- S W E E T N O S E
( med cat app ) ( tomcat ) ( 14 Moons) ( arranged mate; Leopardpaw ) ( tagged; Ashpool ) ( word count; 1265 Words )
- With his thick fur plastered against his flanks, heavy with rain and the scent of smoke, Sweetnose wove his way through the forest. The bundles of herbs he had managed to extract from the medicine cat den were still clamped firmly in his jaws, like a lifeline. Around him, other cats trudged forward with heads bent and tails dragging in the dirt behind them. They looked as dejected as he felt. What would happen to BlossomClan now? Their camp was destroyed, their clan was scattered throughout the territory, and if the rain didn't let up soon they might have a flood on their paws. Was StarClan angry with them? Has they done something wrong? These worries plagued the tomcat as he padded on, and he was so lost in thought he didn't even realize where he was until his paws hit water. Scrambling backwards, he stated at the rushing river, pale blue eyes flashing confusion. Was the water already starting to rise? He couldn't tell for sure but one thing was certain. The water was moving faster than normal and fear crawled down his spine as he backed away from the edge of the bank. Sweetnose wasn't much of a swimmer. He never had been and likely never would be. His thick cost was so heavy when wet, all it did was hinder his ability to move through water comfortably. He always felt like he was being dragged downward, like we was going to sink like a rock whenever he was forced to swim across a body of water. With a shudder, the tan and brown tomcat forced his paws to turn away from the river's edge. Moving past his clanmates, he found a small hollow beneath a Yew Bush and carefully laid out the herbs he had rescued. Poppy seeds, Marigolds, Coltsfoot, Calming, Watering, Borage Leaves, Raspberry Leaves- he silently listed off the herbs as he sorted them into their separate piles. When he finished, he say back with a satisfied look on his face. Egretcall and Fallenoak would be pleased when they saw the herbs. Odd though, that he had yet to run into them yet. Turning his head, he scanned the crowd of cats from underneath his Yew Bush, but he saw neither of the older Medicine Cats. Was he the only one who had made it to the river yet? Hesitating, he glanced at his herbs. He was very new to this whole Medicine Cat thing but surely he could manage checking his clanmates for injuries... right? Right. Yeah, he could do that. He toootally had this. Pushing out from under the bush, he began to weave through his clanmates sniffing them, running his paws over them, and ensuring they weren't feeling any pain. He was just starting to relax into his role of healer when a familiar voice called out to him. "Sweetnose! I thought you had been swept up by the mudslide!"
Sweetnose turned, one ear twitching as he scanned the crowd with hopeful blue eyes. He almost purred when he spotted the older she-cat staring back at him, her pelt, nearly identical to his own, slick with water. Spinning, he hurried towards his older sister as relief flooded him. Although in the stress of things he had barely had time to worry about her, knowing she was safe now gave him a great sense of relief. He let out a soft purr as he reached her, leaning forward to brush his muzzle against hers. Before he could, however, Ashpool let out a hiss of pain. Alarm shot through Sweetnose as he inspected her. Was she hurt? Did she break something? Great StarClan was she going to die!?!? The flurry of irrational fear hit him hard, like the strike of an adder. He opened his mouth, prepared to ask what was wrong so he could-hopefully-fix it, when she spoke again, voice tinged with alarm. "The kits! Sweetnose, they weren't supposed to be due for another moon. Will they survive without your stocks of herbs?" Ashpool meowed, terror edging her meow. Sweetnose froze, mouth still hanging open, as horror consumed him. Kits? No. No No. Nonononononono. This wasn't happening. It couldn't be happening. Where were the real medicine cats!? He was a fake, a fraud. He couldn't deliver kits after only a moon of training! Not by himself! Giving Ashpool a weak, hopeful smile he meowed, "I mean... are you sure they're coming? Can't you like... hold them in until Egretcall gets here?" He asked, voice jumping up an octave... or five. Judging by the panicky look sent his way, Sweetnose took that as a no and sighed internally. He was going to royally mess this up. He was certain of it. "Okay, um... um... stay right there. Don't have the kits until I get back!" He meowed, giving her one last look before spinning and barreling through the crowd of cats. By this time most of them seemed to realize what was happening and moved out of his way. Skidding to a halt outside his temporary herb storage, he pulled out a pawful of raspberry and Borage leaves, then grabbed a thick stick for rhe queen to bite down on. He returned to her side, just as the first kit was born. A little black tomcat. Again, Sweetnose found himself freezing, but this time with a look of wonder on his face as he watched the new mother nip through the kit'skit' s sac and nudge him towards her belly. It was kinda beautiful, and he was reminded why he left the life he had trained so hard for behind for this new and unknown path. Giving himself a mental shake, he returned to his sister's side as she looked up at him, pain and happiness mingling in her gaze. "Pantherkit. His name will be Pantherkit." She meowed, shifting her gaze back to the kit as he began to nurse. Sweetnose sat there for a moment, allowing the two to bask in the glow of new birth, before getting back to business.
Nudging the raspberry and borage leaves in Ashpool's direction, the tan and chocolate tomcat directed her to eat them while he ran his paw gently over her distended belly. He could feel the kits moving in her, more than ready to be born despite the early date. For the next hour and a half, the young tomcat assisted the Queen as she gave birth to four more kits. Each kit seemed more beautiful than the next; it was almost enough to take his breath away. When it was all over, Sweetnose gathered a few cats to assist him and while they carried the kits, he helped Ashpool to her paws and guided her beneath a well sheltered busy where she and the kits would be out of the rain. He had already directed an apprentice to fill the hollow beneath the Bush with any dry bedding she could find and amazingly, she had managed to find some dry miss that would keep the kits and their mother warm for the time being. Once the new family was settled in, he say back with a sigh of relief. He Was exhausted, both physically and mentally, and he was certain Ashpool was as well. "You did great, Ashpool. Your family is beautiful." He purred, striking Pantherkit with the tip of his tail. The tiny scrap of black fur mewed loudly in protest at the touch of his wet tail and he chuckled in amusement. Like his father before him, Pantherkit was certain to have quite the spirispirit growing up.
- B R I A R B L O S S O M
( fighter ) ( she-cat ) ( 23 Moons ) ( arranged mate; Swiftsnap ) ( location; Forest ) ( mood; Worried, Annoyed ) ( tagged; Swiftsnap ) ( word count; 424 Words )
- The small calico and white she-cat growled in frustration. Her fur was dripping wet, spiked out in all directions like she was some sort of deranged hedgehog, and still there was no sign of Galewhisker. Flexing her claws, she dug them briefly into the softening ground beneath her paws before getting back up and looking around. Here, with clouds filling the sky and rain falling hard and fast, visibility was limited and most of the scent trails had been washed away. She could still detect Galewhisker's scent, faint but unmistakable. But the trail seemed to be leading her in circles. She hated to admit it, but she was beginning to genuinely worry about the dark gray tomcat. Galewhisker had always been the reliable one. He oftentimes would seek her out just to let her know he was going on patrol and where, just in case she ever needed anything. She had always secretly suspected that deep down, Galewhisker had simply wanted to feel needed by her. She had never sought him out though. He was always the one looking for her... until now. Regret burned within her. Had she always taken the tomcat for granted like that? She supposed that yes, she had. Ever since the day of her warrior ceremony, when she was paired with Galewhisker. It had been right after receiving her full name as a Fighter of BlossomClan. That day had been bittersweet. On the one paw, she had been mourning the loss of her parents and beloved mentor. On the other paw, she was receiving her warrior name. Excitement mingled with grief. She had been overwhelmed and emotionally drained and when Koistar had announced they were intended, she had snorted a very unladylike sound, turned, and walked away without even looking back. Galewhisker had laughed good naturedly and caught up with her, badgering her with questions about her personal life and what she liked or didn't like. She would be lying if she said she didn't find him at least a bit charming. But ahe had had her eye on another cat. Still did, unfortunately. Galewhisker had never demanded her affection. He gave freely while she took selfishly. What if he was hurt? What if something happened to him and she never got to tell him she cared. Maybe not but she definitely cared. Behind her, a twig snapped and the Queen jumped in surprise and whirled around to find... Swiftsnap. Her body, which had gone rigid before, relaxed and she glared at the tomcat. "What are you doing here!?"