Post by Abyss on Feb 6, 2022 15:18:06 GMT -5
She had sensed it before she felt it. Something was off, though she couldn’t tell what. There was just a lingering feeling of unease and discomfort. Given the fact that her body, her stomach specifically, had grown significantly since the earthquake first happened, of course she was uncomfortable. Honestly, being fat was not for her. She was quick, agile, flexible, a climber. Not…whatever this was. She had expressed this multiple times through gritted fangs, always receiving the same goddamn answer.
“Come on now, you are expecting, of course you have grown. It won’t last long. Soon our kits will be born and you will be free to move however you please.”
The emphasis on our. It made her want to puke. As did the thought of her being a mother. She found no comfort in the thought that she would soon have mewling needy balls of fur at her stomach. Nor did she find comfort in the playful teases and mocking affection she received from Driftshade. It was in moments like these that she wondered how she ever ended up in this situation in the first place. How had she, of all cats, ended up growing even remotely close to the likes of him. He was cocky, arrogant, irritating, and horribly clear in his intentions. He had sought her out in the beginning just because she was a strong she-cat who could bear his legacy. And after a while, she had grown to be his plaything. Not intentionally, but it seemed it came naturally to him. Bragging that she had fallen victim to his charms and that one day she would make “a great mother to his young”. It was sickening. Why had she ever grown close to him in the first place? She convinced herself it was horrible timing and a skillful way with words. What a way to solidify a mistrust towards every other feline in existence.
Though all of these thoughts filled her mind, it was not these that were causing her unease. It was something else.
She sat in the closest thing to an entrance there was for an empty den. This was to be the Nursery, once everything got moved and settled. For now, though, it was just an empty hollow in a big bush with a singular thrown-together nest. It wasn’t much, but even still, it being called a Nursery made her shudder. The moment they had arrived in the camp she was pushed and herded to this place as though she was helpless and needed shelter right away. She cursed under her breath. She had made the entire trek from the Tribe to this plateau, she had scaled the decline into the gorge, as well as the incline into the camp itself, all three without leaning on anyone. Driftshade tried to get her to lean on him a few times, but she refused. She didn’t need help. She wasn’t vulnerable or weak, no matter how large her stomach was.
She watched as cats wandered about the camp, exploring the new dens, talking, getting to know each other. Narrowed orange eyes turned away. She hadn’t liked her own clan; merging them with another clan wouldn’t make that any better. Footsteps caught her attention, her gaze only flicking to the side.
“Hey…are you doing ok? Did they at least make your nest comfy?” Squirrelskip. She had seen a lot more of him lately. Back in the Tribe she didn’t see him much; he seemed to keep to himself a lot, still grieving the loss of their mother during the quake. But when it came time for the clan to head to their new home and certain cats were left behind temporarily, herself included, both Driftshade and Squirrelskip had insisted on staying there with her. Her brother did what he could to help her, trying to bring her food or groom the parts of her fur that she couldn’t reach, not that she did much grooming in the first place. It was strange. She hadn’t interacted with him in so long, and now he was around her almost all the time. A part of her wanted to roll her eyes and shoo him away. But another part of her almost appreciated his company. For the longest time she viewed him as just another clanmate, a family member to forget about. But now that Rowanflower was gone, and Scorchwing had been gone for a good while, he was all she had. Internally she realized that Squirrel had been Rowan’s favorite, since he agreed to conform with her views of not seeing their father. But, in the end that didn’t really matter, did it? Scorch had grown to disown both of his kids, and Rowan…well, she relied on Squirrel as an emotional support crutch more than a son, so even he felt the sting. He went along because she was family, and now, with her gone, he was his own cat. And his first choice, for some reason, had been to reconnect with his sister.
Foxfire wasn’t a super sentimental cat, but there was a small corner of her that was touched.
“I’m fine.”
“Has Ebonyheart or Sagepaw come to see you lately?”
“They don’t need to.”
One of his ears lowered and his head tilted slightly, a certain look crossing his features. “If anything happens, they need to be near. We don’t wan-”
“I am not weak. I can take care of myself.” Her voice grew laced with a tinge of a growl, her eyes narrowing.
Though she growled at him, silencing him momentarily, a small smile still formed on his face. “I know you can.”
They continued talking, mostly about what needed done around camp and about the gorge. Part way through the conversation, her unease grew and her stomach turned. She almost felt dizzy, light-headed. She pushed through it, but eventually her voice faltered, her head swaying a tad.
“Fox?”
She didn’t mean to, but she started to tilt, Squirrel leaning in to catch her. She wasn’t going to fall, but she lost her balance. Her eyes blinked a few times, but it didn’t go away. Almost like a flash of lightning, a deep pain erupted through her stomach, her body nearly crumbling where it sat. Squirrel caught her, nearly putting himself under her chest to keep her up.
“Are you ok?! What is happening?!”
Unsure of what else to do, Squirrel guided her back to her nest. She nearly stumbled and fell into the nest, but she managed to lower herself down without collapsing. He pulled himself away from her, backing up quickly towards the den entrance.
“S-Stay here!” As if she could leave. He turned and bolted, eyes darting back and forth through the camp. His eyes first landed on a familiar bulky figure in the distance. “Driftshade!”
The dark tom turned to him, an almost uninterested look on his face. But even from a distance, a look, an unspoken urgency, passed between them. Drift nodded, and Squirrel continued. He ran towards where he remembered the new Medicine Cat den being, poking his head inside.
“Ebonyheart! Sagepaw! I think it’s happening!”
“Come on now, you are expecting, of course you have grown. It won’t last long. Soon our kits will be born and you will be free to move however you please.”
The emphasis on our. It made her want to puke. As did the thought of her being a mother. She found no comfort in the thought that she would soon have mewling needy balls of fur at her stomach. Nor did she find comfort in the playful teases and mocking affection she received from Driftshade. It was in moments like these that she wondered how she ever ended up in this situation in the first place. How had she, of all cats, ended up growing even remotely close to the likes of him. He was cocky, arrogant, irritating, and horribly clear in his intentions. He had sought her out in the beginning just because she was a strong she-cat who could bear his legacy. And after a while, she had grown to be his plaything. Not intentionally, but it seemed it came naturally to him. Bragging that she had fallen victim to his charms and that one day she would make “a great mother to his young”. It was sickening. Why had she ever grown close to him in the first place? She convinced herself it was horrible timing and a skillful way with words. What a way to solidify a mistrust towards every other feline in existence.
Though all of these thoughts filled her mind, it was not these that were causing her unease. It was something else.
She sat in the closest thing to an entrance there was for an empty den. This was to be the Nursery, once everything got moved and settled. For now, though, it was just an empty hollow in a big bush with a singular thrown-together nest. It wasn’t much, but even still, it being called a Nursery made her shudder. The moment they had arrived in the camp she was pushed and herded to this place as though she was helpless and needed shelter right away. She cursed under her breath. She had made the entire trek from the Tribe to this plateau, she had scaled the decline into the gorge, as well as the incline into the camp itself, all three without leaning on anyone. Driftshade tried to get her to lean on him a few times, but she refused. She didn’t need help. She wasn’t vulnerable or weak, no matter how large her stomach was.
She watched as cats wandered about the camp, exploring the new dens, talking, getting to know each other. Narrowed orange eyes turned away. She hadn’t liked her own clan; merging them with another clan wouldn’t make that any better. Footsteps caught her attention, her gaze only flicking to the side.
“Hey…are you doing ok? Did they at least make your nest comfy?” Squirrelskip. She had seen a lot more of him lately. Back in the Tribe she didn’t see him much; he seemed to keep to himself a lot, still grieving the loss of their mother during the quake. But when it came time for the clan to head to their new home and certain cats were left behind temporarily, herself included, both Driftshade and Squirrelskip had insisted on staying there with her. Her brother did what he could to help her, trying to bring her food or groom the parts of her fur that she couldn’t reach, not that she did much grooming in the first place. It was strange. She hadn’t interacted with him in so long, and now he was around her almost all the time. A part of her wanted to roll her eyes and shoo him away. But another part of her almost appreciated his company. For the longest time she viewed him as just another clanmate, a family member to forget about. But now that Rowanflower was gone, and Scorchwing had been gone for a good while, he was all she had. Internally she realized that Squirrel had been Rowan’s favorite, since he agreed to conform with her views of not seeing their father. But, in the end that didn’t really matter, did it? Scorch had grown to disown both of his kids, and Rowan…well, she relied on Squirrel as an emotional support crutch more than a son, so even he felt the sting. He went along because she was family, and now, with her gone, he was his own cat. And his first choice, for some reason, had been to reconnect with his sister.
Foxfire wasn’t a super sentimental cat, but there was a small corner of her that was touched.
“I’m fine.”
“Has Ebonyheart or Sagepaw come to see you lately?”
“They don’t need to.”
One of his ears lowered and his head tilted slightly, a certain look crossing his features. “If anything happens, they need to be near. We don’t wan-”
“I am not weak. I can take care of myself.” Her voice grew laced with a tinge of a growl, her eyes narrowing.
Though she growled at him, silencing him momentarily, a small smile still formed on his face. “I know you can.”
They continued talking, mostly about what needed done around camp and about the gorge. Part way through the conversation, her unease grew and her stomach turned. She almost felt dizzy, light-headed. She pushed through it, but eventually her voice faltered, her head swaying a tad.
“Fox?”
She didn’t mean to, but she started to tilt, Squirrel leaning in to catch her. She wasn’t going to fall, but she lost her balance. Her eyes blinked a few times, but it didn’t go away. Almost like a flash of lightning, a deep pain erupted through her stomach, her body nearly crumbling where it sat. Squirrel caught her, nearly putting himself under her chest to keep her up.
“Are you ok?! What is happening?!”
Unsure of what else to do, Squirrel guided her back to her nest. She nearly stumbled and fell into the nest, but she managed to lower herself down without collapsing. He pulled himself away from her, backing up quickly towards the den entrance.
“S-Stay here!” As if she could leave. He turned and bolted, eyes darting back and forth through the camp. His eyes first landed on a familiar bulky figure in the distance. “Driftshade!”
The dark tom turned to him, an almost uninterested look on his face. But even from a distance, a look, an unspoken urgency, passed between them. Drift nodded, and Squirrel continued. He ran towards where he remembered the new Medicine Cat den being, poking his head inside.
“Ebonyheart! Sagepaw! I think it’s happening!”
