Michael thought he'd known fear. He'd felt his heart stall when he'd left his twolegs den, when he had realized his life would unknowably change if he continued past the door. He'd squinted in the sunlight, hesitated on the stone that grit beneath his paws, and managed to continue on. He remained frightened as he learned to navigate the world, had shook under the gaze of clan cats and spent countless nights wondering how he was going to get to the next. He'd been hungry, weather-beaten, scraped up, and bone-achingly tired and yet? nothing compared to how scared he was now.
It was hard to remember his kithood, Michael had been far too young when he'd been taken from his litter, but he could remember the stories that his parents used to tell him. The murmured telling's of love, family, and comfort. He couldn't really recall the exact words but he knew that their tales had been full of closeness and anticipation for the future. They'd been excited to see their kits grow. They wanted to see Michael grow.
Michael wanted them so badly. He wanted his parents, he wanted his twolegs, he needed someone. He needed someone to tell him that he'd be alright. He knew he was screwing things up but he was trying. He was trying so hard to make everything okay and he kept failing and he just needed to be okay. He just needed to be alright. He didn't want to be in the situation he was in, tucked into an old badgers den and swollen with kits he couldn't keep, but nothing could fix it. He couldn't fix anything for himself, he never had, but he could possibly, maybe, give his kits something better. He'd talked about, begged for, as much as that from Periwinkle. He hoped the clan cat followed through on his promise.
The day came and went in a timeless haze. The setting sun cast a glimmer over the edge of the sett and, ever so briefly, across three little kits. Two of them squirmed, cried out as though protesting their newfound existence, and one didn't. It should have been a joyous occasion, in another other life it may have been, but Michael was sobbing, breath halted and shuddering as he tried to see his kits through teary eyes. He hadn't seen anything this young before but he knew that they shouldn't be as small as they were. Their lives had barely begun and he'd already ruined them. He hadn't been able to eat well, he had been stressed, he'd been and done everything he shouldn't have. He was right to give them up. He would just hurt them more. He knew that one of them wasn't long for the world and it was his fault. He was the reason that they shuddered and gasped for air that hardly filled their lungs.
" I am.. I am so sorry. " He didn't know why he spoke to the kits, nothing made sense, but he couldn't stop. " I'm so sorry that I can't see you get old. I wish that I could but I've screwed up so badly. " They were so small. " My mommy didn't see me grow up. I'm so sorry that I can't watch you either. " Periwinkle was bound to do a better job than Michael could. He could make sure the kits didn't long for anything. He could keep them from knowing pangs of hunger and the harshness of the elements. They'd never know what it was like to be alone. Michael had to believe in him and take him at his word. What else was there?
Dawn was nearly upon them when the windclanner arrived. Michael was too tired to do anything but blink at him, curled tightly around the kits he'd soon lose. Periwinkle would know what to do now. It'd be okay. The kits would be okay.
@Periwinklebreeze.
It was hard to remember his kithood, Michael had been far too young when he'd been taken from his litter, but he could remember the stories that his parents used to tell him. The murmured telling's of love, family, and comfort. He couldn't really recall the exact words but he knew that their tales had been full of closeness and anticipation for the future. They'd been excited to see their kits grow. They wanted to see Michael grow.
Michael wanted them so badly. He wanted his parents, he wanted his twolegs, he needed someone. He needed someone to tell him that he'd be alright. He knew he was screwing things up but he was trying. He was trying so hard to make everything okay and he kept failing and he just needed to be okay. He just needed to be alright. He didn't want to be in the situation he was in, tucked into an old badgers den and swollen with kits he couldn't keep, but nothing could fix it. He couldn't fix anything for himself, he never had, but he could possibly, maybe, give his kits something better. He'd talked about, begged for, as much as that from Periwinkle. He hoped the clan cat followed through on his promise.
The day came and went in a timeless haze. The setting sun cast a glimmer over the edge of the sett and, ever so briefly, across three little kits. Two of them squirmed, cried out as though protesting their newfound existence, and one didn't. It should have been a joyous occasion, in another other life it may have been, but Michael was sobbing, breath halted and shuddering as he tried to see his kits through teary eyes. He hadn't seen anything this young before but he knew that they shouldn't be as small as they were. Their lives had barely begun and he'd already ruined them. He hadn't been able to eat well, he had been stressed, he'd been and done everything he shouldn't have. He was right to give them up. He would just hurt them more. He knew that one of them wasn't long for the world and it was his fault. He was the reason that they shuddered and gasped for air that hardly filled their lungs.
" I am.. I am so sorry. " He didn't know why he spoke to the kits, nothing made sense, but he couldn't stop. " I'm so sorry that I can't see you get old. I wish that I could but I've screwed up so badly. " They were so small. " My mommy didn't see me grow up. I'm so sorry that I can't watch you either. " Periwinkle was bound to do a better job than Michael could. He could make sure the kits didn't long for anything. He could keep them from knowing pangs of hunger and the harshness of the elements. They'd never know what it was like to be alone. Michael had to believe in him and take him at his word. What else was there?
Dawn was nearly upon them when the windclanner arrived. Michael was too tired to do anything but blink at him, curled tightly around the kits he'd soon lose. Periwinkle would know what to do now. It'd be okay. The kits would be okay.
@Periwinklebreeze.
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