SPEECH KEYS: Niobe =
Speech, Jupiter =
Speech, Leto =
Speech, Koryos =
SpeechTRIGGER WARNINGS: Death, Vague mentioning of a cat being eaten, SUPER long post (lmk if I missed any)
Terminology (from Erin Hunter's Survivors Book): Sharp-Claw = Cat, Long-Paw = Human, Loud-Cage = Car, No-Sun = Night, Moon-Dog = Basically Dog Skyclan or Dog God
The warm night breeze felt nice against Niobe’s round pregnant belly. Her mate, Jupiter laid beside her rasping a tongue across her forehead. Their owner had left the window open, although there was still a barrier in the way so that the two cats couldn’t escape.
A ripple of the molly’s stomach caused Jupiter to stop liking his mate’s head and look at her belly. He was eager to meet his kits and a purr rumbled from his throat.
“It won’t be too long now before they’re here you know?” Niobe mewed softly which was followed with a slight purr. This would be their first litter, and the two young cats couldn’t be more excited.
The creaking of the door made both the cats’ heads turn. Their owner was on the talking in a sad tone and the door slammed behind her.
“Where do you think she is going? It’s getting dark and she never leaves this late.” Jupiter asked curiously. He didn’t want Niobe to know he was concerned because it would cause her to stress the molly didn’t need that right now.
A few days passed and their owner hadn’t returned. They didn’t have to worry about food since their food came from a machine four times a day. They got it early in the morning, midday and twice at night. Niobe paced by the door softly scratching at it a few times before pacing some more. Jupiter watched out the window in hopes of being able to spot their owner and ease his mate some.
On the 5th day the door opened and both cats ran to greet their owner, except it wasn’t her. Instead, it was another two-leg female, one they knew. She was a friend of their owner. The human muttered a few words to the two of them before cleaning their box and cleaning their water. When she was finished, she ran a hand over Niobe’s plump belly and murmured a few more words. Then she left.
“Why do you think she came, and owner didn’t?” Niobe mumbled as she stared out the window. Her golden eyes were fixated on the path her owner would travel before opening the door. Jupiter leapt to her side and licked her ear with a gentle purr.
“It’s ok love, you know she does this at times.” He mewed softly before grooming his mate’s soft grey pelt.
Her tail flicked with irritation. Her mate was right, their owner did do this at times but never for this long and usually she carried these black things that rumbled behind her as she walked. She normally ran her hand over their bodies and put her face close to their heads as her fingers scratched their ears. This was not sitting right with the molly.
“This isn’t like before…” Niobe mewed coldly.
Another 5 days passed, and the friend of their owner came back. Niobe was sitting in the window when she arrived and walked up the path to the door. Her tail flicked with anticipation. She only had one shot. Jupiter knew nothing. The molly hadn’t really spoken to her mate since the last time the friend came over without their owner. She was planning to find her owner. She had to before her kits came. They would be here any day. The door open and Niobe slipped by the woman swiftly and unnoticed.
“NIOBE NO!!!” Jupiter cried as he tried to follow her, but the door was shut before he could get through.
The sun had set, and the moon had risen time and time again as Niobe made her way through the outdoors. She had no scent to follow, and her stomach ached more and more as she carried on. She wanted to return home, maybe her owner would be there and although he would certainly be mad, Jupiter would be too. Her delicate paws carried her in the direction she thought she came from.
Niobe’s nose twitched as she sniffed the air. There was scent of kibble. Her belly churned and her kits squirmed inside. She ran over to where the scent was coming from. A bowl full of kibble sat near a door and was illuminated by a light. Niobe scarfed down as much as she could as quickly as she could. She hadn’t eaten since before she left.
Once her stomach was full, Niobe found a spot to curl up for the night. Her little ones were moving around more than usual, and the molly was rather uncomfortable. The night was restless for her, and she barely slept at all by the time the sun started to peak over the horizon. Niobe stood up and made her way through the forest. Her ears perked up when she spotted a familiar path.
Not only was the path familiar but the smell was too. Niobe had made her way home! She trotted to the door and scratched, but it didn’t open. She went to the window she had sat in with her mate the day their owner left.
“Jupiter? Are you there, love?” She mewed softly. It wasn’t long before the red tom appeared in the window. Niobe could see the hurt in his green eyes, and she sighed.
“I’m sorry I ran off. I needed to find her… is she home?”Jupiter shook his head,
“She hasn’t returned, and her friend was just here yesterday. Niobe, why did you do this! Are kits will be here any day now!” He hissed through the screen.
“I know, I know! I’m sorry Jupiter…” She mewed softly,
“I’ll find a spot to stay until the friend comes back and then I’ll be back inside, ok?” She gave her mate a small smile before hopping down from the window ledge.
That night the wind blew colder than it had in weeks and the young molly shivered under a nearby porch. Her stomach was tight and her kits twisting inside caused pain to radiate through her body. There was no doubt in Niobe’s mind that her kits were coming. Tears streamed down her face as she tried to suppress the cries she wanted to yowl out.
“J-Jupiter, c-can y-ou hear m-me?” She cried but there was no answer. She was all alone and had to experience this by herself.
The hours felt like days, but time seemed to stand still when suddenly there were 3 kits laying at Niobe’s side. They had been born together and all were rather small. Her eyes were full of tears as she licked them clean, but her stomach still tensed and churned as the little ones settled in. There was no more movement, all the kits had to have been born surely. She quickly picked all 3 up and carried them to the window ledge.
“Jupiter hurry!” She yowled through the screen. Her mate was at the window in no time.
“Look, three kits! One that looks like you and one that looks like me. Our third doesn’t really look like either one of us but that doesn’t matter.” Niobe purred. Jupiter’s eyes looked over each one and he gave a soft purr, but his eyes lingered on his mate.
“You don’t look well love… It’s too cold you should go back to your hiding spot.” He mewed as he bit back tears. With a brief nod Niobe carried her kits back to the porch and laid down.
“It’ll be ok. We’ll be home soon!” Niobe purred to her kits as she curled around them. Her stomach still twisted and churned with no signs of easing up.
Niobe passed during the night due to labor complications, leaving the newborn kits to fend for themselves.
The cold night came out of nowhere which didn’t allow a new mother time to prepare for the harsh conditions. A sturdy and large dog had recently given birth to a litter and had already lost a pup at birth and another to a bird of prey. She hadn’t given birth to them in a good spot, and she was desperate to find a better spot for her young.
Leto forced herself forward through the bitter cold winds as she carried her last two pups by their scruffs. They were shivering and she needed to find a spot fast. The smell of blood lingered in the air, drawing the young mother closer to the Long-Paw’s area than she had ever been before. She squeezed her large frame through the tight gap of the skirting on a porch. There was hardly any room for the large dog to move and she had to crawl with her belly dragging on the ground to get to the smell.
A sharp-claw lay curled up under the porch and Leto gave a small growl as she set her pups down. Nothing. She nudged the sharp-claw and uncovered the little sharp-claws that lay at her belly, but the mother still didn’t move. She was deceased. The little ones didn’t stir or cry either even after the dog nudged them, but she could tell they were still alive.
She looked down at her pups, one was not doing well. The rising and falling of its chest was rapid and unsteady. She knew it wouldn’t make it through the night. A whine escaped Leto’s lips are she gently licked the pup. Her heart ached as it didn’t move or whine. Her bright yellow eyes darted back over to the little Sharp-Claws. Their mother’s body had lost most of its heat and they would die too if she didn’t do something. She couldn’t bring herself to watch more young ones die.
The large dog scooted closer to the little ones and started nudging them towards her belly. They started to become livelier against her warm body and the smell of milk must’ve been inviting as well since they quickly filled their bellies. She ran her tongue across the three sharp-claws and her two pups. Her stomach growled and she too filled her stomach with the deceased Sharp-Claw.
The warm morning sun shone brightly and peeked in between the cracks of the skirting. Leto hadn’t slept much. She wasn’t used to the Long-paws and there were too many noises for her to be comfortable. A loud-cage appeared nearby, and a long-paw had made her way inside. There was a rusty colored Sharp-claw on the other side of the door happily greeting her it had seemed. A low growl rumbled from Leto before the door shut. She curled herself around her children and tried to drift off to sleep.
A few days had passed, and Leto figured it was time to move her family out of the Longpaw’s area and back into the forest where she could find more food. She waited until no-sun to move her “pups”. One by one she moved them to a safe spot where they could stay until the young ones were ready to walk.
The days faded away and the months seemed to soar by on the wings of time. It wasn’t long before Leto’s pups were mostly grown. Their hunting skills were immaculate, and she beamed with pride as she watched them return with their kill every night. Hunting was used for more than survival; it was a good way to burn through the energy of the young ones. They often would kill weasels and rats just for sport, and sometimes they would eat them but that was only when times were bet rough, and they couldn’t find something tastier.
The small pack had traveled through many places during their time. It wasn’t long before they made their way to a new forest and started to make it their home. Leto’s pups were almost full grown, and it was time she stopped calling them ‘pups’. She didn’t speak much, although her pups had plenty to say, and she didn’t hold many traditions since she no longer traveled with a pack; but there was one tradition she wouldn’t ever deny.
“Pups gather close. It is time for you to receive your names.” Leto barked as she walked into a nearby clearing.
The bright moon shone down on her dark pelt, and she closed her eyes as her head tilted back towards the sky. Her pups gathered around her and sat anxiously in silence. Who was to be named first and what would their names be? She didn't know but she was sure the moon-dog would give her the answer. Their tails wagged softly and slowly behind them. Finally, Leto broke the silence.
She huffed each name out as she stared into the owner’s eyes, big pup was first,
“Koryos”, her silver sharp-claw pup was next,
“Lykaios”, her golden eyes landed on her dark grey sharp-claw pup next,
“Lykania”, then she turned to her rusty colored sharp-claw pup,
“Lycaon”. Leto shuffled back a bit to look at all four of her pups.
“From this day on you will go by those names until it is time for you to become one with the earth.” That night the sounds of howling, barking and laughter filled the forest as the small pack ran through and celebrated the pups getting their names. Each name was sung out under the full moon until they were forever planted into each and every member of the pack’s mind.
The Pack has made its way to the Warrior Cats' Forest and is ready to wreak Havoc and everyone and everything >:3Lycan SpeechForest Speech
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