// this takes place roughly two weeks prior, before the clan left the thunderpath tunnel.
Being able to stay on ThunderClan land has certainly helped, especially in the case of her vomiting. Pregnancy does not become a cat like Forestshade. Where other queens are graceful and soft and plump in the way that is endearing and exciting, the torbie is irritable, clumsy, and ignorant of just how careful she must be with such an affliction. She has listened to her clanmates when they told her after her first moon she should not hunt, but no one will stop her from her late night walks. Besides, with how round she is becoming, this may be her last for a while. Her paws hurt and she is beginning to truly have trouble getting around.
She escapes from the other end of the tunnel, snapping at the night guard who attempts to softly halt her that she needs to make dirt. The poor tom shuts his mouth quickly and lets her go, and into the darkness she disappears. Her paws follow a familiar path to the western thunderpath and at the edge she stands in silence, ears twitching as they search for any signs of an approaching car. She doesn't normally wander off the territory, but her paws itch to explore, even if not far. She's already panting - curse these unborn kits but they will not crush her spirit. She continues, stifling a grunt of annoyance as she hauls along her large stomach that grows every day.
She recognizes the stony feeling on her paws. It's near here she met Honey, back when she was running away from ShadowClan as an apprentice. It's here her outlook changed, and she opened her heart up to care and love from her clanmates. It's here she realized she was truly a ShadowClanner, where her home was.
Lost in thought, she nearly misses the soft patter of paws approaching. Nearly. The warrior whirls around and bristles her fur, snout wrinkling. "Who's there?" She growls. Perhaps a brighter cat would regret the foolish decision to walk straight off the territory this far along in pregnancy, but Forestshade is Forestshade. No one can tell her she's making a poor decision, and she certainly won't realize it herself.
The silence that meets her question is unsettling. She stands there defiantly, her nose telling her there are two cats before her, neither making a sound. That is, until she hears a breathy gasp.
"Forest?"
She freezes, unseeing eyes widening as she hears the high-pitched, all-too-feminine voice. That voice is a feathered nest that had meals brought straight to it, and a pounding heart as kitten-sized paws toddle away from the den. "Mom?"
"Forest!" The two cats yowl in unison, their feet scuffling closer as she is embraced on all sides. Her mother and father are here. Voices she hasn't heard in nearly a full cycle of seasons. Not since she had been a kit. "We thought we'd never see you again," Her father cries - she's never heard him cry.
Forestshade takes a step back away from them, suddenly overwhelmed. "I...I can't believe it's you," She admits, voice nearly trembling in surprise. Almost immediately, she feels guilt crash down around her. Her parents are here, and crying, and thinking she had been dead all these moons. They had always believed her to be weak and defenseless, meanwhile she'd been here, training to become a warrior and succeeding. She never even thought to try and find them, to tell them she's okay. "I"m....sorry for running away, mom, dad." She sniffles, stifling tears but emotion continues to well up behind her eyes. "I just had to leave, and I knew you'd never let me. But now- now I'm a ShadowClan warrior. I'm a warrior!" Pride edges her voice as she tells her parents her accomplishments, and she wants to boast, tell them how talented of a hunter she's become, how she's made friends and a difference.
But before she can, her mother's stunned voice pipes up, "You're with kits...!"
Her ears flatten bashfully, tail twitching awkwardly behind her. "Yeah...Starlingheart says they're due in a half-moon or so..." They don't know who that is, of course, but she has no time to explain.
"The father? Who is he?" Her mother continues, and she can feel her parents' expectant gazes burning into her pelt.
"Doesn't matter. He's not here," She answers too-quickly.
There is a long pause. Finally, her father speaks. "Forest...come home with us. It's been so long. You'll need help with your kits, you can't possibly raise them all on your own, and in your condition-"
"I'm not alone," The she-cat interjects, lifting her chin. "I have a clan. And my condition hasn't stopped me from becoming a warrior; it won't stop me from being a mother, either."
"But-"
"It's time for me to go. I really should get back or my clanmates will worry." She knows they won't stop, so she must make the decision to leave. Her heart hurts as she takes a step back from them. Even with how far she's come, how much she's accomplished, they still see her as the helpless blind kit. Her voice grows soft and hesitant as she adds on, "It was nice to run into you guys...if you see Lavenderpaw- er, Lavender. Tell her that her sister Forestshade says hi." It's been moons since she's seen her, and maybe she's in the area, too, if her parents are. "Goodbye."
Before they can stop her, she whirls around and makes a beeline for the thunderpath, where she crosses on swift, hurting paws. She's panting again, but this time it's not only her pregnant belly impeding her breathing. She thinks of her parents, how overbearing they had been, how she never had a voice in her future. She decides right then and there she won't allow her kits to go through the same thing. They'd get the chance to forge their own paths. She won't control them or linger and breathe down their necks. They'd have the independence she never could have. As she sneaks back through the tunnel and onto ThunderClan territory, and finds the makeshift nest she has made near the other queens, she holds her tail close to her belly. I promise.
Being able to stay on ThunderClan land has certainly helped, especially in the case of her vomiting. Pregnancy does not become a cat like Forestshade. Where other queens are graceful and soft and plump in the way that is endearing and exciting, the torbie is irritable, clumsy, and ignorant of just how careful she must be with such an affliction. She has listened to her clanmates when they told her after her first moon she should not hunt, but no one will stop her from her late night walks. Besides, with how round she is becoming, this may be her last for a while. Her paws hurt and she is beginning to truly have trouble getting around.
She escapes from the other end of the tunnel, snapping at the night guard who attempts to softly halt her that she needs to make dirt. The poor tom shuts his mouth quickly and lets her go, and into the darkness she disappears. Her paws follow a familiar path to the western thunderpath and at the edge she stands in silence, ears twitching as they search for any signs of an approaching car. She doesn't normally wander off the territory, but her paws itch to explore, even if not far. She's already panting - curse these unborn kits but they will not crush her spirit. She continues, stifling a grunt of annoyance as she hauls along her large stomach that grows every day.
She recognizes the stony feeling on her paws. It's near here she met Honey, back when she was running away from ShadowClan as an apprentice. It's here her outlook changed, and she opened her heart up to care and love from her clanmates. It's here she realized she was truly a ShadowClanner, where her home was.
Lost in thought, she nearly misses the soft patter of paws approaching. Nearly. The warrior whirls around and bristles her fur, snout wrinkling. "Who's there?" She growls. Perhaps a brighter cat would regret the foolish decision to walk straight off the territory this far along in pregnancy, but Forestshade is Forestshade. No one can tell her she's making a poor decision, and she certainly won't realize it herself.
The silence that meets her question is unsettling. She stands there defiantly, her nose telling her there are two cats before her, neither making a sound. That is, until she hears a breathy gasp.
"Forest?"
She freezes, unseeing eyes widening as she hears the high-pitched, all-too-feminine voice. That voice is a feathered nest that had meals brought straight to it, and a pounding heart as kitten-sized paws toddle away from the den. "Mom?"
"Forest!" The two cats yowl in unison, their feet scuffling closer as she is embraced on all sides. Her mother and father are here. Voices she hasn't heard in nearly a full cycle of seasons. Not since she had been a kit. "We thought we'd never see you again," Her father cries - she's never heard him cry.
Forestshade takes a step back away from them, suddenly overwhelmed. "I...I can't believe it's you," She admits, voice nearly trembling in surprise. Almost immediately, she feels guilt crash down around her. Her parents are here, and crying, and thinking she had been dead all these moons. They had always believed her to be weak and defenseless, meanwhile she'd been here, training to become a warrior and succeeding. She never even thought to try and find them, to tell them she's okay. "I"m....sorry for running away, mom, dad." She sniffles, stifling tears but emotion continues to well up behind her eyes. "I just had to leave, and I knew you'd never let me. But now- now I'm a ShadowClan warrior. I'm a warrior!" Pride edges her voice as she tells her parents her accomplishments, and she wants to boast, tell them how talented of a hunter she's become, how she's made friends and a difference.
But before she can, her mother's stunned voice pipes up, "You're with kits...!"
Her ears flatten bashfully, tail twitching awkwardly behind her. "Yeah...Starlingheart says they're due in a half-moon or so..." They don't know who that is, of course, but she has no time to explain.
"The father? Who is he?" Her mother continues, and she can feel her parents' expectant gazes burning into her pelt.
"Doesn't matter. He's not here," She answers too-quickly.
There is a long pause. Finally, her father speaks. "Forest...come home with us. It's been so long. You'll need help with your kits, you can't possibly raise them all on your own, and in your condition-"
"I'm not alone," The she-cat interjects, lifting her chin. "I have a clan. And my condition hasn't stopped me from becoming a warrior; it won't stop me from being a mother, either."
"But-"
"It's time for me to go. I really should get back or my clanmates will worry." She knows they won't stop, so she must make the decision to leave. Her heart hurts as she takes a step back from them. Even with how far she's come, how much she's accomplished, they still see her as the helpless blind kit. Her voice grows soft and hesitant as she adds on, "It was nice to run into you guys...if you see Lavenderpaw- er, Lavender. Tell her that her sister Forestshade says hi." It's been moons since she's seen her, and maybe she's in the area, too, if her parents are. "Goodbye."
Before they can stop her, she whirls around and makes a beeline for the thunderpath, where she crosses on swift, hurting paws. She's panting again, but this time it's not only her pregnant belly impeding her breathing. She thinks of her parents, how overbearing they had been, how she never had a voice in her future. She decides right then and there she won't allow her kits to go through the same thing. They'd get the chance to forge their own paths. She won't control them or linger and breathe down their necks. They'd have the independence she never could have. As she sneaks back through the tunnel and onto ThunderClan territory, and finds the makeshift nest she has made near the other queens, she holds her tail close to her belly. I promise.
