Something about their eyes was striking to him: he wondered to himself if there was something star-touched about them. Perhaps they were so strange because their mind, their spirit, was more closely connected to StarClan than the average Clan cat. Or maybe they're just weird. Either way, despite the unusual rhythms of their blinking and the slow, strange way they spoke, he found himself more intrigued than unsettled (though he would grant that he felt a little off-kilter around them, if only for the sheer unpredictability of what they might say next). In his opinion, though, every young cat deserved to be treated with kindness, even if they had a prickly attitude (the faces of Firepaw and Rampaw flashed in his mind's eye) or were just a little bit ... different. After all, everyone was different to someone, right?
"You should have something to eat, then. You're a young cat - got to get enough to eat so you can keep growing and become a strong warrior." the black and white tom meowed cheerfully, trotting towards the aggressively underwhelming fresh-kill pile. "C'mon, do you want to pick something out?" he waved a paw at the options, of which there were few - a scrawny ouzel, a scuffed-looking hare, one withered lizard, and a small heap of mice - someone must have found a nest of 'em, he thought. To his surprise, the calico cat kept talking, raising an entirely different topic - just between the two of them, eh? Badgermoon didn't like intruding in his Clanmates' lives (or so he said to himself), but he knew that information was a precious resource, and he was hardly going to turn it down.
"Nettlesong and Skymoon?" the big bicolor warrior attempted to confirm, in a tone of surprise. He wouldn't have anticipated such a pairing, but then again, he wasn't really the type to speculate on the romantic interests of others. If it didn't involve a good-looking tom or molly showing interest in him, he didn't care, truth be told. Though more kits for the Clan would always be welcome. Strawpaw asked him a somewhat loaded question, then, and he reclined into a sitting position, curling his dark tail around himself as he thought. How best to answer - or, really, how much to tell them? Their orange eyes were boring into him and he gave a little laugh at the whole scenario. "Well, that's a good thing, as long as it's what they both want." that felt like a safe place to start.
"Basically, if two grown-up cats talk to each other and decide they want to bring more kits into the Clan, they can do that. Usually it's something that happens when they are very, very fond of one another." was this too much information? Not enough? "Then when the she-cat is pregnant, she moves into the nursery and becomes a queen for a while, while she waits for her kits to be born. She'll stay there until the kits are ready to become apprentices. And some queens don't return to being warriors; they stay in the nursery and help other cats raise their kits." Badgermoon nodded, feeling relatively confident in this explanation. "The most important things to remember, Strawpaw, are that only adults may have kits; no one is required to have kits in their lifetime, even if they have a mate; and that when they happen, kits are a blessing, because they're the future of WindClan. Does that make sense?"
