down by the river [open, kit introduction]

It had all been a honey-silken lie, rolled easily from her tongue in a desperate attempt at some form of respite. Kitefire had not carried the kits of the Riverclan tom that she had become so enamored with. And yet, it seemed by some tempting of fate, she had been condemned to her own false prophecy. The recent and unpleasant moons caused her sides to swell, weighing upon her frail limbs and healing ribs.

Jayshriek was to be a father, and she Riverclan's newest queen.

The idea of such a thing left a taste as foul as the Thunderpath across her tongue. Despite being allowed a tentative stay among the formerly enemy clan, something wormed and wriggled uncomfortably in the depths of her gut, something more naturally ingrained the the sinful offspring that had writhed about there. Kitefire would never be satisfied, or settled, in such a place. Prying eyes raked her russet pelt.

Never before had she been creature of spite, or even one to shy away the company of others, even if at times the molly had been reserved. But such inherent personality had been stifled by the less than favorable circumstances. Kitefire was withdrawn, often pressing herself to Jayshriek's side, or padding around on her own within the confines of camp. Few Riverclan cats were kind. Thankfully, a couple had sought to welcome her, namely Honeytongue and Nightwolf. But overall, one thing had been made clear - this was not her home, and there was little chance it would ever truly become that.

This was something the she-cat tried to shelter from her kits. No doubt more vengeful creatures would seek to fracture to their innocent ignorance. Her nose sought to prod little Flykit's side, in an attempt to rouse him from his sleep, "Get up, little ones. It's time to explore the camp."

In the RiverClan nursery, Heronkit was resting with her siblings. Her life was never really too eventful, and the kit was fine with that. It was calm and relaxing, and the she-kit preferred it that way. Of course, she had questions about the outside world, but they could be answered by her mother. At her soothing voice, the silver tabby stretched her tiny legs before getting up to look at her mother. "Good morning, Mom," she said. Unlike most kits, Heronkit wasn't overly excited to go and explore the camp. She still would, but it wasn't something that she looked forward to. She didn't look forward to events often, as she determined that the present was more important than the future. But as the present became her and her siblings getting a tour around camp, she would definitely accept. "We're getting a tour around camp? Sounds pretty fun."

At the first nudge, Flykit curled tighter and drew a paw over his ears as if to pin them shut. His mother’s voice reached them anyway—for the better, as it turned out, because what she said was something something explore the camp. One wide copper eye fixed itself on Kitefire. "Really?" Everyone knew kits weren’t allowed out of the nursery until their parents said otherwise. Flykit’s parents had been silent on the matter; thus, he’d built his knowledge of RiverClan on old stories and the hints of legs, tails, and battle scars he’d spotted through the den’s entrance. But that was changing today, right now, and who could sleep at a time like this? The small tomkit heaved himself upward, almost stumbling into his mother before he could find his balance. Then he made a beeline for his sister. “’Pretty fun’?” His mouth twisted in open disbelief. “We’re gonna meet all the warriors! We might even meet Loonwhisper!” Granted, all he knew about Loonwhisper was that he was deputy, but that fact alone promised an incredible cat. Not just anyone could be the second-in-command of an entire Clan!

"Now don't go pestering Loonwhisper or the warriors, alright? They've got enough to do without worrying about entertaining kits. Maybe you could chat with the elders. Or we could stop by Dennis' den. And I'm sure there will be apprentices around to ask questions of." Despite having bore her kits here, Kitefire felt none the more part of Riverclan. The kits themselves had more right to call this place home than her. Considering it made her mouth go dry. If Flykit or Heronkit were too much trouble, she was sure that their irresponsible Thunderclan mother would be to blame. And those accusers wouldn't be wrong, would they?

"I'll give you as much of a tour as I can." Her slender tail flickered and she slide easily through the nursery entrance. Being confined to these walls, both due to carrying kits and an understandable lack of trust from Riverclan's leadership, had made it fairly easy to pick up on. However, those burning eyes and pressing glares made it unpleasant to leave the nursery. Thankfully, any cats who seemed greatly dismayed by here presence seemed contented enough to stay away. At least she had Jayshriek, when he was around. There was a frail hope that once the burden of her kits had been passed onto other warriors, she might find some rest and more time to spend at her mate's side. Assuming she was allowed.

Swallowing back these reservations, Kitefire padded off to once side of camp, glancing over her shoulder to make sure the kits were in tow. It wouldn't be long until they outgrew her, that much was for sure. Waving her tail to call them close, she leaned over to meow lowly, "We'll play a little game of trying not to get under too many cat's paws. I'll point out a den, and you guess what's inside, okay?" Her head tipped in the direction of the medicine cat's den, where one of the elders was exciting likely from a routine checkup. Waiting for a response from Heronkit and Flykit, her pelt began to itch ever so slightly. How easy it would be to abandon them both and find a brief respite far off in the river.