meet her earlier, her mind as fast as her paws as she kept thinking about what the tom had wanted to talk to her about, she didn't even notice that someone was racing alongside her until the sound of their pawsteps became clear. The medicine cat gasped in surprise and skidded to a stop beside the creek, the fur along her spine rising in fear over being caught.
"Hey, hey! It's just me, don't be afraid." Shrikeface called, quickly coming to her side and pressing his body against hers until she calmed down. "Don't be afraid." He mewed calmly, giving her a comforting lick on the head. Skunknose wanted nothing more than to stay like this forever, but she forced to herself pull away from him.
"But I am!" Skunknose yowled, the stress that had piled up over her feelings for Shrikeface over the past few moons finally spilling out. "You just don't understand! I'm not supposed to like you!" Her mewed wavered from a yowl to a pitiful whimper, her head lowered to the ground to avoid looking at Shrikeface directly.
Shrikeface hesitated, unsure of what to say to her while she was like this. He stared at her sadly, feeling ashamed of himself for being the reason for her distress. "To be a medicine cat, my Clan is supposed to come first." She mewed, her voice empty. "To love someone like I... love you, it's - it's selfish. Foolish actually." Skunknose paused, considering her next words carefully. "But I- I want to be foolish. I want to love you." She looked up at Shrikeface with hopeful eyes, his expression softened into a one so kind and caring.
"I want to love you too. Heck, I already love you." He meowed breathlessly, Skunknose could feel her eyes water as she found herself nuzzling into Shrikeface's chest fur, the tom loving nuzzled the top of Skunknose's head.
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deimos
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Post by deimos on Jan 24, 2020 9:01:49 GMT -8
MOON 011 Written on January 2017. Weaselpaw sharpened his claws on the large oak tree in the middle of the camp's clearing, unaware of Comfreypaw coming up behind him, a teasing smirk was on her face as she approached the oblivious tom. "Boo!" She exclaimed, laughing loudly as Weaselpaw jumped in surprise and whirled around to face her with his fur on end. "Haha! So you do have other emotions besides grumpiness." Comfreypaw mewed triumphantly, chuckling at Weaselpaw's angered and embarrassed face, she would have to commit that look on him to memory. This was probably the biggest achievement in her life to catch the apprentice off-guard. Weaselpaw huffed, swatting the molly on the ears with his tail as he stormed off to the medicine den to cool off from being spooked like that. "Tsk. He might act all cool and tough, but he's really just a big kitten." Comfreypaw muttered as she saw him disappear into the dark den, still, she felt felt proud about scaring him today and considered the idea of making that a hobby.
"Comfreypaw! It's time go train." Said the apprentice's mentor, Mintclaw, who was padding towards her.
"Alright, fine by me. How're you feeling?" Comfreypaw asked, referring to how tense the older cat had seemed as of late. Mintclaw paused, smiling down at her apprentice before making her way to the camp's entrance while Comfreypaw trailed behind.
"Better, I hop- guess. But you shouldn't be worrying about me." She mewed quietly, the pale gray molly nodded and decided not to push the subject more, sensing it wasn't something she wanted to talk about right now. The main subject of Mintclaw's distress, on the other paw, wasn't feeling all too well himself. He was worried, not for him, but for his mate who was getting closer to kitting by the day. It hasn't hit them until later that there was no way to hide the kits' birth once they came and that Skunknose was going to be the only one to wean them since she was the only queen. They had kept their secret as best they could, but it wasn't long until it would be revealed.
"Why the long face, Shrikeface?" Owlfur asked, making the warrior come back to earth. He had nearly forgotten he was supposed to patrol with the deputy today.
"Nothing, Owlfur. I think I'm just tired." Shrikeface answered. Owlfur shrugged, then motioned with his tail for the two toms to be on their way, Shrikeface stayed behind him and cast a long glance at the medicine den where Skunknose sat just outside and smiled at him. Shrikeface had to stop himself from purring at her, but he smiled back.
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deimos
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Post by deimos on Jan 24, 2020 9:06:02 GMT -8
MOON 012 Written on January 2017. Shadowstar wasn't oblivious as either Shrikeface and Skunknose might have hoped, and while she had initially doubted the possibility of her medicine cat being pregnant, it was clear to her now that the molly was definitely carrying kits. Shadowstar tutted disapprovingly as she watched Skunknose carry a large squirrel back to the medicine den, Shrikeface trailing behind before realizing what he was doing and swerved back in the direction of the warrior's den. "What am I to do with you two...?" She wondered, for a brief moment she considered separating Skunknose from her kits, but she frowned at herself for even thinking of it. No mother should ever be apart from her kittens, she knew the pain of separation far too well from when she was a mother many seasons ago.
Shadowstar would have to deal with the problem later, shutting her eyes tightly and praying fervently to StarClan to spare as much pain from the family as they possibly could, Skunknose was so kind and warm - she didn't deserve any misfortune even though she broke a major law in the warrior code. Shadowstar's eyes opened just in time to see the medicine cat and her apprentice come out of their shared den, Weaselpaw asking her a question the leader couldn't hear and seeing Skunknose's eyes widen, slapping her tail on the apprentice's mouth as if he asked her an invasive question. Most likely about her kits, Shadowstar figured. The medicine cats then walked side by side silently and left camp to gather herbs.
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deimos
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Post by deimos on Jan 24, 2020 9:10:19 GMT -8
MOON 013 Written in January 2017. SSkunknose woke to a sharp jab of pain in her belly, causing her to gasp from shock and curl up into a ball. 'It's time, it must be.' She thought, wincing as another harsh jab went through her. Skunknose thought maybe it was best to give birth in the medicine den, but she wasn't sure how her kits would handle the powerful scent of herbs while they were still so tiny. The medicine cat groaned as she slowly and agonizingly got up to her paws, slowly limping out of the den and holding in gasps as the kits grew more active the more she moved. Shrikeface and Mintclaw were sharing a stiff conversation when Shrikeface saw his mate struggling out of the corner of his eye, not even excusing himself when he dashed to her side.
"They're coming? Now?" He whispered, receiving a nod in response. Shrikeface tutted, they had originally planned to have the kits outside of the camp's prying eyes, but it was too late for that now.
Mintclaw gazed wide-eyed at the pair, gawking at the pair while Shrikeface looked at her angrily for just sitting there. "Help me guide her to the nursery instead of just sitting there, will you?" He snapped, Mintclaw hesitantly nodded before padding to Skunknose's other side and slowly guiding her the other other bramble thicket besides the warriors' den, she felt a pang of sympathy for the medicine cat as her mewls of pain grew more frequent.
'Oh StarClan, keep her safe!' She pleaded. Meanwhile, the rest of the Clan grew active as they saw what was going on. Owlfur poked his head out of the warrior's den and Shadowstar observed them silently from the low-hanging branch of the great oak tree, while Comfreypaw dashed out of the apprentice's den to see what all the commotion was about. Weaselpaw had just came back from having a drink at a small pool of water close to camp, but he quickly dashed towards his mentor's side when he realized what was happening, not even sparing a second glance at a very confused Comfreypaw.
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deimos
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Post by deimos on Jan 24, 2020 9:14:40 GMT -8
MOON 014 Written in January 2017. Both little tom-kits, and both so very perfect in the eyes of their parents. Skunknose and Shrikeface were enraptured by their kittens, gazing down at them lovingly while they kneaded their mother's belly to get their fill of milk. "I-I don't even know what to say." Shrikeface whispered, hundreds of words swarmed in his head but none seemed to fit how much how much he already loved his newborn sons. He silently swore that he would bleed and fight for these kits' safety to the best of his ability, determined to make this world right for them.
"What should we name them...?" Skunknose mewed drowsily, she was steadily dozing off though Shrikeface couldn't blame her, giving birth certainly was tiring.
"I like Aspenkit for the gray tom." He mewed, smiling at the smaller kit who was snuggled up to his brother's side.
"It's a lovely name... I'd to name the black-and-white one after a bird, like you." Skunknose meowed, her eyes shining as she looked at her mate. Shrikeface chuckled and touched his nose with her own.
"Magpie, I think Magpiekit is a fitting name for him." Skunknose mewed, mostly to herself as she began to fall asleep.
"Magpiekit and Aspenkit, welcome to PineClan, my sons." Shrikeface meowed proudly, watching over his family.
Mintclaw strained her eyes to pry into the nursery, eager to see her nieces and/or nephews without trying to be overly obvious about it. Weaselpaw looked at her with tired eyes as he walked past, his head and tail were drooped down after the agonizing delivery - he never wanted to help deliver kits again. He'd much rather leave his mentor with that kind of work next time it happened. "It's two toms, black-and-white and a gray speckled one. They're fine, by the way." He mewed to her coolly before leaving camp to gather more herbs.
Mintclaw swiveled her ears to acknowledge the tom's statement, though she found herself wanting to see them with her own eyes, she grumbled under her breath about not letting herself get too attached to the kits, they were born outside the warrior code. She didn't want to sympathize with the forbidden kits even if they were family. "Comfreypaw! Let's go." She ordered, narrowing her eyes as she saw her apprentice trying to creep on a blind spot to the nursery to see the kits. Comfreypaw jumped as she heard Mintclaw's voice, quickly trotting to the warrior's side and licking down her ruffled chest fur while avoiding her mentor's scornful gaze.
Owlfur tried to mew some reassuring words to Shadowstar, though they fell on deaf ears. Shadowstar still wasn't sure what to do about Skunknose, and that was deeply troubling to the molly. "Guard the camp while I'm gone Owlfur, I'm going on patrol." She commanded sharply, not even waiting for a response from the deputy as she stormed away.
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deimos
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Post by deimos on Jan 24, 2020 9:21:24 GMT -8
MOON 015 Written in January 2017. Comfreypaw waited patiently for Shadowstar and Mintclaw while they were discussing her upcoming warrior ceremony, the gray cat sat up straight with her long tail curled over her paws, looking out in the forest beyond. She wondered what her warrior name would be and what plans she had next after she had no more training to complete, she decided to stick close to Mintclaw whenever possible as she really liked being around her mentor and still thought she could learn a bit more from her. The molly twitched her ears as she overheard some overly happy giggling by the nursery, turning to glance behind her to see little Magpiekit and Aspenkit clinging to their father's back while he stomped around like a badger, their mother was smiling happily at them.
It was uncomfortable to see them having so much fun with each other like nothing was wrong, surely they must feel some sort of shame for having kits with each other, right? Comfreypaw grumbled under her breath about how she was going to a loyal cat and never stray down the path Shrikeface and Skunknose did when she was made a warrior. Shortly after that little vow, Mintclaw and Shadowstar padded outside the leader's den with the former smiling proudly at her apprentice.
"We shall head to the Moonpool now to receive StarClan's blessing, then have your ceremony as soon as we come back." Shadowstar mewed, a smile on her face as well since Comfreypaw was PineClan's first warrior apprentice to receive her full name. Just before the two mollies were about to head off, Shadowstar saw Shrikeface playing with his kits as well and frowned. "Shrikeface! Will you please patrol with Wasptail and show her around our territory?" She mewed, her voice sounded more like a command than a request.
Shrikeface reluctantly parted from his kits, giving his leader an angry stare before padding to the warrior's den to fetch their newest warrior while Magpiekit and Aspenkit mewed protests and wailed for their father to come back. Comfreypaw winced, she didn't particularly care for the kits, but hearing them sadly mew for their father pulled at her heartstrings.
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deimos
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Post by deimos on Jan 24, 2020 9:27:59 GMT -8
MOON 016 Written in January 2017. Skunknose wasn't oblivious to the uncomfortable and callous stares she often received from her fellow Clanmates, she knew full well how the birth of her kits rubbed them the wrong way and how they'd continue to react the way they did until some other kind of drama caught their attention. The medicine cat often stayed in the nursery these days, guarding her kits from everyone's view until the camp's clearing was empty enough to allow the two tom-kits to play without having them be judged, though it was getting harder to keep them in the nursery now that they were getting more active. Aspenkit was like a little spark of fire that never went out, wanting nothing to do but explore and learn while his brother Magpiekit tagged behind him and attempted to be the voice of reason. Today the twin brothers decided to pester Weaselpaw while their mother was out gathering herbs and their father was out on patrol, the medicine cat apprentice was busy overlooking the medicine store until Aspenkit decided to poke around their store of poppy seeds.
"Hey, watch it!" Weaselpaw exclaimed, swatting Aspenkit away from the seeds with his tail while the kit protested having the tom's tail in his face. Aspenkit whirled around to face Weaselpaw with a annoyed expression, his soft and fluffy fur puffed out in all directions like he was a walking cotton ball while Magpiekit mumbled an apology to the older cat. Weaselpaw gave Aspenkit a stern look, though it was hard not to laugh at the little puffball staring up at him. Magpiekit waddled up to his brother and placed his paw on the gray kit's back, forcibly pushing him into a sitting position while Aspenkit begrudgingly did so.
"Don't see what's so wrong about looking at 'em." He grumbled, his ears drooping and his tail thumping against the ground. Weaselpaw smiled, finding it even harder to resist laughing, but he had to stay composed.
"They're dangerous for kits, I'm only looking out for you." He mewed sincerely, figuring that his statement would have ended the kit's curiosity as he went back to his original task and observed the number of herbs they had rather than the kits.
Aspenkit huffed, not ready to let this slip away so easy, and suddenly jumped to his paws (poor Magpiekit was so surprised he fell over). "What's so dangerous about 'em? Huh? What can tiny seeds do?" He challenged, unaware of Weaselpaw rolling his eyes in annoyance.
He had to do something to get them out, or else Aspenkit was probably going to do something mousebrained. "They'll kill you." The tom deadpanned, smirking as heard Magpiekit give out a shocked gasp.
Aspenkit chuckled nervously, he was still too young to understand that Weaselpaw wasn't serious, but tried to keep on the brave face anyway. "T-that's a lie! Right, Magpie?" Aspenkit stuttered, turning to look at his brother who was already scurrying out the den with his tail sticking straight up in fear.
"Why would you even have those?!" The black-and-white tom-kit wailed as he ran to hide in the nursery with Aspenkit running right after him as quick as he could.
"Magpie, come back here! You're supposed to stay with me you big dummy!"
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deimos
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Post by deimos on Jan 24, 2020 18:23:47 GMT -8
MOON 017 Written in January 2017. Comfreyfang was pacing outside the medicine den, the look on the kitten's face haunted her as they brought the kit back to camp, the poor scrap's eyes were wider than two full moons and she was shaking violently after the shock of losing her mother settled in. Shrikeface was telling Shadowstar about the how the injuries presumably belonged to a predator, possibly a fox, he reported. The leader wasted no time in getting a patrol ready to scout the surrounding area as well as bury the kit's mother, taking herself as well as Shrikeface and Mintclaw with her, the three cats bounded from camp quickly.
Skunknose and Weaselpaw padded out of the medicine den, the apprentice kept looking behind him to see if the tiny kit was still sleeping. His mentor had given the kit some thyme to calm her down, soothingly asking to the kit to eat the leaves without mentioning a single thing about the traumatic loss of her mother, Weaselpaw was surprised to see how obedient the kit was when Skunknose spoke to her - he had to wonder if her being a mother gave her more experience about how kits were. He would have to ask her later, when they were done telling the Clan about the kit's health.
Owlfur, Wasptail, and Comfreyfang sat just outside while the prying eyes of Magpiekit and Aspenkit were looking at the cats from within the nursery, mostly curious about the situation given that there was a fellow kit involved. Weaselpaw noticed Wasptail's expression, a mournful and guilty look on the mostly silent cat's face. "I've given her thyme," Skunknose mewed, causing him to look at his mentor while she spoke. "that's the best I can do." She mewed, a bit more quietly this time. Owlfur and Comfreyfang nodded solemnly while Wasptail looked like she wanted to speak, clearing her throat to get everyone's attention.
"That's... That's my sister's kit, her name is Fawn." She mewed, her voice sorrowful. "My sister and I were supposed to stick together but... we got into an argument." Wasptail shook her head, mumbling something about how they never should've separated under her breath. The golden molly moved to stand up and make her way inside the medicine den, ignoring the protests of Weaselpaw and Skunknose as she passed by them. "Fawn is my only remaining family now, this time I'm never letting her go." She stated, laying down besides her sleeping niece and curling her body protectively around her. The medicine cats decided to let the intrusion pass this time, understanding that Wasptail needed to mourn over her sister's loss in peace and quiet.
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deimos
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Post by deimos on Jan 24, 2020 19:16:36 GMT -8
MOON 018 Written in January 2017. Fawnkit was still very skittish and afraid of straying too far from Wasptail or the nursery, though according to both medicine cats, it would be very hard for the young kit to overcome the trauma of losing her mother and that the memory would stick to her for the rest of her life. Thankfully the Clan was very understanding about that, going out of their way to make sure the kit would feel as safe as she could be within the campground. Wasptail had taken up the role of Fawnkit's mother ever since her birth one had passed on, she currently held the kit close to her chest as she groomed the pale brown molly behind her ears. Fawnkit purred softly, her eyes closed in content. Comfreyfang sat besides the two cats and watched on quietly, she and Wasptail had formed a bond of friendship with each other after connecting over their mutual love for the kit.
Shadowstar gazed upon the three mollies from where she lay besides the entrance of her den, she reminisced about the time where she was once a mother, though she never got to see her litter grow up. Two were lost to starvation, while two were taken away to join the ranks of some tyrannical group that had been terrorizing the neighborhood where she once lived. Despite her many attempts to leave that life behind her, Shadowstar often wondered how her life would have been had she been able to stay with her kits. The leader was brought out of her memories at the sound of a questioning mew made by Owlfur, who looked very concerned and curious about what she was thinking. "I'm fine," She mewed, smiling up at the deputy kindly, she was always thankful for his presence - the sight of him always calmed her.
Owlfur wasn't convinced, but he supposed Shadowstar would tell him about whatever was bothering her in her own time. "If you're sure... anyhow, I was hoping to steal a moment alone with you. Just you and me on patrol, just like old times." He suggested, referring to how the two used to be the only cats in PineClan.
Shadowstar purred in response, rising to her paws and brushing herself against Owlfur's side. "I'd never pass up the chance to do anything with you, let's be on our way."
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deimos
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Post by deimos on Jan 24, 2020 19:22:39 GMT -8
MOON 019 Written in January 2017. Shrikeface had been bitter ever since the young tom that Shadowstar and Owlfur had found on patrol was apprenticed to his sister, who had just finished training her first apprentice a few short moons ago. He was just as every inch capable at handling a cat's training as much as Mintclaw was, he was absolutely sure of it. The thing is, he knew exactly why he hadn't been chosen, and that was because of the lovely cat who he had decided to be mates with: Skunknose. His mate was currently licking his cheek and nuzzling in his neck, mewing words of reassurance to him and purring in an attempt to comfort him. The tom found himself relaxing easily, laying his head on his paws as he watched his two kits scuffle in front of him. He wondered who their mentors would be, as their apprentice ceremony would take place one moon from now.
Wasptail had offered to go with Mintclaw and Lizardpaw as the two cats were on their way to their first training session, though the prickly apprentice had made it quite clear that he didn't want to be in the golden tabby's presence, so she decided to break apart from the pair to do a patrol all on her own. Wasptail never gave up the tiniest speck of hope that her sister's remaining kits were still alive, thus she looked around diligently for any sign of kits around the border.
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