Must be Brave

Shira waited for Spark in the Asylum camp.  The cold wind blew threw her soft fur, which she would normally complain about, but it did not bother her too much today.  The sun was setting, filling the clear sky with as many colors as it did the night they first told each other that they liked each other.  Soon enough, their feelings had deepened.  They met every time that they could at the Asylum camp.  Instead of an awkward meeting where Shira was afraid to say something in case Spark would not like what she had to say, it became a joy for her to see him and she began to look forward to it.

Shira tore off some of the flesh from the rabbit she had caught.  She had eaten most of it and ended up finishing it by the time Spark got there.  She was in a location that not many cats came.  She always wanted to keep their relationship a secret, but stuck to the shadows more today.  She smiled when she spotted him and she lightly purred when he came up to her.  Today she was not as excited to see him as normal.

"Hello," she said and then looked down at her paws.  "I-I need to tell you something." She hated what she needed to tell him and she was not sure if Spark would take it well.

Spark walked to Asylum Camp, just as he had done several times before. He truly did love Shira, and every time they saw each other, that love only grew stronger and stronger. He didn't realize why he loved her so much. But he did feel that sense of infatuation whenever the ginger tom saw her. Her fur was a beautiful contrast between darkness and light, and her eyes were a beautiful shade of green, one that Spark couldn't get out of his head. What if she... moves on from me? I mean, am I really a hot commodity? And she has shown some level of disdain before.

Of course, that was almost a moon ago, and things had certainly changed since then. However, the ginger tom still felt... scared underneath the mask that he had put up for himself. The mask of stoicism, an emotionless face that hid his true feelings about something. It, as well as the never talk unless talked to rule, had kept him safe for so long. But that didn't matter right now. Shira had just said that she wanted to tell him something. "Alright," he said. "I'm always open to listening."

He had no idea what words would eventually come out of her mouth.

This was the first time in Shira's life that she was terrified.  She did not know what would happen next.  Everything she had know recently was about to change, the same most likely for Spark's life too.  "You might not like what I have to say," she told him.  She did not like the news she had to share.  Thoughts had changed and, unfortunately, some of those thoughts impacted Spark.  "Spark, I- I," she could not get the words out, what came was a pause instead.  She almost felt like changing the conversation and just not telling him.  Although, he needed to know.  Eventually, he could probably figure it out, so it was better that he hear it from her than figure it out himself.  She inhaled deeply, trying to calm herself and give herself enough courage for what she was about to say.  "Spark, I'm pregnant!" she finally said and then waited for him to respond.

Spark listened, as he had done time after time. It was his best characteristic, after all. The ginger tabby watched as Shira stuttered, the she-cat's words slipping. In the numerous times that he had met with Shira, this was the only time where she seemed nervous, on edge, terrified. Something's going on, he thought. And the problem is that she-

"Spark, I'm pregnant!"

The words surprised the ginger tom. It didn't make sense in his mind. It was something that the Asylum Scout couldn't wrap his head around. "Well..." he started, not knowing how to finish his sentence properly without angering Shira. "It's... going to be difficult, but we'll get there. Together." That really felt like a mouse-brained thing to say. I really messed up, didn't I. Still, no cat could blame him for trying, even if Spark himself didn't believe that was true.

Shira ever had really been afraid to die.  She thought that any fight, any battle that she got in she could win and even if she died at least she would go down with a fight.  But now... now was different.  If she died it would not be just her that would die because of a foolish action on her part, but the kits inside of her would too.  This was one of the reasons she was afraid.  She loved fighting and training, but now she was afraid anything could hurt the kits, especially when it would get closer and closer to them being born.  She had not really been this nervous before from what she remembered.  Although, to be fair, she never had to think about what would happen to the ones she cared about if something happened to her.  And for some reason, she already cared for the kits who she had not even laid her eyes upon.

Normally, if Spark said something like what he just had said, she would have told him that he was saying something that was too sappy, but today it was nice to hear that from him.  The other thing she was really afraid of was that he would not like what she had to say and then tell her that she needed to raise the kits on her own and that he was going to leave her.  Clearly, it was all just a thought that was not true, but the thought of loosing Spark was not something she liked to think about.  So, when he said "together" she could not help but smile.

"Thank you," Shira replied.  "Also, sorry that I am scared." She was not used to telling other cats how she felt, but it felt slightly freeing.  My purpose has always been to fight.  How am I supposed to change everything I've known my whole life?