skeptics and true believers [scarletsnow]

[MiNTY♥]

Phantomcry raised his head sleepily, his eye lids still feeling heavy with a slightly crusty residue towards the inner corner. His body was intertwined with his mate's and they formed a shape similar to what was commonly known by the two legs as yin and yang, only they were grey and white instead of black and white. Opening his maw wide he yawned and slowly got up being as careful not to disturb his hormonal mate. The two rarely fought over anything, but when she was expecting kits one minute they could be grooming each other's pelts and the next she could be ready to claw his ears off. It was not a wise idea in general to provoke Scarletsnow whether she was expecting kits or not, so that was something he liked to avoid if possible. Moving a mouse-length away from the she-cat he settled down again and after drawing his tongue over his paw a few times he lifted it to his eye and brushed away any residue that was left there. After taking some time for his eyes to adjust he couldn't help but feel it was slightly brighter than it was normally in their den. Glancing upwards it didn't take long to locate the source of light and a frown appeared on his maw quite quickly. A couple of the twigs had fallen out of place letting the sunlight filter into the den which was never good when the weather was still cold and his mate was expecting kits soon. He looked after her at the best of times, not that she needed it much, but he felt slightly more responsible and protective whenever she had a visibly large belly.

Slipping quietly out of the den he shook out his fur and set off at a brisk trot headed in the direction of some trees, well what was left of them. Taking time to circle the trunk all he came across was small sticks that would easily break, after gathering a couple of them he pushed his front legs off the ground and used them to support himself against the tree trunk as he snapped a thicker stick off with his fangs. Dodging as it fell to the ground he snapped it in two and headed back towards the den with the sticks. Hopefully he wouldn't damage Scarletsnow's pride by doing a quick patching up job before she woke up.

[LYNX ♥]

Sleep never came easy, and it rarely came as all with the constant feeling of nausea and bloated sensation that was a companion to pregnancy, but the she-cat was becoming used to the uneasy feeling of kittens writhing around within one after having two previous litters, and these days sleep came so much easier than it once did- perhaps simply because she was so exhausted carrying the extra weight around, though this time there was hardly any extra at all. This would be a small litter. Toxicpaw had told her, in the awkward moments he would probe her to check for signs of ill-health, that there would be no more than three. The queen believed him, after birthing a little of four twice in a row, her relief was iminent. Still, she slept now, but not well. In fact, she was hardly sleeping at all, it was as though she was perched on the edge of consciousness, taking in the sounds and scents around her while her mind remained foggy with soon-forgotten dreams.
Suddenly, though, a loud snap brought her brilliant amber orbs to the world as her eyelids flew apart. She had woken with a start, but when she took in her surroundings, her breathing calmed considerably. It was apparent that the snapping of a branch or something of the like was what had truly woken her, but now that she was conscious, the long-furred female wondered how she had slept at all with the constant moving of her unborn babies in her expanded belly. A scowl suddenly laced her harshly beautiful features as she sharply inclined her head, orange eyes narrowed, and it was then that she observed the cold spot at her side, where Phantomcry ought to have been. So he woke her up. Not wise. Heaving herself on all fours, Scarletsnow stretched her long, patched body and gentley shook out her thick, pallid coat before emerging into the brilliant morning, slightly shrouded by clouds. She found him at once, up on a boulder and patching the whole that allowed sunlight to cascade into their abode. With surprising grace for her pregnant state, Scarletsnow was beside him in an instant. She watched him work in silence for a moment before pressing herself against his muscular frame, face pressed into his neck so when she spoke, her rough voice was muffled, "Sleeping queens should be left to slumber." The rogue considered this for a moment, then moved even closer, so that her whiskers tickled his ears, "You ass." She added in a whisper, but clearly this time she was only being playful. Though she had been woken, Scarletsnow didn't have the energy to be hostile at the moment, for even just hauling herself onto the boulder had sapped the little energy she had. Of course she hated being so useless, but Shard wouldn't dare complain. He knew her sacrificing the duties she ought to take care of would be traded for strong warriors of the future. Her fiery gaze sought her mate's cold blue-gray one, and she cast him a half-hearted smirk, "I'd betcha two mousetails tonight's the night."

[MiNTY♥]

Carefully working away he sponged more moss and mud onto the hold and places the sticks in an x-shaped formation across it. The mud seeping between his claws was an unpleasant sensation that he couldn't claim to be used to that made him shudder slightly but he used the moss to wipe most of it off. It was while he was working away that he felt Scarletsnow's presence beside him and as soon as she pressed herself against his side he knew there was very little chance that he would be getting much more work done. Her warm breath against his neck felt fiery as the rest of his pelt was being cooled by the sharp winter air. "I did my best to leave you in peace." He purred with an innocence that was rarely present in the tom. He couldn't help but scoff slightly at her next comment, luckily she was only playing this time around and he was happy to go along with it. "Well you have the honor of having such an ass around all of the time then." He teased, tailing his tail over her back playfully. "And that's me trying to be nice too, who knows what everyone else thinks of me if I come across that badly with you." He chuckled knowing fine well that others found him intimidating and that's the way he liked it.

It was nice that he was able to share the kind part of himself with a special someone otherwise nobody would see him in a good mood. He liked to think of himself as quite formidable and dangerous, and that he could easily be you just wouldn't think it if you saw him with Scarletsnow. Remaining close to her he added a few more scraps of moss to the roof of their den and turned to face her. "And then you wont have such a big belly." He teased softly, brushing her large belly with her tail although he did notice it had been larger last time. "It's also a good thing I took the opportunity to patch this up." He added signaling to the repaired hole with a flick of his tail. Glancing around him he saw that the day was dull and the sky was covered with a blanket of soft clouds. At least that meant it wouldn't be too cold a night for the kits. "Want to take a walk and I can get some more moss and things for your bedding?" He asked. Even as he asked he felt slightly awkward, he wasn't one to do such things for other cats but Scarletsnow was especially special to him. Plus Toxicpaw would be busy with her herbs and god knows what Eclipseomen had Immortalpaw doing.

[LYNX ♥]

"Yeah right." She rolled her eyes, the slitted pupils seemed to float in a circular motion within a blazing orange pool, "I think I felt you kick my head when you left, thought that would slip by unnoticed?" She snorted, but the glittering in her gaze showed her partner she was only joking, and she flashed him a broad grin to punctuate her teasing words. The brawny queen inclined her head, taking in a clear vision of the silver sky, overcast but so blindingly bright she had to avert her gaze after a moment, blinking rather quickly as though to erase the colorful spots that now dappled her eyesight. With a scowl now lacing her brutish features, Scarletsnow swung her head around to face the lynx-point tom, forcing a smile onto her maw to smooth out the creases that wrinkled her brow, "Shut up," the dilute-patched she-cat purred, scrunching up her nose in a playful snear, "it's your fault anyway, mouse-brain!"
Of course, it was Phantomcry's fault, for he was irresistable to her, like a maddening drug. She couldn't say no even when she wanted to, and it absolutely drove her up a wall. Of course, she wasn't mad at him, he was lovely. The blame was all for herself, after all she ought to be building some sort of resistance from her mate, but she didn't want to, not really. Deep down, she didn't mind if they had litters every year until she died as long as he stayed by her side, but the kits were a handful, the labor and pregnancy draining. Perhaps that itself was what she loathed so much- the crippling affect Phantomcry had on her. As she thought this, she met his icy gaze and snorted, "Thanks, sweetheart."
She pondered over his words for a moment, knowing a walk would exhaust her, but a time away from the rubbish cats she lived with would be lovely, she thought. More than anything, she was glad it would be over soon, for now at least. Scarletsnow craved flesh between her claws and the rush of the kill, and these addictions couldn't be satisfied when full of 'precious' kittens. In all, she decided, a walk with her mate would be well worth the fatigue that would surely follow, and then she could simply reward herself with a nap. "Well, c'mon then." Scarletsnow smiled, and brushed her tail across the tom's cheek, beckoning for him to lead the way.

[MiNTY♥]

A gentle purr escaped his maw and he turned to look at his mate. "You know I would never kick you in the head, I know better than to mess with such a force." He teased, brushing his tail lightly over her chin. It was surprising, for an aggressive natured tom cat he really could be charming towards others when he put his mind to it, although he rarely did. Pleasing others was never high on his list of priorities but looking out for number one was. When he put his mind to it he could be particularly selfish and ignorant of those around him unless he had formed a friendship with them which is rather unlikely since his network consists mostly of an array of acquaintances and then Scarletsnow, who was very high up on his priorities. He was more a work orientated tom, eager to take care of trespassers as fighting was his passion. It was one of the few reasons he stayed with Shard and Delirium, he knew that at some point he would get a decent fight out of other cats. He knew that the clan cats were starclan believing scum, but he also knew that aside from them it was mostly kitty pets and shy loners. Phantomcry liked a challenge and knew that he could depend on the clan cats to want to fight him.

His other reason for staying with Delirium was standing beside him and she had a belly that was fat with kits, his kits, it was always his kits. He couldn't even begin to imagine what he would do other toms if they came even close to having kits with Scarletsnow, he had a feeling that the consequences were probably too horrific to have ever crossed his mind before. That's not to say that Scarletsnow couldn't tear them to shreds if she wanted to. That was just one of the many amazing things about her. She wasn't pathetic like most she-cats. She was witty, knew how to stand up for herself and didn't take anyones crap and that included him. His eyes narrowed playfully at her sarcastic comment. She would appreciate it when there wasn't icy rain water dripping on her as she tried to sleep, maybe he should have waited to fix it that way he could have been more sure that she would appreciate it. He tilted his head to the side and considered making a cheeky comment about her slowness but decided he valued having ears. Turning to face the direction he was going he jumped down off the boulder in one easy bound, he felt the need to go racing over the terrain tingling in his paws but he knew she couldn't. Making no cheeky comments he paused for her to join him beneath the boulder. "Do you need anything else as well as the moss before I leave you tonight?" He asked and started off with a gentle gait.

[LYNX ♥]

The big she-cat swayed to one side, and then to the other, toward her mate with a reminiscent grin lacing her pallid maw when she came within range, she butted his shoulder lightly, and then sidestepped quickly - clearly feeling quite playful. The excess of weight that the unborn kits provided had left her unable to manage much extra movememnt, though, and the frisky light left her blazing orange gaze when she averted her eyes from the lynx-point tom's face almost sullenly. "You're rarely any fun anymore, Phantom," She snorted, blowing air through her teeth so that a sharp, quiet whistle cascaded from her muzzle, "I can't claw your pretty face, and I can't play with your pretty body because you keep getting me pregnant, damnit!" Her wolfish grin melted into a grimace and Scarletsnow's massive frame contorted around her bulging belly soundlessly, writhing like this for a moment before settling once more. She sat, wrapped her long, silky tail about her neatly placed forepaws, and then raised one to her mouth so that she could clean an ear, as casually as she could manage. "I wish the kits would stop fussing, because then I'll faint. If I faint then Shard's dumbass sister will pick on me and then I'll have to claw her ears off, which obviously won't work since I'm pregnant." She stopped and caught her breath, "Ugh."
And then she turned to her tom, and managed a weak smile, shaking her head rather helplessly. "Just our little apothecary to drop off some of his leafy-nonsense. Moss? I hardly need any of that. It oughtn't take long, I should assume." She meowed, her voice soft with the final realization that she would, once more, be a mother. The charge of more kittens, responsible for their lives. Scarletsnow brushed alongside her mate, glancing sidelong after him, and entwining their long tails- his whiplike against her plume.

||bleh bad, sorry. needed to post.

[MiNTY♥]

The tom was strolling along slowly, his gaze watching straight ahead when he felt a weight pushing into his shoulder. Quickly he whipped around, his limbs bent slightly in a fighting position. It was the position he always took for fighting, whether it was playful or not. A gentle growl escaped his maw as he glared at Scarletsnow through shining blue eyes. "Me, no fun?" He repeated with a fake gasp. He sprung forward to close the distance between the two felines, almost as though he was going to bowl her over but of course he didn't. He stopped a mouse-tail away from her and gently nuzzles her flank before taking a seat next to her. "Well I remember we used to have fun clawing the pretty faces of other cats, just as soon as you get into shape again." He purred, brushing his tail over her large side. He blinked slowly as a brief moment of silence passed between the two cats. "And for your information I can't help it that you are so attractive." He teased, his tongue sweeping over her cheek. The expression he wore was a pathetic attempt at an innocent one, Phantomcry wouldn't know how to be innocent if someone dropped it on his head. He was born a bit of a mischievous tom and it had just gotten worse from there, although according to Scarletsnow he hadn't been living up to his reputation recently. That was something that would have to be changed. He chuckled lightly at her next comment. "I would be surprised if the two of you weren't fighting, she will just be jealous that she doesn't have a charming tom to call her own." He commented, his fangs glinting in the light. "Although I could keep my claws busy with her annoying little face until you are ready to take over again if you want. Hell knows how Immortalpaw will turn out with her as a mentor." Phantomcry pressed his body against hers giving her the opportunity to put all of her weight onto him. He could only imagine how frustrating it must be having kits popping up every time you wanted to have a little fun. Although come to think of it if they did round up all of their existing kits they would have quite the little army. "Well I know you will be fine, but I doubt the kits will be quite as strong as we are just yet, you never know maybe they will have even more potential than the last litter." He commented. He liked the idea of having strong offspring. Even though he often had little to do with them compared to Scarletsnow, there was still a little stirring of pride from within whenever he saw them do well.

[LYNX ♥]

Just as that playful spark lit her mate's livid blue gaze, the same was mirrored in her own amber-orange, and her eyes narrowed with false threat as she peered out from lowered lids, watching the muscular tom bound toward her, looking a complete buffoon as always. She grinned and popped up, darting to one side with surprisingly nimble white paws, then flicked him upside the head with her long, feathered tail as soon as he moved in to nuzzle her. "You just get away from me, y'worthless scoundrel," Scarletsnow let her laughter loose, visage crinkling with mirthe as she circled the tom and then looked skyward, practically ignoring her mate when he started speaking again, though she allowed one ear to remain swiveled toward him, her attention was in the heavens. Thick silver clouds were tumbling over one another, racing to eat up the bright blue patches that were left in the sky, and the she-cat shivered. "Ugh. I feel like hell, and I bet it's gonna snow or rain or something. Hm?" She had muttered the complaint to herself, but idly realized she ought to have been listening better to Phantomcry as he chatted on. "Was that a fat joke?" Her face and voice were stern, but her gaze glittered. "Oh. Oh, okay. Well keep on jokin' buddy, but I'll let it slide as long as you continue to shower me with compliments." The rogue winked, tilting her head, and then gritted her teeth, all of the sudden.
"C'mon, lump. Let's go find me a nice mossy patch to rest. They're gonna come really soon I think. They're squirming around like they always do right before it happens." The dilute calico twitched her long tail and then trotted forward a few steps, glanced across at Phantomcry and cast him a rather warm smile. She wordlessly urged him onward, wishing he would more attentively follow her, and then bobbed her head when she heard his deep voice once more. "Yeah, all she's got is a cranky-ass brother with a control issue." She shrugged, "Better her than me. I terminated mine before he could get any silly ideas like that." At last! Scarletsnow spied the lush trickle of moss that tumbled from a large, smooth streamside stone. This'll do. The big female edged forward before throwing herself down in the makeshift nest. Yes this will be a nice one. "I'm not concerned with them competing with Toxicpaw and Immortalpaw. They're fine. I'd say they damn well better do better than our first litter, though." Her words rushed out in a strained growl and she sharply became silent. "Go away, Phantom." The she-cat finally meowed, after a long pause in which she froze, cringing. "Might as well get Toxic, while you're at it."

YAYYYY KITTENS.
okay yeah ~fade to black~.

[MiNTY♥]

xx closed. nom.