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Post by Deleted on Feb 2, 2015 22:59:51 GMT -5
but all the stars that separatedisappear now when i'm dreaming of your face• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •It had been a few weeks after her night in StarClan's Claws that Rippletail had noticed a change. Certain parts of her were swollen. Not large enough to be different, but large enough for her to notice. She had problems hunting and swimming, as if she was off balance or overweight somehow. But, the biggest change she had noticed was in herself. Her behavior.
Speckledleaf had accidentally woken her up one morning while her friend went for dawn patrol, and Rippletail snapped at her friend. When she got back, the silver warrior tearfully apologized to her tabby friend, practically begging her forgiveness while dodging questions about her health. Then, Ashclaw had rebuked his sister, Pebblenose, for a snide comment about Rippletail, and she thanked the tom with a fresh-caught piece of fish -- all this for a tom who had never given her the time of day, even as a kit! The final straw was when the cravings hit.
Frog. Every. Single. Morning. Rippletail woke up with a strong craving for frog. She'd go to the fresh-kill pile, eat a fish instead, and feel nauseated to the point of running outside of camp. But then it'd go away by sun-high. On days when she ate the frog, it satisfied the craving but not the nausea. She didn't know what to do. Speckledleaf (and even Timberwing, of all cats), had been looking at her sideways with narrowed eyes, but she ignored them and continued like everything was fine.
A quick visit to Swanfeather confirmed the worst. Rippletail was pregnant. Or was that the best?
By now, she had a bit of a belly, but she did her best to hide it. Instead, she invited Speckledleaf and Russethawk on a little hunting patrol (hoping that she wouldn't make a fool out of herself) to share the news with her friends. And maybe tell them who the father was. Maybe. Waking up with that need for frog pounding in the back of her skull, Rippletail nudged Speckledleaf beside her and flicked Russethawk gently with her tail, beckoning them both outside.
"Want to go hunting with me?" she mewed, uncharacteristically chipper. Of course, it was just a mask for the nerves coursing under her skin, as she was sure that everyone could tell her little secret and how she was feeling. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
rippletail;; warrior ;; rainclanFawn: russethawk ;; tag392 ;; wordcounttitle as in she's moving out of the warrior's den; speckledleaf is an NPC ;; notes3 Doors Down - Here Without You [edited] ;; lyrics
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Post by Fawn on Feb 4, 2015 9:52:57 GMT -5
Russethawk Tom || 27 Moons || RainClan || Warrior Feels like a good day. Russethawk hadn't noticed Rippletail's particularly amphibian dietary preferences lately, or even that she was getting a bit of a belly underneath her white and tabby fur, all that passed for unusual was her chipper attitude - and even this was met with a yawn, a toss of his distinctively ruddy pelt and an immediate acceptance of her invitation. "Sure! Do you need to bring Gullpaw or is it just the three of us?" Russethawk hadn't had an apprentice since Rushwhisker had become a warrior, an honor he was very much looking forward to having again; it was when he'd realized last night that his pretty cousin's litter would at some point grow up and need mentoring that he could possibly be placed in charge of one.
Nothing else would give him a greater sense of purpose, teaching his own kin. Well, except teaching someone else's kin - either way, he was excited at the likelihood of getting chosen to be a mentor; Russethawk wouldn't outright boast that he had this one in the bag, but with his close relationship with Razorstar, he had a better chance than most of being chosen. Gullpaw's training should be finished up by the time Minnowkit, Pikekit and Quietkit are ready to be apprentices, maybe Rippletail and Bravebird can mentor the other two? The joint training sessions with two good friends could only go well, in his mind's eye.
Still foggy in thought and slow in action, Russethawk stepped out of the warriors den and into the early light of day, stealing a few heartbeats to allow himself a luxurious stretch, feeling the tell-tale crackle of joints. His jaws parted like a serpent's, as though he were trying to swallow something twice the size of his own face in a monstrous yawn, as if getting all the drowsiness out of his system so he could be ever alert for their friendly little fishing patrol. He didn't know Speckledleaf very well, but any friend of Rippletail's could easily be a friend of his, and from what he did know of the calico-tabby she-cat, she was a compassionate and kind individual. He wasn't worried at all over spending a bit of time with a cat he was unfamiliar with. It was just another opportunity to make a new friend; less extroverted cats would have found his desire to befriend the whole Clan an obnoxious, pointless endeavor, but that was Russethawk for you.
He at least wanted to be on speaking terms with all of his peers; if getting to know Rippletail had taught him anything, its that he was potentially missing out on knowing some great cats if he just stuck to his same old social circles.
Word Count: 448 Words Tags: @lacihparg
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Post by Deleted on Feb 4, 2015 11:15:34 GMT -5
but all the stars that separatedisappear now when i'm dreaming of your face• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •Leading Speckledleaf and Russethawk out of RainClan camp, Rippletail fretted while on her walk. Not only did she feel a slight waddle in her step, but she also worried about what the rest of the Clan would say. She had a right to not announce the father; her mother had exercised that right, but Speckledleaf knew just what that did to her friend. Rippletail would not allow her kits to go through that pain. Not having a father in the picture would only lead to questions later, whether from her kits themselves or her Clanmates. It was a situation that the silver tabby wanted to avoid.
However, it was a problem with a not so easily presented solution. She looked sideways at her Clanmates, the warrior who had wormed her way into her heart with a prank on her second night in the warrior's den, and the tom who had slowly become a friend from Roselight's pregnancy on. How would they feel about her news? What would they think of her? Rippletail new certain cats in the Clan would express extreme displeasure over her litter (especially if the father was mentioned). Not to mention Redsplash was having a litter, and Razorstar's past playing into the lives of his kits. RainClan's nursery would be teeming, yes, but it would be filled with kits who would not be easily accepted by the Clan.
"Maybe we should head to the river," Rippletail suggested. Speckledleaf looked at her funny, wondering why they were traveling farther than they needed to if they wanted to fish, but followed her friend anyway. Perhaps Razorstar or Timberwing had given her the order to fish and she had just now remembered. Rippletail flicked her tail lightly against the calico's pelt in a friendly touch, trying to reassure her (and maybe draw some strength for herself).
Whatever happened today, Rippletail needed to tell someone else. It was time for her to move into the nursery. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
rippletail;; warrior ;; rainclanfawn: russethawk ;; tag 328 ;; wordcount please don't shun her ;-; ;; notes 3 Doors Down - Here Without You [edited] ;; lyrics
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Post by Fawn on Feb 5, 2015 21:06:54 GMT -5
Russethawk Tom || 27 Moons || RainClan || Warrior Feels like a good day. Russethawk caught the strange look that filled up Speckledleaf's face, directed at the silver tabby who had summoned them both from the warriors' den. What was that for? he wondered, his focus now resettling upon Rippletail, studying her with more attention to detail than before. Did she seem.... different? At first, he didn't see it, and then, he was mentally kicking himself for not noticing earlier. Rippletail was bigger - not in a sense that she had grown fat and happy like some of the elders, in the sense of... well, a different sense.
He was hardly the sort of cat who made assumptions, and he was definitely not the sort of cat who pointed out another cat's physical flaws - not that he considered Rippletail's less streamlined shape a physical flaw - so he renounced it as just a random observation, not connecting it to anything. Russethawk had neither Timberwing's insight or Speckledleaf's 'best friend senses' that would inform him something was definitely up. If it was, he trusted Rippletail to speak up and maybe clarify the situation, but until then, Russethawk took long strides until he was matching step for step with the silver she-cat and her multicolored friend. "Sure, the river seems fine - be careful of the rocks though. A couple cats have been cutting their paws on the crossing stones."
The river brought back a myriad of painful and pleasant memories for him; it was weird, living so close to something that had hurt him so badly when it washed his parents away from him. Yet, the ruddy warrior neither personified the river so much that he could hate it as one did another cat, and it also wasn't the only thing the river had done to him. It was still a source of food and water for RainClan, it was the blood that flowed through their veins, it was the river most RainClan cats thought of when asked to describe home. Seeing it now, Russethawk took a deep breath of its rainy, earthy mineral smell, and smiled, his mood unspoiled by anything or anyone.
You could call Russethawk a simple cat, but he really did enjoy nothing more than a fishing trip with a couple of friends.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 9, 2015 17:18:10 GMT -5
but all the stars that separatedisappear now when i'm dreaming of your face• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •Rippletail took his warnings to heart, stepping carefully when they reached the river so as to avoid cutting herself. Cautious or not, she was not used to the way her body moved now, and slipped slightly on one of the wet stones. A quick recovery set her right, but the silver tabby blushed crimson and scrambled to find a spot to fish. Speckledleaf settled a little further upstream, and she stole a glance at Russethawk to see if he was looking at her.
How in StarClan's name am I supposed to tell them? she asked herself, staring at the water below. A slim fish caught her attention and a paw flicked out automatically, snagging the creature from its watery home and thrashing it against the shoreline. She thanked her ancestors for its life and set it beside her, starting the pile of fish she hoped to catch and bring back to the Clan.
Rippletail would soon be providing them with more mouths to feed, and she wasn't quite sure how she was going to announce that. First, she wanted to tell her two best friends, believing that they deserved the first privilege. After that, she would tell Razorstar and move into the nursery to join his pregnant mate and the other queens. The prospect of living in such close quarters with Fishtail's sister did not excite her, especially with the hostility Pebblenose showed her on the rare occasions they interacted. And while yes, Ashclaw defended her that one day, she did not speak much to Tumblestep (as the warrior was always in the nursery to help the other queens).
Many things about the upcoming moons scared her. She would be moving in with cats who she didn't much know. Roselight was fine in her opinion (after all, Razorstar sired her kits and she was obviously good enough for him). Redsplash had always intimidated her, but the she-cat was now a queen, and so she hoped that motherhood would help her find something in common with the albino feline. Tumblestep had stayed in the nursery after her first litter, and while complications from more recent pregnancies had left her kitless, Rippletail supposed the warrior found herself more at home in the smaller den than with the other cats.
Most of all, she was scared of her own future. Rippletail would adapt to her new den. She would adapt to her denmates. But being a mother? That was a scary monster of its own, something that worried her to her core. Her mother had kept her parentage a secret. To this day, Rippletail had no name for her father. Her denmates, Pebblekit, Ashkit, Tumblekit, and Fishkit, weren't allowed to associate with her until Fishkit broke the rule and became her best friend. She didn't want her kits to wait around for that cat to come in and give them friendship. She wanted them to be loved from their first cry to their final breath. She wanted them to know their father and learn the importance of family and Clan, to grow to respect their leader and the warrior code.
And yet, how could she teach them the code when their father was from another Clan? How could they learn to put Clan above all else when Rippletail cast Clan aside to find love elsewhere? The only way to teach them this was to leave their father nameless. And no matter what, Rippletail didn't want to do that, either. Casting a glance up at Speckledleaf and down at Russethawk, she sighed and spoke the words clearly. They sounded over the water's gurgling and reached the ears of the cats who needed to know the news most. She steeled herself for their response even as the words left her mouth, waiting for the barrage of questions and accusations that would surely come her way.
"I'm pregnant." • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
rippletail;; warrior ;; rainclanfawn: russethawk ;; tag 648 ;; wordcount introspection yay~ ;; notes 3 Doors Down - Here Without You [edited] ;; lyrics
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Post by Fawn on Feb 10, 2015 10:37:32 GMT -5
Russethawk Tom || 27 Moons || RainClan || Warrior Feels like a good day. Russethawk's jaw dropped. Pregnant? Rippletail was pregnant? A wash of befuddled joy swept over him - his shock over the news not dampening the news in any way; this was great! "Are you serious? That's fantastic, Rippletail! Have you told anyone else?" - a hasty glance at Speckledleaf - "Are we the first ones to know? I can't believe this!" Ironically, the first question that sprang to the young tom's mind was how, but that was just his brain trying to wrap itself around such wonderful albeit unexpected news. He obviously knew how, the question should've been but who? He would never claim to know about every aspect of Rippletail's life, and except for Mallowleaf's two brothers, there wasn't anycat that Russethawk could think of who could possibly be the father of Rippletail's kits.
I'm sure she'll tell us in a second, he reassured himself, the deep emerald hue of his eyes fixed on the silvery queen with a sense of genuine happiness for her. This really was great news; RainClan always needed more kits, and with Roselight and Razorstar's litter on the way, he had been feeling his spirits well and truly lifted. The greencough outbreak had been a devastation the likes of which he had not seen since the flooding two New Leafs back - the arrival of new, squealing, tiny pink-nosed warriors would always be welcomed in RainClan. Rippletail may not've been forced to say who the father was, but Russethawk hoped she'd confide the truth in them; they were her friends, what were they going to do? Disapprove? Hardly! He was already trying to wrack his brains, think back to any times he had seen her previously to try to pin down who the lucky tom was. Sporting the kind of grin that held no ill will behind it whatsoever, his tail high, he spoke again in that jovial, warm tone of his. "Who's the lucky tom? I need to congratulate him, maybe rough him up a bit for not asking permission to start seeing you!" That last one was obviously a joke.
Well, mostly a joke. The tom should've said something if he'd been courting Rippletail, it was only polite that he make himself known to Russethawk and Speckledleaf; they only wanted what was best for their friend, and if the tom had any sense of honor or compassion at all, he'd want that too.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 19, 2015 12:16:47 GMT -5
but all the stars that separatedisappear now when i'm dreaming of your face• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •Speckledleaf squealed and Russethawk stood there with a dumb look on his face. Rippletail blushed, looking down and wondering just how to get the attention off of herself. "That's so exciting, Rippletail!" Speckledleaf rushed to sit next to her and placed a tail on her belly as if waiting to feel a kit move inside her friend.
"It's too soon to feel them, silly," Rippletail countered, pushing her friend off with a friendly shove. Turning to Russethawk, she answered his stream of questions with a stream of replies. "Yes, I'm serious. No, I haven't told anyone else. Yes, you are the first ones to know." She purred, then, happy in the moment, sharing the good news of her kits with her two best friends. Kits were always a good thing, right? she asked herself. No matter what?
"Who's the lucky tom? I need to congratulate him, maybe rough him up a bit for not asking permission to start seeing you!"
Russethawk's joking question sent her back down to earth, sitting next to the river with a couple of dead fish by her paws. How was she supposed to tell them that she broke the warrior code? That she fell in love with a handsome, kind, gentle tom from TreeClan and was now bearing his kits? A simple admission like that couldn't cover the scope of their relationship. He tried to fish for her. He asked after her well being. He introduced her to squirrel. And he didn't care about her past. Any tom in RainClan would have ran in the opposite direction had Rippletail expressed interest in them. But Sunstride didn't care. He only saw her for who she is, not for what her mother had done.
"Well, to do that you'd need to wait until the next gathering," she finally mewed, separating herself from her friends to swipe a fish from its journey in the river. She waited for them to understand, to realize what she meant without her having to outright say it. She was in love with Sunstride, but she couldn't just announce it to the Clans. It would have to be in bits and pieces, just a few friends. Maybe he could meet their kits at a gathering one day. But for now, here she was, in a different Clan that her mate, and breaking the news to her friends. A few simple words from one of them and it would all come tumbling down around her. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
rippletail;; warrior ;; rainclanfawn: russethawk ;; tag415 ;; wordcountshe's so scared ;; notes3 Doors Down - Here Without You [edited] ;; lyrics
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Post by Fawn on Feb 19, 2015 15:58:09 GMT -5
Russethawk Tom || 27 Moons || RainClan || Warrior Feels like a good day. "Well, to do that you'd need to wait until the next gathering,"
For the duration of a few happy milliseconds, the gleeful expression on Russethawk's face stayed exactly where it was, hung there by a selfless happiness for a cat he cared very much for; and then, as they say, the other branch dropped. The green-eyed tom stared in momentary bewilderment as Rippletail, smooth as can be, wrested a fish from the river and onto the banks, killing it, carrying on as if this were a perfectly normal thing to say in a perfectly normal situation. Huh? The father of Rippletail's kits wasn't RainClan? For Russethawk, who had never before really dealt with the breaking of the Code on a personal level (none of his friends thus far had done anything to defy the Code), he was unprepared for the news she gave him, and uncertain of how to respond. Rippletail had broken the rules... But it wasn't that simple, she probably hadn't chosen to break the rules - he knew her (at least he thought he did), she wasn't the sort of cat who just went looking for trouble.
Then, like a bolt of lightning, Russethawk gained clarity, realizing that the fact that Rippletail had done something wrong was not the bigger issue here; what was done was done, it was making sure her kits weren't treated like outcasts throughout their lives that was the bigger concern. This was a Clan of, Russethawk had to admit, cats of very strong opinions about blood ties and Clan loyalty; the moons ahead would be tough for Rippletail, and though Russethawk could not outright defend the silver queen as if she were innocent, he would defend to the death her right to be here and the right of her offspring to be brought up within RainClan.
Chin raising, the tom's aghast expression loosened rapidly into a warmer, more accepting smile, his eyes ablaze with determination. "That's it then," he mewed, leaning forward to lick the silvery ear belonging to the she-cat, sharing a brief glance with Speckledleaf - she undoubtedly felt the same towards this revelation - before continuing to speak. "Just point him out to me at the next Gathering, I'll give him a big speech about the importance of family and make sure he's good enough for you." It really wasn't that complicated after all, kits were kits, no matter where they came from, and RainClan was about to get even more warriors - that was cause enough for celebration. He didn't care what Clan the tom was from (though NightClan would certainly make things... tense), just so long as he treated Rippletail the way she deserved to be treated.
Despite his resolve, however, Russethawk felt a small needle of worry thread its way through his determination. This is going to have to be a secret. Can I keep this sort of secret from Razorstar? He resisted the urge to flatten his ears, a flash of guilt blinking in and out of existence like a firefly's glow, feeling his stomach clench. He didn't want to have to choose between the two of them, he honestly didn't know if he could hold onto Rippletail's secret like he wanted to, not when it came to his old mentor - a cat he very much considered a big brother.
Word Count: 553 Words Tag: @lacihparg
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Post by Deleted on Feb 25, 2015 12:10:00 GMT -5
but all the stars that separatedisappear now when i'm dreaming of your face• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •"Just point him out to me at the next Gathering, I'll give him a big speech about the importance of family and make sure he's good enough for you."
"What?" Rippletail spun around, nearly throwing herself off balance. Speckledleaf nodded, standing beside Russethawk.
"Of course! We have to make sure he's good enough for you," she affirmed. "No one less than amazing for you, Rippletail."
Rippletail blushed, suddenly embarrassed by the support her friends gave her. "Thanks," she finally mewed. "I'm really scared, but I feel better now." It was true, after all. Rippletail was scared to death. Scared of her secret being found out, scared for her kits, scared of kitting... Everything raced through her mind in a jumbled confusion, but one thing was clear: there were two cats in RainClan who would support her, no matter what. And she was happy with that.
"Just...promise me one thing?" she asked quietly, looking Russethawk in his bright green eyes. "Don't tell Razorstar. I owe him that much." • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
rippletail;; warrior ;; rainclanfawn: russethawk ;; tag 172 ;; wordcount sorry for the short post ;; notes 3 Doors Down - Here Without You [edited] ;; lyrics
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Post by Fawn on Feb 27, 2015 9:16:24 GMT -5
Russethawk Tom || 27 Moons || RainClan || Warrior Feels like a good day. "Don't tell Razorstar. I owe him that much."
Russethawk almost sank to the ground, he was so relieved. This meant he didn't have to keep it from Razorstar! The ruddy warrior would never have felt comfortable otherwise, and whether Rippletail had said it for his sake or for her lover's sake or even for a matter of pride, Russethawk was extremely grateful. He didn't want his friendships with other cats (and, apparently, their biggest secrets) to disturb the friendship he had with his mentor and leader; for the first time in the RainClanner's life, he understood how the nature of social interactions and being unable to control what his Clanmates did or said could be potentially... harmful. Would that make him regret having so many friends in his own Clan? No, nothing would make him regret that, but it would make him more... cautious, about butting into their private lives and being a steady rock they could lean against. Rippletail was special to him, however; she was like the sister he'd never had... until now.
Feeling the weight of disloyalty lift from his shoulders, his grin was as bright with relief as it could possibly be, and he dipped his head to her in acceptance of her decision. "Alright. Good luck, Rippletail. Now then... What's say we get some proper fishing done, eh?" His green eyes sparkled. "We've got a lot of new mouths to feed!"
Word Count: 225 Words Tags: @lacihparg Notes: <3 End Thread!
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