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Post by .//.stabmyback|Away on Dec 23, 2007 23:53:34 GMT -5
Moonlight ebbed through the sky. Stars flickered through it, shimmering down to the earth. Wind ruffled the tall grass. A small white shape brushed towards the nursery. A single black ear twitched as the cat moved into the den. The she-cat stared forward, her eyes clouding with grief as she searched for her friend.
"Silverwhisp?" She called, her voice in a shouting whisper. Ebonyear whipped her head around the nursery as she looked for the tabby.
"I need to talk to you." |
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Post by Unwanted Step-Child on Dec 23, 2007 23:57:56 GMT -5
A silver shape was lying in the corner of the nursery, snuggled in the nest beneath her. Slowly, the queen opened yellow eyes and stood, her round belly becoming obvious. "Ebonyear!" The she-cat smiled at her long-time friend and deputy. "It's great to see you! But...you're not here to chat. Something's up." Intuitive as ever, Silverwhisp looked Ebonyear over, looking for wounds.
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Post by .//.stabmyback|Away on Dec 24, 2007 0:04:04 GMT -5
"Well..." The white femme stared at her paws, wishing the words could come to her.
"You know your my closest friend, and I trust you completely..." She started, trying to slowly work her way to telling Silverwhisp.
"Well... you know me and Swiftclaw have been padding after each other for a while, and became mates secretly..." Ebonyear glanced at her friend, her eyes pleading silently.
"Silverwhisp... I'm pregnant with his kits." She blurted the words out that time, looking ashamed of herself.
"I can't nurse them, my deputyship will be put on hold! I can pretend I'm not pregnant, I've been doing that long enough, but...
Will you nurse them?" Amber eyes met golden, and Ebonyear hoped her friend would say yes. |
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Post by Unwanted Step-Child on Dec 24, 2007 17:15:45 GMT -5
Silverwhisp's golden eyes widened. Her first instinct was to assure Ebonyear she would nurse the kits, but then she thought of her own, rolling around inside of her and ready to come into existence. Would she have enough milk for two litters? "Oh, I'm so happy for you both!" The she-cat licked the ear that was her friend's namesake, beaming for her sake. "Are...are you sure you can't nurse them?"
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Post by .//.stabmyback|Away on Dec 24, 2007 17:25:10 GMT -5
Ebonyear felt her skin turn red in embarrassment, and she looked away. Her tail swayed side to side as she thought for a moment. Her friend hadn't said 'Oh, of course I would, Ebonyear!', she had seemed reluctant. But that was reasonable; Silverwhisp had her own kits to take care of. And if she had a lot, it would be extremely hard to care for two litters.
"If I do nurse them, I won't be able to be deputy until they become apprentices. And who will take my place? Loststar has plenty of people in mind he could choose, I bet. He may decide he wants the fill in to be deputy instead of me." Her eyes narrowed and she realized she sounded like an idiot. Maybe it wasn't wise to take poppy seeds without Breezefeather's permission... |
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Post by Unwanted Step-Child on Dec 24, 2007 17:31:24 GMT -5
"No cat deserves to be deputy more than you Ebonyear. I would be glad to care for any kits of yours." There was still hesitation, but friendship and loyalty had overcome that. Silverwhisp could not turn away this cat, not with kits on the way and her rank on the line. "What will Swiftclaw say?"
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Post by .//.stabmyback|Away on Dec 24, 2007 17:44:08 GMT -5
The deputy sighed in relief. She looked at her friend with joy, then laughed slightly at the question.
"Who knows what he'll say. It was his fault anyway. He knows I didn't want to have kits so soon. So I guess this can be his punishment." She thought about her mate for a minute. The thoughts of what her kittens would look like struck her too. But she looked back at her friend and thought.
"Do you miss Ripplepelt?" |
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Post by Unwanted Step-Child on Dec 24, 2007 19:01:36 GMT -5
Silverwhisp's eyes went from Ebonyear's to the ground. "Very much," she admitted. "But I hope he will find his way back here. They never found his blood, or any signs that he was hurt." Shaking her head, Silverwhisp drew herself up. "But I have to look to those here. Is it alright that the Clan knows they are yours? Or...would you rather them not?"
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Post by .//.stabmyback|Away on Dec 24, 2007 19:13:14 GMT -5
"Ah -- no! The clan can't know. That ruins the whole point of me not nursing them." She stared at her paws, shuffling them silently.
"And you're right. He'll come back, I'm sure of it." Ebonyear smiled at her friend. Silverwhisp was always looking for the bright side, and the deputy was happy she did. |
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Post by Unwanted Step-Child on Dec 24, 2007 19:20:11 GMT -5
Ebonyear was so ill at ease, it was heart-wrenching. She belonged to the life of a deputy, while the role of a queen suited Silverwhisp well. "Anything you ever need," she vowed, "You can count on me. StarClan willing, all will go well." The queen touched her tail to the deputy's shoulder. "How far along are you?"
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Post by .//.stabmyback|Away on Dec 24, 2007 19:57:00 GMT -5
"Around three and half moons or something." Ebonyear twitched an ear again, feeling worried about being so close to birth. She had never given birth before, and hadn't really watched one either. Her eyes glazed over with fear.
"What about you?" She hoped her friend was just as close, or else the birthing might be an issue. Her tail swayed again and she licked her chest a few times, thinking about the kittens moving inside of her. |
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Post by Unwanted Step-Child on Dec 24, 2007 20:03:34 GMT -5
"I'm about the same," the assurance came readily. "The kittings should be close enough together not to cause suspicion. But..." Silverwhisp shuffled her paws. "We're lying to the Clan Ebonyear. To Loststar and everyone else. I..." the tabby shook her head, trying to find the words. "It feels so wrong, even if it isn't strictly against the warrior code. It feels like betrayal." Doubt was beginning to creep into Silverwhisp's mind.
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Post by .//.stabmyback|Away on Dec 24, 2007 20:12:46 GMT -5
"B-but Silverwhisp -- I-it isn't betrayal. It isn't lying... it just isn't telling the full truth. " Ebonyear realized she didn't have a reason. But she couldn't stand back and let someone else be a deputy. Amber orbs clouding again, she let her head drop to her paws yet again. She had thought Silverwhisp would be okay with this -- but her queen friend seemed so reluctant. She wasn't going to force the silver tabby to do this, however, and she let out a small sigh.
"You don't have to, I guess, Silverwhisp. It's just that..." Yet again the white femme was at a loss for words, and she only thought about what would happen if Silverwhisp did foster her kits. The kits would grow up thinking the tabby was their mother, and not Ebonyear. The clan would think the kits were Silverwhisp's. Only three would know, and StarClan. Was that right? The deputy realized she didn't know. |
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Post by Unwanted Step-Child on Dec 24, 2007 20:18:55 GMT -5
Silverwhisp's eyes widened. "Of course I'm going to, I told you I would! You-" The cat winced as she felt her kits kick in her stomach. "You deserve to be deputy more than any other cat I know! You're my friend," she added more gently. "My loyalty is to the Clan, true, but I also have a loyalty to you that's just as important. I'm a coward Ebonyear, and I belong here taking care of kits. There are thing you need to do for your Clan." Moving forward, she carefully bent herself to look the she-cat in the face. "You're doing the right thing."
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Post by .//.stabmyback|Away on Dec 24, 2007 20:26:08 GMT -5
Relief flooded through the deputy, bringing joy with it.
"Thank you, Silverwhisp. You're a great friend." She murmured, truth flowing in her words. She decided to change the subject, however, and smiled.
"Have any ideas on names for your kits?" She asked casually, licking a paw. |
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