Warriors: Starlight

Chapter 8

It was almost sunhigh. Fireheart hadn't told any cat about his visit from Starclan, and he didn't plan to. Not yet al least. The kits had just finished feeding and were now clambering over him. They hadn't even opened their eyes, yet they were already causing trouble, and they didn't even know where they were going.
He just hoped that they would start eating solid prey soon, because he could feel the first chilled breeze flowing through the camp, signaling the soon-to-be arrival of leaffall, and Goldenflower would start finding it more difficult to feed them once prey went into hiding.
I hope that there aren't too many kits for her to handle.
Fireheart shook the thought from his head. Queens sometimes fed five kits at once. She was fine.
Besides, surely she would tell me if it became too much.

His disturbed thoughts were interrupted by Darkstripe pushing through the bramble entrance to the den, and the scent of mouse followed, he wordlessly dropped one at goldenflower's paws, then moved over to place one in front of him, then ducked out of the entrance.
"It must really irk him to be told to deliver prey to me" he mreowed in laughter, to which Goldenflower joined in after seeing Darkstripe's painfully obvious half-attempt at hiding his disgruntled expression. He never did like Darkstripe, and after that comment about having kits from a couple moons back, it felt right for the comedic irony to come back around.
Kits are the future of the clan, and so even Darkstripe wouldn't cause trouble in the nursery. That would found severe punishment.

Just then though, as if right on cue, Darkstripe's brown face popped back into the nursery, and this time he had a glint in his eye that didn't suit him,
"You know kittypet, when I asked if you planned on having kits, I didn't mean it as a challenge" he meowed, earning himself an eruption of laughing mreows from the nursery. Fireheart almost choked on freshkill trying to keep it together. Fireheart keened at the usually glum warrior,
"Well, sometimes even you have good ideas." He meowed, padding a second round of chuckles from his denmates. And a... a smile from Darkstripe? He wasn't sure, but it looked like what someone may construe to be a smile. Then the dark warrior dipped his head and left, leaving the nursery to compose themselves. Darkstripe was certainly not his friend, and a little joke wouldn't change that, but if the dark warrior showed this side of himself more often, maybe they didn't have to be at each other's throats.

One uneventful moon later...

Firehearts breath came out in clouds of mist.
The weather had taken a turn for the coldest.
"You're supposed to stop the moss ball, mouse brain" Featherkit mewed at her brother, who was backing out of a fern bush, his fur fluffed up in embarrassment, whilst Tawnykit and Bramblekit watched on, possibly contemplating asking to join in the game.
Fireheart got up and padded over to his kits
"Featherkit, that wasn't very nice now was it? How would you like it if Stormkit called you that, hmm?" Fireheart scolded softly, but sternly.
She hung her head with shame.
"Not good" she mumbled.
"Now do you have anything you want to say to your brother?" He asked, pointing his tail at Stormkit, who was pawing awkwardly at the moss ball.
"... I'm sorry Stormkit" she muttered.
"Good. Now go ask Bramblekit and Tawnykit if they want to play with you. They look bored." He finished, licking the top of her head affectionately, before padding tentatively over to Stormkit,
"Your sister said sorry. Now go show her that you're just as good at moss ball as she is." He whispered, licking the top of his head, and nudged him toward his sister, who was heading back with a happy looking Tawnykit and Bramblekit in tow.
Fireheart headed to lay down beside Graystripe, resting his head against his shoulder.
"They grow up fast don't they? You're a natural" The Gray warrior began. It had been a more than a moon since the last time they just took the time to laze around together.
Fireheart sighed. It hadn't felt natural. It felt like every decision he made was the wrong one, a voice in his mind screaming that he isn't their mother, nor their father for that matter, that he doesn't know what's best for them. At some point he learned to tune out the voice. He never confided about it to Graystripe. He was secretly scared that if he let the gray warrior know how out of his depth he felt, that he'd see Fireheart like a failure of a mate. So whenever the topic steered that direction, he would divert it somewhere else.
"I'm just glad they can finally eat fresh kill. I know it's wrong, but I was started to feel insecure about Goldenflower contributing more than I was" he chuckled the last part.
Graystripe licked his cheek, sending a warm tingle down his neck.
"You cared for them, cleaned them, and kept them warm through the worst of the cold, and if you could've fed them, you would've." If I could've. I couldn't though. Graystripe was unwittingly fueling his doubts.
He finished his fresh kill, his eyes locked on the kits.
"Speaking of cold, I hope it doesn't get any worse. I'm not comfortable with them being outside in this weather as it is." Fireheart lamented half to himself.
"You know, kits are tougher than you think. Don't worry so much. And besides, it isn't even Leafbare yet." Goldenflower appeared from the nursery, carrying in her jaws, the old moss. Her and fireheart had come to an agreement that they'd take turns to clean out the nursery.
"I know. But still, it's hard to not worry." He sighed.
He'd already decided that the moment they started shivering, even a little bit, he'd bring them inside. He was not going to take his chances with Greencough. Whitecough had already hit Dustpelt, who was now confined to the medicine den, despite his hissing and spitting. Yellowfang had left before sunrise to search for catmint, entrusting the camp to Cinderpaw for the while, but she was yet to return, so Fireheart guessed that she wasn't having much luck.
He was about to head back into the nursery entrance when a thick pelt brushed against his flank, veering him toward the gorse entrance to the camp.
He sighed easily,
"What is it Graystripe?" He asked, to which the gray warrior flicked his ears amusedly.
"I think you've spent too much time in camp. We're going hunting. Don't want to lose practice do you?" Asked.
Fireheart glared at him warm-heartedly. He knew what the warrior was doing. "Take your eyes off the kits for just a second and watch them still be here when you get back" is what you meant to say. He mentally rolled his eyes.
"Fine. I could use the space to clear my head" he finally responded after a couple seconds thought.
So, tails entwined, pelts brushing, they padded out the camp out into the forest.

After a while, Fireheart sighed a contented breath,
"It's been a little while since it's been just us. No camp, no kits, no big problem looming over our heads. It's nice. I almost forgot what it was like." Fireheart purred.
"Well there is the prophecy. But I'm sure if it were pressing right now, StarClan would be more persistent. Besides. It is the leader and medicine cats job to worry about that." Graystripe answered, oblivious to Fireheart wincing at the his pessimism.
"Well aren't you just a ray of sunshine today?" Fireheart meowed, giving him a friendly bump on the flank.
Suddenly a funny look planted itself on Graystripe's face.
"Let's get out of here. Lets leave the clan territory completely" he suggested, as if half expecting a positive answer to his completely rational, not at all crazy idea.
"Do you have bees in your brain?" He demanded, staring at him, checking that he hadn't grown an extra head.
Fireheart was still taken aback.
"Are you crazy?" He reiterated after a moment.
Fireheart stepped toward him brushing against him.
"C'mon why not?" He asked, staring into his fiery mate's eyes.
"Because it's outside of the territory." He retorted.
"Come on. The warrior code says that we can't trespass on other clans territory. It says nothing about leaving the territories completely." He reminded him.
The Fireheart sat on deep thought for a while.
"Come on. We're not apprentices. Lets enjoy it." The Gray warrior threw in to help him decide.
After a second, he lost the battle in his own mind, and sighed with exasperation.
"Fine. Just because it will get you to stop nagging me. Maybe you're best suited for the elders den" He meowed with a small smirk.
"Ha ha. So funny. You should be the clan comedy cat." Graystripe retorted, ears hot at his partners remark.
"Well come on then" Graystripe ushered Fireheart along toward the border.
"Wait." Fireheart paused. "No. This is a positively bad idea. Graystripe, we have kits waiting for us at home! They'll have a fit if I'm not there at sundown." He caterwauled, pacing.
Graystripe just stared on, shaking his head.
"Fine. If it puts your mind at ease, I'll go back and let someone know to tell the clan that we're out. How does that sound?" The gray warrior coaxed. Fireheart stared at him blankly, then at the ground, then shook his head in defeat,
"Fine."