like a jailbird, i'll sing [ pit

[Rendezvous]

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The day was beautiful, but to the newly appointed Thunderclan queen, the day seemed like the worst possible thing. Brightcloud had swallowed her pride and told Nightstar that she would have to be removed from her warrior duties until she had gotten over the phases of motherhood. She had hated walking away from the warrior's den, away from her comfortable nest, the warm bodies of fellow warriors.

Today was to be her first day officially as a queen of Thunderclan. She allowed her gaze to travel over the assortment of brambles and thorns that shielded the nursery from the elements and possible intruders. Flicking the tip of her tail she headed toward the camp entrance. A burly warrior looked at her before meowing, "Where are you off to?" Brightcloud flicked her ears back before replying, "I'm simply going to fetch some things for my nest in the nursery." Her voice was quiet, yet strong as if daring the warrior to tell her otherwise. The tabby tom simply cleared his throat and returned to guarding the entrance.

Brightcloud preceded through the tunnel, and since she was heeding Fogheart's advice, she wasn't going to do any hunting or anything 'warrior like'. She was simply going to fetch some moss, and if she could find a couple of feathers she would be able to return to camp satisfied. Twitching her small nose, she caught whiff of the stale scent of a bird, as she averted her gaze she spotted a bird nest. It appeared empty, but perhaps there were feathers entangled in the nest. "I'm not allowed to climb.." She spoke quietly to herself as she moved away from the tree and away from the temptation.

She spotted a nice amount of moss clinging to an older tree, and using her claws, she stripped the bark of the green organism. Once she had robbed the tree of all the moss that she could manage, she grabbed it within her jaws. Brightcloud didn't have a mother to tell her what raising kits was like, nor did she have a mother to tell her how to go through being a mother. Her father was condemned to the elder's den, his mind far beyond the reaches of no return. It was almost as if the old tom didn't even exist anymore.

Brightcloud had stopped visiting her father in the elder's den shortly after she became a warrior, because no matter what she did, he didn't even make an effort to acknowledge her presence. Was it bad that the queen wished her father would join the ranks of Starclan so that he could join her mother, and finally be happy once more? Thinking about her past made her drop the moss to the ground and pad further away from camp, her mind searching for a place to relax and escape the past that troubled her.

After a walk that seemed like miles, even though it was only a couple of lengths, she finally ended up at Sunningrocks, overlooking the Riverclan border. Stepping lightly onto the rocks she managed to scramble up a large boulder, where she laid in the sun, hoping that she could bade her memories away.

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[pit]

kitecry

His paw pads throbbed uncomfortably as he made his way back to camp. Kitecry was tailing the border patrol, keeping his eyes on the cats' backs in front of him. His shoulders felt very heavy. Last night had not been a smooth night for the tom. He was so used to curling up and feeling the steady rise and fall of his best friend's back against his. Last night she wasn't there, and all he could do was stare out of the den helplessly. He couldn't just go into the nursery and curl up with her. Right? He had shaken his head at his own thoughts. Surely it was just his sleep-deprived self talking, because he could be sure that he would turn heads if he was seen walking out of the nursery in the morning for no apparent reason.

Kitecry was so lost in his thoughts that he walked into the warrior in front of him, and she yelped in surprise, turning on him, but not before bumping into the tom in front of her. He winced apologetically, but kept his mouth shut. A wave of relief washed over his body when he stepped foot into the camp again. The gray warrior flopped down outside the warrior's den and sighed at the sweet release of pressure that rushed to his paws. He only allowed himself a few seconds of relaxation before he was on his feet once again, padding toward the nursery. At least he knew Brightcloud would be there. He really wanted to see her.

He poked his head into the den, and his heart immediately sunk. She wasn't there after all. The pretty calico wasn't in camp, either, which means she took a walk. Fortunately for him, he knew her favorite spots. The gray tabby trotted out of camp, his head high, nose in the air for any signs of her. He let his gut guide him, because it was always easier to find her that way. His subconscious seemed to know where she was. Kitecry's ears perked happily when he did indeed spot his mate, lounging on the Sunningrocks. They were indeed a nice place to relax. The warrior let his eyes settle on her for a moment, as he did not get to see her like this often. After a few heartbeats, he felt his paws ushering him forward again, up on the rock to plop down next to her. He lapped at her cheek once in silent greeting and rested his head onto his tired paws.

[Rendezvous]

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Being alone gave her time to think on her past experiences. From witnessing the breath being whisked away from her mother, to the birth of her sister, to the fall of her beloved father, to the fling with Flameheart, to the rise in the strength between Kitecry and herself, and finally to the writing of the first chapter in motherhood. It was stressful, yet somehow beautiful in a way. Tragedy had befell her at a young age, but perhaps that meant that her future would be much brighter.

She looked to the river that marked the boundary between Thunderclan and Riverclan, and she was almost soothed by the sweet sounds that rose from the water lapping at the stones that made up the shore. Spotting a silver body leaping out of the water to catch an insect before diving back into the depth of the river, the calico half wished she could join the fish, and swim away from all of her troubles, lacking the intelligence to know the problems of the world. Yet, she was glad that she was a feline, for she was gifted with at least one best friend. Kitecry.

As soon as she thought of the tom, she scented him before purring as he lapped at her cheek. Looking towards the tom she noticed how tired her friend looked. Could she call him her friend anymore? Wasn't he technically her mate now? She wasn't even sure what to call the tom.

Brightcloud wasn't too sure how to show affection towards another being, nor did she know if that was the right thing to do anyway. "Tired?" She asked quietly as she studied the grey tom, noting how much he looked like his brothers. She all noticed how all of the brothers had some form of bird in their name. Kitecry, Thrushwing, and Heronflight. The idea puzzled the she-cat and she found herself asking the tom, "Birds?" She asked before realizing that that wasn't much of a sentence. "Sorry. You and your brothers, all of your names take after a bird." She added. She was so used to delivering short responses but as she slowly, but surely warmed up to Kitecry, she found herself talking a bit more than usual, but she would never become a big talker, it just wasn't in her.

She neatly tucked her paws under her as a light breeze ruffled her fur. "I miss my warrior duties." The queen had only been out of the den for what, a sun or two? Helping her clan was all that she knew, it was what motivated her every day. Now what was she going to do? She had an entire moon left before she was to give birth, and then even after that she'd be confined to the nursery for six more moons. That was seven moons total! Brightcloud feared she would go crazy, she couldn't do that. How did queens manage that? Oh wait. The majority of queens usually wanted to be in that position.

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[pit]

kitecry

"Tired?"

Brightcloud's smooth voice reached his ears easily, and he huffed slightly in agreement. Yes, he was very tired. But that was okay, he was with her now, which made up for it. His paws were beginning to sting less, too. The tom blinked open his eyes and laid his head next to hers on the warm boulder, quite enjoying the feel of the sun's rays on his dull pelt. Kitecry couldn't help but notice the stark contrast in their pelts. Brightcloud's was long and colorful and, well, bright. His was a gray and white, much like his brothers. The ThunderClan warrior remembered when the trio of brothers were kits that they were often mixed up.

His ears perked at her mention of birds. He wasn't sure why, exactly, she had brought the feathered creatures up, but it was enough to make his gaze turn toward the blindly blue sky. Kitecry didn't see any birds. Usually they hung more in the forest. He could hear a few chirping behind him in the safety of the woods. It sounded like a robin, he thought. Kitecry had always liked those birds. Their copper bellies had fascinated him. Embarrassingly enough, when he was an apprentice he had painted his own chest red with some silly squashed red berries because of it. He tends to avoid ever telling that story because, well, did he really need to explain?

The sound of his mate's (he supposed he could call her that now, right?) voice startled him back to the present. He chuckled a bit at her comment about his brothers. Yes, their mother had a strange obsession with the winged creatures that she seemed to pass onto him, unfortunately. His green gaze watched as she tucked her limbs into her body. Kitecry nodded gently at her comment before opening his jaws to reply.

"I know. But trust me, you are doing a more important job," he spoke. Kitecry blinked before explaining himself. "I'm out there hunting, when you're actually making kits right now. Isn't that a little mind-blowing?" The tom stretched, grunting when he let his limbs fall back to their normal position. He shrugged one sore shoulder. "I think it is."

[Rendezvous]

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The thought of making kits had never dawned on the queen until Kitecry had mentioned it aloud. She was to produce the next generation of warriors for Thunderclan. Who knows, perhaps her kits would grow up to be cats that would be told of in stories long after they had left to join the ranks of Starclan. They could be great, maybe even one of them would rise up as leader one day. Wasn't that every queen's dream? Feeling a flurry of movements within her belly, she shifted slightly so that she was laying on her side, her back touching her mate's frame.

"You just might be right, Kitecry." She meowed softly, rubbing her head into her mate's fur. The calico was grateful that her friend had came to her in her time of need, when the rightful father of her kits would not. She hadn't wanted her friend to carry her burden, nor did she want to rely on another cat. However, she knew that she wouldn't be able to do this on her own. It was near impossible, and she was heading down a path she had never ventured onto, and it was dark, and mysterious. Fortunately, with Kitecry, the journey didn't seem as perilous. "Thank you." Closing her eyes, she added "For being there for me, when no one else would." Brightcloud didn't have any friends within the clan, save for Kitecry of course. No other cat would stand up for her like this tom was doing right now, and Brightcloud had to admit, she loved the tom for what he was doing now.

It wasn't that she was trying to use, it was the fact that she needed someone, anyone. Out of all the choices in Thunderclan, Kitecry was the best one. "What made you come out here?" She asked after a brief moment of silence. She was fully aware that Kitecry knew of the majority of her favorite spots, with Sunningrocks of course being one of them. Before her mother had died, Brightcloud remembered conversing with the tom every now and again, when he wasn't with his flock of brothers.

Reopening her eyes she glanced at her belly, noticing how large it had became. "I wonder how many kits are in there." She commented curiously as she peered at her belly for a couple of moments before shifting again so that she was laying back down.

Ever since the conversation with Fogheart, she'd grown to be quite fond of the little lifeforms that were slowly forming within her. She wanted to know what they would like, how they would act. Brightcloud had yet to think of names for the little ones for she figured it would be best to name them when they came into the world. "You don't mind being their father? I..I don't want them to know who their real father is, Flameheart was one of the worst mistakes I've ever made." She admitted, looking to the tom. "But I was right to listen to you." The queen was quite talkative today for she was feeling comfortable not having to be surrounded by the entire clan.

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