The First Dance (CLOSED)

Just like he said the last night, Jaystream made his way to the den where his kits were resting and playing to check Brightkit and confirm Tinytip and Splashwillow's fears. Before entering, he stopped, taking a deep breath to calm himself. His troubled was filled with worries and concerns about the future of his son if he really was a kit with no empathy for the rest of his clanmates. He wanted a good future for him but... what would happen if that wasn't possible? He had to do something... he promised Cinderpaw that he would raise her kits well and give them a happy life in the clan for her. Despite his anxious thoughts, he knew that he wouldn't get to anywhere if he stayed there. He had to step in and discover the truth by himself.

With this new determination, the tom entered the den greeting the two queens and he started to search for his kits, especially for the calico-furred that was under the she-cat's supervision after the incident that happened yesterday.

Stormpaw padded into the den after his father, ducking around the deputy. His summer-yellow eyes narrowed as he caught sight of one of his younger brothers- Brightkit -lying in a nest by himself in the corner. He had heard about the incident and he wanted to speak to his little brother one-on-one about what had happened. A little bit of guidance couldn't go wrong. The apprentice made an odd sound in his throat- was it a laugh or a cough? -and turned back to his father, forcing a serious expression on his face. "He's sleeping. Best not to wake him. He's got a lot to dream about tonight- I'd talk to him tomorrow, father." He waited until Jaystream left to approach his brother, casting a wary glance around the den to check that everyone else was asleep. "Your breathing's too shallow." He hissed quietly, a small chuckle finding it's way into his voice as he prodded his brother with one paw. "He's gone, though. Sit up- I want to talk to you about what happened, Brightkit."

Brightkit heard his brother Stormpaw enter the nursery, knowing who it was from both the other tom's scent and voice. When Stormpaw managed to get Jaystream to leave the nursery Brightkit was surprised and also suspicious. Despite being supposedly 'gone' his father's scent was still carried into the den by the next stray breeze but Brightkit assumed it was just coincidence and sat up with a sigh as Stormpaw prodded at him. As Stormpaw went on to bring up the reason he had come, Brightkit's ears flattened against his head. 'Great, even my littermates have heard that I'm a failure. Now I get to listen to yet another cat scold me or try to explain what I did wrong.' Looking over at Stormpaw Brightkit waited warily for the other tom to speak, sure he was about to get another lecture.

The older tom turned his head surprised when his son approached him. He heard him in silence and nodded, agreeing with him. "You're right, Stormpaw. Thank you for looking after your brother... Rest well too, my son." He purred in a low voice before leaving the den. Seeing him being aware of his sibling state made him wonder if his own brother, Hailpaw, would have been like that if he hadn't joined the Starclan so young. Jaystream could imagine himself looking after his more confident brother if he was alive during his apprenticehood.

However, Jaystream wasn't able to leave. He was too worried about his kits and the idea of one of them suffering made him feel really bad. Instead of going, the deputy walked to one side of the den, where his two sons couldn't hear him or smell him due to the strong scent of herbs.

"What happened out there, Brightkit?" Stormpaw mewed gruffly, his bright eyes focused on his brother's face. A quick talk might help the calico apprentice- if he could get Brightkit to listen, that is. The stormy-furred apprentice sighed, twitching his feathery tail with mild annoyance. He had to admit that even though they were littermates, he hardly knew his brother. Maybe this may help both of them. There was only one way to find out. Stormpaw's tufted ears twitched, and he nudged his brother gently. "I'm not here to scold you like a queen- I just want to know your side of the story. Sit up, Brightkit. Tell me what happened."

"I didn't mean to do it!" As he spoke, Brightkit let out the truth but also made sure to follow the script he had made for himself. 'Everyone thinks I'm a failure for not feeling the way normal cats do but I can fix that! If I just make sure I act the way everyone else does they won't be disappointed! Besides, I wouldn't LIE I'll just tweak things a little so I don't seem... wrong.' Brightkit had thought long and hard about this and this had seemed the best solution. As he looked at his brother, already an apprentice and a source of great pride for their father, Brightkit decided he would have to spend more time with Stormpaw in the future to help him learn the right and wrong things to say. Brightkit huffed a bit and pricked his claws into his tail to cause tears to well up in his eyes just a bit. Quickly looking away, as if ashamed to be seen crying, Brightkit swiped a paw across his face. "They didn't even give me a chance to ask if he was okay! Then they were both freaking out and I didn't know what to do. I just got angry that they wouldn't believe that I didn't mean to do it! I didn't want to hurt Robinkit!" A few tears slid down his face as his real emotions shone through a bit and Brightkit hung his head. "I'm sorry..."