The Fruit of Our Labor [open - post birth]

Dustcloud's body was still shaking as she looked down at the slick bundles of fur lined up at her stomach, not as much so because of the pain, but because she was afraid. She found herself and her kits to be extremely vulnerable, and with how that had ended for her and her kits before, it was not something that the silver tabby easily accepted. Despite many of Marshstorm's comforting efforts and movements, there was a feeling of dread that lingered when he left their side. Making an effort to keep the negative thoughts away, she smiled down at the newborn bundles, heart swelled with joy and affection for the kits she'd just brought into the world.

---

Several days had passed since the birth of Dustcloud and Marshstorm's first litter, and much to Dustcloud's relief- nothing had happened. The family had settled into a quite nice routine, somehow managing to make time at the end of the day to spend time together. It was nearing the end of the day, with the sun edging over the horizon, sending rays of light sprawled out across the bustling camp. There was just enough light left in the day for the kits to make their way out of the nursery and meet their fellow Clanmates and possibly talk with their father, if he didn't find himself too busy at the moment. She tamed down the fur on Aspenkit's head before gently nudging each of them out of the nursery.

A loud rumbling filled the nursery as Marshstorm licked gently over Dustcloud's ears and face in an attempt to comfort his mate. His tail wrapped around her and the precious kits that he eyed with a mixture of wonder and joy. He smiled softly and nuzzled one of the darker bundles of fur as it squirmed away from his nose and chuckled.
"They're beautiful Dustcloud." He whispered softly. Amber eyes meeting delicate blue ones as he nuzzled her affectionately. Words lodged in his throat as he fought over what to say. Nothing seemed accurate enough to convey the feeling of pride welling deep in his chest. His paws itched to rush out of the nursery and yowl in joy around the camp, but he stayed quiet. Firmly by Dustcloud and his family's side.

---

Despite his deputy duties, Marshstorm made a constant effort over the several days to visit his family. Any moment he wasn't patrolling or that the clan was organised he would slip into the nursery. Most of the time, bearing a gift of fresh-kill or water-soaked moss. Today, he brought something a little different. As he approached the nursery, he felt a flood of joy in seeing the kits, His kits, leaving the nursery. He padded over with a nod to a cat that he padded past before he placed a sticky yellow mass in front of the kits.

"Dustcloud! How are you feeling?" He asked softly, licking the remains of honey comb from his whiskers and muzzle as he watched the kits react to the sweet smelling liquid. "I found a fallen hive in the forest. I'll have to gather some more for Rainpaw and Mapleleaf, but I thought the kits could use a change." He purred in explination. Though he trusted that the patrol he had been with was likely to bring back plenty of combs themselves.

A soft, protesting whine escaped the tiny kit's maw as she shifted her ears to press against the back of her head. Aspenkit's newly-opened eyes, still a pale sky blue, turned to look up at her mother, with a spark of frustration. The extremely tiny she-kit supposed she couldn't remain too cross. Dustcloud was just being affectionate and protective, a quick grooming wouldn't do any harm. Pulling away hastefully after she was certain her mother had finished, Aspenkit showed no hesitation in scrambling outside afterwards.
The pale silver tabby stared around at her surroundings wordlessly. Her jaw dropped in the slightest to indicate her awe and wonder, with her eyes flickering between the dens. Is this camp?

Aspenkit was so engrossed that she didn't hear the pawsteps. Glancing up to meet the gaze of her father, the she-kit lashed her tail in excitement when she noticed the thick golden liquid. When it was dropped, she was the first to immediately bound over, unaware of its stickiness when she extended her paw. When it made contact with it, she felt the mass slowly ooze around her paw. Surprised, Aspenkit squealed and lept back, vigorously shaking her paw to try to remove the honey. "It's stuck to me!" she wailed with a shrill voice, spinning around to face her parents, her ears once again flattened. She prepared herself for any sort of teasing from her littermates.

ooc: She's too energetic for a newborn? ^^'

Swankit charged out of the nursery with a laugh, listening to her sister's wail. The she-kit sniffed the air and her eyes widened at the sweet scent of the honey. She walked over to it, letting out a small squeak as one of her hind legs gave way momentarily. Neither hind leg was as strong as her forelegs just yet. leaning forward to inspect the perfect patterns all over the hunk of honey comb. "Oh! It looks so odd! What is it, Marshstorm? Did you make it?" The she-kit asked, rearing up and leaning on her father's foreleg to look up at him. She stuck out like a rabbit's ears in the litter, not a stripe on her, white fur, a splash of black across her face and a completely black tail. She didn't mind, only complaining that she was easier to find when she was trying to hide. The she-kit was already picking up odd mannerisms, kneading the ground with her paws just as her ancestor did when she was in deep thought or nervous.

Eaglekit slowly tried to open to open her eyes but failed, she could see nothing but darkness. Yet, something was there....warmth! Warmth from her new mother and her father, along with her siblings who had been snuggled close to her. She mewed loudly, being hungry wasn't all the comfortable for a new kits, so, of course, she tried to get her moms attention so she could find where to eat.

Yes! She did it, without her mothers help too. After sometime of suckling, Eaglekit decided to try and open her eyes once more. It had worked, but the sight wasn't too nice. It was blurry at first, but soon shifted to a clear gaze which mean't she could see everyone around her! She purred, seeing her mothers beautiful pelt and her fathers tabby markings was a sight to see, but, what about herself? Curious, the newborn she looked down at her body, examining every inch. What was this? It was long and at the very end of her body, a tail, maybe? She didn't know, it looked like the other kits didn't care about their bodies, though. The young kit sighed, looking at herself once more. She was a almost completely white cat. But, she had some of her father as well. She had brown tabby splotches on her body and a tabby mask that wrapped around her eyes and most of her face. She stretched around, trying her best to get up when suddenly she had heard noises. These had been noises from other cats of her litter, they were mewing and pouncing loudly, especially Swankit and Aspenkit, who's names she had heard while getting used to the sudden sounds. But the young kit was still determined to get walking, just like her older siblings were. So, she decided to pull herself up. It was probably a funny sight, but to be fair, it was still a proud moment for the kit and most likely the parents. She failed at first, falling desperately but still eager to be like her other siblings who had found out this motion so suddenly. She lifted herself slowly this time, aware of how she placed her body weight and head. Since her head was quite large, like most other kits heads were. Yes! She got it, now she had to figure out all the talking. Jeez, that was a lot. But she tried, opening her mouth and sounding out what the other kits were saying. "Ooo-Oh! It looooooks so odd! What isss i-i-t, M-m-m-m-marshstorm? Diiiid you m-m-m-m-m-make iiit?" The she pronounce out, a joyful smile coming from her face as she decided to make her own sentence, this time make it a little less, extra..."I d-d-did it!" Eaglekit mewed, jumping around and almost falling while celebrating. Out of the corner of her eye, Eaglekit saw a big cat. One that was oddly fluffy and almost twice as fluffy as Eaglekit's mom, it looked like a she. Eaglekit filled with fear, seeing that this cat was scaring her, but she noticed that as the cat examined and played with the other kits of the litter, she felt calmer. Her words flowed like waves and calmed Eaglekit down almost right away. The kit smiled, frozen in place, scared to touch the large female.

-------

Mistywater began to make her way into The Nursery. Everything seemed to be going well since her return, her daughter had given birth, she met a new close friend, and the camp was just joyful, usually. The big lump of fur walked into The Nursery, looking at her daughter first. She was so proud of her, while she knew it wasn't her first litter, she knew that it was still just as great as a moment. She nuzzled her daughter proudly, looking at all the newborns and purring, "Congratulations." The calm she said, looking down at the kits and smiling as she noticed every kit looked a little bit more colorful than the other. She licked each one, looking at the two kits who had seemed to make their way up already. Swankit and Aspenkit, the two were obviously quite full of energy, especially since they had just been born only moments ago. "Well, you two seem to have a lot of energy, huh?" The she purred.

One baby tabby tom mewled as he struggled to find his place at his mother's belly. He could smell the food! He was right there! The bundle of bodies before him blocked his way, already eating their share. Swiftkit did his best to climb over one of his siblings to reach the food, but slipped and stumbled in between them, and gave out another tiny mewl in surprise. He tried to steady his footing, and managed to climb back up. With some effort, he managed to land on top of his siblings and, finally, found a place to suckle.

Swiftkit cautiously approached the golden mass, and sniffed it. So weird! What is it? He walked around it to inspect the lumpy form, but couldn't place it. He hadn't seen anything like it! It wasn't fresh-kill or a moss ball, or anything else he knew he could play with or eat or...anything!
The kit slowly reached a paw forward and gave it a tap, drawing back when a bit clung to his fur. He hadn't touched it as long as Aspenkit, did he? He shook his paw to get it off, but when it didn't retreat, he held his paw above the ground and looked at his mother with big, golden eyes, pleading for help. "I can't get it off!"

Leafstorm ducked out of the warrior's den, a wan smile stretching over his face almost painfully. He swayed unsteadily on his feet when he walked towards the small family that was resting just outside the nursery, but his eyes held a hint of their former brightness. Thinking quickly, the tom turned and padded carefully towards the Fresh-Kill Pile. She must be hungry. The tom closed his eyes for a moment, the smile on his muzzle growing wider. Back in the old days, he remembered how hungry Specklefang and Sharptooth had been when their first few litters had been born. He had to have gone hunting at least three times a day with Coyotepaw in order to keep them both satisfied. It had been good for his apprentice though, and by the time the litters were ready to become apprentices, Coyotepaw had grown into a formidable hunter.
Specklefang... Leafstorm's expression changed suddenly, and the warrior seemed to fold inward, his face crumpling into a blank mask. He had unknowingly torn open an old wound. Coyotefang...
Sharptooth.
The old warrior shook himself, bending down and nosing through the pile. No more thinking. It was dangerous.

"Dustcloud." The senior warrior dropped the limp squirrel near his former mentor with another painful grin, pausing to pass a quick glance over the litter. "Congratulations. That's quite a litter you've got there."