From the Moor to the Stream [open]

Adjustment to Riverclan life was made much simpler by the fact her duties basically were down to two things: Raise her kits well, and stay in camp. Perchstar's blessing of letting her take asylum in her clan was one she certainly appreciated, and the former Windclan warrior wouldn't take it for granted. Truthfully, she had no idea what would've happened had she been turned away. Perhaps gone and sought out Shadowclan, living a life away from both the father of her kits and the clan she had called home? The golden tabby entertained those thoughts for a moment before dismissing them. There was no need to, anyways.

With her kits curled up in her nest to take a nap, or at least, to hopefully be taking a nap, Maplespring had slipped away to spend some time in the middle of camp. It was more and more exhausting to get up every single day, and all she could keep pinning it on was the fact she was nurturing five kits in a new home. Surely, that stress would make her sleepy, right?

So the queen found a place in camp, not so much in the center, but far enough from the sidelines that she was open to discussion. After all... they were to be her new clanmates. She couldn't hide away from them forever, right?

Dovesight had seen that Maplespring was, thankfully, a lot more active than when she had first given birth. This was good. It appeared as though everything was going well enough. Still, it would most likely be a good idea to check up on the nursing queen. Just to be safe.

"Hi, Maplespring. It's nice seeing you out and about. How is everything with you and your kits? Did you maybe need anything?"

While Dovesight was asking her questions, she was simultaneously looking the queen over, looking for any bad signs. Thankfully none were to be found. At least, not by her. She was still terrified of missing anything, though.

Of course Grebepaw was aware of who Maplespring was and her... relations with her brother. Despite this, and her excitement over her new kin, she had yet to formerly meet the molly - she had actually been allowing everyone involved a wide berth, a little concerned over Owlshriek's place in the clan - but as the former WindClan molly moved into the centre of attention, the bi-coloured apprentice figured it was time.

Stretching first, she padded forward, dipping her head to her former mentor and the clan's medicine cat. Grebepaw felt a little ruffled that within a few moons her mentor had been chosen to fill Cloverheart's role, and now her training had come to a standstill in light of this, but she knew to leave the situation alone. She also managed a friendly smile at Stormpaw, before turning her attention back to Maplespring.

Unlike the tom seated nearby, Grebepaw practically sat on top of the queen, with hardly a few tail-lengths of distance between them. There was no time for polite introductions, although she did wait for a response to Dovesight before blurting out her question.

"Why, in the name of StarClan and those beyond, would you choose Owlshriek as your mate?"

A smile rose to the queen's face as she saw Dovesight come over. It was so nice to see that Riverclan was well taken care of with the one Starclan had chosen to take Cloverheart's place, even though it was quite the tragedy. "I'm doing alright, just a bit tired... Thank you, Dovesight. Are you well?" She tilted her head, figuring she'd at least make some polite conversation.

Her gaze was caught by two apprentices coming over. One of those she recognized instantly from the gathering. It was Owlshriek's apprentice. "Hi, there~" Maplespring was as welcoming as she could be, or at least, until she got sat on by another cat. She could only laugh at the apprentice's question. "Well, you know, he saves your life a few times, and it's kinda hard not to like him." She chuckled. All she could presume was that the apprentice was close to the warrior that inevitably fathered the kits she cared for now, given her reaction.

Dovesight's brows furrowed as Maplespring stated she was tired. She seemed to always be tired. Dovesight didn't like it. "If you would like, I can get you some strengthening herbs. Maybe they can give you more energy."

A crowd was starting to appear as Stormpaw and Grebepaw had joined them. She dipped her head politely to Stormpaw, a small smile on her face. He was a polite tom, and pleasant company too, and it was honestly nice to see that he was interacting with other cats.

Grebepaw, on the other paw, was a different story. Dovesight's eyes practically flew open as she blurted out her question, and instinctively moved to cuff the apprentice's ear. The action actually shocked her. That may have been the first time Dovesight ever laid a paw on any cat. But it was well deserved too, in her opinion.

"Sorry about that. Grebepaw is Owlshrieks's sister, and my former apprentice, and I guess she has been getting a bit antsy. And apparently forgot her manners too." A glare was sent at Grebepaw's direction. Perhaps the pair would have to have a talk at some point.

The apprentice crinkled her nose as Maplespring replied, finding it hard to believe that her brother was capable of such a heroic act it would lead to a molly having enough feelings for him to bear his kits.

"I find that a bit--" The retort was cut shot as a paw came and clipped her ear, and the molly jumped back, venom flashing in her gaze for a moment, teeth ever so slightly baring, before she forced herself to recollect.

"I resent that, both of you. I had a question and she answered. I just believe that she is far too... well, I don't really know her, but she seems too good for him. I mean surely you had someone pining for you back in WindClan, right?" Grebepaw redirected her attention to Maplespring, looking rather intensely at her for a moment before relaxing her stance, sighing to herself.

"Nevermind, don't answer that. I don't want to appear to have no manners, after all," Her voice was filled with amusement mostly, but there was a thinly veiled line of bitterness, and her tail-tip twitched ever so slightly as she gazed around at the gathered group of cats.

"Only so long as you have enough, Dovesight." Maplespring commented, her gentle smile staying. She'd certainly appreciate trying just about anything to bounce back from whatever it was bogging her body down, as it was becoming a bit frustrating. At the same time, the queen didn't want to take any of Riverclan's herb supplies when she herself still felt like a bit of an outsider.

It was rather difficult for the molly to keep a straight face at how they instantly seemed to badger Grebepaw for her comments. She simply shook her head, chuckling. "Oh, it's just fine. Especially if it's his sister." In a weird way, it meant that Maplespring could almost count Grebepaw to be her own sister, too. She really only ever had brothers that grew up alongside her in Windclan, and so having another she-cat she could get along with was something that suddenly... Maplespring found herself looking forward to. "I think I've been settling in alright! I have to say, I started getting used to fish much quicker than I thought."

That mood changed rather quickly at Grebepaw's next question though, the apprentice unintentionally seeming to have struck a chord. Instantly, Maplespring appeared much more shy. As if there was some tightly-kept secret in the molly's mind that had just been tossed out into the open. Granted, her romance with Lavenderdrop wasn't a secret at all, but given the circumstances she was in... it just felt... wrong.

She got up from her place, moving once more closer to Grebepaw. She'd been practically on top of her moments before, and the former Windclanner had found herself actually enjoying the close proximity. Settling back down beside her, it was clear there was no hard feelings from the golden tabby. "No no, it's fine. Suppose it'd be good for you guys to all know me a bit, hm?" There was almost a twinge of sadness to her voice as she thought more about Lavenderdrop. "I did have a mate back in Windclan... Lavenderdrop was his name. But... he just disappeared one day. I still don't know where he is, or if he's even alive. I still care about him. But... now Riverclan is my family."