private Not only what we sow ✶ Cherryblossom

[Owlheart]

She hadn't actually spoken to her family about the kits that were expected... soon? Truthfully she didn't pay many attention to the queens when they're expecting. Wait no, that sounded bad, she did pay attention to the queens but spared no thought over the time frame they were expecting kits for. Since Oddgleam had thrown up at camp she had her thoughts wrapped around the fact that herself and her mates were going to be parents, parents. It was easy for this fact to wrap itself around her and for Owlheart to develop a sort of tunnel vision surrounding this fact, every action was made in purpose to make sure the calico was resting comfortably and that she was doing all she can to be the best mate/future parent she could be.

Outside of that she had let the maintaining of her other clan relationships falter slightly, that did unfortunately include her family. It pained her upon reflection to realise this as this was something she prided herself on but truly this still counted as being family orientated right? Despite the denial she held over this there was a desire to re-orient herself, starting with someone that she had felt distant from for quite some time.

"Cherryblossom, would you like to share this quail with me?" It had caught her eye on the fresh-kill pile, namely because it was sizable enough for two. There was no real desire to eat but she had learnt through sharing a meal with Edenberry that it did aid in trying to keep busy while silence would fall over conversation. With a polite nod she leads the pair away from the dens that could hold any wayward cats who desired to hear new gossip, not wanting to indulge that.

The warrior is diligent in plucking feathers from the bird, finding a steady rhythm. A small task that she didn't need to dedicate much thought to, she wouldn't strip the bird clean but just enough to line Oddgleam's nest in the nursery with. "Oddgleam is expecting kits" she breaks the silence, her already soft voice growing quieter as she is still clinging to thoughts on where these feathers should go. Her gaze falls on her sister, the ex-deputy now, to rise to such power and fall from it just as sharply, there was a lingering concern for how her sister felt in regards to this. Part of Owlheart was thankful that she was demoted from that position, while she was certain of her sisters capabilities she was concerned that it was too much for even her shoulders, it didn't help the rift between them either.

"I'm thinking about suggesting Bravekit for a name, it would be in your honour. Would that be okay?" She never held the desire to name any potential kit in direct link to anyone she knew but there was an appeal for applying for virtues as a way of honouring those currently in her life while simultaneously bestowing wishes upon one of her kits. It was strange, to think about things like this, names and what they mean when she never expected this chapter of life to ever unfold before her eyes.

// @Cherryblossom
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[Cherryblossom]

Cherryblossom isn't sure how to feel. About anything, really. The sun rises and sets, past the treeline, past the Twolegplace, past the mountains, past the lake where it finally drowns. She's going through all the proper motions: the patrolling, the training, the admonishing Ricepaw for her various little failures and trying to pick a success from out of the mess, the visiting Slate in his sickbed and finding the sight of him so fragile too uncomfortable to stand for long. Twitchbolt is deputy again, and—"How do you feel about it?" all the prying eyes murmur.

She feels like cleaning the pine needle dust from between her toes. That's what she feels. She feels like smoothing over the fur around her scars and picking at their edges with a fine claw. She feels like taking herself out on another hunting patrol where she just gets lost in the same tree-length of forest till the sun wanes, except—"Cherryblossom, would you like to share this quail with me?"

The calico blinks as if startled, disdainful and immediately dismissive. "I'm busy," springs into her mouth like a frog, but her little sister's eyes are golden and round, so she swallows it. It's not like she has extra duties anymore. "...kay?" she says, like there should be a reason to share a meal with her loved ones.

Cherryblossom makes small talk. "How's is going?" and "What'd you do today?" and "Nothing special," interrupted by the faint crunch of birdbone beneath teeth. It's not as awkward as the onlooker might expect; there's a steady rhythm to talking around eating, something perfected in all her sunrises of gossip. She's pulling a down feather from her teeth when Owlheart drops the bomb.

Something spasms across her face: confusion, or derision. The time for "So you're serious about them?" has long passed; the whole clan already knows about the three of them. They seem deliriously happy around one another. What leaks from her mouth instead is, "...really." She levels citrine eyes at the tabby, expecting more.

More she gets. Brave. Genuine surprise loosens her expression ever so slightly. Is that—is that really how her sister saw her? Or was it just a flimsy attempt at reconnection, made on the head a child no less? She pauses before answering; the feeling squirms inside of her. "Name your children whatever you want, sissy," she replies, dredging up the old nickname for... some reason. Some odd, faded hit of sentimentality.

"Brave sounds nothing like Cherry," she remarks, picking a wisp of feather out from her chest. "How long have you guys been thinking about names? How long, like, how long have you guys known?" The ashen-eared molly pauses at this. "You can't just spring 'I'm gonna have kits!'—" She says it in sing-song falsetto. "—on me and then just tell me you're gonna name one after me. Does Orangestar know? Stars, I bet she knows." The way she looks at her sister is almost accusing.​

 

[Owlheart]

There was relief that a steady rhythm flows between the pair in conversation, it truly feels for a moment that not much time had passed between them at all. It's small talk, sure, but it felt like comfortable small talk. No constraints of tension lingering over them, only for Owlheart to do what she does best and speak abruptly. "Really, we're going to be parents" she comments on an exhale, of course they were going to be parents who else would Oddgleam be raising his kits with? She didn't know why she had to clarify this to her sister but under that citrine gaze there was a desire to make sure she knew that.

Cherryblossom's reaction isn't one that she expected but to be honest she wasn't entirely sure what she expected from her. The mention of the old nickname is a surprise, for a brief moment Owlheart believes that they're kits again, before being apprentices had started to part childhood dynamics. She can't help but laugh, much like everything else from the tabby it sounded awkward. "Well yeah but I didn't want to maybe name them directly from you, they're not you so it didn't feel right" that much should be obvious, right? She liked to believe so anyways but it has become increasingly clearer that the pair don't share the same outlook on this. "I think you're really brave Cherry, I hope that they can be just as brave" the sincerity is oozing from her words, tone too sweet in the face of the conversation at paw.

"It would be okay if they weren't- I just think it would be nice-" that defensive reflex of rambling rises from within her insecurities, she's old enough now to try and stomp that before she rambles on. This conversation wasn't about names anymore, even she could gather that and she wanted to give Cherryblossom the space to talk about it. How long have they known? Her sun-like gaze shifts from the scrutiny of her sister and flicks sky bound, taking inventory of the clouds rolling in as she tries to recall. "It's been a few weeks" she admits meekly, only two since she had found out herself, pelt bristles uncomfortably as she considers the fact that she truly had let her tunnel vision on making sure everything was running smoothly for her mates overtake her family, her littermates. "I'm sorry-" Starting off with an apology with no further explanation didn't sound right.

Instead there's an attempt to scramble towards a better explanation "I haven't told anyone- It doesn't make it better I know but I haven't told mum about it" does that make it better or worse? Owlheart wasn't too sure. Her ears do pick up on the fact that their mother is dubbed Orangestar instead of anything informal, maybe there was still a part of deputy mindset within the young warrior. "She knows though, I thought you would have noticed Oddgleam move to the nursery?" The first nights she could see why it may not have been noticable, but it had been weeks since he returned to the den that they share with Cherryblossom. To think that she hadn't noticed at all confused her, maybe it was too selfish of her to think her sister would pay much attention to the activities of those who were around her. "I don't have to suggest it- we may not even decide on that name but I just thought I should ask, I plan on asking all of our littermates about names" her tongue darts, nervously swiping the corner of her maw as she paws at the ground below. "You're the first cat that I've told about this... I wanted you to be the first to know if you didn't already" it had been a tie in her head over who to inform first, Orangestar already knew so she didn't have to stress about this but she had weighed up to discuss this with Cherryblossom or Tawnyclaw first.
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