|:| every rose has a black shadow |:| [closed for SquishedBunny, Twitchinq, Bun Bun]

Emberheart sat next to the stone log, her teeth gritting together as she waited for her mate.

"What's happenin'?" Amberkit bounced high and turned in an excited circle, nearly going into the strange log. Emberheart pushed her kit away, sighing, and slipped before the dangerous thing so they couldn't wander inside. The kits had insisted to come with her, and anyway, she didn't trust them alone back at camp. Besides, they'd deserve to know what was happening with their father. 

That white she hadn't stopped bothering her, not from the awkward moment she'd gotten back, to Emberheart's own birth. Even Blacktwig was taking Sheepnose's side. She kneaded her claws in the ground, waiting, calming herself. Pinewhisker wouldn't do anything bad.

But something in her heart made her uneasy.

Pinewhisker shoot his mate a questioning glance as he found her in the clearing, alongside their kits. He greeted them all with a warm smile before bounding up to his mate and nuzzling her cheek. The chocolate tomcat forgot about the cold as his heart grew in sight of his new family. Driftpaw surely understood, she was always the most collected of his previous kits. "Hey, Emberheart. Why'd you call me here?" he asked, meeting the glznce of the fiercy she-cat and feeling uneasy.

Cypresskit was more than confused as to why they were here. All she had wanted to so was stay in the nursery and sleep for a few more hours, but that wouldn't be happening. The she-kit looked over at Amberkit, who seemed to be a lot more excited than she was. However, her eyes brightened a bit when she saw her father.
"Yeah," Cypresskit began, breaking off with a yawn, "why are we here?"

(sheep comes in in the next post)

Emberheart sat, glancing down at her eldest kit with a fond, but almost…disdainful expression. Of course, it wasn't directed at her.

"Your father here has something to explain." she replied, eyes narrowing as she stared at Pinewhisker. The only other sign of agitation was the tip of her tail flicking, ever so quietly, back and forth, back and forth, against the ground. 

"Pinewhisker, who is Sheepnose to you and Blacktwig? And what did I do to deserve being ignored by my own mate and hissed at by some other she when I'm giving birth to your kits that you'd gladly prefer over me?" Now her tail was lashing, scattering dead brown leaves to the side, as she waited for an answer. The fire in her heart had sprung up again, and anger and hurt coursed through her veins. The combination was dangerous.

Markedkit looked between the two anxiously. She didn't understand all of what was being said, she only understood that it was upsetting for them both. She looked at her sisters, trying to push down her nerves. She clawed at the dirt with agitation before saying
"Why are you guys arguing about it? It seems stupid to argue over something like that! You're our mother and father, that's all that matters. What does it matter if other people try to get in your way or between you?!" She looked up at them both with frustration, her rage and disappointment burning in her scorching amber eyes. She was clawing up the dirt with such ferocity, her anger was clear
"Just focus on the fact that you are both our parents and should be taking care of us!" She knew that she shouldn't chip in or add her own opinion to matters that didn't really concern her, but she hated seeing her parents arguing like this

Cypresskit's ear flicked and she looked over at Markedkit, as if agreeing with her sister.
"Yeah, that. Also, I'm tired! Can we go back to the nursery?" The she-kit complained, still oblivious to how important this topic was.

---

The next and final cat to appear was the familiar white fluffy she-cat. Sheepnose had wanted nothing to do with any of this Emberheart and Pinewhisker drama anymore, but apparently, she was just digging herself deeper into the same hole.
The warrior's icy blue eyes weren't upset or sad, just confused as she spotted Emberheart, Pinewhisker, and their kits sitting all together...and neither Emberheart nor Pinewhisker seemed to be happy. It was uninteresting to her, and she just considering passing this up and going on with her own business, until she heard her new brought up. Then she immediately turned and started towards them.
"Er..." Sheepnose began, looking back and forth between both the brown tom and the ginger she-cat.
"Maybe there's something I'm missing, but you two talking about me behind my back is just rude."

Instead of feeling sorry for her former mentor, Emberheart felt furious. She ignored her kit, stepping before them and flattening her ears against her head, eyes sparking. Markedkit'll understand.

"So you decided," she snarled. "That it just wasn't important to tell your mate this. Nope, didn't matter at all, not even when Sheepnose did magically appear again. Let's just not tie up some loose ends, let me have to deal with it first."

When the white she did appear, the russet she-cat turned towards her, eyes widening, not only with surprise—but with recognition. Something clicked as she glanced at the pale pelt.

"You're my sister!" she gasped, pale eyes widening. Adopted sister, albeit, but to Emberheart, it was all the same. "Your last mate was my sister, you old…piece of stinky rotten frog-dung!" she was yelling now, betrayal searing through her pelt. "And you never thought it would be important to tell me?!"

••••

Amberkit winced, crouching to the ground. What did all of this mean? She agreed with her sister; but something was happening, and it was important, and everyone looked angry. She opened her eyes, trying to listen better. Is…Is Pinewhisker's mate Sheepnose? Confusion wracked her body, and she turned to Cypresskit, wondering if her littermate understood, either.

Does Pinewhisker have another mate?

ooc;; sorry guys D; school's caught up to me! Piney shall now mention how marked doesn't look like him :O

Pinewhisker looked down at Marked with pity. He looked wise, even as young. "Stop it, Emberheart. Stop being so childish. I have just enough questions, too. Such as... why does Markedkit look so different?" he meowed, his eyes fixed on the kit that started to stand out from the batch. He didn't look at his other kits, and when Sheepnose snuck up on them, she looked back over his shoulder to her with a trapped look.

Sheepnose blinked, glaring icy daggers at Pinewhisker. She had known that Emberheart was her younger adopted sister all along, but that had just increased the pain. The white warrior looked over at Markedkit with a quizzical look as soon as Pinewhisker mentioned the kit. It was true, Markedkit had no resemblance to Pinewhisker at all.

---

Cypresskit exchanged the same glance with her sister, Amberkit. The kit didn't even want to be here...seeing her parents argue made her inwardly shudder. The ginger-and-brown kit rested her head dully on her paws and watched the argument carry on.

Emberheart opened her mouth, about to retort. I'm not childish! You'd be even angrier than me if it was the other way around!
But as Pinewhisker mentioned her kit, her beloved kit, Emberheart felt it grow dry, and closed it hastily. It was true; Markedkit was obviously patched with a mottled grey and white—some russet, too, but that was obvious—and though the she-kit was beautiful, she bore no trace of Pinewhisker. All the russet queen could see when she looked at her, despite what she insisted…was Sleetfang. It was in her eyes, in her fur. Despite herself, she began missing the charming, arrogant tom.

She said nothing, just stared at her paws, rendered speechless. He had been bound to ask—she just didn't know how to reply.

Feeling the other's eyes on her, Markedkit's eyes widened with horror and something a lot like fear
"What?" She looked at her sisters, then at Pinewhisker "I... I mean I don't... I'm not too different" She felt as though she were backed into a corner, and was surrounded by other clan's strongest warriors, and they all wanted to hurt her. She felt dread settle in her stomach, she didn't know what they meant. What were they hinting at? She just didn't understand. She took a step back from everyone, not being able to shake the feeling of being threatened, interrogated, just for being born the way she was "And so what? Why does it matter if I'm different? What does it mean?"

Pinewhisker shook his head as he approached his daughter, Markedkit. "Nothing sweetheart. You are perfect as you are. Let's go home. Because you shouldn't all be here. Remember that in the future." he meowed as he grabbed arkedkit's scruff, nuzzling the gray and white patched she-kit. "Sheepnose, could you take Cypresskit?" he meowed, looking at the snow-white she-cat with a pleading smile.

She let herself hang there, a frightened look in her eyes still but feeling slightly reassured by her father's words. She looked at Sheepnose, mimicking her fathers pleading gaze. She didn't like her, she'd made her parents fight. She didn't really know how but she knew that the white she-cat was involved, but at the same time she didn't want to annoy Pinewhisker so decided to just follow his lead. She looked back at Emberheart, a question in her eyes. Pinewhisker had said it was fine, that she was good as she was, but clearly that wasn't the reality of the situation and her eyes were asking what she didn't want to out loud 'What's really wrong with me?'

"Nothing's wrong," Emberheart cooed, silently shooting daggers at her mate. "Pinewhisker just doesn't like the way your fur looks." Eyes narrowed, she added, "Just as I don't particularly like how Driftpaw looks."

She turned towards Sheepnose, her view of the pretty she-cat somehow changed by this encounter. She was angry at Pinewhisker, too. They were a team. She would understand.

"I will take Markedkit." she said suddenly, snatching the kit from the tom's jaws. "Me and Sheepnose will go back alone. These are my kits, Pinewhisker." she pulled Amberkit and Cypresskit next to her protectively, Markedkit still dangling from her mouth. The small, dark brown kit relaxed, pressing sideways against her mother. She felt more protected this way—whatever was happening with her father she wasn't able to understand. As Emberheart lowered down, Amberkit leapt onto her shoulders, squealing for a badger ride, sharp, tiny, needle-like claws digging into the queen's flesh.

"Cypress, you go with Sheepnose." she nudged the small kit forward. To entrust this she with her own kits…was the greatest act of confidence she could give. Emberheart turned away. She would talk to her mate later—right now, the kits needed to be fed—and anyway, she couldn't bear to look at his face any longer.