Million Moon-Long Memories

[mewmehh]

Million Moon-Long Memories

Longwing reminisces about his fateful first encounter with Tallulah the kittypet.

The crisp breeze of the fleeting Leafbare blew through the budding red foliage. A whisper. A ghost of winter. The season of Newleaf had only start a few nights prior, but already the life seemed to return to the land that the clans called home as ruby-hued leafage and tiny sprigs of grass shot out proudly from the bare land’s naked trees and earth. The thick of the snow had all but melted away, a thin fragment on the bolstered forest as a sheet of sleet laced the ground beneath the frail canopy. Sunlight dazzled the forest floor as it shown through the spindly branches and warmed the pelts of a pair of cats stretched out amicably below.

A long body of frigid white and fiery ginger lay sprawled out against a grey slab of stone, neatly polished into a smooth, oblong shape. The feline’s silky tail draped itself across the slab, hanging its wispy tip off the edge and letting its fluid locks pour into the soft, new grass beside him. A pair of odd eyes flicked lazily from the blue sky to his purring companion, her sharp ruddy body stark against the soft hues of the garden surrounding them.

A small, lithe form laid draped across another stone a whisker-length away, her sculpted form rising and falling with slow, rhythmic breaths as delicate curls flounced with each subtle motion. It was a sight to behold; the normally wildfire-ish female now lay limp as a rag doll in the spring green of her twoleg’s territory.

Longwing wondered softly how they managed to achieve such peace and tranquility. How bizarre a scene this must’ve appeared to any onlookers with even the slightly bit of a clue. The sleek, muscular warrior did not fit this picture-perfect scene. And yet, he did.

It had been many season ago, during a particularly harsh Leafbare which had Ivyclan bowed with its tail tucked beneath its body as its members were ravaged by whitecough and the beginnings of the dreaded greencough. Longwing had only just been given his warrior name when he was delegated to safeguard Ivyclan’s then medicine Aquafern and their apprentice in the search for the elusive Catmint that was a rare cure for the deadly cough inflicting their clan, as well as their rival’s.

The search party scoured the forest for the minty herb, only having to had resorted to extending past their borders into uncharted territory. The Twoleg Place was no place for a warrior, but rumor had it that the bee-brained flat faces often took pleasure in cultivating rare herbs and flowers that the clans greatly needed during Leafbare. Twolegs may be as crazy as a fox in a fit at times, but those who grew herbs in their territories and gardens were quite good at it. Hardly did the herbs ever look wilted or deathly ill even during the harsh snowy seasons. It was something Longwing had been extremely thankful of.

Luckily Aquafern, Larkbeat, and Longwing had managed to track down a trace of the catmint in one of the Twolegs’ guarded territories, long walls of naked wood effectively boxing the herbs inside, but it was not enough to keep the desperate clan cats out. Crossing over the scratchy wall was easy enough a task, but the labored breaths of the nervous cats were plenty enough to make the simple task excruciating. Wary paws were shaky ones as the three tiptoed as quiet as mice into the snowy yard were oddly enough a lavish garden of winter flowers blossomed all around. It was a sight lovely enough to pull the young warrior’s attention from the quest, but not his allies as the Medicine cats were quick to locate the coveted catmint that had urged them into this dangerous place that smelled of foreign cat scent.

As Longwing snapped from his stupor, he took to his task of surveying the area for threats to his clanmates. Though he found little to fear, he had locates something that caught his gaze for more than a moment.

Across the stark white yard were a pair of wide blue eyes glowing behind a frosted sheet of what looked as clear as ice. The eyes were wide as saucers as they burned deep holes into the long warrior whose fiery spots clashed against the thick blanket below. Longwing attributes the unfamiliar cat smell to the owner of the eyes stuck behind the twoleg nest’s ice, and stared back at the endless gaze. Try as he might, he couldn’t summon a stern expression as a look of wonderment flashed across his face at the sight of the fireball of furry kitten that poked her dark nose as close as she could to the patrol. It was a wonder to the tom how she kept from getting herself stuck against the ice at this temperature.

However, his seemingly eternity-long staring contest was quickly brought to an end by a brisk mewl from Aquafern as a signal that they had gotten what they had come for and were ready to return home. As they scrambled their way up the fence post with jaws stuff tight with blissfully fragrant leaves, Longwing couldn’t help was cast a glance back at the twoleg’s best where the small ginger furball stared back with an almost forlorn look about her face. Longwing’s heart lurched with sympathy for the cat, but he knew deep down that such a place was far safer for the soft-looking kittypet kit. The forest full of coughs and unpredictable birds of prey was far too dangerous for a cat without Clan blood flowing through their veins.

Or so he had once thought. Time had passed and the warrior was wiser yet.

Moons as a warrior had been spent training and supporting his clan, but during his down time or along solo patrols, he had found himself drawing close to the dangerous place he had once crossed into. He knew it wrong in his head to want to venture back there, but the feeling, bleeding heart he wore on his shoulder was one that had not forgotten the somber kitten that stared pleadingly at him. Eventually, just as any mortal cat, he succumbed to curiosity and found himself in place he shouldn’t belong.

The snow had melted away by then and new flowers in more saturated hues lit up the small territory, with bushels of thick, berry-filled shrubs like plumage and a multitude of shadowy spaces lacing the area where secret enemies could hide themselves from sight. Yet the tom stalked carefully along the borders of the wooden wall, eyeing the place for the lost-looking kitten.

Surprise overcame the battle-trained warrior as a small form rushed him from his side, the rich and nearly overwhelming scents of the garden having clouded his senses enough to mask the stranger’s scent. However, no sense of bloodlust emanated from that who assaulted him, and as he spun around to face the stranger, he was met with the same moon-sized pair of blue eyes that he recalled from a season or so before. Only, this time he could detect a fair sum of green in the gaze. The kitten was now a fair bit bigger. A fair bit leaner. A fair bit confident.

”It’s you,” the owner of the blue-green eyes exclaimed, her tiny paws of dark russet and white bouncing around the long warrior without even the slightest hint of fear. She seemed elated for the warrior to be there despite the threat he could have posed to the kittypet. ”Oh, I had hoped you would come back!!” The lean kitten’s squeals of excite were surely loud enough to draw her twoleg’s attention and that worried Longwing, this he did his best to placate her.

”Shh yes yes, I’m here, but you have to quiet down. I can’t have your twolegs knowing I’m here.” He notes her face screwed up in confusion and remember that he had heard somewhere before that kittypets used different terms for their twolegs depending on who you talked to. Whiskey, was it? The kittypet that they knew of? Longwing recalled the barn cat’s wording.

”Ahh your housefolk, I mean. They can’t catch me here, okay? Or I’ll have to leave.” This shut the kitten up in an instant, evident on her expressive save that she did not want her guest to leave so soon.

In a softer voice, she murmured in excitement,”You’re one of those wild cats, aren’t you? I know you are!!” Her eyes sparkled with delight.

Longwing hung his head in defeat and sighed with a weak smile,”I am. My name is Longwing. And who might you be?”

”I’m Tallulah Rose!!”

It felt to the tom as if the memory had taken place a million moons ago as Longwing and Tallulah had become exceptional friends from that first time to now as they lounged lazily in her garden yard of newly planted flowers that would bloom into peonies and petunias of blushing hues before too long. The angora warrior offered a small smile as he watched Tallulah yawn widely in a stretch before rolling into her side to face him. A pair of almond-shaped eyes of shimmering turquoise peeks out behind heavy red lids as the she-cat blinked back to life from her deep snooze.

”Mornin’ Wing,” she purred out in a long drawl, pink tongue lolling out between her few words. It was hardly a pretty sight to the lean warrior as he only wrinkled his nose at her morning breath with a raised, whispered brow.

”Good morning, Oh Radiant One. You look like a brand of fire this day.” There was an uncharacteristically snarky bit to Longwing’s ode to the kittypet. A clanmate who knew that warrior may have been taken aback in that moment.

The curly cat snickered widely with a leery gaze and mewed,”So I look hot then?” She puffed up her chest fur with a slight fluffing from a forepaw as she sat up to boast in the warm sunlight.

Longwing shot her a sideways glance. ”I never said that. I was thinking more dangerous. Like a forest fire. Your pelt looks as wild and messy as one.” He bit back his laughter as the collared cat stuck her tongue out at him in annoyance.

With a grunt, the white warrior hoisted himself up and gently flicked the kittypet over the nose with the tip of his tail; a gesture that was familiar and all too well-known by Tallulah that it signaled her friend’s departure. ”I ought to get going.”

”Duties to tend to?” she shoe back playfully as she got to her paws along with Longwing. There was a hint of longing despite the teasing tone of her words, as if she wished to join him.

”I’m afraid so, but I’m sure I’ll be back soon enough. Thank you for having me,” he purred in a polite voice as he dipped his head in a short bow. This only elicited another annoyed smile from the kittypet as she shook her head.

”You know you don’t have to keep thanking me. You’re always welcome here, Longwing. I just wish I could visit your home some time.”

He offered her a small smile and shook his head. Tallulah quickly added,”I know! I know! There are rules and my Wing is a good little boy who likes to uphold those rules. Now go run along before your clanmates miss you.”

The two touched noses in farewell before the warrior bounded across the yard and hauled himself over her fence in a few rehearsed motions that made the task look as natural as walking to the kittypet. One day, Tallulah mentally told herself. One day, I’ll be on the other side of that fence with Wing. And it’ll be the best day ever!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

|| Just a little bit of backstory for my babs Longwing of Ivyclan and Tallulah Rose of the Halcyon Gardens. The two are a pair of unlikely friends who get together to visit and play when they can, though Tal has never ventured past her fence into the forest that Longwing calls home as he has warned her enough times to keep her at bay. Still though, the forest- she calls Tal!!

Thank you for reading!! I had a lot of run writing this even though it’s just a fluff piece. If any information is wrong, please let me know so I can fix it, and constructive criticism is welcome. All I ask is that you please be kind ^^ ||

[mewmehh]

Wet Noses Want Milk

Little Milk-kit goes through the weaning process.

The young kitten pouted, her brow knitted in a frowning scowl. It wasn't fair, her foster mother taking away her most favorite thing. Milk was so sweet and tasty and just her most favorite thing in the world- she wasn't ready to give it up.

Facing the placid, clear liquid that Sweetbriar had lapped from, Milk-kit scrutinized the water and took a breath. Then, ever so delicately, she lowered her face towards it, only to recoil in disgust at the piercing cold feeling of the wetness encasing the entirety of her muzzle. She had not expected to plunge straight into the pool, and she sprang back with an offended look.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

”What is a Legacy?”

Madolche and her mama, from a time before the clans.

"What is a legacy?"

Bluebell eyes glittered as the small she-cat softly spoke from where she lounged in the down-laden nest. An inquisitive expression was shown upon her round face as she studied the black queen with an innocent gaze.

"A legacy is...well...it's like plant seeds in a garden you never get to see. You help to cultivate and care for it while they're young, but by the time they've grown and are capable of fending for themselves, it'll have been past your time. You leave with them your faith- faith and trust that they'll carry on with strength and dignity." The black queen smiled.

The long, dusky cat moved over from her seat on the ground, making her way into the nest and carefully stepping with nimble paws around the tiny forms of her brood as to avoid sitting on them. Settling her lithe body into a nice nook between the kits, she relaxed and opened her belly to the chubby little pale she-kit and purred at the sensation of Madolche latching to her tummy. "I simply hope that I get to see as much of that garden as I can before its my time to join the Spirits up in the sky. But then, it shall be an eternal garden I attend, won’t it?”

Tears welled at the corner of sleep-blurred eyes as Milkpaw laid on her back within her crumpled nest. It had been moons since she had thought of her family. Why now? Her mind pondered agonizingly hard over the reason, yet in all her young wisdom, her trickling tears ceased to stop. What an awful thing to dream; too awful when she had finally adjusted to her new life in the clans.

Sleep failed to rescue Milkpaw and the dark morning continued on slowly with a lanky black queen stalking through her thoughts.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

|| A tale and a half of a little princess’ youth~

Milkpaw isn’t always a strong, independent lady who wants to protect all the cute girls. Sometimes she needs a little protecting too.

Thank you for reading!! I had a lot of run writing this even though it’s just more fluff. If any information is wrong, please let me know so I can fix it, and constructive criticism is welcome. All I ask is that you please be kind ^^ ||

[mewmehh]

Frolic Through the Flowers

Longwing and Tallulah have a fun day in the heat.

The sweet fragrance of lavender and primrose floated about the peaceful air of the garden-like territory where the twolegs had made their nests and the soft tunes of songbirds could be heard aimlessly. A pair of ginger-hued cats lounged within a green yard laden with deep indigo flowers, relaxing amicably under the midday sun. The slender warrior dressed in ginger-splotched white fur flexed his toes in delight at the rays of heat which warmed his pelt as he relished in his visit to the Twolegs' Place. Longwing listened thoughtfully as Tallulah cooed about all the little things that excited her over the past moon, all little bits of adventure that ranged from venturing all the way to the end of her neighborhood to having caught a lizard for a snack- the silky warrior chuckled at that bit as the kittypet made a face about how it had tasted. Longwing loved listening to Tallulah talk, for she got excited over even the most mundane of things that a clan cat would face, such as hunting. It was a breath of fresh air to hear tales of innocent pleasantries instead of the grueling stories that often came with clan life, and the warrior felt less and less guilty of his visits to the kittypet as the moons went on. They were like a break from the harshness of his reality where cats died daily and kittens rose up to take their place.

Tallulah had been languidly brushing her tongue over her chest in between words when she caught some movement out of the corner of her eye. A fat grey bird had fluttered down from one of the robust trees that adorned the front yards of the neighborhood homes and her gaze flexed hungrily as she locked onto the pinkish beak of the bird. She rolled over as gracefully as she could, looking like a lumpy potato in doing so, and got to her feet, hunkering down on her paws. Her curly tail lashed low to the ground as she crept ever so slightly towards the pudgy creature pecking absent-mindedly at the grass near the side fence. One. Two. Three!! She sprang forward in a pounce, landing squarely where the bird had been. Key word being had.

The fat creature had hurried out of the kittypet’s way, although not too far as the lazy bird didn’t seem all too scared of the fat house cat. He must’ve maneuvered from many a twolegs’ pet in his time. But what he had not encountered was a truly wild-raised warrior.

The bird had hopped and fluttered out of Tallulah’s way, but practically bounced into Longwing’s jaws. The lean warrior had been upwind of the bird and like a shadow along the fence’s length, he had laid in wait. Honestly, it was in order to let Tallulah have a try at hunting, but after her flop, the pale tom made his move. Long claws carved up the fat bird’s sides and Longwing's ivory teeth sank deep into its neck, quickly killing it. After he was certain he had slain it, the odd-eyed warrior stepped back and purred humbly, ”I hope you don’t mind a little help.” At the approving gaze that the LaPerm gave him, Longwing beamed back at the she-cat with a beaming expression. ”Well, dig in.”

Tallulah closed the distance between herself and the bird, though as she reached its side, she paused. Looking between the piece of fresh kill and its hunter, she tilted her head in confusion and meowed, ”Why don’t you have first bite? You caught it.”

Longwing purred heartily. ”It’s because of that reason that you must eat it. In the clans, the hunters wait until everyone else has eaten. All the cats who are too young, old, or inexperienced to hunt. That way the warriors aren’t the only ones to be healthy and strong. It’s a way of respecting those who protected the clan before us current warriors could, and to set an example for the next generation who will replace us. It’s one of the oldest and most protected laws of the clans.” He felt his insides warm up at the look of understanding that graced Tallulah’s curly face as she listened to him eagerly. Not once during his little speech did she take a bite of prey. He gave her a little nod and added gently, ”I didn’t say that to insult your hunting abilities, I hope you know. I just wanted to explain why I can’t eat this piece of prey. I hope you don’t mind.”

Tallulah’s chest swelled happily. Oh, how wonderful the clans were!! Every day, it seemed she adored them more and more. She gave her friend’s shoulder a brisk lick before turning back to take a bite of the bird. In her zeal, she only grabbed a mouthful of feathers, and she stumbled back, spluttering. This elicited a rumble of laughter from Longwing.

”Haven’t eaten bird before? Here, I’ll show you how it’s done.” Longwing maneuvered around to Tallulah’s side, dipping his head low to the bird. Drawing back his lips, he used his teeth to pull clumps of the downy feathers from the bird to reveal the plump meat beneath. He sat back and watched the kittypet tuck happily into his catch, and he smiled. ”Smells good. Don’t think I’ve ever caught a bird like that before.”

”Imf pimfeon,” Tallulah mumbled with a full mouth, tail lashing happily.

”Ahh. The elusive pimfeon. How could I have not known?” He received a sharp swat from Tallulah’s tail for his mocking remark, and his eyes twinkled humorously at her glaring green gaze.

The rest of the day continued on smoothly, the warm spring sun washing its light over the pair as they lounged about the floral-scented garden into the evening. And before too long, it was time for the friends to part ways, though it felt all too soon.

Longwing and Tallulah teetered on wobbly paws against the long shadows cast in the dusky orange light, their faces warm and eyelids heavy. Sleep was on the minds of the pair who were now exhausted from their day of play; having gotten into the garden greens and had a particularly fun romping session after ingesting a touch of catmint.

Feeling fuzzy-headed and light on their feet, the two cats moved like stumbling drunkards towards the shady fence that marked the edge of the she-cat’s territory. Longwing and Tallulah Rose paused to wish each other good night, leaving the frumpy-pelted ginger to watch her silky white companion scramble ungracefully over the wooden wall and hobble off into the dark woods.

~

A few moons had passed since the last visit between the unlikely friends; with all the pandemonium occurring in the forest around Ivyclan regarding a group of rogues, Longwing had been far too busy defending his clan to run off to the Twoleg Place. Likewise, Tallulah had noticed her friend's absence, but was too caught up in practicing what her friends from the alleys had taught her. Thus, when the time came for relaxation, both were excited to spend time together again. With bated breath, Longwing had finished up his tasks for the day early and hurried off towards Tallulah' house.

It was not an uncommon sight for the kittypet to appear plump and round from her diet of the soft slop that Longwing had once tried at Tallulah’s suggestion. It hadn’t tasted bad per say, but the texture was all wrong to the warrior. Tallulah lived a cushy life despite how the she-cat would contend with the fact due to her desire to live a more wild life. So when the curly-furred cat sauntered with a sway to her steps out from behind her housefolk’s sliding, ice-looking wall, Longwing thought nothing of it. He carefully vaulted over the fence's edge into Tallulah Rose's yard and approached the she-cat with a bright gin and happy greeting. The pair rubbed cheeks affectionately and the warrior sat down quickly to listen to his kittypet friend's stories that she had likely collected over the past few moons. However, he was astonished to find she had very few to offer and instead urged him to join her inside her twolegs' nest.

With a tilt of his head in confusion, walking alongside the ginger molly, he meowed, "Really, Tallulah. I can't believe that's all you've done since I've seen you was practicing your hunter's crouch. I'm sure even you could've have gotten it down in a few days." He gave a quick squeak of apology at the beady look the she-cat gave him in response. Glancing to the ground, he offered softly, "It's just, you're usually so energetic. It's hard to believe that you haven't left your home at all. You normally have all sorts of things to say about the adventures you have in your neighborhood. Are you sure you're not ill?"

Tallulah gave a hearty laugh at the words which made Longwing sound like a fretting mother and she purred, "Nah! I'm fine. Just a bit tired lately is all. It's almost summer, so it's gotten a bit hot, you know." However, this did little to change the worries expression worn on the tom's face. She simply shook her head and led him up to a small spot along the stony wall of her house and with her face, pushed open a soft yet hard flap the revealed a secret entrance inside. She grinned cheekily at how Longwing gawked in surprise. "Come on! It'll be quick, I promise. I just want to show you something."

Hesitantly, Longwing stepped into the twoleg den and waited anxiously on the other side for Tallulah to follow him in. The area they now stood in was like stepping into a new world. The ground beneath him was smooth, yet gritty to touch and cool. It felt completely unnatural. Still, he tried to keep his composure. Yet, that wasn't the only thing that shook his nerves.

So many smells swirled around the tom, from scents that could only be associated with twolegs and their strangeness to smells that were familiar like cat's dunh belonging to Tallulah. And one particular scent that managed to catch the warrior off guard- milk.

Snapping his head to Tallulah, he watched in silent awe as she walked across the twoleg cavern towards a soft, small den seemingly made from twoleg things that smell strongly of Tallulah and he felt a lump rise in his throat as the she-cat beckoned him over. With movements as slow and careful as if he were stalking prey, Longwing moved over to the tiny den and lowered his head to peek inside. To his astonishment, there at the back of the kittypet's soft bedding were the many squirming, sleeping forms of downy soft kittens; each seemed to look just like him, of all cats. All smelling of milk, flowers, and of the young kittypet who was his best friend.

[mewmehh]

Forlorn Farewells

Longwing and Tallulah meet for the last time.

"Come on! It'll be quick, I promise. I just want to show you something."

Snapping his head to Tallulah, he watched in silent awe as she walked across the twoleg cavern towards a soft, small den seemingly made from twoleg things that smell strongly of Tallulah and he felt a lump rise in his throat as the she-cat beckoned him over. With movements as slow and careful as if he were stalking prey, Longwing moved over to the tiny den and lowered his head to peek inside. To his astonishment, there at the back of the kittypet's soft bedding were the many squirming, sleeping forms of downy soft kittens. All smelling of milk, flowers, and of the young kittypet who was his best friend.

---

The lean warrior furrowed his brow, his eyes darkened as he bounded through the forest with great purpose. He was on a mission- likely one of the most important ones he would ever have to face in his lifetime. His thoughts were twisted up, tangled in a mess of clan loyalties and his feeling of friendship towards the ginger she-cat he was on his way to see. And all the while his heart burned, pounding with an ache that echoed the dull thud of his pawsteps. As he ran, all he could do was replay the moment over again in his head.

---

Longwing gawked at the nest as he staggered over in his stupor, eyes lit up in confusion and pride. "Are...are these...."

"Yup," Tallulah boasted with her chest puffed out and expression beaming. "All mine! Well, I guess not ALL mine. It takes two to tango." It didn't take Tallulah Rose long to realize her idiom had been lost on the warrior. Quickly, she added with a purr, "They're yours too!"

At this revelation, Longwing practically choked.

Giggling, the ginger queen smoothly tucked her head into the small den and, with her teeth, tugged her bedding out by its corner. In better lighting, the parent cats could make out the litters' details.

There were four squirming, twitchy bodies and one which remained still. This one caught Longwing's attention.

"What happened to that one..?" He gestured toward an unusually tiny ginger tom with a wispy tail.

"Oh, that was Luck-kit. He came out too small, I think. I had named him after my mother before I realized it, but he was born already...dead."

From the way the queen spoke of the runt, it was clear to the warrior that she had found time to heal her heart despite the soft pain Longwing could hear in her tone. His heart clenched in sorrow.

---

He could feel his breathing turn ragged as he ran and in a moment of lucidity, Longwing steadied himself to that of a more manageable pace. After all, he was going to need all of his energy on the trip back, carrying all those kits. Part of him wondered if he should have asked someone to accompany him, but then he recalled that Owlstar requested he keep this to himself to preserve his standing in the clan. This was his mistake- it was his job to handle alone.

---

"Oh, but don't worry! I'm sure you'll get to meet him in your Starclan, right?" Tallulah's eyes glittered with hope as Longwing's face still retained its hurt expression. It was not within the warrior's power to tell the kittypet that Starclan didn't work that way- that his ancestors wouldn't accept every cat that died. Not even his halfclan son.

In an effort to quell his pain, Tallulah motioned towards the rest of the kits and purred brightly, "Hey! You haven't gotten to hear these guys' names yet!" She gently prodded a creamy white kit with reddish spotting. "His name is Mintk! I named him after the catnip- or catmint stuff- we ate on the night we made them." She then giggled at Longwing's flustered face. "And this is Violetkit," she added as she nudged a paler ginger and white tabby who resembled Longwing's pelt. "I named her after my favorite flowers in the garden!" 

Grinning happily at the fuzzy blush Longwing wore spurred the kittypet on as she ran around the nest like a kit showing off all her new playthings. Looming over a pure white kit, she mewed, "This is Wingedkit."

Longwing blinked a bit as Tallulah prattled on. Tilting his head to one side, he asked innocently, "Wingedkit?"

The red LaPerm widened her cheeky grin as she nodded swiftly. "After you, my good friend!! You have the prettiest white fur I've ever seen!" She then turned to the one who looks most like herself, a bulky dark red she-kit with faint tabby stripes. Her eyes softened. "This is Rosekit. She's named after my housefolk. And me, kinda."

The warrior gave the young queen a soft look with his almond eyes glittering as brightly as her wide ones. Both cats were over the moon at the little bundles of fur and blood created between the both of them, but reality had to come nagging at the tom's happiness. What would his clanmates think? Contorting his face into a look of awkward confusion, he tried to choose his words carefully. "Tallulah, I've noticed you've picked some very particular names....clan names?"

Tallulah beamed. "You noticed! Of course I gave the clan names! Their father's a warrior, so why should they be? I want them to have the best lives ever!!"

---

Longwing grimaced as he skidded to a halt. Before him stood the dark wood border to Tallulah's yard. The wall seemed to stretch higher into the air than it ever had seemed before and this unnerved the warrior. For the first time in forever, the cat felt nervous to step foot into the familiar territory that he had spent many days in. 

Uttering a soft prayer to Starclan, he sighed and hauled himself up the side of the fence. He paused at the top, staring at the twoleg nest as if he meant to burn two holes into the place. He quickly ran over in his head what he planned to say, but knew deep down that no amount of practice would ready him for what he was going to have to do. Landing in the soft, springy grass from his leap, Longwing padded briskly towards the side of the large nest where Tallulah had led him last time, and with one final deep breath, he pushed through the small flap that led into the structure.

"Longwing! You're back already?! Well, what did she say? What did she say?!" Tallulah's excited words pierced the warrior like a lance through his heart as he was greeted by the she-cat who laid on her side, nursing his kits. Starclan save me for what I am about to do! 

Dipping his head lowly, he walked close to where the kittypet queen remained in her nest, but refused to side down in his usual comfortable fashion. This didn't go unnoticed by Tallulah as she gave the tall tom a perplexed look. The curly-furred ginger's excited expression dimmed a bit as she cocked her head to one side and quizzed in a small voice, "Longwing?"

The odd-eyed warrior glance at the she-cat before his gaze darted to one of the other walls of the room. He had opened his mouth to speak, but seemed to be at a loss for words. Slowly, he started in a somber voice, "Tallulah...I...I have news. I wish I knew a....better way to say this, but..." He trailed off, gritting his teeth in a tense frown as his eyes closed tightly. "The kits are welcome to live in Ivyclan, as they have clan blood. But.....but......they cannot return. They are not to know of their kittypet origins....and I am not permitted to return here. To you." His eyes met Tallulah's and instantly welled up at the look on her face. Oh, how he wanted to collapse on the ground and apologize to her, his best friend. But his honor as a warrior of Ivyclan and his dedication to the mercy Owlstar had shown him kept him from sinking to the ground. Kept him from showing the kittypet any heart.

"I-I see... So they w-would get to be warriors in Ivyclan? T-that's wonderful. Truly w-w-wonderful..." A hiccup of a cry could be heard in her voice and Longwing could tell she wanted to cry. Only her pride kept her from doing so in front of him. At this, the warrior's tensed face softened a bit as he took a timid step forward. In a hushed voice, he offered, "Tallulah, I truly am sorry..."

"O-ohh...no no I get it! T-that's what it means to be accepted by a clan, right? The clan always c-comes first..." She sounded as if she were trying to reason with herself; tricking her heart with her head.

"They will be safe; always fed and happy. They will have the the best lives, Tal."

Those had been the last words spoken apart from a sullen and broken-sounding farewell as Longwing made his departure, kittens in tow. The journey was incredibly long; he had to move slowly for the sake of the kits carried with him and with how heavy his heart was, it made the trip seem all the longer and more painful. As he reach camp, he gave Starclan another prayer of thanks and ducked inside, heart finally a little less burdened as his kits had finally made it home.

[mewmehh]

Scent of a Dream

Silver Vine, Stripes, and a Starry-Eyed Bellfeather.

It had felt so real, yet, so far-off. So distant. She hadn't been sure how she had found herself among the river reeds and soothingly slow flow of Mistclan's river, but the she-cat couldn't have cared less.

The scents lining the neighboring clan had grown diluted over the Greenleaf moons, muddled and almost gone beneath the sweet fragrance of flowers that weighed heavily in the air. Even the energy seems laid back and relaxed, the grass untroddened and free of cat and prey scent alike. As if a dreamland free from the touch of any other as the flowers continued to grow in everyone's absence.

Bellfeather couldn't recall what she had set out to do in the first place; to hunt perhaps, but she couldn't be sure. Nothing swung from her jaws as she found herself striding into the territory that blurred between Mistclan and Mothclan, glossy eyes glazed over as the tantalizing aroma lured her forward. It had been almost as if the river had been calling out to her, like all the moons ago as a kit. Even then, she had been fond of the cool sensation of water seeping between her toes.

She splashed lightly, bright eyes both dulled with euphoria and illuminated by her wonderment at the area around her. She seemed lost, utterly lost in her place along the wetter side of the riverbed, yet also fond. Like she had never known a clearer sight before now. Everything felt like a dream. It was a dream, wasn't it?

She had chewed on some of the fragrant, thin vines that roped their way along the side of the river, tiny flowers dotting them as she attempted to weave the fronds into the matted bit of fur along her cheek. It seemed impossible, however, as her normally nimbly paws seemed fat and clumsy and incapable of even holding her upright. Instead, she settled on falling face first into the shallow surface, savoring the crisp, sweet flavor of the scented water.

It had been then that a red of red head caught her eyes beyond the banks. Red, or perhaps brown, she wasn't sure, but there had been stripes. Long, vivid black stripes that stretched on like trees. Midnight trees, she had thought. Bellfeather couldn't stop staring.

A voice accompanied the stripes for a moment, but Bellfeather hadn't heard what they had said. Her fixation had only been on how the long stripes flexed and rippled like liquid shadow as the deep rumble sounded, like warm honey was the tone, but the words not of her world.

Still, they summoned her and from the wet banks she padded out with only the soft fwaps of her sodden paws gracing the thinned forest air. Without the crisp, cold of the water to keep her about her wits, the warmth of the forest ruffled her body and soothed her until she was sure she had become a puddle of fur, so loose and so comfortable. Amber pools caught her waterlogged eyes and held her stare as she felt herself grow numb and fuzzy warm. She had caught the whiff musk and beech nuts and heard the soft, honey drop hum of the striped cat as he sidled up beside her, languidly brushing his silken pelt along her damp fur, their scents melding and mixing together.

The Mothclan warrior had only been pulled from her reverie for a moment as two pinpricks caught her scruff, but her nerves calmed as a calming scent wash over her. She moved and swayed and purred a smooth tune as the dappled sunlight seemed to grace them for eons. A sudden fiery sting had lit up her legs, pulling a startled yowl from deep within her chest, but the warmth that cascaded down her entirety eased her howling to a docile mrrrow.

As the blue of day stretched into orange and pink, Bellfeather fell into a rapture against those stripes, darker than the darkest night that smelled so sweetly of the forest and the rocks. Such odd trees, but Bellfeather would have been content to live there. She loved him, not the tom as an individual, but rather his heart. His soul. So kind and gentle he had been to her, likely a stranger, yet ever the lover of his fellow cat and it was a sentiment that Bellfeather harmonized with. A beautiful soul. It wouldn't be likely she'd ever meet such a cat again, but she sang silent praises to her ancestors for giving her life simply to meet another cat.

She had found herself in her next, eyes dim beneath her sunken lids as the stars twinkled high above, unable to sleep and unable to remember how she had ended up safely back home. A happy purr tickled her belly as the thought of Starclan warriors carrying her home like a kit crossed her mind. She curled to one side, closing her aquamarine eyes and swept her tail close to her face. Even while the cloying air of the Warriors' Den smelled thickly of Eveningblaze and Brackenfall, the blue she-cat could at least remember the sweet taste of the Silver Vine and beech nuts that cloaked her tail. What a sweet-scented dream...