Things are looking up (open)

It hadn't been long since she had been given her warrior name, but already she was trading in the warrior title temporarily for something else. Grasswhisker let out happy sigh as she settled into a warm patch of sun. Leaf bare was far from over, but every now and then it would warm up a little bit. Today was one of those days. The sun was high in the sky and the snow had receded a bit. This definitely wasn't greenleaf warm, but it was amazing for now. She purred as her swollen belly moved slightly underneath her. The young warrior hadn't told many of her clanmates yet that she was carrying Blazestrike's kit, but it was probably becoming painfully obvious. With the awkward belly, hunting and patrolling was becoming increasingly difficult. For now, she was confined to camp.

Maplepaw padded over to Grasswhisker and sat down beside her, partly in grass. She had brought a fresh mouse for the queen, and was curious as to if she wanted it "How are you? I brought you a mouse!" She mewled excitedly.

Mottledwing slithered up to Maplepaw, wanting to just relax. Yet when she caught sight of the polite apprentice, and the queen who was carrying kits, she purred. She felt so happy for Grasswhisker, and starting a conversation would be a good idea. She settled herself in a patch of grass, free from snow, and stretched out her back legs leisurely. She blinked at Grasswhisker. "How are you, Grasswhisker?" Mottledwing asked, slightly cumbrously due to the growing sunlight. She flicked her ears as the breeze tickled them, glancing at Maplepaw to acknowledge the apprentice's good doings.

A bird flitted past with feeble wings, landing in a nest. It gave a small chirp, and regurgitated some food for them. Mottledwing noted that she would most likely never bear kits, but she'd like to be as caring as that. Her relaxed tail kinked closer to her body, as she half-shut her eyes.

"Oh thank you Maplepaw," She purred gratefully, taking the mouse and taking a small bit out of it. The kits sure made her hungry. Then to Mottledwing, "Feeling like a lumbering badger with my stomach so huge, but can't complain" Grasswhisker half-closed her eyes against the sun and sighed happily, glad to have her clanmates around her.

"Well," Mottledwing laughed, feeling a tad lonesome, "I don't think I'll be feeling like that anytime soon. You're lucky to have that window of opportunity," she added swiftly, feeling a rise of fur upon her neck. She couldn't think of herself as a queen, no matter how generous others perceived her as. She looked at Maplepaw, remembering when she was Mottledpaw. Somehow, her change in title made her feel more mature, but in reality, she really wasn't. She knew she would always still be her father's little kit.

"I am. I got really lucky with having Blazestrike as a mate too," She looked around camp trying to find the orange fur of her mate, but didn't see him, "Even luckier to have Thunderclan to help raise them too. There's no where else I'd want my kits to be". Grasswhisker knew that the clan would have just as much influence on her kits, if not more, as she and Blazestrike would. Everyday she was grateful that she wasn't in Shadowclan or one of the other clans. Bringing kits up in places like those would make her uncomfortable. But her she was happy, and life was perfect.

Mottledwing smiled, purring. "I couldn't imagine being in WindClan or ShadowClan," she said, as if to echo the queen's thoughts. "And even worse is troublesome times. My father, Blacktwig, was an apprentice when the Dark Forest severely ravaged the forest," she explained, thinking back to the stories that Blacktwig would tell her of his apprenticeship - yet that was when she was a kit. But now, Grasswhisker was right; everything was perfect.