New Life [Timbersun+kits/open]

Swiftspirit stretched in her nest, a tired yawn escaping her. Being pregnant with Timbersun's kits hadn't been a surprise, and all things considered things had gone smoothly. They'd had 3 healthy kits, Magpiekit, Goosekit and Buzzardkit, and that was all Swiftspirit could ask for, really.

What she hadn't expected was the energy the kits had. It seemed endless, and now that they were 4 moons old, it... Still seemed endless. The kits were curled up next to her for now, but werealready showing signs of waking up. Another yawn escaped the she-cat at the thought. She lifted her head as a shadow fell across the entrance of the den, a tired purr rumbling in her chest as Timbersun entered the nursery.

"Hey, Timbersun."

The rise and fall of his mother's flank kept the tom lulled into a sleep, but slight twitches of his tail and ears signified that was going to change in only a few heart-beats. A gentle sleep-drenched sigh escaped his maw, ruffling the soft kit-fur of his chest. The light tabby was beginning to stir against his own will, and the loving albeit tired greeting of his father was the final straw in what was an already weakened resolve. Admittedly, Buzzardkit was excited to see his father, the brown and white tabby tom so revered and adored by his mother and the few clanmates he had spoken to, and a true warrior of the clan. He longed to be out on the moors with him, fur plastered against his sides in the wind, but he was sure Swiftspirit would drag him back to the nursery by his tail if he dared to even sniff the gorse entrance.

A sleepy purr preceded the opening of blue eyes, and Buzzardkit was up on his paws in a heartbeat, arching his back in a long stretch. "Timbersun!" The kit squeaked, rushing forward to greet his father by mashing his little body against the warrior's legs, where the stars could only hope he wasn't about to be a tripping hazard.

"Huh?" Magpiekit's head shot up from where it rested on her paws, in a partially failed attempt to look as if she were asleep. Really, she had been sitting examining a strangely speckled rock she'd found lying around camp a few sunrises prior, and quickly swept up and hidden within the moss of her nest. She'd managed to position herself so, to her mother, it seemed she was snoozing peacefully. However, Buzzardkit's sudden movement had called the fluffy kit to attention.

Magpiekit wasn't quite as excited to see Timbersun as her brother, but that was only because she was perfectly happy where she was, doing what she wanted. Regardless, she joined the silver and white kit in his hurry, not wanting to go unnoticed. "Have you brought anything?" She asked excitedly, knowing the most interesting trinkets tended to be found on the wilder moors, rather than in camp where so many cats had trodden and collected almost everything that lay around.

When Swiftspirit, of all cats, said she was pregnant, of all things, with the kits of Timbersun, of all stars-forsaken cats, Hentooth…

…started laughing because she thought Swift was joking.

That was quite a while ago, and she’d been fully and completely convinced by the time the litter arrived. That, too, was quite a while ago by now, and now Hentooth made nearly daily visits to the nursery, seemingly never tired by the kits. Timbersun was in the entrance, but she slid past him like a weasel to visit her niece and nephews.

“If he did, it was nothin’ like what I’ve got!” Stars, she loved them… she’d nearly been bitten by a monster snatching this off the ground near the Thunderpath for Magpie. Swift and Timber were good with names. Mags loved to find lil’ trinkets and such.

She backed into the corner of the nursery to give Timber and Swift their space. And also so the light could hit her little gift and make it sparkle. The young medicine cat dropped it carefully. She’d found the… odd, round, not cold piece of ice near the Thunderpath and washed it in a puddle. It wasn’t sharp- she was always careful with that. It still smelled faintly of the Thunderpath, but not enough to be annoying.

”Behold… the odd round not-cold smooth piece of ice!” A bit anti-climatic… and she was perhaps being a bit of a bother to Swift and Timber- nah, they wouldn’t mind. She was giving them a bit of peace and quiet, something all parents appreciated. “Look! You can see yourself in it like a puddle!” Even Buzzard and Goose would be interested in this. She crouched down to be on eye-level with the kits.

If she ever retired, she’d be stars-blasted if she did anything other than become a nursery queen.

it’s a pocket mirror

Goose'kit woke her eyes feeling like stone, her pelt lay beside her mother, soon she would be 6 moons. Her father was a strong warrior and her mother looked so pretty. But soon her days were counted. As she lay frozen on her nest next to her mother she lightly smiled. "The days are being counted. And I can't wait." Goose'kit said looking up at her mother.

Goose’kit liked to look at the stream or play with kits. She really had no friends accept Magpie’kit. Hen’tooth really only got things for Magpie’kit. Goose’kit always thought she was the favorite but over her SwiftSpirit, Her brother and sister were just the same as her. Goose’kit didn’t have any hobbies. She was just plain and Boring, she lifted her tail. She felt useless, but she walked out but then walked back in. She sat by her mother, falling asleep.

When Ashfall heard the news that Timbersun, the warrior she practically called her son, and Swiftspirit, one of her best friends, were having kits, she was floored. She had legitimately put weight on her dud paw by accident, and tripped on her face. It was, in retrospect, one of the funniest things that had happened to Ashfall in a long time.

Before limping to the Nursery, Ashfall grabbed a small hare for the kits... of course she didn't know if they were eating prey yet. She wasn't good about remembering kit stuff, but she did know that someone in there would appreciate the food. Her blue eye caught the sight of Goosekit padding out, then back in quickly, and let out a short huff of laughter. These kits were cute! Picking up her pace, she poked her scarred face into the Nursery, spotting Hentooth already within. "Hey there guys, I brought some prey. Thought you could use it." Setting the prey down in front of Swiftspirit, her eye swept over the kits.

Goosekit, Magpiekit, Buzzardkit. Bird names. It made her chuckle, sounded like one of her friends liked birds! "Magpiekit, Vulturekit, and- uh," She paused for a moment, seeing the apparent sleeping form of Goosekit. Hadn't she just been up? Ah well, maybe she'd wake up when she started talking. "Goosekit, I'm not sure if your mom has okayed this yet, but I did bring prey so that way you guys could try it too. I mean, hares are good tasting, may as well get used to it now." Internally, Ashfall couldn't help but scream. She had zero experience in dealing with kits, it was just so strange. They were just tiny cats, nothing to be weird about, but they were entirely different, new, and their parents were her trusted clanmates! It boggled the mind.

Goose’kit lightly looked up at the new cat “I’m sure these kits can eat prey so can I, but ask Hen’tooth mom is asleep”Goose’kit said ”also it’s Buzzard’kit, Magpie’kit and Goose’kit, Goose is me.”She said, padding closer to her sleeping mother

Timbersun was... Honestly surprised when Swiftspirit announced she was having his kits. Then he realised how much time they spent together and maybe it wasn't so unlikely anyway. He started visiting her every day in the nursery, sometimes giving her flowers he had found on patrols. The day she started kitting, he was right next to her and helped her name the kits. Magpiekit was mostly for the little grey and white kit's colours but she soon grew to start acting like one too, obsessed with collecting shiny things, he thought it was cute. Goosekit, named for her pale colours, kept to herself mostly, but was sometimes a little snappy, and Buzzardkit, the only son of the litter, he didn't exactly look like a buzzard but it was nice to keep the bird name theme.

Now he stood at the nursery entrance, gazing down at his kits. They were growing up and getting bigger and stronger each day. He was about to walk in with a little trinket for each of his kits but Hentooth slid in before him. "I've got something better than magical not-melty ice!" He announced stepping into the nursery. "And I have a gift for each of you, not just little Magpie here.."

He had multiple objects in his mouth. He put a shiny thing, like a collar but smaller and harder. It was silver, shiny, and had little bits of other coloured shiny things in it. "Look at this!" It was covered in some black stuff but he washed it in a puddle, it was still covered in the bit of grime when he brought it to the kits, but it was fine. "For Magpiekit.." He nosed it towards her. "And for little Goosekit?" He put down a big white feather in front of her. "It's from a real goose, too!" Then, down at his son. He had been so happy to see him so he didn't want to let him down. "And, for Buzzardkit..." Another feather, it was a buzzard's wing feather, it was white with a darker tip. "A buzzard's feather!"

OOC: Magpie got given a twoleg bracelet)

Goose’kit looked at it and lightly nuzzled her father “Wow.. uhm.. yea I really like it…I thought I’d get something like.. uh..”Goose’kit sighed and sat there with the feather. She liked it and all, but it had no meaning to her than that thing or something. “You know dad.. I want to go out of camp!”Goose’kit said, she would not stop for anything to see the sky more, maybe even go to the boarders of sky clan. But no she couldn’t. So she sat there with a boring old feather. She wanted to cry.

Swiftspirit grinned as Hentooth shoved her way past Timbersun in typical Hentooth fashion, a soft laugh escaping her. Buzzardkit and Magpiekit bounded past their aunt to greet their father, excitement clear. Magpiekit made a good effort to hide the rock she'd been playing with, and Swiftspirit wasn't going to tell her off for it. It had brought her some peace and quiet, and made Magpie happy, after all. She was content to let the little gray and white kit have this one. Goosekit had curled up next to Swiftspirit again, and she bent her head, tongue rasping affectionately between her daughter's ears.

Both Hentooth and Timbersun had brought gifts, it seemed, and Swiftspirit stretched, sniffing warily at the shiny thing Hentooth had brought. Satisfied that it wouldn't harm Magpiekit, she nodded. "Twolegs come up with some weird things." She caught a brief glimpse of her reflection as the object was set down and Hentooth backed into the corner of the nursery... She didn't look that tired, did she?Timbersun's gifts were more natural, bird feathers and... another twoleg object for Magpiekit. It resembled a collar, but was much smaller and had no chance of fitting around an apprentice-aged cat's neck.

More pawsteps at the entrance, this time Ashfall's somewhat uneven gait. "Ashfall!" Swiftspirit greeted her friend warmly, though couldn't help feeling a little bit overwhelmed by all the cats in the nursery. The scent of hare caught her attention, blessedly distracting from the sense of mild claustrophobia. Misnaming Buzzardkit seemed to go right over the exhausted queen's head.

"They can. If they won't eat it, I will." She shrugged at Ashfall. Far be it from Swiftspirit to turn down fresh-kill.

Goose'kit lightly sat down. The sun had already rose. She was hungry, because she let the prey to her siblings. She only forced down a few small scraps. "Mother, I want to go out into the flower fields!"Goose'kit said. She hadn't been out of camp. She was willing to break the rules but she knew it was wrong

Swiftspirit and his mentor, having... kits? Timbersun? Sure, the tom already acted like a dad, trying to boss him all the time, but kits? With Swiftspirit? Shut up, Flame

He seriously hoped none of them turned out like their father, for the whole Clan's sake.

Majestic fur tousled by the wind into tongues of flame, he trotted across camp when he saw Hentooth, Timbersun, and Ashfall make for the nursery, bits of stuff hanging from their jaws. Not all of it food, for some reason. For a second he debated coming up, but decided they probably wouldn't yell at him with Swift and Ash there. Joining the group, he caught the end of Ashfall's words, cocking his head at the little balls of fluff - Magpiekit, Vulturekit, and Goosekit or something - as he peered around the others at them. "Wow, the kits are still tiny, huh?" He said as if he'd been expecting them to suddenly grow to his height in a week or two.

"And if Swiftspirit can't eat it all I'll take what's left," He offered, grinning at the kits. "Hey Vulturekit, you know how to play rabbit-chase? I can show you - I was the best in the entire nursery. Still am, actually."

Goose'kit looked up at the strange tom. why were they messing up names? it was BUZZARD'KIT, not vulture'kit. or whatever that thing is. "his name is buzzard'kit"goose'kit said nosing toward buzzard'kit who looked fine, he got called vulture'kit about 100 times it felt like.


"is there anything to do around here? it feels so cramped. it is like my whole family tree is in this clan!"Goose'kit said, I mean she was cramped in here not able to go anywhere. it was pointless, there was no loophole and if she tried, daystar would backhand her in the face. "Whats up with the party over here?"she asked coldly, the autumn ground was so pretty she wasn't even prepared for a answer.

Ooc: throwing out posting order as I don’t even know what it is anymore

Hentooth didn’t get distracted easily.

…

Maybe that wasn’t the most accurate statement ever. But one thing that always, without fail grabbed her attention was a. Flamepaw and b. a discontent and whiny kit. Shelving Goosekit for a moment, she turned to Flamepaw. “Buzzardkit, silly. Best at rabbit-chase, eh? Is that a challenge?” Goosekit’s continued whining voice reminded her that she couldn’t well defend her title cramped in the nursery. “Let’s give Swift some space, eh?” She weaved around Ash and Timber to stand just outside the entrance, competition glinting in her eyes. No no, Hentooth, don’t get the kits all riled and Swift all tired. Right.

She exchanged a glance with Timber at the kit’s next words. No, Goosekit’s whole family tree wasn’t in the Clan…”If you’re grumpy, little nettle-bud, come out of the nursery and into camp. It’s a warm day, and you’re surely old enough. Perhaps our self-proclaimed master of rabbit-chase could give a… demonstration.”