A purr escaped the she-cat's mouth. Before her were five beautiful kits. Four beautiful toms, and one little she-kit. The queen swallowed harshly. Her first litter... Breezewhisker and Thornpaw, both toms, and both troublesome. Thornpaw had not made it to his warriorhood, but during his days as a kit he was as spunky as any kit could be. Breezewhisker was no exception. His attitude continued into his later moons, sparking a fight that would eventually lead to his departure from SkyClan. The thought still brought a deep ache into her heart.
Her daughter, Lilyheart on the other paw had been a joy and delight her entire life. Daughters were sweet and kind. Not nearly as messy as tomcats. Yet, like her two brothers before her, the white she-cat joined them far away from the safety of camp. Poppysong felt the sadness creep its way up to her eyes but she held it back. She couldn't be sad. Not now. Not when she had her little bundles of joy to look after.
For the most part, the kits resembled herself, and her dear father. The first kit, Hailkit she called him, shared Breezestar's pelt, yet his eyes were unlike any in her family, nor did they match his own father's. They were a shade of blue brighter than the sky. Something about them almost made her hopeful. For what, she wasn't sure.
The second born, Hollowkit was the spitting image of herself, down to the fluffy, tri-coloured pelt and hazel eyes. With him was born a twin sister, who she named Songkit. It was like staring into her past, watching the sweet kit run about with her siblings.
Fourth came the smallest kit, named for his size. Littlekit was a carbon copy of her father. The grey tabby fur, the golden eyes. Part of her couldn't help but feel favourable towards him. If he grew up anything like Breezestar, she was sure he would be one of the greatest cats SkyClan had ever known.
And finally, the firth was... a clone of his father. A sleek, reddish-brown. Golden eyes. Poppysong swallowed hard. Although she loved her kits to death, she couldn't help but fear any possible judgement against them. After all, their father was not her mate. Her affair with Stoneteller wasn't a well-kept secret. She already felt the peering eyes of tribe members and clanmates alike. There was no doubt in her mind that somebody would treat these kits differently. They were the product of a clan and tribe relationship that most likely shouldn't have happened in the beginning. Especially with the Tribe healer and the mate of SkyClan's leader.
The she-cat sighed deeply as she glanced around the nursery. Stoneteller was indeed a kind cat. She couldn't deny her attraction to the awkward but cute tom. Yet the regret of betraying Crowstar crept further into her mind. H-He didn't deserve it. Above everything else, he deserved better than five constant reminders of her actions during his disappearance.
Now he was back, and Poppysong dreaded seeing him more than anything in the world. Not now. Not after everything he's been through.
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