every time that i see you, i'm so confused (closed)

Rookfire had been assigned to go on a hunting patrol with Marshmallow. Despite her inviting him and other cats to a Really Special Friend Group, they never really reconnected after the flood swept them all apart from each other. Happens, I guess. Some friends come and go. Still, it would be good to learn more about Marshmallow, and if she was actually a fox in sheep's clothing or not.

He didn't have any problems with her from his experience, but the late Mistyfalcon had always thought that Marshmallow was suspicious for one reason or another, that she somehow caused Loudnose's injury and that she seemed disingenuous. The black tuxedo did get a feeling that she was hiding something, though he wasn't sure what. "Hey, Marshmallow!" he said, grinning at her. "You ready to go?" He didn't know how close he was with her, and he thought it would be best to not feign closeness to her by giving her a nickname.

Rookfire noticed that Marshmallow seemed... more distant than he had last seen her. Nothing concrete, just... a feeling he got from her. And he wasn't sure- wait, no, he knew exactly why. Froststar's death. He was like a father to her, so it made sense that after the gathering she was feeling this way. It made him feel guilty for having these suspicions about her manipulating cats in the past.

"We'll be patrolling... not that far away from camp, just in case one of us gets hurt or gets caught on something." He didn't think he had to explain it fully to the black-and-white she-cat. Besides, he knew that now was not the time or place for that. Signaling for Marshmallow to follow him, the black tuxedo led them to the marshland where they could start hunting.

As the two cats arrived at the marshes, Rookfire gazed back at Marshmallow to see if she was okay. "We're here," he said, gazing around at the hunting grounds. "It would probably be best if we spread out, so we could catch more prey in two separate areas. If you need anything, hunting or otherwise, call me and I'll come over." Despite the doubt that Mistyfalcon's comments of Marshmallow irreparably sowed in Rookfire's heart, at the end of the day she was still his friend, and he would always be there for his friends when they need support.

Scanning the area, he noticed a big toad in the distance, probably two paw-lengths long if he had to guess. Getting into his hunter's crouch, the black tuxedo stalked the toad, making sure to keep his scent downwind and to stay quiet with the muddy ground underneath him. As he got closer, making sure that the sound of his pawsteps didn't squelch too loudly, he wondered if he could still catch a frog in ShadowClan territory after so much time. He thought it would still be drilled into him like instinct, but he wasn't sure. Well, time to find out. Launching himself at the toad, the black tuxedo stabbed it with his claws. "Yes!" Nipping its neck, he gave a silent prayer to StarClan before bringing it back to where he and Marshmallow entered from.

The member 'Mamenchisaurus' has done the following action : Dice roll

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'Hunting Dice' : 6

The member 'Memories' has done the following action : Dice roll

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'Hunting Dice' : 1

Rookfire noticed Marshmallow walking up to him, a frog in her mouth. "Same to you!" he said, grinning at her. She obviously didn't seem that happy, though. Perhaps she couldn't get her mind off of Froststar's death.

"I think I feel sick."

That explained it. "Yeah, if you're not feeling well, we should probably head back," the black tuxedo said, moving forward to pick up his toad. "I could diagnose ya if you want me to, though, just in case you want to stay hunting," he added, before grabbing the toad he caught. Standing back up, Rookfire waited silently for Marshmallow to make her decision.

Rookfire nodded at Marshmallow, gazing at her. On the outside, she seemed somewhat normal, except her stomach was a little bloated. It certainly seemed reasonable that she ate rotten prey, but it wasn't exactly solid evidence either.

After all, Marshmallow could also just as easily be expecting kits.

Rookfire's first instinct was to make a joke about it, but he didn't want to make it when he didn't know if she was pregnant or not. After all, making a joke about pregnancy and saying that he didn't know would not be very pleasant for Marshmallow. "Hey, Marsh, do you have any other symptoms? Like, do you feel dizzy, are you more tired than usual, that kind of stuff." The black tuxedo gazed at the black-and-white she-cat, waiting for her response.

Rookfire gazed at Marshmallow. Tiredness, fatigue, increased appetite, vomiting... was that just- "Marshmallow, I think you're pregnant with kits." The black tuxedo gazed at the black-and-white she-cat. "This may be a shock, but the symptoms are consistent with symptoms of pregnancy." He didn't know how she'd react to the news, or even who the father was. Still... that was a she-cat's business, and he didn't think he would be able to pry that from her anyways.

Noticing the toad he dropped slowly sinking into the muddy ground, the black tuxedo turned back to Marshmallow. It seemed like her world was sinking. A part of him didn't know if he was willing to make a commitment to Marshmallow, despite her being dubious at best. At the same time, this was about her kits, and making sure that they have good role models who are there for them and love them unconditionally. "If the father refuses to raise the litter, tell me, and I'll help you raise them. That's a promise."

It was obvious that Rookfire's last commitment fell on deaf ears, as Marshmallow panicked about raising her kits even further. "Hey, Marshmallow?" he said, but she seemed to be completely out of control. Her mother's name coming out of her mouth, Rookfire realized that this was more than just an unexpected pregnancy. Soottail... wasn't that her mother? Then... with what she was saying... that must mean...

She was raised by a solo parent, too.

Rookfire let out a deep breath. He was raised by solely his mother when he was young, which was right when the Asylum arrived in ShadowClan. As the moons passed, he and his mother began to butt heads, and Iniko pulled him away to raise him as an Asylum Standard, he began to see the Standard Captain as more and more as a father figure. (Which he did not realize at the time, for the record.) When he died, it created another void, though he compensated by building a network of friends he trusted and respected, which helped keep his spirits up. That's why I was unsure of giving Marsh that promise. That's why I seemed to flirt with pretty she-cats when I got the chance, but always refused to make the next move, even when it wasn't illegal to do so. That's why I never was able to find someone I loved. I understand now.

Despite the ultimatum Marshmallow threatened him with, the black tuxedo stayed calm. "You don't have to threaten me, Marshmallow," he said, standing his ground. "I said that I'd help you raise them. You're not the only one raised by a single parent." Sighing, the black tuxedo sat down, flipping the now half-muddy toad he caught over so it didn't sink further. "I haven't told anyone this, but... my father wasn't around when I was young. And I had a rough relationship with my mother, who was probably overworked and stressed trying to take care of me. That's the last thing I'd want for your kits."

Thinking back to Marshmallow's comments about the father. If she didn't want to tell the father... The first thing he thought of was a forbidden relationship, but he didn't think that... well, he didn't know Marshmallow. At all. She could absolutely have been in a relationship with a cat from another clan. At the same time, she could also easily... not be, and the cat is someone in ShadowClan who just didn't want to raise kits with her. Either way, it didn't matter. She needed someone to help her raise her kits, and he was the perfect cat to ask.

Rookfire listened to Marshmallow vent to him about her relationship with her mother - who she apparently didn't even consider her mother. Froststar raised her more than her mother ever did... it all started clicking now. He felt like he understood her more, even though she seemed to hide her true self in a mask. "Yeah," he said. "Honestly, I distanced myself from my mom before I was six moons old, and we never repaired our relationship to this day. And Iniko was more of a parental figure to me than my actual mom." He wouldn't go as far as to not call her his mother, but in his eyes that was a very low bar to cross.

As Marshmallow reinforced what she was talking about before, Rookfire gazed at her. Once she stopped speaking, he had a slight hesitation (still!), but he pushed it away to give the black-and-white she-cat a curt nod. "Sounds like a plan to me." He still had no idea how to be a father, but he thought that if he tried his hardest to be a good father for his kits, then hopefully they'd be able to grow up to be strong, confident cats who were happy with who they were. And it seemed like he and Marshmallow were on the same page here.