#proteafang

Proteafang heard Tawnytrot pad toward her from behind, but couldn’t bring herself to look or twitch an ear in acknowledgement. Even as her mate settled beside her, her gaze never left from the three tiny mounds at her paws. 

“How are the kits?” she asked after a moment of silence. 

“Sleeping, at last,” Tawnytrot told her in a quiet voice. “Fadingstar is looking after them with Gorseheart.”

“Good,” Proteafang said absently. 

Tawnytrot followed her gaze to the mounds. She didn’t say anything because there was nothing she could say. Instead, she pressed closer against Proteafang, rubbing her cheek along Proteafang’s chin. 

“I didn’t name them,” Proteafang began. “Should I?” The three kits had been stillborn, born dead. Proteafang hadn’t wanted to name them then, lest her loss become more real, but now guilt was pricking at her heart in a whirlwind of grief her body struggled to contain. She trembled now, but Tawnytrot’s firm paw over hers was the only way for her to know, her mind so clouded. 

The only way she could clear it even a little bit was to return to the graves Fleathistle had dug for them and stare at the dirt. 

If she named the kits, maybe, someway they can live on, wherever they are. She knew of the possibility that they were nowhere, after all, no one knew what happened to cats who died twice, or of kits born in the Afterlife who die, but she shoved that idea away. She didn’t want to believe it. If she, someone who was never alive could be born to two dead cats and grow to have her own kits, then surely life can go on. 

“I should never have had kits,” she cracked suddenly. “We already had Ashykit and Woodcarderkit. It was selfish to want more with my health. How could I have ever thought it would be okay?”

“Don’t blame yourself!” Tawnytrot pressed somehow closer, flattening Proteafang’s fur on her side. “They were blessed. That’s all we could do.”

“If I hadn’t…they wouldn’t be dead.”

“They wouldn’t be alive, either. Maybe they’re alive somewhere. That’s better than never existing at all.” Proteafang wasn’t sure if that was true, but she was too tired to argue. “And we wouldn’t have Trillkit or Cardinalkit,” Tawnytrot added.

Fresh guilt washed over Proteafang. She hadn’t meant to sound like she regretted having her living sons, the only survivors of their litter. A tugging feeling pulled her to her paws. As if in seconds, she wanted to race back to where she had left their kits. Tawnytrot seemed to sense this, and with a final glance at the little mounds, joined her as they returned to their waiting family.

===========================

--:(

--Considering Proteafang is an unblessed Dark Kit, it is likely her pregnancy won’t be entirely healthy. She had a litter of five kits, but only Caridnal and Trill survived.

TawnyPaw followed GremlinPaw over to the trees, climbing up to try and find that new mushroom that Poppykit had mentioned. 

“So, what’s with you wanting to be ProteaFang’s apprentice?” 

TawnyPaw tilted her head, glancing over at him while they climbed through a particularly finicky section of branches, the thorns snagging on her thin pelt. 

“What about it?” 

“Tawny, you used to babysit her when she was a kit!” He turned around to sit in front of her as he tugged the bandage holding his leg together tighter.

TawnyPaw paused. GremlinPaw knew it had taken her a long time to be ready for a mentor after her trauma regarding her bio father. 

While sparring with him and his mentor, BrownMouse, she had already learned most of what she needed. 

“I like being around her,” TawnyPaw mumbled, looking away from him. 

She heard her sigh, and knew he had the ‘why are you like this’ look on his stupid muzzle. 

“You think she’s cute,” he deadpanned, a teasing spark in his eye. 

When she didn’t reply, he continued, leaning towards her with a grin on his face. 

“You wanted to spend more time with her!” 

TawnyPaw swatted at his head. “tickbrain!” 

He ducked, jumping backwards on the branch and accidentally stabbing himself with one of the thorns.

TawnyPaw composed herself, licking at her fluffed up fur. GremlinPaw didn’t know what she was talking about. 

“What about you?” She rolled her eyes, shooing his paws away from his thorn-pricked tail so that she could grip the thorn between her teeth. 

Like always, he never yelped, only smiled. She hurried on with her rabbit path of thought. 

“You’ve been BrownMouse’s apprentice for AGES! AlderStar should have made you a warrior a long time ago,” 

“Maybe I wanted to wait for you,” he puffed out his chest, resting his tail over his paws—they were covered in blood again, but when weren’t they? 

“Fox dung. You love being able to tease me because you know more. You would have asked AlderStar to make you a warrior the second I asked to be an apprentice!” 

GremlinPaw scrunched up his nose, and she gave a huff of satisfaction. 

He looked down at the thorn in front of him, and then down at the sleeping WebStripe below the tree. 

“Don’t.” TawnyPaw growled. 

“It’s harmless!” He meowed, his tone oh so disgustingly cheerful. 

TawnyPaw buried her head in her paws. GremlinPaw laughed. WebStripe screamed. 

She!!

changed her suffix, I wasn’t really happy with it

Thinking about how the Tunnel poly met and how they were before they became a full, well, poly

How long did they walk around each other before they became interested enough for Doefire and Proteafang to clearly see that they were romantically interested in each other?

Did they meet as 2 to 2, did was it 1 met 2? 1 met 1? How did that meeting go?

Since Gorse is demi when it comes to toms, did he feel romance toward Fox before they became a poly or after?

Proteafang’s kits

(adoptive, bio of her mate)

(Biological)

. Doefire’s kits

. Molechive’s kit

. Ashmint’s kits (adoptive)

. Sootshade’s kit

-----------

BASES:

Ashytoes+Woolcardersteps (trying to find)

Cardinal+Trillflea by @/cryptidclaws

Coyotefire

Ferretpaw/heart

Ibexspots

Mousepaw/dusk

Ospreyflight

Scorpionscale

Stormflare

They did go through the "what if they don't feel the same way? What if they're not into she-cats?" but other than that their relationship was a very smooth progression from platonic to romantic, and when it was confirmed that both felt a certain way, they were both giddy and used pet names all the time.

Tawnytrot (young warrior at this time): hey babe! *begins to giggle because she's overwhelmed with joy and love and can't finish the thought.*

Proteafang, smiling with her: yes, dear?

*they both break out into fits of bigger giggling*

@wills-woodland-warriors

Emberdawn: that's alright, dear!

Gorseheart: we will always love you!

Doepaw (from the other room): can someone answer the phone?

Emberdawn: It's not ringing?