#fadingflea

Oh no

oh no

oh no

the fadingflea family! Lineart by rockyspotted on deviantart

(@ambitiousauthor @residents-of-the-darkforest @liberhoe @starfalcon555 @chaos-n-bees

-- Fadingstar X Fleathistle litter

(It was originally thought to be  Lilyclaw, Silktangle, Webfang, and Petalstripe [Lilywater X Webstripe litter] because Fadingstar and Fleathistle hid their kits at first).

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First Half-Dark Kit: Salviathaw (younger littermates = Brindlekit and Mothshade) 

-- Snowfringe X Sorrelmint litter

Her mother was still alive when she was born, making her Half-DF-half-living.

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First Dark-Star Kit: Blightrain (younger littermate = Scabdrip) 

FleaThistle woke up with half his body soaked and, the mud falling off of him in clumps. His body stung and ached, and he had a jolt of panic as he remembered. 

“RaspberryKit?” He called out, paws scrambling in the think water to stand up. 

“Papa!” The cry was cut off by a ‘shh’ sound, and FleaThistle’s looked up at the top of the pit where his kit was. 

HornetLeg was sitting behind him, his paw on the small kits tail. Scratches ran down RaspberryKit’s tiny body, his eyes blown wide in fear. 

“What are you doing here,” FleaThistle glared at his former mentor, trying to keep his voice steady. 

“Don’t you want to spend time with me?” At FleaThistle’s snarl, he shook his head and continued, “Tsk. I thought since you took my kit, id take yours.” 

Panic and anger ran through FleaThistle, and his claws were unsheathed in the water. He couldn’t get up the pit in time to reach HornetLeg before he hurt RaspberryKit. 

GremlinFrost had gone for help, and from the sound of bubbling puddles they couldn’t be that far from them. Someone would find them. 

“You left TawnyKit in a pit, she nearly drowned!”

“Mistakes happen,” HornetLeg groomed his ear, not a care in the world for the shaking kitten at his paws. 

“Mistakes? She’s your daughter. She’s three moons old, for stars sake. She couldn’t even swim,” he shook his head, baffled at the toms words. 

He rolled his eyes, digging his claws into the kits tail until he heard a yelp. 

FleaThistle bit his tongue, his whole body tense and ready to leap up at any point. He shifted, and was reminded of the injured leg that was tainting the water red. 

“Why are you doing this?” FleaThistle shook his head, voice more resigned. He couldn’t make HornetLeg mad. 

“Because you took everything from me. My reputation, my life, my kit,” HornetLeg hissed, eyes narrowed and cold. 

FleaThistle felt lightheaded, and planted his paws in the mud so he didn’t sway. “Are you kidding me. Are you kidding me,” he laughed awkwardly, strained. 

HornetLeg simply stared at him hatefully. 

“You hurt me so many times, you beat me regularly, you ruined my life and friendships. You made the clan hate me, and for what? So you could have an apprentice you didn’t have to train?” 

HornetLeg opened his mouth, but FleaThistle continued on. 

“So that you couldn’t have any responsibilities. You ruined my life, and you ruined TawnyKit’s as well. And I found a family, I found peace here. Now you want to hurt my kit?” 

He could hear his heart beat, and his blood felt hot as he stood up to his mentor for the first time. 

RaspberryKit blinked between the two, his ears pinned down and nose twitching in anxiety. His bottom lip was swollen, as if it had been scratched. 

FleaThistle heard paw steps, and voices carried away by the wind. HornetLeg heard them as well, stepping off of the kits tail and backing away as he gave a low and long hiss. 

FleaThistle couldn’t see what he was so afraid of, but he heard pawsteps and then FadingStar was leaping into the pit, splashing water everywhere as he slammed into him. 

“You’re okay!” He breathed a sigh of relief, burying his head in FleaThistle’s shoulder. His breath was warm against his skin, a stark contrast to his cold fur. 

FleaThistle smiled, licking his mates cheek. 

At the top of the pit, BrownMouse was grooming RaspberryKit and whispering gently to him. He nudged the kit, turning him away from the fighting behind him. 

FleaThistle heard hissing and spitting, and yowls as claws were raked through skin. He heard MyrtleWing and AlderStar arguing over who should kill him, and JackDaw snapping at them both to “stop their fox snouted whines” before he killed them both. 

FadingStar finally released him as the cries stopped, and stepped back as AlderStar appeared at the ledge, his golden-yellow legs stained with blood. 

FadingStar supported FleaThistle, pushing him up carefully so that he didn’t hurt his leg. AlderStar pulled him up by the scruff. 

RaspberryKit ran to his feet, asking if he was okay. He reassured him, licking at the messy fur. 

He was a little banged up, mostly with small scratches that would heal in a couple days. 

Lightheaded, FleaThistle sent small thanks to LilyDawn under his breath.  

Beside them, out of the kits view, he could see a glimpse of a mangled body, and of JackDaw stepping away from it, blood dripping from his muzzle. 

As he stepped back, a light weight draped across his shoulders as JackDawFoot pressed against his side, head resting on FleaThistle’s back, the fluff obscuring his vision in a half-hug. 

“I’m glad you’re okay,” the tom said quietly, barely above a whisper. 

“Thanks, dad,” FleaThistle swayed on his feet, exhaustion setting in as he leaned against his family. 

His eyes drifted closed, blinking slowly as he watched RaspberryKit attempt to stand on BrownMouse’s head. 

______ 

I’m exhausted so I have no clue if this is even coherent but there’s a squirrel in my wall screaming at my cat for the past several hours and I tried lol 

BrownMouse, FleaThistle, LilyDawn and HornetLeg belong to myself. 

RaspberryKit  is co-owed by myself and the lovely @liberhoe, who owns FadingStar 

FleaThistle gazed down at the small kittens nestled at IvySpots’ belly. 

The smell was rancid, stinging his nose. He pursed his lips, saying his goodbyes to the two mollies before leaving the queens den. 

On his way back home, his head kept spinning. Why didn’t his kits have that smell? Why weren’t they skeletal? 

Well, PoppyKit is a bit small, but that’s about it. Was something wrong with their kits. 

He jumped over a small pothole in the dirt, and looped around the garden on his way back to his own den. 

Lost in thought, FleaThistle’s paws lead him to the border of starclan. They were unable to step over the border unless you get were at the tunnel. 

Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw a flash of orange behind a bush in starclan. 

Small stars drifted up from the orange pelt, fading into the pale purple blue sky. The blue star grass swayed softly in the fields, and FleaThistle wondered what it was like over there. 

He continued walking, and flinched when a cat jumped out of the bush. 

“FleaThistle! Finally!” The unfamiliar—wait, no. He recognized that voice, that pelt. 

Images of potholes filled with organs flashed through his mind, and he shook his head as his heart sped up, beating so hard he could have sworn he was on the thunder path. 

LilyDawn stepped up to the border, close enough they could touch noses if the border wasn’t there. 

“Lily? I’m… I’m so sorry for what I did..” FleaThistle’s eyes watered, and he swallowed before resting his tail on his paws as he dug at the ground. 

“Hey, It’s okay, I’m sorry too. Don’t cry,” She smiled warmly at him, her own eyes tearing. “I missed you,” 

FleaThistle nodded, head feeling light. 

Amongst the sparkling fields behind her, a few cats stood at the top of the hill. 

They shouted something down to LilyDawn, but was carried away by the wind. Even though they couldn’t hear, she grimaced. 

“I have to go, but I missed you, 

“Oh! I almost forgot! How are the kits? I put a small blessing on them, so they shouldn’t be sickly—“ 

“You what?” FleaThistle’s lower lip trembled as his mouth fell open, but LilyDawn didn’t seem to notice. 

“—but anyway, I hope we can speak soon! Sorry, my moms calling me, bye Fleaball!”  

She jumped away, running up the hills.

His eyes glistened as his mind spun, and his paws carried himself back to his den, ducking under the Spanish moss combing through his fur. 

FleaThistle paused in the doorway, seeing his mate curled up around their week old kits. 

So small, so innocent, so… normal. Alive, almost. Did LilyDawn do that? She had always been startouched, but the idea that she could—would—do something like this after what he did to her. 

Fox breath against his neck, the lily petals and ginger fur in his paws. The blood trails surrounding him, the metallic scent filling his nose.  

He took a few deeps breaths, walking over with numb and sore paws as he curled up around his family. 

Whatever LilyDawn had done, she’d kept his kits safe, and he would be forever grateful for that. 

________

Basically, LilyDawn was a medince apprentice and had a good connection to starclan. When she found out FadingStar and FleaThistle were having kits, she put a blessing on them so that the kits would be like how they appear in life. 

LilyDawn is one of FleaThistle’s victims! He was killed by a fox shortly after he mercy killed her. 

AmaranthKit, PoppyKit, RaspberryKit and RosewoodKit are co-created by myself and @liberhoe 

IvySpots belongs to @ambitiousauthor 

FleaThistle and LilyDawn belong to myself. 

and Myrtlewing is like ‘yeah no I know what kits feel like dude’