Brightmaple had managed to coaxed Barleyswipe to settle down in her cozy nest in nursery to keep an eye on the sleeping Fallkit while she went to see Rowanglade and Piperpaw in the medicine cat's den. Hopefully Fallkit wouldn't wake, but if he did, the other elder would be available for cuddles and perhaps a story to fall back asleep to.
As she made her way to the den, she hoped they might have good news for her and the clan. It had been almost a moon since she and Barleyswipe had enjoyed a pleasant afternoon together down at the Rockfields and she had been hoping weariness she felt and the heaviness in her belly was an indication that their afternoon had been productive and successful. It felt very familiar but she knew the best way to determine if she was correct or not was to speak with the medicine cats.
Shaking the wetness from her fur, as the rain had begun back up once again as she entered their den, she called as she made her way down. "Rowanglade? May I take up some of your time? I have been feeling a little off and I was hoping you could help me confirm the reason why."
9
Rowanglade, Piperpaw, and Brightmaple
Confirming the upcoming litter
Med Cat Den
Piperpaw:
The elder entering the den wasn't Piperpaw's concern. She has been messing up with herb identification all morning and she was only a few misnamed berries away from a mental breakdown. The whole fiasco with Badgerstar last moon was not improving her mental state any either.
But... it was nice to hear from Brightmaple. She was one of the older cats in the clan - the mother of their current... deputy? Leader? Either way Fawnbriar would need all the support they could get.
Piperpaw found a moment to ar least acknowledge the older cat with a wave of her tail, before accidently crushing another berry with her forepaws. Tears prickled at her eyes but she managed to keep them under control with a heavy sniff and a stiff lip.
Characters:
Coldgaze: (M) Stoic Riverclan Deputy
Gingerthrash: (M) Arrogant Thunderclan Elder
Lawn Gnome: (F) Motherly Semi-Feral Shecat
Piperpaw: (F) Meek Windclan Medicine Cat Apprentice
Sootpaw: (M) Bubbly Shadowclan Apprentice
Sturgeonkit: (M) Sleepy Riverclan Kit
Sunstrike: (F) Anxious Thunderclan Warrior
NPCs:
Quailcall: (F) Fierce Thunderclan Warrior
Healing is a matter of time, but it is sometimes also a matter of opportunity.
‹‹‹‹ ››››
Rowanglade was aware of her apprentice’s frustration and distress. They were hard things to miss when the pair of them worked so many hours every day shoulder to shoulder. She brushed her tail encouragingly under Piperpaw’s chin and along her shoulder.
”It’s always a pleasure to visit with you, Brightmaple!” Rowanglade and Brightmaple were of an age, and had shared dens before Rowanglade has been selected for the Medicine Cat’s path. A warrior’s life put more pressures on the body, however, meaning Rowanglade still held her rank while Brightmaple had retired. ”In what way are you feeling off? I hope it isn’t anything too serious.”
She truly did, given than the clan has so much else to worry about with a missing leader but no hint of where to chase to find him, the mysterious kit presented to them by StarClan, and the inexplicable deaths happening with little rhyme or reason.
Brightmaple saw Piperpaw's tail wave of greeting and then saw her sharp paw movement and heard a heavy sniff. Seeing Rowanglade's tail brush, the torbie she-cat purred encouragingly to the apprentice. "Be easy on yourself, sweet Piperpaw. You'll figure out your way as long as you aren't too hard on yourself."
Then she shifted her golden gaze to the older medicine cat as Rowanglade inquired about her. "I'm hope I'm feeling off in a good way." Brightmaple settled herself in front of the duo and curled her tail around her paws. "To start with, my appetite has been a bit off. I know I should be hungry but thinking of eating has been making my belly upset. I've also been feeling rather tired and a little heavy in the belly." She paused a moment as she considering if she had any other symptoms she could offer up before an ear twitched and she looked back at the other she-cats. "I had a nice afternoon rendezvous last moon with Barleyswipe so I'm hoping you can give me good news and confirm what I'm hoping."
Piperpaw:
"A rendezvous..." Piperpaw cut herself off, now looking up from the berries in earnest. She hadn't heard this diagnosis before. Despite getting the same explanation all kits got from their mothers at a young age and a debriefing from Rowanglade early in her training, Piperpaw had no idea what Brightmaple was referring to for a good moment, her brain absolutely fried from memorization. "Off in a-"
It finally, finally hit her.
"Oh. Oh!" She shook herself a bit, her tail puffing with embarrassment for being so dense. Herbs really were going to be the death of her. But - Kits! Oh, she loved kits. They were so cute and there hadn't been any in Windclan since herself and her brother. The closest she had seen was 6 moon old apprentices from the other clans and Nettlepaw's descriptions of the Riverclan kits are the gathering. She had to hold herself back from cuddling Fallkit when they had been brought into camp.
Honestly... not having a family of her own was something that stung Piperpaw when she learned about the restrictions on Medicine Cats. But, if other queens did - well she could always live vicariously though them!
Characters:
Coldgaze: (M) Stoic Riverclan Deputy
Gingerthrash: (M) Arrogant Thunderclan Elder
Lawn Gnome: (F) Motherly Semi-Feral Shecat
Piperpaw: (F) Meek Windclan Medicine Cat Apprentice
Sootpaw: (M) Bubbly Shadowclan Apprentice
Sturgeonkit: (M) Sleepy Riverclan Kit
Sunstrike: (F) Anxious Thunderclan Warrior
NPCs:
Quailcall: (F) Fierce Thunderclan Warrior
Healing is a matter of time,
but it is sometimes also a matter of opportunity.
‹‹‹‹ ››››
”This will be an excellent learning opportunity for you, Piperpaw!” Rowanglade couldn’t help the thrill of excitement that flowed through her at the thought of a new litter of kits in the clan. She was old enough to have seen cats grow from their mother’s sides to having kits at their own side but still couldn’t help the sense of amazement that came from the entire process. And there was so much to teach her apprentice about the process!
”Appetite changes and weight gain are very typical early signs. Brightmaple, have you noticed any changes or sensitivity in your teats?” Rowanglade’s eyes slid down the body of the she-cat, assessing. Brightmaple has always run to the solid end of the spectrum and fluffy too, so no easy way to just look and know for sure. ”If you’re willing to lay down and roll over we can take a look, and perhaps have a feel to see what we can find.”
