The Mother and Her Youngest [P]

[Dark]

Heron
___________

Some time had passed since she gave birth to her litter of four kits, and each day was filled with new experiences. Heron remembered the day that she did have them, her foster father, Crow hovered over her as if she would just fall over and die any moment. Finding that annoying, she yelled at him to stop pacing or she'd chew his ears off. That only helped a little bit, though.

As the days passed, Heron found herself worrying about the well-being of the small lives with her more than she ever had before. Were they getting enough milk? Were they too hot? Was she doing this right? She found herself asking questions like those all the time and each time, Crow was there to console her and assure her that she was doing just fine.

To put it simply, Heron was having a bit of postpartum depression. Of course, as the kits began to get bigger and explore their surroundings, her worries eased a little bit, however, there was just one problem. Moon, the youngest, was a sickly young tom and this fact stressed her out to no end.

Unfortunately, the kits weren't quite old enough to be moved the several days' journey it would take to get to their father's territory, and Crow was always within earshot. So she was left with one choice.

She had to suck it up and figure out what to do.

Watching the young tom silently, the young queen couldn't help but notice how much he looked like his father. Just thinking about the large clan cat was enough to bring a slight smile to her face. Maybe it was her fault that the tom was so sickly, after all, Darkfall had seemed strong and healthy enough that it just didn't make sense that he would be at fault for their son's condition. Sighing a little bit, Heron decided that she'd give him a little extra attention today. "Moon, my love, come over here," Heron called to her youngest son.

[ @silverwynds]

[silver.]

moon // he/him // 1 moon

---

Exhausted. The small bundle of fur was so exhausted, finally having recovered from his latest bout of sickness. The cough that rattled his bones and left his chest feeling sore finally offered some reprieve. Left weak, tired eyes stare mindlessly at the ground before his tiny paws as his body does it's best to push through the residual soreness. When his mother calls to him, his head feels so heavy. It's a hassle just to lift it and turn it in her direction. Even that alone makes him feel more tired. But he was a determined young kit-- his siblings moved so freely... They always looked so strong. He couldn't fall behind. Momma would be proud of him, too, for being tough. Just like the others.

So shakily he rises to wobbly paws, narrowed eyes staring at where his mother is sat. Not too far away, he could do this... Carefully the runty tom pads over to Heron. Each step appears to be more difficult than the last but he makes it without falling, allowing himself to collapse in an exhausted heap at her paws. Was he going to make it look like he meant to do that? Absolutely. Because now he's pushing his sore frame onto his back so he can bat his paws at his mother's playfully from his spot on the ground. The weakest purr begins from his throat as he tries his hardest to play with her but even staying on his back like this was exhausting.

[Dark]

Heron
___________

Heron watched the young tom approach her on uneasy paws, forcing her expression to remain neutral. She couldn’t allow her son to know just how much seeing him in pain tore her apart inside.

Truth be told, Heron wondered on several occasions if she should just put the sickly kit out of his misery and end his suffering. She felt like allowing him to live in such pain was the cruelest thing someone could do, and no good mother would allow one of their own to suffer like this.

Good thing she didn’t consider herself a good mother.

The young queen kept reminding herself that she’d only have to wait until they were big enough, and then she could take them to their father. Darkfall mentioned the clans having cats who specialized in treating others, perhaps the one in his clan would be able to do something to help him out. That was right, there had to be something that Darkfall could do, right?

She hoped and prayed, and hoped some more that there would be some way to help little Moon. She just had to do her best to provide for him… She thought it to be by some miracle that he’d even manage to make it this far, and thanked whatever forces of nature that watched over their little family every day for keeping him alive.

Watching him play with her paws and weakly purring caused her to feel like her heart was being torn in two. Just what did this young cat do to deserve this? He was just a mere kit and had done no wrong, why did he have to be afflicted with the constant ailments? Was it her fault? Had she unknowingly done something wrong in the past and was now being punished in the form of her youngest kit’s pain?

Not wanting to allow her emotions to show, she gave him a slight smile and began to gently groom his fur. ”Oh my little Moony baby~ you’re the bravest out of all the cats in the forest, aren’t you? Putting on a little show for mommy so that she doesn’t worry, huh?” she cooed, before flipping him over and putting him to rest in her paws.

”How about I tell you a story, huh? Would you like that my dear? Anything you want,” she asked in a gentle voice. The usually playful and easygoing tabby was like a whole different cat when it came to her son, and any of her kits really. She didn’t necessarily believe that she was ready to have these little bundles of fur, but she didn’t regret it at all. She decided that in the time that she had with them, she would do her absolute best to be a proper mother to them and make sure nothing happened.

[ @silverwynds I hope its okay that I lightly power played, let me know if I need to edit. AND staahp you’re going to make me cry he’s too precious!]

[silver.]

moon // he/him // 1 moon

---

The familiar, soothing feeling of his mother's tongue against his pelt only forces his purr to grow in volume, until the entirety of small body vibrates. The effort alone it took to keep the purr rolling in his throat was making him tired but he couldn't help it. In this moment he was content, happy, safe... Even when he's flipped over back onto his belly ever so carefully he continues to purr. Moon was a quiet kit. Even the strain of using his voice sometimes was too much for him, especially when it was necessary to conserve his energy through a particularly rough bout of sickness. So it wasn't odd that no reply came as Heron speaks softly to him.

Was he really brave? Did momma think that him trying so hard to ease her pain was really that brave of him? If it was the truth then the strength that floods through his tiny body almost energizes him. Momma thought he was brave and strong, just like his other siblings. Just like all the other older cats in the whole forest! Even if he felt weak and he was small, momma knew that he was fighting as hard as he could. After all, he couldn't be left behind by his older siblings.

The promise of a story brings a gleam of excitement to his narrowed eyes. In fact that open wider than they usually are, small ears perked in attention as he gazes up at Heron from his spot between her paws.

"Yes, momma..." He mews quietly. "I wanna hear a story... I wanna hear one..."

Just like any other kit filled with the wonder of the world, he loved stories. And momma always told him such wonderful stories. While he had to rest and heal, his siblings playing amongst themselves, he would get to hear stories of bravery, of triumph... They always made him feel hopeful. That one day he'd grow bigger and stronger and he'd be able to be like the cats in the stories. Saving the day from trouble, making lots of friends... It all sounded like a dream. A dream that he normally kept to himself but chased desperately all the same.

So settling into the smallest kit loaf of bread between his mother's paws, he continues to stare up at her in anticipation of a new story. Because everything his momma told him had to be true, right? She knew all these stories because they really happened! And that meant that he could do it too one day!

( OH BY ALL MEANS SHAKE HIM AROUND. hes like the size and weight of a pea momma can move him all she wants. AND THANK YOU RAAHHH im getting used to writing him still!! so excited to write a kit <3 )

[Dark]

Heron
___________

Heron smiled softly at the youngest of her kits as he sat himself between her paws, licking his head softly. Gosh, she loved her little boy so much. He was just too precious!

The young queen sat there for a moment, thinking about what would be a good story to tell him. There was just so much to tell! There were the adventures of her adopted father, or her own, less impressive adventures. There were also stories that Darkfall told her while the two of them had spent some time together.

After pondering it for a moment longer, the smile on her face grew a little wider. ”Alrighty my little Moonie~ let me tell you a story about The Cat Who Lost the Moon” she said softly. This was a story based on how she and Darkfall met with a few creative liberties taken here and there.

Wrapping the small tom closer to herself she began to speak in a soft voice. ”There was once a tom cat who loved the moon so much that every night when it came into the sky he’d sit underneath the stars and talk with it.” One couldn’t actually converse with the moon, but if she chose realism, then it wouldn’t be much of a story, right? ”He and the moon talked about many things. Some days they’d talk about how bright the stars were shining, and others the moon would ask about his day, sometimes the moon even complained that the sun was taking too much of its time! Nonetheless, there was always something to talk about.” A pause. Just to make sure that Moon was interested and following along.

[ @silverwynds I’m so so so so sorry that this is so late! If you want me to just tell the rest of the story all in one post, let me know!]

[silver.]

moon // he/him // 1 moon

---

A cat who lost the moon? But the moon was so high up in the sky... Could a cat even reach it? There was no way that any cat could jump high enough to hold onto the moon... Right? How could one lose something they never had? Just at the title alone his small kit brain wracks with confusion, trying to connect lines from nothing. Enjoying the warmth of his mother as he's pulled in closer against her, he nestles comfortably against her fur and settles in to listen to her confusing tale.

As Heron tells her tale, Moon stares up at her with wide and curious eyes. It was as if in this moment he was rid of any sickness. Any weakness. Normally narrowed amber eyes were wide as saucers, obvious interest in his innocent gaze as he listens to the story about the cat that was friends with the moon. Could he talk to the moon one day too? And who did momma know that spoke to the moon? All he knew was truths, his scope of the world being so small and sheltered. So obviously Heron was telling him a true story. At first he was skeptical. But she seemed to know so much... It had to be true! A cat that could talk to the moon... How amazing. Setting a tiny paw on his mother's, he waits for her to pause to speak up in his tiny, raspy voice.

"Momma? Will I get to talk to the moon? I want to talk to the moon, too."

Ideas swirl through his colorful imagination. What would he ask if given the chance? Was it lonely in the sky? Or was it nice to gaze down at all the cats on the ground and watch lives unfold like a story? Was the moon enemies with the sun? Friends with the stars? Where did it go in the day time to sleep until it was time to come out again? The questions were endless! He doesn't blame the cat in his mother's story for always having something to talk about-- if it were him he'd never run out of questions!

( NO WORRIES AT ALL!! take all the time you need <3 )
heron | @Darkclaws

[Dark]

Heron
___________

Heron let out a low purr at Moon’s innocent question, ”Perhaps, one day you will. And if the moon doesn’t reach out to you, let me know and I’ll beat it up for you. How’s that sound?” She asked with a light laugh.

The young queen was happy that her youngest seemed to be interested in the story she was telling him. Of course, there was no way to actually talk to the moon, but why would she go crushing the young tom’s hopes and dreams while he was still so young and impressionable? She was already preparing to commit and unforgivable sin, she could let him have this.

”One day, the cat went to talk to the moon, but the moon was not there. One night passed and that quickly became two and he started to get worried. On the third night without the moon, the tom set out to look for it.” Truth be told, Heron couldn’t remember how long Darkfall had said his apprentice at the time had been missing before he went searching for her, but she was sure the details didn’t matter all that much. After all, this was her story! She could tell it however she wanted to make it flow properly.

Gently licking the top of her precious son’s head, she continued ”For three days and for three nights, the tom went looking for the moon, unable to find the moon. It was on the fourth day that the tom cat came across a large grey and white bird, a heron.” A small smile tugged at her lips as she remembered the memory. ”’Lady Heron, have you seen the moon?’ He asked ‘No, Sir Cat, I have not seen the moon. Why are you looking for it?’ the heron asked him. ‘I must find it! I love the moon and it’s disappearance worries me’ He explained. Feeling bad for the troubled cat, the heron agreed to help him find the moon, and off they went together.”

Another pause, this one less for questions and more for reminiscing. Heron and Darkfall’s initial meeting hadn’t been quite so peaceful, the two of them had almost killed each other, but again, who cared about the details?

[ @silverwynds I finally did it! Next post should be coming out way sooner, as I have an idea to tie this into our other rp]

[silver.]

moon // he/him // 1 moon

---

Moon can't help but feel bad for the tom. Imagine growing so very close to something only for it to disappear without a trace. Without a reason, without a warning. Just thinking about it has the young kit falling silent as he continues to think. If one of his siblings or his mother went missing he'd feel the same way. No matter how weak and frail he felt, he would go searching. He thinks he would never stop searching, even if it killed him. Pressing in closer to his mother, he can feel his narrowed eyes growing glassy with tears.

"Did he ever find the moon, mama?" He asks, voice shaky. "They found the moon together, right?"

There was no way the moon could just disappear forever, right? The moon was so important. So high and bright in the sky. Where could it go? His tiny kit brain wracks and churns for some kind of answer but... No answer comes. With no experience of knowledge of his own he was at the mercy of his mother. So he looks up at her, gaze filled to the brim with curiosity and expression sad.

"I'd be sad if the moon disappeared. It's not gonna go anywhere, right? We're not gonna lose the moon, right?" In that instant he remembers that his name is Moon and he tenses. "M-Mama, I'm not gonna disappear am I?!"

heron | @Darkclaws

[Dark]

Heron
___________

Heron listened to her young son’s inquiries with a soft smile on her face. He was so cute and he didn’t even know it, cute enough hat her heart twinged with pain every time that she saw him in pain or feeling sick. Now wasn’t the time for sadness though.

The young queen emitted a soft purr as she nuzzled her cheek against the small, frail body of Moon. ”No, my love. You and the moon won’t be going anywhere. As for whether or not they ended up finding the moon, I guess you’ll have to find out, huh?” she teased gently.

”So the two left together to find the moon, searching far and wide, under rocks, behind trees, in bushes, everywhere, but they couldn’t find it!” She said, gently tapping her nose to the young tom’s head. ”One day the cat got sick. So sick he couldn’t move and all he did was throw up – worst than you’ve ever been!” She exclaimed, voice filled with playful shock. ”The heron took the cat to a safe place – bringing him water, feeding him, making sure he didn’t get too hot or too cold. The heron did everything they could to make sure the cat got better…”

A dramatic pause followed by a sly grin as she awaited her son’s barrage of questions.

[ @silver. Totally not three months late I hope to be more consistent with this]