hollow moon (c)

StarClan ought to be skinned alive for this.

Another long day of travelling had, finally, come to an end, leaving Paledove’s paws aching and her long white coat muddy. SkyClan was quiet and subdued around her, the last few warriors trickling in with whatever prey they’d managed to catch. For some reason, she was craving frog. Frog. Frog. The thought made her nauseous as much as it made her salivate, and she hated it. It was all too familiar of the time she’d spent awaiting her last litter- why was it always frog?

The pregnant queen meandered over to the sad beginnings of their fresh-kill pile, steps light yet unsteady. Expectedly, there was no frog. Of course. Why would she expect it? The things were disgusting and slimy and for some reason, the sight of bloodied doves and slain quail made her sick. The walking had upset her stomach, she thought, and perhaps if they were home, watching the leaves fall, this would be a little easier. Instead, they’d were walking, walking, walking, based off some sign by an uncaring StarClan. What fool would follow a dead cat?

Her, apparently, Paledove admitted as she sat by the fresh-kill pile, too tired to find a more sheltered spot.

Travel hadn't been easy on any of them, and as much as she hated to admit it, Spottedfrog was barely keeping up. The foreleg that Bloodstrike had mutilated still hung limply at her side - a dead, useless weight that forced her to hang near the back of the SkyClan cats as they walked. The queen, Paledove, was often near the rear as well, and despite Spottedfrog's attempts at brooding in solitude, she'd come to quite enjoy the other she-cat's company.

Spottedfrog spied the queen perusing the selection with a disgusted look on her face. She knew the reason... Paledove had been craving frog this entire pregnancy... and there were precious little frogs here. But she had found something she hoped would be comparable, so she hobbled over to sit at the queen's size, gently placing a large salamander at her paws. "I found this for you," she said. "It's no frog, but it's kinda similar."

The sound of pawsteps made Paledove whip her head around, but at the sight of the other molly, she bit back the hiss that had risen unbidden, the consequences of always being on edge. On edge- Hah, that was one way to put it, the not-quite-anxiety that sparked under her pelt, overly protective and always looking to sink her teeth into something; ah, the wonderful side effects of pregnancy. Joy.

Just as unbidden as the nerves had been, now grateful joy flooded through her veins as she sought to damp down the spreading smile. “Ah. Bless you, Spottedfrog, bless you. You’re a lifesaver, you wonderful thing.”

In just a quick few snaps, she ate the salamander, revulsion warring with (and ultimately losing to) that subverted enjoyment of something she really ought to hate. For some reason, that cold slime failed to make her gag, as warm blood had recently. Oh, something she could eat. The moment she had finished, she regretted not savouring it, but eh. At least there was something in her belly now.

“How have you been faring? I swear one of these days I’m going to lose myself on purpose and go die in a thicket somewhere. Then at least I wouldn’t have to follow a bunch of cats who don’t know where they’re headed, either.”

With a satisfied smile, Spottedfrog settled down beside the queen, tucking her paws underneath her the best she could and letting a purr rumble through her chest. Lizards were one of her favorite foods, too... something she'd always assumed was due to her half-ShadowClan blood. It wasn't a food commonly hunted in SkyClan, because the tree lizards were fast and smart... but the salamanders were slow, and all you had to do was overturn a log to find them, usually. It made her happy to see Paledove enjoying the slimy creature, even though she knew it was only because the queen was expecting.

At the queen's griping, Spottedfrog grimaced sympathetically, motioning towards the other she-cat's rounded belly. "At least let those little ones loose first - and take me with you when you go." She flopped over on to her side, tail swishing. "Whatever will SkyClan do without us," she said with a forced, slightly dramatized sigh and a quick rumble of laughter.

Then, realizing she hadn't answered the question, Spottedfrog lifted her head to look at Paledove, the humor mostly drained from her tone when she responded: "I, uh... I'm doing alright, I guess. All things considered. What about you? Has one of the medicine cats had a look at you lately?"

At the reminder, Paledove flicked an ear, still not quite sure how she felt about- about expecting. Right now, all it was was an inconvenience, but she knew that once her eyes fell upon their tiny, helpless forms… she’d die for them. If they didn’t make it… that might kill her. Maybe. She’d made it through that once. Barely.

“Keel over real fast,” she replied with a flick of her tail, settling down, back turned to the wind. “Look at us, huh? Nobody ever really explained how we know where we’re going, and somebody needs to have the common sense around here. Somehow, I don’t think it’s going to be our still-wet-behind-the-ears leadership, huh?”

Had a look at her- Paledove sucked in a slow, low hiss, eyes fixed on some distant point. No. She didn’t want to ask. She’d made it very clear to Smokepetal that she’d eat any herbs she was given, but she did not want to know. “Eh. Fine enough, considering the circumstances. I’m just putting one paw in front of the other, to be honest; just trying to keep me head above water. Feels like that’s always the case, huh?”