#marrowkit

not offensive at all!!

This sort of siredom is more common in the cat colony communities, purely transactional relationships just for kits. depending on the couple, either one parent will take all the kits, or they'll be split between the involved parties. It's equally as normal to know or not know who the sire/dam may be, and involvement during gestation and post-birth can vary, even between cats who don't plan on keeping any kittens for themselves.

Magpiehop tried to be angry for a while - she has such good friends in Valleyclan, like HopCrow, and she laments an imaginary life she could've lived with GaleCry and BoneAsh. But, she does really understand and empathize with Lavenderstalk wanting kits but not a mate, I think Magpie is on the ace/aro spectrum somewhere. I think she's the most bummed about MourningKit and MarrowKit, projecting feelings on seeing a pair of molly kittens getting to live the life she wanted alongside her dad and brother. She loves Cowkit, and Wheatburn, living in Ranchclan, and she wouldn't change it for the world (nor could she, Valleyclan doesn't typically accept adult outsiders), but she can't help but what-if another timeline. I think she's frustrated at how much of the situation has to be kept on the downlow - it's a common enough occurance in the world, but the politics require secrecy for reasons she couldn't care less about. She wishes she could be openly half-Valley, and works closely with the Ranch ex-Valley members, Posythorn, HopCrow, and MarmaladeCurl, when it comes to inter-clan relations.

Wheatburn mourns the idea of another sibling but also can't imagine a life where she and Magpiehop aren't bound at the hip, and can only spiral about how introducing a third party would change their dynamic. what if Magpiehop liked GaleCry more because they're both warriors, and what if she was the one given away and living in Valleyclan alone, blah blah blah. Wheatburn on the other hand has no interest in life within Valleyclan, she would've wished that Gale came to stay with them - But! is also very aware that sort of arrangement typically involves carrying a second litter and the second parent getting the whole caboodle, and she and Cowkit get along and have been close. I think she's,,, sort of dissociated from Mourning and Marrow - they're a sort of blank spot in her brain she can't quite wrap her head around how she feels. Wheatburn feels better following a stricter ruleset - Mourning, Marrow, Gale, and Bone are Valleyclan, they're not Her family, and they don't matter on the day to day. She trades with the Valleyclan healers, but does her best to avoid them entirely!

GaleCry probably learned of the arrangement the latest. Possibly only when BoneAsh announced his original dam was expecting another litter. From his perspective it's never been 100% clear that he was BoneAsh's by blood - he was claimed as a foundling - so learning he had a whole other family living in a clan that's not-friendly-not-quite-enemies was quite the shock for him! Although, he feels quite different - he feels blessed to have been "chosen" the first time, grateful for the life he lives in Valleyclan, if anything pities his sisters. From Valleyclans view, ranchclan is a bunch of half-feral nudist LARPers eating raw food in a nuclear waste site (valley wear adornments, cook their food, and twoleg structures are unsafe/cursed) - he's glad he's not there! He's very excited about his new baby sisters, and has been doting on them and working with artisans to make rattles and flower crowns for them <3

Cow, Mourning, and Marrow are too little to quite understand the relationship yet. Mourning and Marrow are aware that they're BoneAsh's, but think their mom is whoever is feeding them - I think Bone has some other sort of poly-situationship going on and has integrated his daughters in with their litter. They don't know they have family in Ranch just yet. Cowkit is aware is other family is Valleyclan - from Magpiehop letting it slip - but doesn't quite understand the socio-political ramifications of that nor does he know exactly who his sire is, so that information gets pushed to the side in favor of much more interesting information, like what caterpillars taste the best.

Someone Else asked what BoneAsh's and Lavenderstalks relationship is like!! They don't consider the other their mate, and hang out only once every couple moons. something they admire in the other is the fact that they've got their own life outside of each other (Lav got so sick of Hollowstripe and Laureldapple being lovey-dovey all the time, so codependent they couldn't do anything without the other), Lav isn't interested in joining valleyclan, nor is BoneAsh joining ranch anytime soon - they both agreed that if neither of them were clan they would've co-parented. To keep it brief I think what started as purely aesthetic attraction developed into a surprisingly balanced and efficient relationship, they're both direct and straight to the point with each other - their meetings can sometimes read as businesslike or like a parent-teacher conference - but that's partially because there's no question the respect they have for each other. Both highly value skill, dedication, and fall under "do the right thing even if the law says the wrong thing". I referenced Rosie/Wayne from Letterkenny, just because that's how all their conversations sound to me (I reeealy need to finish Letterkenny I actually haven't gotten to the point where Rosie returns I'm still like around the end of MaryFred)

hootpetal: marrowkit lemme see what u have

marrowkit , holding a piece of glass: a KNIFE !!!!!!!!!!

hootpetal: NO-

orchidsmoke: oh my god , why does he hav a knife ????

*Later that day*

Hootpetal: "Why would you give a knife to a child?!"

Myrtlewing: "He felt unsafe."

Orchidsmoke: "Well now my kits don't feel safe!"

Myrtlewing: "I'm sorry."

Jayfeather flinched backward, hit by a wave of guilt. He should've never revealed Ferndoe's past to her. That was a mistake, he knew now. But it had been done, and now Poppyhill was dead. What else was there to do?

"What even made her attack Poppyhill?" Brambleclaw's voice came from behind him as the deputy walked in. "So viciously too… if I didn't know any better, I would've said that a fox had killed Poppyhill, not Ferndoe."

Jayfeather just barely stopped himself from shrinking into his pelt. He hadn't considered it anything bad at the time, he'd just been so frustrated about Leafpool trying to swear him into secrecy. Any good medicine cat would've done something, and Jayfeather was a good medicine cat, wasn't he?

Letting a queen manipulate another into killing her own kits wasn't something he'd let go by without even trying to do something. Jayfeather had thought Leafpool as a yellow-bellied coward for trying to convince him otherwise; but now he knew that she was right. He was too nosy for his own good, just like how Hollyleaf had always said, and now someone had died for it.

Did Poppyhill deserve it? Maybe. Jayfeather thought so. But ThunderClan didn't feel the same way, they didn't know - how could they? Jayfeather shook his head, quietly sighing. "Where's Ferndoe now?" He asked.

"The elders den." Firestar answered, "Longtail, Mousefur, and Purdy were moved to the nursery. Hopefully Marrowkit won't give them too much trouble." The fur on Jayfeather's neck prickled. Marrowkit, that troublesome little tom. Jayfeather had never liked Marrowkit, being so much rowdier and meaner than his sisters Dovekit and Ivykit; always playing 'pranks' that lead to Jayfeather having to use more herbs than he felt confident admitting.

"I'm sure that Mousefur will give Marrowkit more than an earful if he tries anything while *she's around," Jayfeather mumbled, earning a brief chuckle from Brambleclaw. Jayfeather was about to get onto his paws when Birchfall suddenly barreled into the den, nearly bowling the medicine cat over.

"Jayfeather!" Birchfall's paws grappled him by the shoulders, pulling Jayfeather back onto his paws. "Marrowkit- he- Ivykit's hurt! He hurt her!" Jayfeather shook himself, dazed. "What? Birchfall, calm down, what hap-?"

"Marrowkit hurt Ivykit! He tore her ear! She's bleeding, bad!" Birchfall had seemingly grown only more hysteric, and Jayfeather could hear him frantically padding around him. Jayfeather's heart jumped in his throat. "Take me to her."

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- this one's a lot shorter !! didn't hav a lotta ideas 4 this whoops

- it's supposed 2 b sorta implied that jayfeather (somehow , who knows how) found out abt ferndoe's og backstory (think sorta like how he found out abt cinderheart being a reincarnation) an ended up telling her . which did Not end well as u can guess

- i think ferndoe should kill poppyhill . she deserves to

- i couldn't help including a teeny bit of marrowkit at the end xp

- don't worry tho i plan on making him a better brother this time around after the ivykit thing (mainly bc whitewing an birchfall rn't gonna b terrible toward him) . he doesn't just sit around an let bumblestripe bother dove , or rlly let any1 hurt ivy during dark forest training . i mean he still kills ppl but-

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The twist of Ferndoe killing Poppyhill, and THEN Marrowkit is there too! Kinda makes me wonder what would happen if all the characters were in a Clan together / alive at the same time