Post by LupTacco on Dec 6, 2018 4:58:26 GMT
The brown-furred leader was drowsy, weary from her recent kitting and still a little fuzzy-headed from her light rest over the past few days. Even so, she had a clan to run, though she doubted she could make it on top of the speaking stone with any grace. Lapping up water from the edge of the fall, her reflection looked back at her. How tired I look. A good sort of weary, though, she drew a paw over one ear, content with the way things were. All of her children were healthy and beautiful, and Goldenmane was an excellent father, keeping an eye on them when he could while she took care of things she couldn't avoid due to her title. If she listened very hard, she could almost hear Mothkit's distinctive mewl of fury, a sound he made every time anyone put their tongue to his forehead and tried to clean him. Retreating to the entryway of the nursery, she paused outside, glancing at the outcrop she usually used, and with a final decisive nod to herself she sat in front of the nursery. "May all cats old enough to cross the waterfall gather here for a clan meeting!"
It wasn't exactly customary to do such a thing- after all, Froststar never had- but for now Bearstar was a mother first and a leader second. Until a war broke out, she was content to remain within calling range of her kittens. She did admit to herself, though, that it was much harder to spot who she was about to address without the advantage of the extra height. Sweeping her molten earth gaze across the cats who had made it upfront, she spoke loud enough that everyone would hear her, "In spite of suspiciously close scents from the MothClan border, in spite of the lack of prey and all the change around us- we have done well as a clan this moon. I am so very proud of all of you. And most of all, it is with pride that I announce that some of you are ready to move on to the next stages of your lives." She blinked, pausing to let her words settle before speaking on, "Rushpaw and Rabbitpaw, come to the front."
"Rushpaw," she addressed the lightly colored tabby thoughtfully, "your mottled pelt has helped you become an excellent hunter, and the forest's many eyes will never follow you without you wanting them to. You will be known as Rushbark."
"Some may underestimate you for your awkward stature," the leader went on, turning her gaze to the black and white tom, "but your keen ears can hear even the smallest mouse- in the oncoming cold, such an ability is priceless. You will be Rabbitear."
Touching her nose to both of their foreheads, she flicked her tail to allow them to mingle back into the gathering of cats as they pleased. "Tonight, you will share the task of watching over our home, and tomorrow, you join the other warriors in continuing to provide for it as you have been training to. That isn't all, yet- Fenkit and Mirekit, please come around- yes, just up here," her last statement became quiet, tenderly addressing the two young cats as they emerged from the nursery curiously.
"Fenkit, you have a burning soul in spite of whatever ails your sight. With the proper amount of extra attention, you will learn to see the world in a way that works in harmony with your own perceptions and others'- I will do my best to provide this for you personally as your mentor," Bearstar touched her nose to the little she-cat's head, giving her a barely audible purr of reassurance.
"Mirepaw," she lifted her head to speak to the slim ticked she-cat, " your mellow and responsible nature is one I admire, yet not one without its fellows. I see a similarity between you and Milkflower, who I believe can teach you to realize your potential without allowing yourself to be taken advantage of or changing your heart."
Her heart resounded with the calls of her clanmates as they addressed each cat by their new names. She had little else to say, letting her gaze drift to the sheet of water over the entrance. Like the stones they lived beneath, her clan was a foundation stronger than almost anything else in the forest, and she knew her kits- all six of them, each already innately wonderful in her mind- would become a part of that foundation.
