#lightclan!birchkit

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"Psst! Ly! You awake?"

Lilacdream woke to a harsh, excited whisper in her ear. She lifted her head and squinted, able to blearily recognize the rough shape and color of her sister.

"...I am now. What's the matter?"

"I gotta tell you something!" Pepperfrost purred, dropping the snake she'd brought along, probably as an offering to make up for waking her so rudely. "I wanted you to be the first one to find out!"

"I'm... listening..." Lilacdream lied, closing her eyes groggily.

"I mean it!" Her littermate huffed impatiently. "It's really important. I need you to come here."

"Fine..."

Lilacdream dragged herself out of her nest and trudged over, trying to blink the sleep from her eyes.

"Here, give me your paw!"

Without feeling the need to ask questions, Lilacdream offered her paw to her sister. Without missing a beat, Pepperfrost moved the extended paw over to the side of her belly, pressing Lilacdream's paw against it.

"Your... belly is damp, were you laying in a snowy nest?"

"Shh! Quiet. Wait for it."

Lilacdream reluctantly fell quiet, wondering what Pepperfrost was getting at... until she felt a subtle movement coming from inside of Pepperfrost's belly. Instinctively waking up, she yanked her paw away with a gasp.

"Pepper, you're..?!" '

"Yeah!" Pepperfrost was beaming with an excited glow. "I wasn't sure at first, but... I'm expecting kits!"

"Pepper..." Lilacdream faltered for a brief moment. She was, of course, overcome with joy; she was going to be an aunt. But, at the same time, she... worried. Especially considering their current circumstances.

A stir in the nest next to her own startled Lilacdream into neglecting the rest of her sentence, though Pepperfrost of course was not fazed. Stormflower had been sleeping in the healer's den as well when the tortoiseshell entered, and now...

"...You two are loud..." The older she-cat mumbled.

"Oops! I'm sorry, Stormflower." Pepperfrost laughed awkwardly. "I was just so excited about--"

"I heard you the first time. You don't need to repeat yourself." Ouch, shot down. "Celebrate all you like, but be careful. Kits born in leaf-bare are harder to care for. I can only pray nothing bad happens to them."

"Pssh..! Don't be such a downer." Pepperfrost laughed off the healer's advice, quickly hyping herself up once more. "C'mon, Ly. Let's go eat in the clearing! Wouldn't wanna keep Ms. Grumpy from her beauty sleep."

"Alright, alright..."

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Pepperfrost reveals to Lilacdream that she is expecting kits.

Now that Pepperfrost will be moving into the nursery, Magicpaw's training falls on the rest of the clan.

Lightrunner teaches Magicpaw how to fish.

The clan has an overabundance of frogs, toads, and minnows, leaving no cat hungry.

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It was Lilacdream who first felt the flicker of ice on her pelt, having been in the middle of a grooming session when she noticed the drifting snow above. She looked up at it, purring softly. While she had certainly seen snow, there was a new magic about it. Now, there were more cats to enjoy the serene atmosphere with.

The kits were the second, third, and fourth cats to notice, respectively. Lilacdream watched from afar as Antkit, Birchkit, and Mousekit began excitedly pouncing at snowflakes, giggling amongst themselves and roughhousing.

Honeypurr's litter was so rambunctious, even, that they almost crashed right into Stormflower as she passed. The spotted healer didn't seem to notice nor care, ignoring the altercation like she had already gotten used to this sort of thing. How many leaf-bare seasons had Stormflower seen, Lilacdream wondered? She and Pepperfrost were still rather young, so she knew that Stormflower had been around a lot longer than them. Perhaps the healer had just been around so many kits frolicking in the past that she'd expected this? She'd even wandered off into her nest to take a nap...

As the snow began to stick to the forest floor, the kits only grew more eager to play and run around. It was good that they were so excited, pouncing and dancing amongst each other like this. They would be apprentices soon, according to Lightrunner. Soon, their prancing and playing would be gradually replaced with patrols and hunting. Lilacdream hoped they would enjoy these final days of freedom while they still had the chance They were kits, after all.

...Just watching made Lilacdream resist the urge to stick out her tongue and catch a few snowflakes...

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The first snow has fallen. The clan is celebrating by prancing about in the fresh blanket of white.

Pepperfrost teaches Magicpaw some snowy battle techniques.

Honeypurr and Lightrunner chat about the weather in passing.

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"Hm?" Stormflower turned from her grooming to face Lightrunner, tipping her head. "What's this?"

"A, um... an offering. Of thanks. For saving Lilacdream's life." Lightrunner felt sheepish offering it, glancing elsewhere, but hoping that the she-cat would accept the offer.

"Oh, please!" Stormflower smiled. "It's my duty as a healer to help those in need, isn't it? It wouldn't be fair to ask for payment, nor 'offerings'."

"Y-Yeah, about that..." Lightrunner furrowed her brow slightly. "What are you doing here..? What about your clan?"

"My apprentice can do his job fine without my help now," The spotted molly mused, humming softly. "I wanted to make myself useful elsewhere. I started to travel, and now, here I am! How fortunate for both of us."

Lightrunner stared oddly at the stranger for a moment, then sighed in relief.

"...I worried for a moment that something bad had happened to your clan," She mewed in a soft tone. "The job of a healer... it's surely stressful. I couldn't begin to imagine."

"You get used to it in time." Stormflower almost seemed to purr at her own statement, and Lightrunner chuckled awkwardly in response. It felt a bit easier for her to talk with this cat... even though they hadn't seen one another in many moons, and despite not being more than acquaintances, it felt nice to chat with a cat who shared her clan origins.

"That being said..." Stormflower sighed, glancing off in the distance, where Magicpaw was preparing a playful sneak attack on an unsuspecting Lilacdream. "It feels like StarClan themselves wished for us to meet here. Your clan is doing well so far, but with herb storage so low and leaf-bare on the horizon... not to mention the pond is already freezing over."

She hesitated, self-conscious now that Stormflower had noticed the very things Lightrunner worried about.

"We... we'll manage," She blurted out suddenly, as if she needed to prove herself to this cat. "We're strong- my cats are strong, and Honeypurr's kits are almost six moons old. They'll be apprentices soon!"

"Hmm... well, that's wonderful!" Stormflower smiled. "I just worry what might happen if more of your clanmates fall ill. I might be able to help with that, if you'd be interested in working together for a while."

"O-Oh..!" Lightrunner stuttered. "Yeah! Yes, of course! I would appreciate an extra set of paws around camp, especially with your expertise... if you wouldn't mind?"

"Of course not! I've quite missed clan life in my travels," The spotted molly purred. "I'd love to help."

A sigh of relief escaped Lightrunner's maw. It would be one less thing for her to worry about, if Stormflower could help her clan stay healthy through leafbare that is.

"Well... in that case, welcome to LightClan! Here, I'll give you the tour."

"Why, that sounds lovely! There's so much we need to talk about..."

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Lightrunner presents Stormflower with a Rainbow Beetle as thanks for saving Lilacdream's life from The Sickness.

Stormflower decides to stay with the clan and support them through hard times to come. She joins with the rank of healer.

Lilacdream and Stormflower begin to get to know one another. Lilacdream hopes to learn many remedies from the older healer, whom has already earned her deep respect.

Pepperfrost is in an especially good mood now that her sister has recovered from The Sickness.

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"Wow! I've never seen so much nature before!" Pepper exclaimed aloud, staring out at the forest Lightrunner and Briarclaw had led them to. "And I live on a farm, so that's something!"

"Well, you live here now, I guess!" Lightrunner purred in response. "We're nearing the camp now. It's not a whole lot, but it's home."

Lyla kept up the rear, quiet and visibly exhausted as Briarclaw finished helping her across the thunderpath. It was still nighttime when the group departed, and the small molly hadn't gotten but a quick nap in before they did so. Now it was dawn, and the group was finally in LightClan territory.

But something was different in the scent of their camp by the time they had returned. Briarclaw seemed to have noticed it as well, but Lightrunner was the first to recognize what was different.

"Is that... milk?"

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Under the watchful eye (leaves?) of the Forest Spirit, Honeypurr gives birth to three healthy kits.

Kitten 1 is male. He is Playful and Adventurous.

Kitten 1 receives the name Antkit, in honor of the Honeypot Ant that his mother ate while she was expecting.

Kitten 2 is female and slightly bigger than her littermates. She is Playful and a Hunter.

Kitten 2 receives the name Birchkit, in honor of her light fur and black markings, as well as her sturdy body.

Kitten 3 is female and slightly smaller than her littermates. She is Playful and Clueless.

Kitten 3 receives the name Mousekit, in honor of her small body, big ears, and slim tail.

The group returns home with both Pepper and Lyla.

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"Here, Lightrunner. Why don't we fish for a while by the pond, hm? The fish have been more active lately, what with all the rain."

"Mmhm..."

Honeypurr let out a slightly distressed sigh. Lightrunner had been moping endlessly in the days since the incident with Briarclaw. It was a miracle she'd even managed to get the molly to talk to her, let alone join her for an outing.

"What about the kits?" Lightrunner mumbled, looking back toward the huckleberry bushes that separated them from the main section of the camp.

"The kits will be fine on their own for a little while." Honeypurr smiled in an attempt to reassure her companion. "They're getting older, you know. It won't be much longer before they join Magicpaw in the apprentices' den."

"I suppose... you're right." Lightrunner's eyes seemed to glimmer slightly, in a way they hadn't for a while. "I wonder how they'll take the first snowfall..."

"There'll be loads of snowball fights, I'm sure!"

Lightrunner let out a muted chuckle.

There. It wasn't a massive improvement, but Honeypurr could tell she was getting through to Lightrunner's more soft, friendly side. Part of Honeypurr wanted to discuss the incident with Skunktooth and try again to convince Lightrunner that he genuinely hadn't meant what he'd done. Maybe she'd even be able to convince her to let him come home. But... Honeypurr knew that rushing things wouldn't get her anywhere. For now, it was best to let Lightrunner heal. That was the best she could do for now.

"...Now, how about those fish?"

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Honeypurr attempts to distract Lightrunner from her grief by going fishing together. Her efforts seem to be working, and pleasant chatting helps bring the two closer together.

Mousekit and Birchkit decide to "spruce up" the Light Rock with some tasteful claw marks.