pafp Every night's a heartbreak ♡ First words

[SONGKIT]

The depths of the despair outside the nursery doesn't reach Songkit in the nursery. Despite the rot, the lack of food and water in the clan she only knows a full stomach. She only knows what she interprets as love from her mother, only knows the warmth of her littermate and denmates. It's all that matters to her, today is no different. Her paws knead at the air as she rolls onto her back once again, ebony dipped head pressed against the ground and staring up at the nursery roof. Sometimes she wonders what's outside of the nursery, though her paws barely let her toddle around the nests within it, she can't imagine getting further than that.

Beside her she can hear the chatter of the queens, words she had started to pick up. Important figures, her own name, she was even starting to understand where they were. That was about as far as her mental library went though, much too concerned with stubbornly trying to follow Duckshimmer everywhere. Today there's a visitor, her papa, he once again lingers by the nursery entrance but this time he isn't an unwelcomed sight. She can't see him from where she lays but she can hear his voice, seemingly to be quietly speaking with Duckshimmer. The voice of her mother spurs her to wriggle onto her paws again, sturdier limbs push her up to waddle up to the chocolate torbie. Stumbling into Bloomkit in the process "Ow!" She exclaims as she shakes her head, she has heard her mother say ow a lot when around them. She assumed that it must be a greeting at this point.

Sniffling at the small injury she wanders closer to the pair of parents "m-mmmmmm-ma" she mumbles as a paw points to her head where she had bumped it. Almost tripping over her fluffy tail in the process "ow" she repeats, a little firmer, voice squeaky and so unused that it sounds crackly.

ooc. Please wait for one of the following to post first! @BLOOMKIT @Duckshimmer @Ripplestream~ ​

 

[Duckshimmer]

*+:｡.｡ There was an odd war waging within Duckshimmer when it came to feeding time. On the one hand, she was glad to see her girls eating their fill, growing bigger by the day. On the other hand...how she envied them. She could practically feel her coat losing it's shine as the days wore on without a proper meal. Yes, she was lucky enough to eat more than the average Shadowclanner thanks to her maternal status, but...it never felt like enough. She wondered if her tummy growling was what got her kits to kick-box her at night. Not a good excuse, in Duckshimmer opinion, but they'd yet to know the meaning of words let alone understand her scolding. So for now, she bit back her reservations and tries to focus on the happy news that, full belly or not, at least her kits weren't going hungry.

"Even in the middle of hunting now...Starclan" Duckshimmer sighed, shaking her head in frustration at the news. Her paws itched now with a surge of familiar frustration. While her clan starved, here she was, getting tripped on by waddling potatoes. An insult tugs at the inside of her cheek as she glares daggers at Ripplestream, tempted to take out some of her anger on them, regardless of their kindness in delivering the bad news of current events. Sometimes, the messenger needs to be shot - for the recipient's mental health.

Before she could spit out something she'd regret, she felt her tortie-pointed child suddenly squeak out a - "OW!"

Dropping her head in resignation, Duckshimmer groaned, "That better not be your first words-" she began, already imagining the rumors that would fly that her baby's first communication to the universe was an expression of pain. Starclan, was Duckshimmer a bad mom?!

Then - 'mmmmm-ma"

Whipping around, Duckshimmer would stare at her almost-look-alike. She blinks, then blinks again. Finally, she felt the hot coil of anger within her soften and smooth, leaving her with a warm expression. "About time, sweetie" she purrs, leaning down to rasp her tongue over her baby's forehead. It's...strange to feel accomplished when it wasn't her feat to cheer about. Still, for all the hopelessness the world provided, at least her baby knew who 'ma' was.

"Ow indeed, duckling, that's what happens when you don't mind your Ma's space" she purrs, grooming the aforementioned boo-boo, "oh you're fine, just a bump, thank goodness your fur's not a mess"

Oh yeah.
Duckshimmer was a great mom.

*+:｡.｡ Updated 2/8/25

• 
  GENERAL:
  ⚜ Duckshimmer
  ⚜ DFAB— She/Her — Bisexual
  ⚜ 41 moons
  ⚜ Mother to Singeglare, Swallowflutter and Sneezeduck
  ⚜ Shadowclan — Queen
  
  
  
  
  
  COMBAT:
  ⚜Physically medium | mentally hard
  ⚜ Attack in bold #ffa98f
  injuries: Currently pregnant

 

[Halfsun]

The vole she carried was damp with dew and small enough that her jaws barely noticed its weight. Still, Halfsun kept her hold tight as she padded toward the nursery, tail flicking once behind her. Fourtrees had yielded little, but prey was prey, and ShadowClan was starving. StarClan would forgive them or they wouldn't. Halfsun had stopped caring.

She slipped inside the nursery without fanfare, the vole already starting to cool in her jaws. The warmth hit her first— thicker here, heavy with milk and moss and the ever-present hum of new life. For a heartbeat, she didn't move, just stood in the threshold and let herself feel it.

Then her eyes landed on Duckshimmer, and— "You look like you're one kit away from making a break for the hills," she muttered, dropping the vole near the torbie's nest. "This one's from Fourtrees. Might still be warm if you eat fast." Her eyes flicked to the squirming kits, catching sight of Songkit just as the little molly proudly announced a squeaky "ow, ma" with a follow-up "ow" thrown in for dramatic flair. Halfsun blinked, caught off guard by the sheer force of it.

"That her first word?" she asked, quirking a brow as she watched Duckshimmer lean down to soothe the kitten. "Could've been worse. She could've picked 'mouse-brain' or something" There was no teasing in her tone— well, maybe just a little. But mostly there was something softer, an edge dulled by the sight of life still managing to bloom despite everything.

She crouched beside the vole, not quite sitting, just resting a moment too long to be casual. "Let me know if you need fresh moss later. Or anything else. I know you've probably got your paws full in here" She didn't wait for thanks. Just gave Duckshimmer a nod and cast one more glance at Songkit— fluffy and fearless and too small to know how lucky she was to be loved so thoroughly— before turning her eyes back to the nursery wall. "…She's got your lungs."

( ˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥) smile for me when you set me free

• 
• 
  HALFSUN SHADOWCLAN WARRIOR; SHE / HER ; SISTER TO APPLEJAW, ASHENFALL, SWANSONG, GARLICHEART, AND LAURELGRIN ; MENTORING BOUNCEPAW
  

  A tall and well-toned she cat with a long half-and half pelt, one side being a dark blue tabby and the other a bright cream, split by a pool of white at her center and travelling up her face like flames she is fire and ice simultaneously swirling into one. Her eyes are a mismatched shade of blue, with one being bright like the daytime sky and the other dark like the depths of the river.

  ✦ Difficult in battle + a skilled fighter

 

[BLOOMKIT]

Bloomkit does not speak. It has never needed to. The world moves around it in patterns, predictable as the wind through the nursery den, the lull and rise of voices, the warmth of breath and body and milk. Sound, when not necessary, is wasted. Bloomkit listens. It watches. It learns. It is watching now.

Songkit's voice pierces the air like a birdcall through fog—sharp, shrill, and unfamiliar. Bloomkit's ears twitch at the sound, but it does not flinch when she stumbles into it. It simply rocks back on its haunches, blinking once, slowly, as if trying to calculate the angle of her collision. Her exclamation—"ow!"—registers not as emotion, but as data. Ow means pain. Or contact. Or both. Its mind files the word away like moss tucked into a nest wall. It sits there, silent, unmoving. Songkit babbles on. The nursery swells with words—names, fussing, laughter that curls at the edges of voices like steam off wet stone. Bloomkit doesn't understand it all, but it doesn't need to. It understands enough.

And then—ma.

The sound twists something inside it. Not pain. Not fear. But… a shift. A realization. It turns its head—mechanical, slow—to observe the reaction. Duckshimmer bends, gentles her kit with a lick. Voices soften. Even Halfsun's rough cadence holds a strange warmth. Ma. It has heard the word a thousand times. Has watched the others use it. It has studied the reactions it evokes—nurturing, attention, presence. It is a word that changes things. Not a command. Not a question. But a tether. A tool.

Bloomkit stands. Its legs are unsteady. It does not often bother with movement unless required. But now, it pads forward—silent save for the soft shuff of moss beneath its paws. It stops beside Songkit, who still hums with leftover energy from her performance. Then, without fanfare, Bloomkit tilts its head up toward Duckshimmer. It opens its mouth. "Ma." The word is even. Hollow. Devoid of the squeaky pride or frantic rhythm of its sister. A statement. A designation. It is not seeking comfort. It is acknowledging fact. Duckshimmer is Ma. That is all.​

 

[MARBLELEAF]

MARBLELEAF

SHE / THEY ◆ SHADOWCLAN MEDICINE CAT

Marbleleaf isn't far behind Halfsun, though she brings not a tantalizing piece of fresh-kill, but a stinking, crumpled leaf. The scent wafts into her nostrils, bitter and sour at once, but she hardly registers the stench; the more potent it is, the fresher it is, and she needs her supply to be pungent for all that troubles her Clan. She pokes her face into the nursery, around Halfsun's tortoiseshell figure. "Hey! Brought you something, Duckshimmer," she mumbles around the herb.

She slips into the den relatively easily; she is skinny even during a time of plenty, but after the last two moons, she is almost devoid of any excess flesh at all. Marbleleaf's eyes shine with pride as she examines the kits who crowd around the queen's belly. The black-skulled she-kit opens her mouth wide, sniffling after an ill-timed collision. Songkit's first word is almost sang—how fitting, the medicine cat thinks—and Duckshimmer tends to her daughter with a laugh. "We all stumble at first. Don't worry," they purr, laying the ragwort near Duckshimmer's paws. "You'll be walking all over camp before you can blink."

Her gaze flicks to the other one, stony and silent in comparison to its sibling. This one's point colorings are just beginning to darken its features; Marbleleaf's mouth twitches into a smile as the kit echoes its sister: "Ma." "Your bunch is extra chatty today," they mew, exchanging a warm glance with Halfsun. "Well, I'll leave you all be… after you eat the ragwort. You can chase it down with Halfsun's catch."

ooc:

—

accordion

Marbleleaf is the ShadowClan medicine cat. She is thin, with a short fawn tabby pelt; the base color is a dull, almost-gray slate, and the whorling classic stripes are deeper shades of wet sand. She has white facial markings, chest, and paws, an angular face and build, and moss-colored eyes.

Lilacfur x Siltcloud / sibling to Sycamorebloom / mate to none / parent to none
mentored by Starlingheart / mentoring none
15 moons old as of 04/01/2025

penned by Marquette