Goodnight, sleep tight [closed]

Motherhood was something that came naturally to the golden tabby. She'd gotten the upper-paw in raising the energetic quintuplet litter after having had Birchkit all those moons ago, but there was certainly something different when there were five to look after instead of just one. So many more bodies to keep track of, so many more mouths to ensure she fed. It also meant she herself had to eat much more to sustain them, too. Part of her certainly longed for a good rabbit, the hearty meat something her body had gotten quite used to, but she'd adjusted to the taste of fish easily enough. A brief thought to the first time she tried it brought a tired smile momentarily to her face as Owlshriek had to tell her how to actually eat it properly, lest she'd get a bone stuck in her throat.

A small squeak drew her back to the present, quickly looking around to ensure it wasn't one of her kits. Stars, they'd grown so much in the last few days. But they were outside the nursery playing, all save the one she never truly had to worry about. Sleepykit. The queen certainly worried about her only daughter in her own way, as she never seemed to truly be as active as the others as a kit should. But Maplespring herself sometimes appreciated the change... to have a nap buddy. She'd pestered poor Dovesight countless times about whether or not Sleepykit was okay, each time coming to the conclusion that... yes, she was.

The tired mother moved closer towards the silver tabby, a smile upon her maw. She gently placed her nose to the kit's head, not wanting to disturb her too harshly. "Hello, my sleepy sweetheart. Mind if I nap with you?" She was used to her other kits preaching at how they were old enough to make her own choices, and she extended that same courtesy out to her daughter, too. It was rather obvious that Maplespring had quite the favoritism towards Sleepykit - but who could blame her? The poor she-cat had raised five toms, and only a single daughter... one who was so, so precious.

A tiny pink-mouthed yawn showcased the kitten's lack of teeth. Though the whitening of the gums hinted at her baby teeth arriving soon. Green eyes slowly rose to look at her mother. For a long moment, she stared, watching her mother's face. Maybe the kitten was committing it to memory, for a reason she was not sure. But, Sleepykit managed a small purr. "Only if you tell me a story." Her voice was quiet, but carefully spoken. Perhaps she got her speech patterns from her father.

"One about your old clan, and rabbits. Are rabbits real?" Sleepykit asked, eyes fluttering shut. A tired feeling lingered in her head, and the kitten huddled close, feeling the warmth of her mother.

Maplespring nodded towards her daughter, settling down close to her and instinctively grooming her head gently. A story about her old clan? That would be easy. "Rabbits are certainly real. They can be different colors, too. Some are white, and really fluffy like you. Others are brown and sleek, kind of like if Hawkkit didn't have his stripes." She chuckled. "They hop around, too. I used to hop around like them to walk." She'd certainly lost the spring in her step since coming to Riverclan, but it mostly was just because she'd been... so tired. It wasn't because of the clan themself.

"Windclan cats like to run the moors. Long, open fields. There's very little water around, so they could run for ages. Rumor has it that some of the Windclan cats also know of secret tunnels beneath their territory, moving in the dark like a Shadowclan cat." The tunnels hadn't been used in quite awhile to Maplespring's knowledge, as it was a trait just unfortunately lost to time. She'd gone down there once, with Lavenderdrop, but they were so dark that she'd turned around and left the moment the sun no longer illuminated her path. It was a fond memory nevertheless. "I had only been in them once, but I never went far. I wonder if they could reach around all of the forest." She wondered out loud, purring as she curled her tail around her daughter.

Sleepykit listened with interest, the only indication she was awake was the flicking of her tail. Tunnels? What an interesting thought. "How big were the tunnels? Do you need to crouch to run around?" She paused before lifting her head towards Maplespring with a confused look. "But wouldn't the tunnels get flooded from the river?" All the way around the forest? That would be crazy! But also...! Her eyes flicked open and her tiny tail lashed. "Could they use the tunnels to get into other territories?"

Maplespring chuckled at the sudden vigor that seemed to fill her daughter, and there was relief in the back of her mind with all of the questions she asked. "I didn't have to crouch, but I never went in very far." She said, grooming the top of Sleepykit's head out of simple habit. "They might, but Windclan is far enough away from the river, they usually don't flood unless there was very hard rain. As for the other territories?" Maplespring had to think. "I wouldn't doubt it, but I don't know." She could only chuckle. There had only been mild interest in the entire tunnel system in Windclan when she was the most dedicated to her duties, before she ended up distracted by Sleepykit's father and his heroic deeds. It was hard not to wonder, though, just whether or not it was something they had begun to use again.

"Oh, you want that story?" The mother asked as she nested Sleepykit in closer. Maplespring could only give a small laugh, her tongue instantly moving to groom more of her daughter's fur. She adjusted her own body just enough to block the sunlight that tended to creep into the nursery walls, shielding her daughter from its rays.

"Technically, I met your father at the Gathering. When cats of all of the five Clans come and meet for a night of peace, where everyone is on a truce with one another. We hear all the leaders talk to us about what is going on in every single Clan. ... That moon, it was a rather crazy one. Riverclan's medicine cat, Cloverheart, had been killed, presumably by a Skyclan warrior. Then a different Skyclan warrior ended up having her kits at the gathering, but that was after some Windclan elders decided to cause some trouble." She could only stare into space as she recalled the chaotic event. It wasn't ever that crazy.

"Gatherings are hardly ever like that, though. But... when I really got to meet your father was when he saved me from the Gorge. I was still in Windclan, and I had to make sure our borders were marked. Couldn't have any Riverclanners coming over, right?" Maplespring paused in her speaking to curl her tail around the two of them, ensuring Sleepykit's comfort. "Well... I had slipped, and was hanging on by my claws. Your father crossed the Gorge's fast waters to save me. If it wasn't for him, I'd have fallen in and been in big trouble. I'm not that great of a swimmer." As she rambled on, she surely expected her daughter to end up dozing off. It was a rather sappy story, and one that she imagined her daughter wouldn't have been the most enthralled to hear. She felt a bit of heat in her ears even just speaking about it.

"You're already more pretty than I am, Sleepykit." The mother purred, nuzzling the top of her daughter's head. It was true. Sleepykit had a rather beautiful pelt, swirls of a smokey grey creating a pattern similar to her own. She almost reminded Maplespring as an inversion of Owlshriek's pelt, though certainly unique in her own ways. Hearing Sleepykit's purr was comforting to the warrior in its own way, telling her that she was doing her job well. All she wanted was to keep her kits safe and happy.

Readjusting so she herself was more comfortable while keeping Sleepykit bundled close, Maplespring let out a yawn of her own. "For now... I think it's nap time, don't you think?"