[Deleted]

Ghostlight

The Ghost In Your Mind

Be still my heart 'cause it's freaking out, it's freaking out, right now

Shining like stars 'cause we're beautiful, we're beautiful, right now

---

Everything was going to be different. Everything was going to change. And nothing was ever going to be the same, nothing could be taken back. It was too late. Her life was forever altered now, and she didn't know what was going to happen. What would he say? What would he do? In all her moons of being fearless and strong, she felt scared and small. She was worried, and lost. She didn't know what she'd do if he was mad, or upset with her, what if it changed everything between them.

Could she handle it if it did?

She padded away from Fernpaw's den, her ears still ringing with what the young she-cat said. It was the last thing she was expecting to be her dignosise. She figured she just had a chill, or lack of sleep perhaps. But this... it still didn't comprehend completely. Her mind was spinning, her stomach flipping, her heart was trying to race away. Was it possible Fernpaw was incorrect? No, not likely, not with something like this.

 Pulling her eyes from the ground, Ghostlight watched her clan-mates go about their daily lives. What would they all think if they knew. She knew what Poisonleaf's reaction would be, as well as several other she-cats of Nightclan. They may even try to kill her, unlikely, but they'd want to. Well, Poisonleaf might actually try.

His scent caught her attention as she turned her head to watch him pad through the entrance with a couple of other Nightclanners. She felt her body quiver under her beautiful black fur as she padded forwards slowly, avoiding letting her ghostly eyes meet with his mismatched gaze. He probably would think she was sick again, but he didn't speak as she paused in-front of him.

 After a moment she lifted her head, her eyes holding his questioning gaze before she let her jaw part to speak. "Um... Blackwolf..." She started, sounding like a fool, a scared apprentice that could find her voice. She felt her ears lay back against her head as her voice quivered before she spoke again.

"I'm expecting kits."

---

You're all I see in all these places

You're all I see in all these faces

So let's pretend we're running out of time, of time

[Fawn]

-----------------

The black-furred warrior cast aside further thoughts of verbally tormenting Ratfur when the familiar scent of Ghostlight reached him; his chin lifted as a smirk formed along his jaws, half-expecting her to brush her tail over his face like she was prone to do - his playful mood shoved aside by the worried look in her eyes.
"What's wro--"

"I'm expecting kits."

.... Oh. It was if all the air had been squeezed out of his lungs, whiskers stiffening as the fur along his neck fluffed in surprise, the coarse dark hairs raised. Then, as if he had grasped onto the earth to keep it from spinning out from underneath him, Blackwolf settled down, heart throbbing against his chest in time with a deep, throaty purr. "Great, it's about time NightClan had some worthy future warriors." Right now, even just the news that kits were on the way would have put him in better spirits, but the knowledge that she was carrying his kits put an all new swagger in the senior warrior's step that hadn't been there before. She's having my kits. Well, it was about time he settled down. Somewhere in the back of Blackwolf's mind, he was conscious of this tethering the two of them together for the rest of their lives; with offspring came responsibilities, but he didn't view those responsibilities the same way he viewed the duties and the nuisances of deputyship. Being a father - at the very least a better father than Hawkscreech had ever been to him - was not some great and terrible burden. It was only natural, for him to raise a family, and at this moment it was difficult to picture that happening with any other cat besides her.

Aware that her feelings were directly going to play off of his reaction, Blackwolf chuckled and gave his mate's neck a deliberate nuzzle, letting their cheeks brush; he didn't care if the whole Clan saw. It was a shame, but he was now out of the pool of admirable, eligible bachelors that NightClan seemed to be in a serious short supply of. "Don't worry, Ghostlight. You don't have to take care of them alone. They're going to be great, and you're going to be a great mother." It was shocking how easily those words came to him; was he supposed to be embarrassed of his own feelings for her?

Blackwolf did not get embarrassed. If anything, his ego only swelled to new, cosmic heights than ever before. Blue and gold eyes blazing, the tom stood proudly beside her, willing his own good feelings to aggressively brush aside any timidity or fear Ghostlight might be experiencing right now. She had nothing to be frightened of; he would never make her go through this all by herself.

That wasn't what mates did.