#sapkit

Lost Valley Interlude 1.1-1.4!

Moon 41 in Wolfclan, my Clangen clan.

Poor Buzzardtree! First she tries confessing to the medicine cat, then she gets heat exhaustion. Sure hope nothing else happens to her...

Storklily sees a dark omen. What could it mean...?

Previous moon!

Some more events: Stonebeetle has gotten whitecough. Cindertooth has recovered from their dislocated joint. Floodnut’s bruises have healed. Silverpaw’s small cut has healed up nicely. Dappledpaw is free of fleas at last. Valleykit feels safe with Weedpatch around.

FINALLY there’s going to be some clanborn kits in this clan lmao. thank you Skyhowl and Stonebeetle... so far, there’s just been half-clan kits and kits with outsider roots.

"What will you name them?"

Tucked away deep in the warm dark of the nursery, hidden from view of the stirring clan, Suntuft nestled closer to her sister. Between the pair, six kits squirmed. Unable to discriminate between two warm bellies, frequently did one of the several kits try to nuzzle into Brightstorm's belly fur, seeking out milk that would not come, and with great pain, barely veiled behind a neutral expression, she would have to nose them back to her sister.

To an ignorant onlooker, it simply appeared as though Suntuft had birthed an especially large litter. At a glance, even Brightstorm bitterly noted how all six kits could be misconstrued as siblings, their familial relationship a blessing and a curse.

"I don't know."

She bowed her head, studying one of the kits. The young she-kit was the spitting image of Bayspots, ironically--had she not known better, Brightstorm could have even deluded herself that her mate's blood ran through this kit. Perhaps it was a curse from StarClan, punishing her affair with a kit in the image of her betrayed love. But was she not only a cat with needs, with a want to be loved and cherished and acknowledged?

Blood ran hot and loud like a flooding river in her ears as her emotions surged, anguish and grief and longing all at once squeezing her heart. She had only wanted to be loved, and Eagleburn had given that to her. Was that so terrible a crime?

"Brightstorm."

Suntuft's soft voice split through the churning rapids of her thoughts, forcing the waters to slow, but only a little. Her tail settled on Brightstorm's flank, and she felt her warm nose press against her temple. Brightstorm leaned into her touch, feeling as if she was just one more helpless kit seeking guidance.

"I promised you that I would make sure these kits know their mother. I would never take them from you." Suntuft's voice was soft, sweet, and in it, Brightstorm saw a reflection of their mother, Boulderfrost. It felt strange to feel comforted all while struck by a stab of envy, wishing that she could emulate even an ounce of their mother's personality.

"... I know," Brightstorm murmured, and settled her head against Suntuft's flank. "I'm tired. Can I... sleep on it?"

Feeling Suntuft's eyes upon her, Brightstorm was relieved when Suntuft gave a hum of affirmation and did not press the topic further. The two sisters and their six shared kits cuddled closer together, and exhausted as both of them were, slumber came easily, and Brightstorm would later be relieved that it was a blissfully dreamless sleep.

From the edge of the nursery's mouth, tucked just out of sight of the she-cats, Eagleburn listened to the sleeping family before slowly padding away.

so. out of whitetail's litter, sapkit, juniperkit, and goldenkit all die. nightcloud has three kits, breezekit, maplekit (smoky blue tom), and vanillakit (black tom with long fur), but maplekit and vanillakit are weak.

the truth comes out about crowfeather's kits with leafpaw, and webstar (in his infinite wisdom) decides to challenge thunderclan for them. yellowbreeze (nightcloud's littermate) and orangepaw die for this.

whitetail's surviving kits, heatherpaw, rockpaw, ashpaw, and cresspaw, are apprenticed to halotail, indigobird, iciclesun, and shadewing.