in summer heat, flowers bloom [open kit topic]

The Greenleaf sun beat down relentlessly on the unprotected moors, a welcome gift to some and annoyance to others. As much as Foxflower relished in the warm weather, even she had retreated into a small stretch of shade to wait out the highest heat of the day. Recently, the young queen'd had her paws full with the number of kits in the nursery, who had put her to the test as quickly as she had entered the position officially. As it turned out, being responsible for many kits from different litters, often of different ages, required a lot more work than caring for her four younger siblings, even if it was only part time. Still, she found she loved her job more and more everyday. Now she understood that kick that her clanmates got from being a warrior - the sense of achievement and enjoyment that had always passed her by when she was in that place. She hadn't realised how indifferent she had been to warriorhood until she was offered something better, something more suited to her.

All of the kits had been fed and were either sleeping or with their own mothers, so Foxflower had captured a rare moment of peace as she closed her eyes and rested her chin on crossed paws, just gently drifting into the beginnings of sleep. But of course, the work of a queen was never over until the kits were all asleep, and getting all of them to sleep at the same time was a feat even Starclan wasn't capable of, so it was no surprise her tranquility was eventually disrupted.