Chamrosh wrote:Boulderdash sighed in relief as the last kit was born, and started licking her new kits adoringly, curling around them and checking they were all okay- and two of them were. The otherโs body was shaking weakly, like a leaf quivering before it fell off its branch. The kit shook, its mouth opening and only a tiny rasp being heard, before it closed its eyes, and fell still.
The other kits stayed exactly how they were, pressed up against their mother. Boulderdash turned her attention to the still kit, trying to lick her awake, or get her attention. She could hear Harrierpelt telling her something, and to move away from the kit, but this was her kit! Why would she move away from her, her beautiful, beautiful little kit? Her chest wasnโt moving, so Boulderdash started furiously licking.
Maybe she couldnโt feel the kitโs breath because it was just that gentle!
โBoulderdash, sheโs gone.โ Harrierpeltโs voice was showing far more strain than hers; but heโd just seen his first failure as a medicine cat, as well as the loss of his oldest kit. He started pulling the darkest kit away from his mate, so the others could stay warm without the body, but Boulderdash wouldnโt move.
โNo! No, sheโs not dead, sheโs just a light breather!โ
Harrierpelt whimpered slightly, wishing that were true. โI donโt want our other kits to rest next to Death in their first days. The others are perfectly fine. IโฆIโm sure sheโs with Starclan.โ
โSheโs just a kit, she canโt be gone already!โ
Outside, Heronstar called for the cats to gather for Shellkit and Droserakitโs apprentice ceremony. He didnโt want to leave his kits next to their dead sister, so quickly whipped her out and placed her just outside of Boulderdashโs embrace. She could still see her if she wanted to, but at least the living kits were now safely next to their mother. โIโll be backโ Harrierpelt said, though he doubted he could be heard over his mateโs crying.
-----
Heronstar could hear that something had gone wrong with the kitting almost as soon as she started the ceremony. But now was the designated time, and it was likely that having the other cats away from her would help with her grief, or shock, or pity. Heronstar silently gave Myrtleclaw a look, trying to say with his eyes that if he wanted to go to comfort Boulderdash, he was more than welcome to do so, as long as he came back quickly.
Heronstar took a big breath, knowing this was her first time to do this, and that it was a big moment for her kits and that she didnโt want whatever had gone wrong to over shadow it. Hopefully it was only something small, like one kit having a club foot, although she knew from the sounds it couldnโt be that.
โShellkit, you have reached the age of six moons, and it is time for you to be apprenticed." Heronstar noticed Harrierpelt walking close to where she had positioned herself, but thought that was just him taking a position he felt best as medicine cat for whatever reason, so continued. โFrom this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Shellpaw. Your mentor will be Argusheart. I hope Argusheart will pass down all she knows on to you.โ Harrierpelt was positively twitching, and it was obvious Myrtleclaw had seen this as he looked like he was on the verge of bolting for the nursery.
Heronstar couldnโt stop half way through, but she also knew it was her duty to let her warrior see how his kits were, so she sped up for the second part. โArgusheart, you are ready to take on an apprentice. You have shown yourself to be skilful and determined. You will be the mentor of Shellpaw, and I expect you to pass on all you know to him.โ
Argusheart seemed to know exactly what to do, as did Shellpaw, because, unlike Droserakit, Shellpaw had been paying proper attention and not getting quite so excited while their mother explained the ceremony; and they touched their noses together as per tradition. Droserakit was paying very close attention to this part- or at least, he would have been if Myrtleclaw hadnโt been fidgeting so much right next to him.
Heronstar gave Myrtleclaw another look as soon as the clan had finished chanting Shellpawโs name. Shellpaw seemed quite confused by it, almost disorientated.
โMyrtleclaw, you may check on your mate, but be back shortly.โ
Harrierpelt interrupted after the tom had only taken a few steps over. โOne of the kits is dead.โ His voice cracked on the last word, and Myrtleclawโs run to the entrance to the dens stopped mid-step, and he looked around, distraught, but continued with only a secondโs pause.
Heronstar puffed, sad for her friends and warriorsโ loss. And she looked at Droserakit looking impatient next to his brother, and knew that she had to continue before long.
-----
True to form, Droserapaw entirely forgot how to react at the end of the ceremony as a Myrtleclaw-with-now-red-eyes bent over to touch his nose. Later, heโd blame sympathy towards his mentorโs loss. Really, he just felt hollow inside. It was the first death heโd ever even heard of, and it was clear it must be a horrible thing for Myrtleclaw to have to go through.
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Although kits often died very young, Gustclan had had yet to experience a death, and to experience a death first of one so young felt very wrong. It was for this reason that Heronstar decided to call the gathering about it. It wasnโt much more formal than them all giving Boulderdash and Myrtleclaw their sympathies a moment before had been.
Harrierpelt seemed entirely distraught too; but it was the first death heโd had on the job, and there was a good chance that the young medicine cat had yet to really realise how many deaths a large clan would have to face. Heronstar sympathised quite strongly with him, and his regrets at a single mistake which had lead to a kitโs death, if there had even been anything he could have done differently. Harrierpelt howled away inside, unable to act on his feelings of sorrow in case he was punished but devastated by the loss of his kit, especially while he was the medicine cat.
Harrierpelt jumped up onto the top of a ledge in the nursery, where all the others now were, including the kits. It was their sister, after all.
โBoulderdash, seeing as of theโฆ delicate manner of the situation, you have assigned your eldest a name, havenโt you?โ
Boulderdash nodded, and with a sort of pained pride spoke out โElmkit. I thought thaโ she could use a strong name to represent the strong cat I know she would โave been โere.โ And then she took in a huge rasping breath. The other cats tried not to make it obvious theyโd all seen it (except Shellpaw, who seemed to be acting as if heโd lost a kit too, burrowing in tight against Droserapawโs fur, and sobbing hard, and therefore actually hadnโt noticed it).
Heronstar nodded slowly, allowing Boulderdash a few seconds to reclaim her repose. Elmkit lay as if in sleep in front of her, on the floor. She didnโt think other clans had a ceremony just for this. She knew this was more common than an apprenticeโs death, but that didnโt mean that a kitโs passing wasnโt worth remembering. She mulled over the words, thinking of how to change the apprenticesโ death ceremony to be more appropriate for a kit. She only spoke when she was sure that she had the right words to say, meaning she seemed to sit there for a long time, before speaking slowly, softly, and precisely.
โI ask my warrior ancestors to look down on Elmkit. She may not have had the time to become a warrior or learn your ways with Gustclan, but she surely had the heart of a warrior. Let Starclan receive her as an apprentice, under the tutelage of all of our ancestors between your clans, so that she may learn your code as a part of Starclan. May she receive the name she truly would have earned in time among you.โ
She prayed to Starclan she wouldnโt have to repeat that soon, silently, at the end.
-----
Earlier
Myrtleclaw bounded in to the nursery, and nuzzled the tiny kits. He licked the dead kit just once, silently grateful for Harrierpelt having moved it, as it would make the separation less difficult when it had to happen.
He didnโt try to say he was sorry, or anything like that, which everyone whoโs faced death knows doesnโt help. Instead, he pulled in close to her side, making a fuss of the remaining kits, and trying to take her mind off of it, as her best friend.
When it became clear that Boulderdash wouldnโt calm down like that, he started to tell a story of their kit โ who he almost without consultation named Elmfang- and all the great things sheโd be able to do in Starclan. It didnโt help much, but it was clear this would become a tradition between this litter, talking about their sister growing up at the same time in Starclan.
โI like Elmkit. Think Iโ suits her. Sheโll be strong enough to dazzle all the other Starclan cats when she gets there.โ
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Also Earlier
Myrtleclaw, Boulderdash and Harrierpelt sat together, around the kits. Or rather, the toms sat, and Boulderdash lay, curled around her remaining two kits. Myrtleclaw, helpfully, said that they looked very similar and it might be hard to tell them apart at first. Very helpful.
โMyrtleclaw already named the dead kit, Elmkit. I thouโ thaโ weโd all help name the other two, riโ? I donโt want their foster pa or their actual pa not liking their names.โ Myrtleclaw was a little surprised he was being asked to help here, really; heโd already named one.
Boulderdash looked between her two favourite toms (for rather different reasons) and was hit by what she thought was a stroke of genius. โA bird and a planโ.โ
It took a few seconds for the toms to realise what she was saying, and what she meant by that. โYou mean that we name them based on that?โ
Boulderdash nodded. โIf I like them, we use them.โ
Both toms sat quietly. Harrierpelt spoke first, although it was still a while. โSparrowkit.โ Boulderdash beamed.
Myrtleclaw was trying to think of plants he knew had some importance to the clans now, which was a lot harder than Harrierpeltโs idea. โFennelkit?โ Boulderdash shook her head slightly, not liking the suggestion. โMaybe something tough-sounding to pair with her sister. Nettlekit?โ Boulderdash nodded, and with no further pause, bent to each kit, licked each once and said that kitโs name as she did. She clearly had say over which was which.
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โArgusheartโs taking me out hunting with Pearstone today.โ Shellpaw said, almost flatly, to his brother.
Droserapaw was a little envious of that. But mostly he was concerned. His brother wasnโt going to have him to look after him. What if something happened? He knew it was a silly concern because neither of them had been trained in how to fight yet, but his brother always seemed so awkward, and Droserapaw still worried for him.
[Sparrowkit and Nettlekit are born]
[Harrierpelt and Boulderdash stay in camp to look after Sparrowkit and Nettlekit]
[Myrtleclaw decides to stay at camp to guard, and train Droserapaw nearby]
[Heronstar and Chubtail go on patrol]
[Pearstone goes hunting, and Argusheart and Shellpaw come along to train]
[Gustclan consumes 1 + ยฝ Squirrels โ 3 portions]
[RIP, Elmkit, let Starclan receive her as a (future) warrior]
( *snuggles the tiny kits* *gives extra snuggles for tiny little Elmkit who will never receive snuggles from her mother Dn: *
(And yes, Sparrowkit and Nettlekit being told stories about Elmkit in Starclan will be a thing)
