An Unwanted Problem

Rift lay in the cold but relatively sheltered spot she had been in for a while now, her form wrapped around itself as she stared blankly at the rocky ground. The pain of not long before still echoed through her memory like a thorn, though exhaustion had replaced where it had been... along with a few other things she didn't want to think about. Something squirmed at her belly, and her eyes twitched in that direction, an odd mix of emotions rising in her throat as she stared at the small mouse-like things there. It was strange, she felt an odd sort of protectiveness, fierce as flames raging in her chest, but also... revulsion, and a burning hatred. These kits should not have been born.

Her claws dug into what passed for a nest beneath her, her ears flattening as she remembered. That... fiend, that stupid, annoying, Clan cat. Her lips pulled back from her teeth in a silent snarl as she remembered their foolishness, and shoved away a small pang at the thought that he was dead. It's all his fault! This should never have happened. It wasn't possible!

A squeaking mew made her ears twitch violently as she glanced down at them once again. At least now there was a chance to be rid of them, instead of having to waddle around like she had for the past couple of moons or so. She wouldn't let this mistake go further than it had to. After all, Xuexi would never approve of raising the kits of a Clan cat. They're not mine, they're his. And she would make sure these abominations got what they deserved.

Though she would have to wait until her sister wasn't around to witness it. Guilt at the thought of what Mao would think if she got rid of them was the only thing holding her back from doing it already, and something inside her that hated the mere idea of doing it herself. I can wait for a bit longer.

Regardless of how the actual mother felt about her kits, one cat was absolutely delighted about the turn of events―Mao. The young rogue entered the makeshift den now, a muffled chirrup announcing her return. In the months that they had spent in the mountains, her appearance had gradually adapted. Her pelt, which had already been fluffy at the start, had grown even longer in order to provide insulation; it seemed to be permanently in the state of a winter coat now. Hunting was still difficult, but she was improving a little more every day. Trial and error were the only teachers these rogues had, abandoned within these rugged lands. In order to survive, they had been forced to learn. Mao was currently laden with her catches of the morning―two mountain thrushes. Her pale-ginger fur was streaked with dirt and dust, evidence of the difficulty she had encountered during her hunt; but it was clear that she had been rewarded. She approached her sister, steps lightened by high spirits. "Good morning, little ones!" Once she had set down her prey, she greeted the small bundles of fur at her sister's belly. Rift had given birth to three kits in total, but the last one had been stillborn. Of the two living kits, there was one tom and one she-cat. Mao knew who their father was, of course. Some part of her was infuriated at the fact that the clan cat they had rescued had borne kits with her sister. In fact, anger had been the first emotion she had felt. But when she gazed down at the vulnerable bundles of fur, those harsh emotions slipped away, leaving nothing but a warmth welling up within her. These kits were innocent; once she had made that realization, Mao grew determined to love them. She was an aunt now, and that thought in itself was wonderful. Just that dawn, the kits had opened their eyes. Mao was more or less aware of how her sister felt about them, so she had taken up the task of naming.

The tom kit was "An," meaning "shore." The she-kit, Mao had decided, would be "Yin" for "silver." She could only hope that Rift eventually opened up her heart to them.