[PRP] Gifts From the Stars (Salmonstripe/Skyheart/Kits)

[belloblossom]

Salmonkit was young, looking up at her mothers, Goldenleaf and Lilacmoon. They were walking beside her. They were walking ahead of her. They were walking around a corner where she couldn't see them - they'd left her! She couldn't keep up! Her paws scrambled, but there was cold, smooth stone under her paws.

"Of course they don't want to be near you." Hissed a voice and Salmonstripe whipped around to look into the bulging white eyes of Sunseer, her leader from MountainClan and StoneClan. "You left them! You left StoneClan! You're a traitor to your Clan and your family!" Sunseer yowled and his mouth became so wide and so red that it swallowed her whole.

Red in front, red to the sides, red behi-No! Aspenswirl, blue-eyed and smiling looked at her, but his smile began to crumble. His fur started to rot in front of her, his fur turning from its lovely gold to an ugly sallow yellow. His eyes were hard and accusatory and as his body started to turn to blood matted soil he managed a garbled growl. "I gave you my life and thissss is how you remember me?" Bones fell to the ground and though it was eyeless, Salmonstripe was certain the skull's eyes were looking right at hers.

---

"NO!"

Salmonstripe gasped, shoved her paws under her and tried to stand, only to sway with dizziness and stumble back into her nest. A nightmare, it was another nightmare. She looked around in the dim light. Dawn hadn't even broken through the camp yet, but the full moon cast enough light that she was certain that she could find her way out to the lake. She wasn't foolish enough to go alone, however. She turned to Skyheart, shame in her expression. Had she woken the other she-cat with her thrashing? She could certainly hear some disgruntled sounds of other cats in the Warriors Den who had been woken by Salmonstripe's nightmare.

"Skyheart," She mewed softly to her mate. "Skyheart, I had a nightmare." She didn't feel embarrassed to tell Skyheart - Skyheart had never shamed her for her dreams, good or bad. "I'm going out to the lake, will you come with me? I need to take a walk." She explained in a whisper. @PeterPan_da144 @kovak

 

[PeterPan_da144]

Skyheart had been nudged awake by Salmonstripe's movement. The blue she-cat gingerly pushed the gray one and her nest aside so she couldn't kick anyone, and nestled next to her quietly. Skyheart hoped her presence would help the other quiet, especially as she began grooming her gently.

It wasn't the first time the gray she-cat had had a nightmare. And it was unlikely it would be her last. Skyheart could only do so much to help mend her partners broken heart. It took time for wounds of the heart to heal. All she could do is what she was doing now. Reassuring and showing Salmonstripe that she was there for her.

So when Salmonstripe bolted upright, Skyheart was already at her side, helping her gently back into the nest. Firm affectionate licks were given to the others ears, and she'd nod softly when asked if she would go with Salmonstripe. "Always and forever," she purred softly, brushing against the others pelt as she got up to leave the den alongside Salmonstripe.

A good shake was given to her pelt, then a quick stretch, and she'd flick her ears towards the camp entrance. "To the lake?" she inquired softly, knowing it was Salmonstripe's preferred walking place.

 

[belloblossom]

Salmonstripe looked up at her mate and blinked her gratitude to Skyheart. Leaning forward, she brushed her cheek against Skyheart's and uttered a soft purr, before she took the time to properly get to her paws and creep out of the Warriors Den. Slipping out into the moonlight, she took a moment to look around, ears perked, to see if she could hear anything worthwhile. Any late night guards or the like, but no, the camp was silent. She couldn't understand how all cats could be asleep on such a clear night out, but that was their business and not her own.

Glancing back at her mate only once - she had no doubt in her mind that Skyheart would be following alongside her, she left the Hollow and began to head in the direction of the lake. She kept glancing up at the sky as she walked, as though the trees would part and she'd be able to see the full moon and all the stars in the sky. Alas, even with the moon fully shining down upon the trees, only rays and slivers of moonlight broke through the foliage above.

"It would be nice to be able to see the stars again." She mewed to Skyheart, once she was confident that her voice would not carry back to camp and disturb LostClan's peace. "It's nonsense, but I catch myself wishing that a star might fall down into camp and I could carry it with me where I go." She glanced at her mate and purred. "Good thing I have the stars in your eyes to bring me joy whenever I see them." She said and brushed her pelt against Skyheart's.

"Do you have any ideas of that ilk? Stars falling into your paws or some other fantasy?" She asked her companion. @PeterPan_da144

 

[PeterPan_da144]

As she figured, Salmonstripe padded out of the camp quietly, so Skyheart followed along with equally as light steps. It was eerily quiet, with not even a sound from the forest that she could hear. While Salmonstripe's gaze was turned towards the sky, Skyheart's was firmly planted on the she-cat in front of her. After a few moments, she'd catch up, padding alongside the gray she-cat instead of behind her.

"We could always go," she would reply simply with a purr. "I would follow you to the ends of the earth, Salmonstripe. I've lived life outside of a clan before. I would happily venture forth with you to find a home for ourselves where we can freely see the stars."

Then there was a purring laughter as Salmonstripe continued, and even said something about Skyheart having stars in her eyes. "And yours are like the sun for me, ever lighting up my life." Her tail tip would flick the others flank as she picked up her pace, now two paw steps ahead of the other. "I've heard before about something of the like..." Her voice was soft and quiet as she slowed down again, falling back into step alongside Salmonstripe. "While Clan cats have a very set idea of the world around them, loners do too, but they have a tendency to have differences in how they think due to living so spread apart. I once knew such a loner who believed that the stars in the sky were fallen cats, and they often referred to it as Silverpelt. They'd even seen stars streak across the sky, and believed that it was a cat falling to the earth to be reborn."

However, she would shrug her shoulders at that. "I don't know if that's true or not, as I've never seen it myself. But I do like the idea behind it."

@belloblossom

 

[PeterPan_da144]

It was so dark... And so cold... Why were they here? Where did mom go?

The young blue tom had been shivering at the base of the tree he and his sister were curled up under. Mother had been with them previously, nestled around the pair of them in the hollow under the roots of the tree. But in the middle of the night, she'd gotten up and left. The two kits were too afraid to wander far, and had already seen the sun rise and set again since their mother left. The she-cat was curled up behind him, presumably tucked into a soft slumber, but he was too hungry.

"Mom!" his voice was soft and shaky. It barely carried more than a few paw lengths ahead of him most likely. But he was so tired. And so hungry.

"Mom!" His voice would grow in volume slightly, tail lashing worriedly behind him as much as the stubby little thing could.

"MOM!" This third one was louder, and he could hear a bit of a rustling in a bush nearby. Ears twitched and swiveled towards the sound. Maybe she was there? Was she about to come out of the bush?

"Mom!" That was a far more excited one as he tumbled forward, only for the sounds in the bushes to get louder and reveal a large mouse skittering out from beneath the roots of the bush and into the forest.

"Mom..." he wailed pitifully, head and tail low as he returned to the roots to curl up in the little hollow opening.

The small tom cat would begin to cry, sniffling and sobbing, barely drowning out the sound of his empty stomach.

@belloblossom @kovak

 

[kovak]

​

She was cold, and her brother was just as cold. Why was it so warm under the sunlight, but so cold under the moonlight? It had been how long? Her brother was fussy and a fighter, she was weak and just wanted to sleep. Just sleep until it was warm again. Forget about the hunger, and just follow the light into the warmth. It was warm in her dream. And she saw mother. In her dream, she was full of life and embraced both kits with loving licks. That was, until she heard the wailing of her brother, breaking her out of her pleasant fantasy, and back into the freezing cold.

With her brother's cries, she couldn't help but slowly focus on following him out to where the hollow opening was. She crawled out, almost out of all her energy and bumped herself into him. She gave a pitiful mew and nuzzled herself against his fur. She was cold, and all she knew was that the two needed each other. Mother would not return. She looked too happy in her dream. She slowly brushed herself against his eyes, trying to stop the tears. Both their stomachs began to rumble, and she just wanted to feel the sunlight again.

@belloblossom @PeterPan_da144

 

[belloblossom]

Salmonstripe shook her head when her mate suggested that they leave LostClan.
"I could never. I've left one Clan, one family behind already. I don't think I have it in me to leave another." She sighed and then ran her cheek against her mate's. "I thank you, however, for your extending kindness, my love." She mewed.

She'd listened to Skyheart speak about Silverpelt - the loners' name for the night sky, how romantic and when she had finished, she couldn't help, but mew, "That would be a good name for a kit, well or an eventual warrior: Silverpelt. Though by your tale it sounds like they would have to be a kitten made of stars." She added with a smile and a 'mrr' of laughter.

She'd fallen into a peaceful, still quiet. She could hear the distant sounds of water lapping at a shore, and the occasional breeze would ruffle her fur, but it was not an unpleasant feeling. Why, she could even hear the sound of a distressed kitten mewling for its mother not too far off - wait. Holding her tail upright and perfectly still, she silently asked for Skyheart to stop talking; to stop moving, just, to stop altogether.

Her ears erect and her amber eyes alight with focus, she turned her head one way and then the next.
Come on, She thought. I wouldn't have imagined something like that.

There! There it was again, a wail for a mother, softer but in a direction noticeable enough that she could track it. A flick of her tail, a plea for a quiet following from Skyheart - the tail signals she'd learned in MountainClan as a young apprentice herself, so many moons ago.

Her grey pelt blended into the cool tones of the shadowed pines and she crept forward, praying to... who was she meant to pray to if SunClan was gone? Remembering Skyheart's story, she sent a prayer to the Silverpelt that she would find this kit before it mewed its last - and that she and her mate would be hidden from any predators nearby.

Eventually, she picked up the scent of milk - how young was the kit she was tracking? And then she saw him - saw them! Not just one, but two kits were huddled up next to one another in a small hollow at the base of a tree.

"Oh, Skyheart." She rasped softly, her heart filling with emotion at the sight of them. They were so small! Ducking her head, she stepped into the hollow and wrapped herself around the shivering kits. "Oh, you poor things. I'm here! I'm here." Her voice didn't raise over a whisper and she busied herself with curling around them, nestling them closer to her and running her tongue over their bodies. She had to warm them up! Sniffing at their fur as she did so, she found couldn't smell their mother on them, just the scent of milk and soil - had she been gone so long?

Looking up anxiously at her mate, her eyes glowing with tears, she looked from between Skyheart and the kits, unsure of herself. Could they just, scoop them up and take them back to camp? No, what if their mother came back? But, what if the mother couldn't come back - there were plenty dangerous creatures out in the pines...

"Skyheart... We can't leave them." She mewed softly. "Shall... shall we stay here the night? Or I could stay and you could see if you could find their mother, perhaps? I can't imagine she would've gone far..." She fretted. "My love, what ever are we meant to do?" She worried, purring out her anxieties and fixing her attention back onto the kits and curling them back towards her periodically. Warming them up, she could do, but what then? @PeterPan_da144 @kovak

 

[PeterPan_da144]

A soft chuckle would rumble forth from Skyheart as she rubbed her cheek sweetly back against Salmonstripe's. "I do not know if such a cat would exist, but if anyone were to find it, I bet on you," she purred. Her tail twined gently against the others, before she returned her attention to the front and let them continue on in a gentle silence.

They walked as such for a few moments, before Salmonstripe suddenly went rigid. Skyheart paused, tilting her head curiously to the left so her flopped ear would unfurl better. She would often do this while hunting, as the slight floppiness was impossible for her to help, and it hindered her hearing sometimes. Salmonstripe had heard something, but Skyheart couldn't. Until finally she did.

Wordlessly, she crept along after the gray she-cat, her equally as cool coat blending splendidly into the shadows. They moved along quietly until they could spot the cause of the noise. Kits! Skyheart cursed gently under her breath as Salmonstripe darted forward to the kits. Her cool gray eyes scanned the undergrowth as she strained to listen, a bit more wary about coming forward to these abandoned kits in the middle of the night. Surely they weren't really abandoned... Right?

Slowly, Skyheart slipped from the bush and hurried over to Salmonstripe's side. Beside her lay two little bundles of blue fur, one very quiet and almost still, the other mewling desparately for attention and food. Oh they were so young... Long, comforting licks were offered to Salmonstripe across the top of her head and her shoulders.

"It seems my intuition of you finding star pelted kits was true," she chuckled in an attempt to make the other laugh. Then there was a soft sigh and a firmer look to her eyes. "You stay here, you're already snuggled up to them. I'll see if I can find signs of family." Skyheart would lean over the two kits, drinking in their scent. It was so young, and they smelled of milk, but not of any other cat. Skyheart could barely smell anything other than the two kits in the little hollow either, but she at least committed that smell to memory. After all, their mother wouldn't smell all that different from them.

"They are too young for meat, but that might be all we can provide for them tonight. I'll see if I can find something small, maybe chew it up a little for them. Give them something in their empty bellies," she cooed softly, flicking her tail tip over the ears of the small tom, who was endlessly crying. "I won't be long, I promise," she murmured, giving Salmonstripe one last affectionate lick before slipping off into the bushes the opposite way they had come.

@belloblossom @kovak

 

[PeterPan_da144]

The presence of his sister only barely quelled his cries. The small tom snuffled against his sister, tail thumping pitifully as he cried. She felt so cold... So did he... Where was mom?!

Suddenly, there was a rush of warmth, and his cries were muffled in soft fur. A voice rang in his ears, saying she was there, she was there. Gentle whispers and grooming. The tom would slowly grow quiet, and when the voice went quiet too long, he started to yowl again.

"Mom!" he sounded far happier now, nuzzling into her side. Little paws worked against her belly as he tried to find her milk, but she did not smell of milk. So he kept looking, and kept looking, snuffling against her fur. Where was it? It had to be here somewhere! "Mooommmm," he whined, kneading at her belly.

 

[kovak]

She felt something brush against her that was not her brother. Mom? No. That couldn't be. That was not right. Despite the stranger saying that she's here, she could not help but give out a short cry. It was half fear, and half relief. Who was this? What were they here for? What was happening? But it was no longer cold. She started to feel the warmth of whoever it was brushed against the kits. It was a different small than their mom too, so she was right. It could not be her.

Wait. Two voices? Mom? Her ears pricked forth taking in the sounds of the second stranger. No, that was not her either. She was soon comforted and embraced with her brother, who was still crying so much. So much. She just wanted to sleep until the sunlight was out. But then, her brother started to make movements that it was feeding time, and she gave a slight bat at the stranger's tummy as well. Her brother was a lot stronger than her, but surely he would find them some milk? She was getting more exhausted and eventually gave up on her search, returning to curling herself up against the stranger's fur.

@belloblossom @PeterPan_da144

 

[belloblossom]

Salmonstripe was at a loss of what to do, but her mate stepped up to help her and she nodded, feeling reassured.

"If they can't eat prey, then they can lap up at the blood, at least." She mewed her agreement. "Take care, my heart and return on swift paws." She told her mate, leaning into Skyheart's touch and missing it the moment that it was gone. She watched with wide amber eyes as her mate disappeared and then felt tiny paws kneading into her belly. She looked down to see one of the kits complaining at her and while tiny paw prodded at her in a way that was not wholly comfortable, she couldn't help but smile down at them. At least someone had enough energy in them to throw a tantrum for food. Now for the other... She lowered her muzzle over their heads, lapping gently at their fur. "You're safe here, my loves, take comfort. Get your rest and I will wake you when your meal is here."

How much of her words could they understand? How young were the kits? They were both so small, but she didn't want to worry them by telling them outwardly that she was not their mother come back to them.

Skyheart will find their mother. Then we can invite all three of them to take shelter in LostClan. Salmonstripe thought, willing it up to - what had Skyheart called it again? To Silverpelt? That any news that returned would be good news. Still... If their mother will not, or more likely, can not return to her kits, then... then I shall take them. I may not be able to replace the one that was lost entirely, but I shall take care of them and I know that Lostsun will not turn kits away. One way or another, these kits will have a home with LostClan, and find safety with me. @PeterPan_da144 @kovak

 

[PeterPan_da144]

Because of the toms cries, there wasn't much prey too close by. But she did start to smell and hear some once the kits cries had died down. Unfortunately, she couldn't find any trace of the mother. A stale scent clung to the breeze, maybe a fern here or there, but she couldn't be certain. And she also couldn't go much further. The kits needed something to eat. Skyheart wouldn't take them away from where they were unless it was apparent they were abandoned. So she had to keep them warm and living to entice the mother to return.

And if the mother wouldn't return...

Shaking her head, Skyheart steeled her resolve. She knew immediately what Salmonstripe would say at the thought of them being abandoned. She also didn't want to see kits starve and wither away, so she would happily take them home to LostClan. She just didn't want to rip them from their mother.

A few more tail lengths, she was in a crouch, and then a plump mouse was caught. Quickly, Skyheart retraced her steps to Salmonstripe and the kits.

"I only found the faintest traces of a cat nearby. I will have to go further if I am to try to find their mother... But I couldn't leave you and them here without food." Her voice was soft as she nudged the mouse closer to her mate. "They can lap at the meat, maybe even take some if you chew it for them?" She wasn't well versed in kits, she just knew they were too young for a fully meat diet.

@kovak @belloblossom