Exciting News

Ever since speaking to Rookfire the night before, Murkystrike had hardly been able to contain her excitement. The recent sickness, the lake of appetite, the sleepless days, they all suddenly made sense. Butterflies wriggled in her stomach, and she smiled to herself as she thought that soon it would be kits, her kits, Mistyfalcon's kits. Her expression softened as she started to groom the fur at her chest. She had arranged the patrols, leaving Mistyfalcon for last not too long ago. Instead of assigning him to a patrol, she asked him to meet her out by the large pine whose roots she now sat among. As she heard paw steps approach, she straightened up and tried to hide the excitement that was bubbling just below the surface. Her eyes searched for Mistyfalcon's pelt, her voice soft as she greeted him. "Hi, Mistyfalcon."

Murkystrike had asked him to meet her outside camp after she was done assigning patrols, so Mistyfalcon had settled in to wait. She'd been tired and sick recently, he knew, but tonight something was different. Murkystrike was trying to hide it, but Mistyfalcon still picked up on the undercurrents of her excitement. He wasn't so narcissistic as to believe that excitement was just because she wanted to spend time with him, though a part of him hesitated in putting any more stock in it than that, either. Still, the little voice in his head that said Murkystrike's recent tiredness wasn't the result of a bad piece of prey was a nice thought, however unlikely it probably was at this point.

The night air was warm, but the humidity had at least died down a bit, and a soft breeze swept through the trees as he padded towards the tree Murkystrike had mentioned.

Murkystrike sat between the roots of the old pine, and Mistyfalcon smiled as her head lifted, probably heard his pawsteps. "Hey," he greeted warmly, padding forward to affectionately bump his head against her shoulder. "How are you feeling?"

Murkystrike purred as Mistyfalcon greeted her, nuzzling the top of his head as he bumped it to her shoulder. "Hi, Misty. I'm..." She paused for a moment before letting out a chuckle. "Well, if I'm honest, I'm exhausted and my stomach is still tied in knots. But... Well... I went to Rrokfire yesterday, regarding... Everything. And... Well... I guess..." Her pelt felt hot, and she knew it wasn't just the heat of the fading day. She took a deep breath and peered up at Mistyfalcon. "Well, he said that I'd probably feel this way for a while longer. I'm pregnant, Mistyfalcon. We're going to have kits." She waited for his reaction, searching his face for whatever emotions it would hold at her news.

Murkystrike nuzzled the top of his head, and Mistyfalcon relaxed, a purr rumbling in his chest. It had taken him a while to stop flinching at unexpected movement towards his head after the dog attack, but now Mistyfalcon found himself reluctant to pull away at all. His eyes closed for a moment, and Mistyfalcon was content to enjoy the quiet moment as he leaned into her soft touch.

She spoke after a moment, and Mistyfalcon sighed, straightening to look at her. She'd spoken to Rookfire, but if it really had just been illness, she wouldn't have been as awkward in telling him such. If it had just been illness though, she probably wouldn't have called him out here, either. Rookfire was a competent medicine cat, and much like the predecessor he'd never known, he was stern with his patients.

She was expecting kits. His kits. The thought had crossed his mind, hadn't it? He couldn't quite hide his grin as her words sank in. "Murky..." He'd had doubts, lots of doubts. He'd all but panicked the first time she'd asked him about the possibility of kits. Now though? Mistyfalcon was... happy. Excited, even. Had Murkystrike said they would be having kits a season ago, Mistyfalcon would have laughed at how absurd the thought was. Now though, nothing at all seemed absurd about the notion. All of that were things Murkystrike already knew though, and Mistyfalcon wouldn't repeat himself just because he had little idea of what else to say. He twined his tail with hers, the purr from earlier returning.

"I'm guessing nobody else knows, aside from me and Rookfire?" He could only imagine the chaos that Rosethorn would create if she knew... Rosethorn...

Stars above. They were going to be hard-pressed to keep the awful influence away from their kits, weren't they?

The grin that spread across Mistyfalcon's face soothed any concerns that she might have held, and she purred as their tails twined together. She tucked her head against his chest, letting it settle under his chin naturally as he asked if they were the only ones to know. She nodded subtly, not wanting to disrupt the placement of her head. "Yes, only Rookfire knows aside from us right now. I'll talk with Flintstar once I get further along, but for now we can keep it quiet. What do you think?" She asked her mate, pushing her face into the fur at his chest. The time would come where they would announce to the clan, when it became noticeable to all those around them. However... Perhaps they could enjoy the knowledge between themselves for a little bit.

Murkystrike's head came to rest against his chest, and Mistyfalcon leaned down, tongue rasping between his mate's ears. "Mhm. Nobody needs to know just yet, anyways." He agreed. Really, it was nobody's business but theirs for now. Of course, it would come out eventually, but Mistyfalcon was content to not share their business with the rest of the clan immediately. He shifted slightly, resting his cheek against the top of her head, eyes half closed.

Murkystrike purred as she nodded, agreeing with him. "It'll be nice to have something between the two of us, even just for a little bit." She purred, tail curling with happiness as they sat together. He tested his cheek on top of her head, and she pressed up lightly against him. For a while they sat quietly, before she caught herself falling asleep. She blinked herself awake and moved to look up at him with a sleepy grin. "Even though we know what's going on now, I'm still exhausted... I gave you the night to do whatever you wanted, would you like to take a nap?"

Mistyfalcon purred an agreement before falling silent. He was simply enjoying the quiet and the chance to spend time with Murkystrike.

"Tired?" His whiskers twitched as she moved to look up at him, a sleepy grin crossing her expression. "If you're giving me the day off..." He smirked, "Sure, Murky." He stood, tail curling over her back for a moment. Soon enough they wouldn't have as much time to themselves, Mistyfalcon wouldn't say no to that now.