sleeping with [ g h o s t s ]

[Dawn]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 440px; height: 600px; background-image: url(http://i45.tinypic.com/a0ewza.png); -moz-border-radius: 250px; border-radius:100px 100px 100px 100px; border: 3px solid #ffffff;] your smile fades in the summer I think I'm fallin' asleep But then all that it means is I'll always be dreaming of you It was mid-spring, and she could almost taste the promise in the air. Another year, another greenleaf on its way. Four full seasons of color, change; birth and death, joy and sorrow. Big fucking deal. It was all bitter to Frostbite. Most things were, or at least had been, since that evening that seemed so long ago, when she'd watched Shard take his last breath. They hadn't been mates, no, not really, but not friends- hard to say what she and the lean black tom had been, but she knew what they were now. She was alive, and Shard- Shard was dead. Perhaps 'lovers' was a term to use, or simply, 'allies'- partners in crime. A love never quite realized, never to be finished. She'd been torn up about it, but she was moving along with life in Hollowclan, too. It was just what Shard had left her that made things, well, tricky. Complicated. It was a bit of a mess, really. Frostbite stepped lightly over a thin, slow-running stream. The added movement, albeit ginger, made her belly sway a bit. Had she stopped to try and make out her reflection in the water, this is what she would have seen: An overall lithe frame, with harshly narrowed amber eyes, a face of severe beauty; a silver tabby with a pregnant, swollen belly. She was very close to the date predicted by the quiet healer, Panacea-something (she'd forgotten her name). Too close, in fact, to be traipsing through Hollowclan territory, her paws muddied from the swamp and a fat vole in her jaws. But what were they going to do? Thus far, all attempts to tell the rogue queen what to do had proved futile. She came and went as she pleased, despite their protests that she was putting her kits in danger. there can be only one mikey! of caution 2.0

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[MiNTY♥]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 440px; height: 600px; background-image: url(http://i48.tinypic.com/9fwkf6.png); -moz-border-radius: 250px; border-radius:100px 100px 100px 100px; border: 3px solid #ffffff;] hide all your skeletons The days came and went, each day the same routine as the one before for no trouble had stirred within the clans since they arrived in their new home. He had to admit he liked the new territory a lot. The humidity made it cosy and often an eerie mist would hang in the air, some saw this poor visibility as a handicap but he felt safe in it. When it came to battle as it always inevitably did his clan would be protected, hidden in the mist, their knowledge of the territory guiding them through. Their attackers, they would feel lost and panicked. It would take a stupid leader to bring their clan into his territory. Despite the peace he still had a dispute that needed to be settled with Timberclan. They probably thought they were getting off lightly but that would not be the case. It was all about waiting for the correct moment to strike, so long as Frostbite did not lose her head. When it came to the elusive female he didn’t know what to do. He felt partly responsible for his little brother and so felt the need to make amends for the tom cats’ actions. In a way he worried about where her head was, what she was planning, and of course the kits. However, he wasn’t good with relationships and never would be. At the end of the day the only thing he was sure of was that he was the leader, that he was in charge, that his word was final and that was the only thing he had to comfort him. Noticing Panaceaheart in a bit of a dazed panic he rolled his eyes slightly. The queen was very close to having her kits and would not stay put, he was mildly concerned that it would push her over the edge and cause her to have a nervous breakdown. Setting out into the territory the female’s alien scent hung in the air, it wasn’t quite Hollowclan but it wasn’t rogue either. You could pick it out from all of the other scents in a heartbeat. His pace was swift as his paws skimmed the surface of the earth, sometimes sinking in the somewhat marshy ground. He could tell that she was not far ahead of him when he scent started to grow stronger, but he decided to approach her gently just in case he spooked her and potentially induced labour. He knew that of all situations that was the one he would want to deal with the most. ”How are the kits, Frostbite?” He asked gently. there can be only one mikey! of caution 2.0

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[Dawn]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 440px; height: 600px; background-image: url(http://i45.tinypic.com/a0ewza.png); -moz-border-radius: 250px; border-radius:100px 100px 100px 100px; border: 3px solid #ffffff;] your smile fades in the summer I think I'm fallin' asleep But then all that it means is I'll always be dreaming of you Frostbite caught a particularly strong bit of Hollowclan scent on the wind, even through the vole clasped in her jaws. Well, if it isn't the king of the jungle, Voidstar, the tabby thought rather nastily, halting in her tracks. Of course, deep down, she was rather grateful of him. Despite her manipulation, he had almost willingly given her a safe place to stay and birth her kits. She had been angry with him, but now she realized it was irrational to blame him for his brother's death. Seeing this, she could only try to blind herself to the visible similarities of the two. This was no easy task. She revolved very slowly on the spot, her weighty belly removing the grace from her movement, and looked in the direction from whence the scent had come. He was close, closer than she had imagined, and the sight sent a jolt through her body, even as he spoke quite gently: "How are the kits, Frostbite?" Frostbite couldn't stop her amber eyes from rounding slightly, opening fully as she took him in with an air of surprise. Again, perhaps for the hundredth time, she noticed the similarities. They were striking, but she was getting better at seeing their differences. Even so, the feeling that went through her was as if she'd just stepped into ice cold water. Frostbite straightened up, regaining her composure, and her eyes flicked smoothly away from Voidstar's face. Realizing the silence she had left as she looked off to the side at a tall, slender birch, the queen tried not to respond hastily. "I don't know how the kits are, but I'm ready for them to carry themselves around." She'd meant to sound snappier, rather than just distracted by the half-hollowed feeling in her chest. The one to blame for Shard's death was his own son, Wraithlight. How strange to think that her own kits would be half siblings of his, the one that killed their father. Our kits. Odd enough in itself, for me to be a mother again... Not one to look down in the self-conscious manner of some, she fixed her eyes on Voidstar once more. I wonder, will they share any likeness to Shard? She didn't voice the comment to the leader; she was rather tired of discussing Shard, to be honest. It gave her an uncomfortable feeling she didn't quite want to acknowledge. "S'pose they're about ready," Frostbite mewed casually, glancing down. "Your healer seems to think so, anyway." there can be only one mikey! of caution 2.0

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[MiNTY♥]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 440px; height: 600px; background-image: url(http://i48.tinypic.com/9fwkf6.png); -moz-border-radius: 250px; border-radius:100px 100px 100px 100px; border: 3px solid #ffffff;] hide all your skeletons An awkward silence hung in the air between them and he dragged a claw through the soil, making small circular patterns as he did so. He wondered why she was being unusually quit, perhaps she felt weary from supporting the kits for so long. ”It sounds as though you have quite a few in there dragging you down.” He replied with a half-hearted smile. It was good to think that they would have quite a few new kits. Hauntedsky had already given birth to a healthy litter of three which was great news, but another healthy litter would be even better news. There was always room for new bodies in the clan especially when they had a new territory filled with plenty of prey to support them. Their chances of survival would be good, so long as Frostbite didn’t continue to bump them around on her various journeys. ”Well I am not medicine cat but I don’t doubt what she says.” He replied, not wanting to add that her belly was big enough to avoid getting his face clawed. You never could tell with queens they were so temperamental and he at least knew not to make negative comments when it came to appearance and she-cats. The two did not mix well. ”So I’m thinking we should get you back to camp because trust me; you do not want me to be the one helping you give birth.” He added, hoping that the thought of him being there convinced her to go back to camp. He knew it put him off the idea of being out here alone with the female. ”What are you going to do after they are born? You can’t keep wandering off and leaving them and they won’t be able to keep up with you themselves.” He asked, curious to know what her thoughts were since it was obvious that she did not like settling in one place, yet on this occasion she might gave to. He just wanted to know that the kits would be safe. there can be only one mikey! of caution 2.0

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[Dawn]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 440px; height: 600px; background-image: url(http://i45.tinypic.com/a0ewza.png); -moz-border-radius: 250px; border-radius:100px 100px 100px 100px; border: 3px solid #ffffff;] your smile fades in the summer I think I'm fallin' asleep But then all that it means is I'll always be dreaming of you Frostbite shrugged at his comment, remembering that the healer had told her about how many kits she would have, but she wasn't sure whether it had been three, four, or more. "Seems so," she responded, twitching her tail. Despite the way she carried herself, the queen was getting to be close to fifty moons old, which was around or a little past her prime, as cats went; but she was old for those that lived with her lifestyle. At Voidstar's comments, she snorted. ”So I’m thinking we should get you back to camp because trust me; you do not want me to be the one helping you give birth.” "I don't need anyone 'helping' me give birth," Frostbite stated rather icily, although she'd been on her way back to camp soon anyway, and she was merely being argumentative. Still, reminding herself that this was the clan leader, she made a half-hearted attempt to smooth her tone. "I've had several litters before this, I don't see any reason that this one will be any more difficult," she said, trying to sound less snappish, and barely succeeding. Frostbite relented, in her rare show of not being as bullheaded as usual, and decided she may as ought go back with him. "I don't want you witnessing it, though," she twitched her nose in a bit of disgust at the thought. "So I suppose I'd best spend a bit more time about camp. But I think I'd know it if they were coming." She padded slightly toward him, adding, "I'm not going to wander off and leave them. Whatd'ya mean, what am I going to do? I'm going to raise them, here in your clan- Tempest or Hollow or whatever it's called now, I suppose." She didn't much care for the idea of she and Shard's kits being clan cats, but she was smart enough to keep them here where they'd be safe as long as she needed to. With a clan of warriors protecting her, she was better off than wandering. "I'm going to raise them," she repeated, as if there were no question about it. "I don't need Shard to help me, either." there can be only one mikey! of caution 2.0

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