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Post by Deleted on Jun 9, 2017 1:10:10 GMT -5
All your heads are gonna roll...
When he had initially received his mission to travel to RainClan's camp with Meadowleaf's two orphan kits, Magpiewing had been genuinely surprised. Why Lionstar had chosen HIM for this task had him momentarily mystified, but it had not taken him long to puzzle out the many possible reasons. Lionstar would never trust Mockingbird, and by extension, him for choosing her as his mate. He could give her an apprentice and Magpiewing could try to make him feel guilty about doubting his mate's intentions all he wanted, but he was certain that fact would never change. Separating him from his mate may have been one reason, but it wasn't enough. Looking after two TreeClan kits in another Clan's camp wasn't just typical guard duty Lionstar could push off onto any cat. He briefly imagined his old mentor Adderstrike being assigned such a task and nearly snorted aloud. That hot-headed fleabrain would have started a war in heartbeats.
Perhaps it was part of his own test. Mockingbird had her apprentice, and now he had this mission. The task itself was simple enough. Help to hunt and provide for RainClan, ensure the TreeClan kits KNEW they were TreeClan kits, watch over and protect them from any potential threats, and see them weaned and returned to their rightful Clan. There was nothing inherently difficult, and yet it was an incredibly delicate situation. He was a guest in another Clan's camp and they were very likely to be suspicious of his presence. If he did not conduct himself appropriately, he could endanger the kits, endanger TreeClan's chances of getting the kits back, endanger himself, and skew RainClan's entire perception of TreeClan into a negative light. He could even incite war, if he played the right part. It was tempting, to be sure, but the blame would be far too easily placed solely upon his shoulders.
Magpiewing put on a friendly, easy going, even charming demeanor for the masses. He took all things in stride, never made a fuss, got along with every cat, or at least tried to do so despite their scrutiny over his choice of mate. While the hiccup of Pinkcloud and Nightsky cast some aspersions on him in his otherwise non-eventful past, he had an explanation for it that every cat he had told had so far been mostly understanding of. For all any cat knew, he was the perfect choice for a diplomatic mission. That left both trust and doubt together as reasons Lionstar may have chosen him.
And erring on the side of caution, Lionstar had chosen a cat who had a mate and family waiting back in TreeClan so as to avoid any cross-Clan romance mishaps. After all, he would be staying with RainClan for several moons, plenty of time for some unattached warrior to develop inappropriate feelings for a cat outside their Clan. His family brought with it another reason. Flamekit and Pantherkit were orphans, both their parents had died of greencough. While the RainClan queen that would be nursing them would become their mother figure, they still lacked a surrogate father. Magpiewing had helped to raise three distinct kits who were now apprentices, kits that Lionstar had no suspicion of. He had proven himself as a father, if nothing else. Perhaps that meant something to the golden leader. There were several other reasons, but those were the ones that stood out as the most likely in Magpiewing's mind.
As he sat outside the nursery, he reflected on these thoughts, piecing together just how he wanted to play out this particular stage of his game. He had a whole new Clan to play with, after all, cats that were complete strangers to him, cats he would have to spend time studying, learning how to read their quirks and peculiarities until he could predict their actions and reactions as easily as his own Clanmates. Fortunately, he had a well trained eye for such things after moons upon moons of practice. Besides, the vast majority of cats were simple creatures as easy to discern as the full moon on a cloudless night.
What was truly exciting was that, though RainClan may bear some suspicion toward him for being an outsider, they would not look at him the same way some of his Clanmates looked at him due to his mateship with Grayowl's daughter. RainClan knew next to nothing about Grayowl at all, and even if they did, they certainly wouldn't have any knowledge of his progeny. And simply spending a little time with them would build up a lot of trust on its own, so long as he kept up his usual demeanor and perhaps played a few more sympathy cards as well. He would be missing his family, of course, wondering if he would return to his Clan in time to see his kits receive their warrior names. He was lonely, surrounded by strangers wary of his presence, but of course being chosen for such an important task as looking after these poor little orphaned kits was SUCH an honor.
Yes, he could spin that. Meadowleaf was once TreeClan's deputy for a few short moons, after all. It WAS an honor to be looking after her kits. And their father, Nightshade... oh yes, he had been a close personal friend, he was duty bound to ensure the safety of his friend's kits. He toyed with playing the story up even more, but decided that his looking after Flamekit and Pantherkit being Nightshade's dying wish would simply be a bit too much to be believable. Best to avoid the overdramatic. His bright yellow gaze shifted slowly around the island camp as he worked out his story. He met a few gazes as he did so, dipping his head in greeting and giving an obviously nervous but friendly smile. It would not due to appear overconfident whilst sitting amid a camp full of potential enemies.
I've made your misery my goal.
Justice Fawn (thought you might want to read lol)
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Post by Justice on Jun 10, 2017 0:43:38 GMT -5
The news had hit RainClan right on the heals of the greencough epidemic that they were only just recovering from. A TreeClan cat had come desperately searching for a nursing queen to tend two orphaned kits. Echoshade had felt her heart go out to the little ones to hear that their mother had succumbed between birth and greencough, and their father never got to meet them. At least they were together in StarClan. So, when Stormstar had asked her if she was willing to take them on, to raise them with her own litter, she'd told him yes. A kit in need, regardless of where it had come from, deserved all the help she could give it.
And so, before the sun rose again, she was suddenly the mother to two new kits. Starting over again, when her own were so big, was a little scary. She introduced them carefully, explaining to the girls that their new 'brothers' were too small to play with, to do more than stay close to her belly and nurse or sleep. She groomed them as soon as they were lain with her, and made sure they smelled like her. As far as they'd know, they were her kits. RainClan kits. Anyone that told them differently would answer to her. For now, however, she remained relaxed and tended their needs.
Unfortunately for RainClain, the kits had come with a warrior from TreeClan. She thought his name was Magpiewing, but she couldn't be sure. They'd been briefly introduced when the kits were brought to her, but she hadn't paid much attention. The kits had been mewling in hunger and cold, and they'd required her absolute attention for the first few hours. Now that she had the time, she could get to know who would undoubtedly be her shadow until the kits were bigger.
So, after a quick groom to the four kits now snoozing in against her belly, she called the male in. "Won't you come sit with me for a bit? I'd like to talk to you."
@zen
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Post by Deleted on Jun 10, 2017 16:31:45 GMT -5
All your heads are gonna roll...
Black ears twitching, Magpiewing was broken from his thoughts by the call from inside the nursery. He turned his head to peer inside, casting a glance back around the area as if to be sure she was talking to him. Of course she was, he was already quite aware there was no one else around that her invitation could have been directed toward. He rose to his paws, hesitant at first, and it was actually half genuine. Entering the nursery of a Clan you did not belong to could raise some hackles.
However, she HAD invited him, after all. He ducked his head and stepped inside, keeping close to the entrance. Some queens were known to be quite protective of their kits, so he wanted further invitation before he tried to move closer to her. He was careful to keep his body language as nonthreatening as possible. He took a moment to note the differences between TreeClan's nursery and RainClan's. Everywhere in this camp, one could hear the water flowing by, and the nursery was no different.
Just as in TreeClan, feathers and tufts of soft fur could occasionally be seen in the nests, nests unlike TreeClan's, made of sticks and twigs and then covered in moss to make them soft, but buoyant in case of flooding. However, there were also pretty shells and pebbles dotted around, every so often catching on light that filtered in through the reinforced den walls, making the place sparkle like starlight.
All this taken in within a couple heartbeats time before he turned his bright yellow gaze to the queen and the four kits at her belly, giving her the majority of his attention as he dipped his head in greeting, “Good morning... Echoshade, was it?” Magpiewing did not forget names. His gaze shifted to the kits, catching sight of ginger and black fur. He kept his voice low and quiet so as not to disturb the kits, “How are they?” He allowed a soft purr to sound in the back of his throat, “Silly question, I suppose. They're quiet, after all... they must be content.”
The little scraps of fur had made an awful racket the entire trip to RainClan. It was fortunate they hadn't brought Demon down on them. He sat, curling his fluffy black tail around his paws, and returned his gaze to the queen. He dipped his head again, this time a bit lower, a show of respect, “Thank you, on behalf of all of TreeClan, for your compassion and generosity.” He raised his eyes briefly to hers and then looked down at his paws, his voice even quieter, “We were all so afraid they would be doomed to die.... Greencough has stolen so many lives already, but to lose newborn kits... it would have been very hard for our Clan to recover from such a tragedy.” He looked up at her again, his eyes a bit brighter, “Amid all the death and loss we've been forced to endure, you've given us something to be thankful for.”
I've made your misery my goal.
Justice Fawn
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Post by Justice on Jun 15, 2017 10:52:23 GMT -5
It pleased her that he was so prompt, and his manners were spot on. She wondered if the manners were out of self-preservation of a cat in a Clan not his own, or his normal personality, but wasn't going to ask. "It is." She leaned over to give each sleeping ball of fur a quick nuzzle and groom, earning little squeaks from the little ones and mewling complaints from her visibly bigger she-kits. It was all an act, the motion necessary only to assure herself and by extension this tom, that the kits were all still living. Kits that lost their mother before they were weaned sometimes didn't survive even if a surrogate was found to nurse them. "Quiet kits aren't necessarily content." She swept her tail across the kits, leaving over them protectively. "But yes, they're content. Warm, fed, and safe, all the things that matter for newborn kits."
Her gaze went back to the tom, to Magpiewing. "Taking care of kits is what a Queen's purpose is. Nevermind the fact that the care of kits, even from other clans, is part of the Code. They were in need, in danger of death without a mother willing to nurse them. So I stepped in." She was practical, but also her gentle heart wouldn't have allowed anything else. News she'd heard before, of the fate of the little ones birth parents, made her heart squeeze in pain.
"Their kits are now safe and well cared for, and their parents are safe in StarClan where they can watch over them." She sighed, the sound loud in the quiet nursery. "Until they are old enough to be weaned, they are RainClan kits. Stressed kits will stop eating, and that is not something I want to happen." And to tell them that she wasn't their mother, that Dewkit and Fernkit weren't their sisters, would be a very stressful thing indeed. "When it's time, I assume the telling of where they came from and who they're parents are, will fall to you?"
@zen
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Post by Deleted on Jun 26, 2017 23:44:10 GMT -5
I'm feeling careless with your fragile little heart...
She gave her predictable, boring explanation in response to his gratitude. What queen wouldn't take in orphaned kits? It was an important part of the very code the Clans lived by. He simply nodded his agreement, unable to say anything more before the queen continued. His ears pricked in the slightest as she explained that these kits were RainClan kits so long a she nursed them. He was momentarily irked, for that had not been his plan at all. However, she raised a good point as it would apparently be too much of a risk to the kits' lives otherwise.
He had to defer to her judgment on that note, for he had never been a queen and never would be, and had very little knowledge of newborns. Of course he had visited his own kits with Mockingbird on a regular basis, but while they had been too young to be of any interest, it had only been for show, and to see to his mate's needs. He hadn't cared to learn about them at that stage of their lives; useless, weak, mewling little scraps of fur that could do little more than squeak and wriggle toward the nearest source of food and warmth.
Though it still irked him to have to change his plans so drastically, he did not let it show, dipping his head agreeably instead. These kits would be of no use to him at all if the stupid creatures starved themselves because they couldn't handle the truth of their lives. “I must admit, I had been planning to ensure that they knew the whole time, to make the transition back to TreeClan easier for them... but yes, I suppose if you think it will endanger them, I shall have to wait and ease them into the knowledge later on. That is one of the duties Lionstar entrusted me with... making sure these kits know who they are and where they came from, and where they will eventually return to.”
He was not at all pleased with this new plan. To allow to them to grow up thinking of themselves as RainClan cats, allowing them to fall in love with their new mother... it would make things far more complicated when it came time to move them back to the Clan of their birth. They would not want to go. He already knew it. This would be more of a challenge than he originally anticipated, but Magpiewing was always up for a challenge. With some amusement, he thought that Lionstar had for once made quite a wise decision, sending him along to RainClan. If any cat could ease these kits away from RainClan and toward their true Clan, it would be him.
“Echoshade.... These kits' father... his name is Nightshade. He and I are... were,” he trailed off as pain flickered over his features at the correction, the reference to a life so freshly ended, “...good friends. Flamekit and Pantherkit will look to you as their mother, but... I was hoping... I was hoping I could become something of a father to them. I just want them to have that... to know they have a protector and a provider, like Nightshade would have been. You... presumably have a mate already, and I would not ask you to pretend that I was in any way involved with you, but... I guess I just want to be part of their lives, to put it simply. I don't want to be just some stranger that guards the nursery... I want them to know me, and know I'm here for them if they ever need me.”
How can I bear this when it's tearing you apart?
Justice Fawn
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Post by Justice on Jul 9, 2017 22:24:18 GMT -5
"At least you're reasonable about it." And he knew that a queen would know better than any tom what to do with kits. Not that she was saying that, she was far too nice to. When the tom started talking about the kits' father her head tipped slowly to one side and she considered him carefully. It was sad that they'd lost everything, and it made her think less of the esteemed Lionstar that he'd sent the father's best friend. Seeing these little bundles, who would likely resemble their parents, day after day would be something like torture, she surmised. Like suddenly having her parents, who were deceased, have an exact likeness within the clan trying to interact with her.
"I do not have a mate." She told him quietly, laying her tail over the tiny scraps of fur now belonging to her family. "But in RainClan one doesn't always necessarily need a mate to be a queen." Particularly in a clan where a cat like Silverfrost lived. No one had yet reigned him in, and so there were a few litters sired by the tom wherein the mother was not his mate. It happened. She took a breath, letting it out slowly before leaning sideways slightly to press her head to the tom's leg to comfort him without disturbing the kits. It was also the least forward way since he was not familiar to her.
"Your pardon, but your leader was a fool to send you. I can't imagine your pain, being constantly reminded of the friend you lost. However, I see no reason why you can't have a paw in rearing them with me. They do need a strong male in their lives, and StarClan knows there isn't anyone to do that right now. So, if you think you can deal with the reminder, feel free." She saw no reason why he couldn't help her rear these little lives. Silverfrost might be a bit cross with her for letting a stranger near his kits, but he didn't come around much. He cared for her, but kits made his pelt crawl so he stayed away from the nursery.
@zen
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