#daisysnap

How did I get bullied into this? Daisysnap wondered as he fought not to hiss when Jumblekit’s little claws dug into his flank, his weight kicking off of Daisysnap as he chased after Peakkit and Moonkit. Little Cloverkit, still getting used to playing with the older litter, was chirping to herself, batting some leaves and herb scraps she’d found in his fur. Their mothers were getting a checkup with Ferretlily, and Ferret told him since he wasn’t in training anymore, he could take on other tasks. He knew she was enjoying this a little too much.

Not that his niblings were bad. No, while he might not be vocal about it, he adored his older brother’s kits. Jumblekit’s troublemaking reminded him of Ivyshine in a way that made his heart hurt a little bit. She had the same skill to leave cats bemused as opposed to annoyed… most of the time. Peakkit and Moonkit each reminded him of their parents in different ways. Moonkit may look more like Eddymist, but her tendency to lead from the front of the gaggle of kits reminded him of his brother. Peakkit was similarly daring, but in the way that he backed Moonkit and Jumblekit up in whatever his sisters did. Jumblekit irritated Raggedspeckle? Peakkit was there to help her talk her way out of it. Moonkit claiming she’d fight a fox? Peakkit was on board without question.

He wasn’t going to admit it out loud, but he’d do anything to help his niblings have the happy childhood he and his brothers missed out on.

“Daisy! Daisy! You’re a med’cine cat!” He turned his head then from watching Jumblekit pretending that Cloverkit’s little herb pile was secretly stinging nettle, making the little molly giggle. The other two kits perked up as well when Moonkit and Peakkit bounded back into their little corner of camp. He raised a brow.

“Yeah, I’m a medicine cat… but you know that. So what do you want?” He gave his niece a suspicious look, earning a smug smirk in response. She was too smart for her own good.

“How are kits born?” His mind skidded to a halt in surprise at the brazen question, unflinching even under his questioning look. Peakkit was nodding along, eager to back his sister up, and little Cloverkit had perked up from her spot next to his tail and was looking between them.

“... why ask me? Shouldn’t you ask you mom, or your dad?” He deflected, glancing at the entrance to the medicine den where Ferretlily was talking happily with the two queens, no where near done their check up, damn it.

“We did.” Jumblekit answered, still absorbed with Cloverkit’s leaf pile, barely paying attention.

“Mama said we gotta get bigger and Papa said the mamas eat ‘em! Rain said you know what Really happens tho!” Moonkit filled in, her and Peakkit coming to sit on either side of Cloverkit, the three giving him earnest looks of curiosity, and a little mischief from the sly little molly. Daisysnap frowned, considering his options.

Option 1: Tell them to listen to their mom and get out of it, but disappoint his beloved niblings (and Cloverkit who was stupid cute and hard to disappoint)

Option 2: Tell them their dad is right, but that means saying Swish was right and lying to the kits, neither of which was acceptable

Option 3: … tell them… which meant probably confusing and maybe lightly freaking them out, but also had the benefit of mortifying his brother and sister as their kits would now go around telling everyone they know how kits are made…

“... A’ight,” He agreed, shrugging. “But you’re gonna hate it.” The kits cheered, Jumblekit leaving the leaf pile to join her littermates in encircling the younger Cloverkit, who still looked hilariously confused, if curious and eager. He glanced over at the queens and Ferret again once more, still a long checkup left if their relaxed smiles said anything, and Swish was on hunting patrol and wasn’t due back for a bit so…

“So, your dad was wrong, first off. No one eats anyone to make kittens.” He had to fight not to laugh at the outright shock on their faces at Swish being wrong and Daisysnap being so confident about it. “There is, however, a ritual.” Their faces lit up again.

“What kind of ritual!”

“This is where you Mom is right, and it’s not something for little ears, you do need to get bigger to learn about it, but-” he cut in before the older kits could whine to hard. “When you are old enough, if you still want to know, I will tell you. You’ll still hate it, but I’ll tell you.” Moonkiit and Jumblekit looked at each other, having a silent conversation, then Peakkit, confirming the answer. Then they whispered something conspiratorial to Cloverkit and the four begrudgingly agreed to his terms.

“So, when two cats want to have kits, they do this ritual, and if all the… parts are right and everything goes well, then one of them becomes pregnant, which is when the kits are growing in a cat’s belly.” He gestured to his own belly for example. “Your moms were pregnant with you lot not long ago.”

“But… what parts have to be right?” Jumblekit asked, head cocked askance and brow furrowed. Daisysnap hesitated then.

“... well, one cat has to be born a molly and one cat has to be born a tom.”

“But Papa said you guys had two Mamas.” Oh sweet Starclan he was being asked about his own conception.

“We did. Uh… theres a couple of ways that two mollies or two toms can have kits, even though you need one cat born each way.” The kits were looking absolutely baffled now, almost worried? Daisysnap was almost regretting this choice now, cause he couldn’t back down, but what was appropriate for little kits like them?

“So… you know how Wheatstalk isn’t a molly or a tom?” The kits nodded, still frowning. “Well, some cats are born a molly, but they aren’t a molly in their heart so they might be a tom or neither. Same with a cat who is born a tom but is a molly in their heart or neither. If a tom who was born a molly and a tom who was born a tom want to have kits, they can, same with a molly who was born a molly and a molly born a tom.” He paused for a bit, letting hte kits process that information and waiting for the inevitable questions.

But instead after a few moments of thinking the kits just nodded and looked back at him to continue. Stars kits were so cool. Just accepted without question.

“So if two cats who were born as mollies, or even a molly who doesn’t have a mate, want to have kits, they need to have a cat who was born a tom to help them. That’s called being a donor. On the other side, if one or two cats born a tom wants to have kits, they need a cat born a molly to be something called a surrogate.”

“How come you need one of each?” Cloverkit piped up, frowning in confusion but attention rapt.

“Well each has a job to make a kit.” Daisysnap answered, feeling more in the swing of the conversation. “Cats born as toms, during that ritual, do something that plants a seed that will grow into kits in cats born as mollies. Cats born as mollies carry the kits in their bellies until they’re grown enough.”

“Then what?” Peakkit asked.

“Then the cat carrying, like you Mama, starts feeling different because their body is ready to help them bring the kits into the world, in the clans Medicine cats will help with that too, as well as checkin on Mamas while the kits are growing. Then the kits are here.” The kits nodded then. Looking like they were digesting the information, and Daisysnap glanced over to their moms again.

Only to find a mortified looking Swishbeam staring at him in horror, a bemused Eddymist leaning against him talking happily with an equally amused and fond Chirp and Ferret.

“Anymore questions you can ask mom and dad.” He finished up, nodding to the parents and sending squealing kits scurrying to greet their Papa and Mamas and tell them all about the cool things Daisysnap was teaching them. Daisy gave Swish a little smirk when Peakkit started bombarding him with questions, but subsided a little when Ferret came over and light batted at his ear with a smile. “... I think I kept it appropriate.” He muttered. He wouldn’t tell her outright, but he was a little worried he’d overstepped. Eddymist and Chirp seemed fine with it, but he didn’t know if it was okay for him to share that with the kits.

“You did well. Maybe you should be the one to tell the older apprentices about the birds and the bees. I’m not sure my delivery fit the last batch.” Daisysnap snorted, remembering the horrified looks on Seedgorse, Marcy, and Turtlefreckle’s kits faces after Ferretlily’s lecture. It had, apparently, gotten very technical, and a little more graphic than they’d anticipated.