[Insidious]

There was no room to lie – the sudden course of action StoneClan now faced was vastly different from what she was used to. The Mountains, although comfortably rock-solid like their former home, simply felt less normal. The prey was harder to catch, given the unusual circumstance and the twists and turns these unknown territories contained; as was the problem of finding shelter for the abundance of StoneClan inhabitants. Of course, StoneClan was powerful, they would manage under these harsh turns for the worst – yet still, the idea of it all remained foreign for Frozenrain.

However, surprisingly enough, such thoughts were not the first thing on the dedicated warrior's mind. She was commonly known for putting the well-being of her clan before all else, and this is precisely what she would be doing if what enveloped her mind was not exactly what it was: she was pregnant! Pausing mid-stroll, the she-cat spared a thoughtful glance down at her belly, a warm smile cracking her white jaw, hardened with the past few moons StoneClan had been faced with as of late.

As if StarClan had read her mind – a familiar, fond scent wafted over the she-cat's nose. Pale blue eyes lifted, quick to locate the scent's source a few foxlengths away – busy, as usual. Frozenrain's smile evolved into a mildly disappointed frown, not necessarily pleased to see how much stress the circumstances had been causing Hawkstar. He needed a break, and Frozenrain wasn't about to let such a thing slide by without being handled. Pivoting, Frozenrain approached the prey pile StoneClan had been working hard to make plentiful. She grasped a hold of the first decently sized rabbit she could find – making a mental note to repay the pile for her sizable choice later – then angled herself upon her original pathway to Hawkstar.

She approached cheerfully, unable to help herself due to the knowledge she was more than eager to spill. “Hawkstar!” She mumbled through the rabbit clenched between her jaws, skidding to a halt at the tom's flank and dropping it at his paws. “You've been busy for days, and I for one am not going to sit back and allow it for one more second.” Her icy blue gaze was playful, though emitted a seriousness that dared her leader to disagree. Flicking the tip of her gray-white tail across his muzzle, she folded her hind legs into a sit, gently nudging the rabbit closer. “Eat up.”

He needed some time to relax – this being precisely why she wasn't sharing her big news just yet. Her pregnancy would only be another distraction, and quite frankly, it seemed Hawkstar currently had enough of those. It would come, but as of now, her first priority was ensuring that he take a moment to settle down and enjoy Frozenrain's company; something the pair had been deprived of lately.

[BlooRey DVD]

[smear:996600]Hawkstar[/smear:663300]

~~~~~~~~~

The muscular tom nodded his head as he waved off yet another patrol. His paws were weary, having spent most of his time standing for the past few days. In fact, now that he though about it, his whole body felt weary. His jaws parted in a slight yawn, which he masked by quite literally forcing his jaws to close. He blinked his pale amber gaze, beckoning to one of the warriors to come closer. When the two were in earshot of each other, Hawkstar opened his jaws to speak. "Can you ensure the elders and queens have been fed? As well as Fallenleaf. You may get one of the apprentices to do the task for you, but I'm trusting you to ensure the task is completed, I don't care who by." The warrior gave a sharp did of the head, which Hawkstar returned, along with a genuine "Thank you." It was as he was turning, fully prepared to figure out just what else needed to be done, that a familiar voice (though a little muffled) called out his name.

His amber eyes seemed to brighten as he glanced over his shoulder, gaze landing upon the approaching figure of Frozenrain. The immediate delight he felt upon seeing her gray and white figure brought a smile to his mouth. "Frozenrain." He purred in greeting, turning to face her so that she had his full attention. He was painfully aware of how little time the two were able to spend together recently. He was horribly busy simply ensuring that StoneClan would survive in the mountains. He knew that something had to be done. They couldn't simply live up here forever. Perhaps they would become accustomed to it. Perhaps they would grow strong a thrive here. But what if they didn't? Then what would happen to them? To his family?

When he thought about family, his mind encompassed all of StoneClan. His close family now consisted of Eagletalon, his best friend, and practically his brother, and the beautiful she-cat with the bright blue eyes sitting before him now. Of course, the big sandy brown tom had no inkling of a clue as to how his family was about to change. He was not aware that he would, once again, have an immediate family.

Amber eyes blinked at Frozenrain as the she-cat scolded him for being so busy. He was momentarily confused by the mix of playfulness, and dead seriousness that resonated from her very core. Something, however, told him that he should listen to her. His hind legs folded beneath him, and he sat with a slight grunt, his tired muscles instantly grateful to the she-cat for finally getting them a break. Slowly, as she demanded he eat up, his gaze dropped down to the rabbit she had hauled all the way to him. He looked back up at her, jaws opening to give some sort of polite refusal, about how this could be shared amongst the apprentices or something, when he was interrupted by a rather ridiculously loud growling sound.

His eyes widened slightly as he glanced down at his own stomach. With a twitch of his whiskers, he chuckled, meeting Frozenrain's beautiful gaze once more. "Alright, alright, I'll take a breather, and I'll eat." His sandy tail flicked around and in turn flicked Frozenrain on the muzzle, an exact replication of what she had done to him only moments before. "But only if you share it with me."

[Insidious]

Quite honestly, she was relieved to see Hawkstar agree to settle down for a few moments – a part of her was worried it would have taken far more convincing to distract him from the duties he felt entitled to putting before all else. With a fond dip of her head, the pretty she-cat settled beside the sandy brown tom, this gesture offered as her silent agreement with his desire to share the meal with her. Bending toward the rabbit carcass, Frozenrain parted her jaws and nibbled delicately at one of its hind legs, careful with how quickly she ate and with how sizable each portion was – it felt natural for her to be taking so many unusual factors into careful consideration now that she was pregnant, though with her currently being the only one to hold such knowledge, it likely only appeared to be odd and out-of-character; portraying her to seem ill.

Between two tiny mouthfuls, her baby blue eyes flickered toward Hawkstar's own pale gold, pressing her shoulder into the base of his own. “You're doing a good job, you know.” Frozenrain was, of course, talking about how well Hawkstar had been handling things since the... raid. Right now, StoneClan was in need of a dedicated, level-headed leader. She simply wanted to make sure that Hawkstar knew how efficiently he was meeting the criteria, by her standards at least. “I can't say that I don't understand why you've been so busy lately, I do. But, in my eyes, everything seems to be going as smoothly as possible given the situation.”

Frozenrain took a break from her consistent, yet portioned bites in order to make room for Hawkstar, straightening her posture and giving the tom a gentle, affectionate nuzzle beneath the jaw. “You've been a great leader to our clan over the course of these few moons, and an ever greater mate to me.” Her pale blue eyes sparkled with recognition of the secrecy beneath her statement, gray-white tail contently wrapping atop her forepaws.

Frozenrain knew that, amongst the havoc he'd been required to deal with and the overload of responsibilities newly upon his shoulders... he'd be a wonderful father to her children – their children.

[BlooRey DVD]

~~~~~~~~~

The odd behaviour of the gray and white coated she-cat didn't slip by him unnoticed. Amber eyes flashed with something akin to worry as the large, sandy-brown StoneClan leader watched his mate take tiny little nibbles of the rabbit she'd brought them. His eyes narrowed slightly as he continued to watch her, the slightest flicking of his tail stilled with the worry he now felt for her. What in the name of StarClan is causing her to act so bizarrely... He thought to himself. He was moments away from voicing his concern, having even lowered his head slightly to give the she-cat a slight nudge, when she beat him to the chase.

Hawkstar's gaze blinked in confusion as Frozenrain began to speak, telling him that he was doing a good job. He seemed a little stunned by the sudden information, though there was no hiding the fact that it relaxed him slightly. The more she spoke, the greater an effect it seemed to hav on the broad-shouldered tom. It was nice to be told be was doing a good job as leader. He wanted the best for his Clan, there was no denying that. As she finished, however, the puzzlement returned to his eyes. He stared at her for a moment, eyes unblinking, body still as he tried to process what she was saying, why she was acting the way she was.

Slowly, the tom pulled himself from his slight stupor, feeling almost as though he were walking on thin ice. "Thank you, Frozenrain. It is extremely relieving to hear such a thing. Sometimes I lose sight of the good that I do, and see only the things I haven't fixed, or the things I can't change." His gaze flicked towards the medicine cat's den, where he knew a pale she-cat would be, after having fallen down a cliffside a few sunrises before. Refocusing his attention upon his mate, however, he straightened slightly, concern clear in his eyes.

"Frozenrain... Are you feeling alright? You don't seem to be eating much..." His stomach rumbled slightly, reminding him that he still hadn't eaten anything. Moving slowly, uncertainly, the StoneClan leader bent to tear a piece of the rabbit off, before giving his mate his full attention once again. He hoped there was nothing wrong with her. It would devastate him to hear that she was ill. Especially because she hadn't told him anything..

[Insidious]

A warm smile crossed the warrior's gray-and-white jaw, affectionately nuzzling into his neck with the top of her head. It certainly proved his dedication: him only seeing what he hadn't yet completed/couldn't change – proving he always remained focused on what else he could do to assist his clan, instead of focusing on what had already been done. Frozenrain could only hope that StoneClan would return to their state of 'normal', because she knew that only once this occurred would Hawkstar fully settle. And perhaps, not even then considering they had been chased out once – who knew what could happen again? Would StoneClan ever stop being wary?

Thoughts such as these were forced out of her mind, having detected the concerned tone of her mate asking if she was all right. Pulling away from where her head still remained nestled into his neck, Frozenrain blinked her pale blue eyes shockingly, fixating them upon Hawkstar as he bent down to take his first bite of the rabbit – getting him to eat hadn't been the main priority of her visit, though it was still nice regardless to see she was getting some food into his stomach when he so obviously required it. “No, I assure you that I'm feeling fine, Hawkstar.”

It was almost... surprising to see how easily Hawkstar could pick out Frozenrain's change in behavior. Of course, she always assumed that, as her mate, Hawkstar knew little things here and there about her. However, she had never fully guessed, or even considered processing, just how little a change she had to perform to prod at the leader's concern for her: something as small as how much she was eating. And since he had been able to guess that there was something, she knew he likely wouldn't accept her former words as true.

Better late than never.

“In fact, I'm feeling better than fine. There's something I've been meaning to share with you, Hawkstar – since you've been a little busy, I wanted to give you your space because, well, I didn't think you needed a distraction from your duties--” Frozenrain cut herself off, knowing that if she hadn't there would have been continued rambling for who-knows-how-long. With a fond smile, followed by a quick glance spared at her stomach, she made her announcement: “Hawkstar, I'm pregnant.”

[BlooRey DVD]

~~~~~~~~~

Time seemed to stretch on for an eternity. His question hung in the air as his concerned amber gaze watched the she-cat he had grown extraordinarily fond of over the past few moons. Of course, saying it like that sounded ridiculous. Of course he had grown fond of her. She was his mate. He loved her with all that he could. He blinked into her blue eyes, trying to decipher just what it was that might be bothering her. He couldn't tell why, but something was letting him know that she was hiding something from him, and he wanted to know what it was.

When the beautiful she-cat before him began speaking once more, the StoneClan leader allowed himself a moment to bend down, taking another bite of the prey she'd brought him. He really hadn't realized just how hungry he'd been. Perhaps it was a good thing that the tom had Frozenrain to look after him. With so many things to accomplish in one day, apparently he could forget to ensure that he was alright. Smiling fondly at the thought, Hawkstar tuned his sand-colored ears into what his mate was telling him.

He had begun to relax, fully enjoying the sound of Frozenrain's voice as she began to ramble a tiny bit. He didn't mind. He found that he couldn't get enough of the sound of her voice. It was almost as though he could fall asleep in that moment, with her speaking as his lullaby. Such was the size of his love for her. When she mentioned that there was something she had been meaning to tell him, Hawkstar's attention was focused entirely on her. It was intriguing, to say the least, leaving the sandy brown tom wondering just what it was that she hadn't told him. A pin-prick of guilt gnawed at his belly, recognizing that whatever it was she hadn't told him, she hadn't done so because she didn't want to distract him from his duties.

Such was the burden of a Clan leader, he supposed. She would always be everything to him, but Hawkstar was painfully aware that he had to ensure the Clan's well-being before any one cat. He still hated the fact that his duty as Clan leader had forced his own mate to hold something back from him. A little grudgingly, he took another bite, preparing to swallow when Frozenrain finished her speech.

A surprise hiccuping sound erupted from the tom, the rush of air disrupting his intention of swallowing the morsel of meat he'd just eaten. He felt it lodge in his throat, partially blocking the air from flowing to his lungs. The large tom began to cough, trying to return his breathing to normal, a reaction that began without much thought, for his mind was anywhere but of the fact he was choking.

A father! I'm going to be a father! The large tom's mind quite literally squealed at him, even though he was currently quite preoccupied hacking out a lung, having risen to his paws to give himself the opportunity to lower his head to better aid in the process of clearing the object from his throat. He wasn't sure how long it went on, but by the time the coughing ceased and he was able to properly swallow the piece of fresh-kill, he was rather exhausted, and his eyes were watering. As he sunk down onto his haunches, panting slightly, he turned his gaze to Frozenrain.

"We... We're going to be... P-Parents?" He rasped, his voice hoarse. Though the tom looked utterly spent, shoulder sagging, barely able to keep him upright, the excitement in his eyes was unmistakable. He looked like a kit who'd seen snow for the first time, the light glimmering in his amber eyes. Leaning slightly so that he could press his head to her shoulder, the StoneClan leader let out a soft purr, just needing to feel the softness of it against his own. When he managed to rasp another sentence, though it was a repeat of his previous question, it seemed to be... More certain, more determined.

"We're going to be parents..."

[Insidious]

She had been on her paws the moment her words had sunk in, the StoneClan leader having been forced out of his seat to endure a choking hazard Frozenrain had unwillingly caused him. Light blue eyes were rounded with surprise, pressing her fur against the tom's own as a false display of calmness, wishing to comfort Hawkstar so that the food that had managed to plague the back of his throat could be dismissed. Only once she was certain that Hawkstar was okay did she allow herself to laugh, settling into a seat directly in front of the sandy hued warrior, gazing intently into his shocked eyes, though unable to see anything but the genuine happiness just beneath the surface. “Yes,” she mewed smoothly, a purr of her own provoked as the leader pressed his head delicately into her shoulder blade. “we're going to be parents.”

Frozenrain confirmed her words with an affectionate lick behind the tom's ear, pulling away from Hawkstar – despite her greatest wishes to remain against him for a prolonged period of time – so that her pale blue gaze could settle comfortably into his light amber. She regarded the large male with a fond smile, sighing contently as she peered down at the meal she had brought for them to share. “I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner, I just didn't know how to say it.” Her gray-white tail gently flicked atop her paws, the tip swishing carefully against the base of Hawkstar's own.

It was true: when Frozenrain had first learned of her pregnancy, she had taken into consideration an unhealthy amount of ways that this scenario could have unfolded. Her biggest fear was that Hawkstar wouldn't have been happy about it: his duties as clan leader too large a priority for him to properly care for or even bother desiring kits. But she realized now how ridiculous such a thought had been, seeing it in the way his golden eyes were bursting with inner joy and excitement. She, too, felt said joy and excitement. Ever since she had been a young apprentice she had longed for a family of her own – the nursery had always been beautiful to her: seeing the young kits cautious of every move their parents strove to make out of genuine desire to be just like them.

It remained unusual, if not a tad unrealistic – like she had surfaced this entire conversation from a dream she had long ago – that soon enough she'd be leading the life she had always wanted for herself.

It was all going to be perfect.