forum ｔｈｅ ｌｅａｆ－ｂａｒｅ ｂａｌｌ (𝚠𝚊𝚛𝚛𝚒𝚘𝚛 𝚌𝚊𝚝𝚜 𝚛𝚙) {CLOSED! STALKERS WELCOME}

Started July 26, 2020 by @Spring group

tune

~ Hailflight's eyes widened as she stared at the gray she-cat. "Crescentshine…" She hesitantly stepped forward. "I… It's so good to see you. I missed you so much."

Crescentshine purred as she approached Hickorykit and Hailflight. "It's wonderful to see you too…" She replied in an ethereal, dreamy voice. Hickorykit hiccuped a bit when he saw her and ran forward to nuzzle against her.

~ Hailflight smiled at Hickorykit, then looked back at Crescentshine with a sad expression. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry I couldn't save you."

Crescentshine sat down and wrapped her paw around Hickorykit to comfort him. "Don't blame yourself, Hailflight. There's nothing you could have done." She smiled gently. "You've taken such good care of Hickorykit, and for that, I thank you."

~ Hailflight nodded, then tilted her head. "There's something I have to ask you…" She took a breath and continued. "I just want to know… What did you see in Larchclaw? I mean, he's so… cruel. Especially to Hickorykit."

Crescentshine sighed softly. "Well, he was charming at the time… we both enjoyed the thrill of a forbidden relationship. I thought that he would be a good father, and we eventually became mates. I think maybe my death could have caused him to spiral to what he is now…"

~ "Well, it's just… He seemed so calm when you died. As if it didn't bother him at all." Hailflight said, flicking her tail. "I'm just not sure if he…" She hesitated before continuing. "If he ever really cared about you." She looked down at her paws. "He certainly doesn't care about Hickorykit."

"Well, he… wasn't super happy when I got pregnant. Apparently that was too real for him. Like we'd crossed a line. The cross clan courting was all fine and good, but as soon as I told him we were having kits… he was angry. At first, anyway. Then he seemed to accept it, but he was still unhappy and still didn't want kits. When I died, he probably saw that as a way out of having to be a father… he could just push our kits onto some other queen and try to pretend they never existed."

~ "Even so, every time Hickorykit says a single word, Larchclaw lashes out at him." Hailflight laid her tail on Hickorykit's back. "He's too scared to talk to his own father." She sighed and dug her claws into the ground. "I can't stand watching the way Larchclaw treats him."

Hickorykit turned his ears back a bit and looked away, shuffling his paws. "I wish there were more I could do…" Crescentshine sighed. "I sometimes slip into his dreams and try to get him to stop, but he ignores them. Do you know if Bluebellkit is doing okay?" She asked softly. Hickorykit looked up at that, confused. "Bluebellkit? Who's that?" He asked. "Your sister, darling." "I have a sister??" Crescentshine nodded. "Larchclaw took her to Shadowclan and left her there." Hickorykit was frozen with shock.

~ Hailflight nodded and looked at Hickorykit. "I ask about her at every Gathering. Squirreltail says she's fine, but that she keeps asking about Crescentshine and Larchclaw. Apparently she found out about you just before the last Gathering, too, so that's another thing she's curious about."

"I-I have a sister…" Hickorykit repeated, still clearly in shock. "I know, baby… maybe you two will meet each other at the ball?" Hickorykit nodded weakly.

~ Hailflight sighed and curled her tail around Hickorykit's. "I tried to stop Larchclaw from taking Bluebellkit to ShadowClan, but Whitestar wouldn't let me." She said, her voice full of regret. "If Fawnstar had been leader by then, maybe it would've turned out different. I should've tried harder to protect her."

"It's not your fault, Hailflight… technically, Larchclaw had custody of the kits at that point. It was up to him where they would be, and that's what he decided." Hickorykit buried himself in Hailflight's fur, silently trembling. "I wouldn't want him to get angry and hurt you or them."

~ "I'll rip him to shreds if he so much as lays a claw on Hickorykit." Hailflight hissed. "I promise I'll do my best to take care of Bluebellkit, too." She mewed to Crescentshine. "I'll protect my- I mean your kits… With my life if necessary."
(Momma-Cat be ready to kick some Bad-Dad butt!)

(Lol)
"Thank you, Hailflight." Crescentshine smiled gently up at Hailflight. "He's changed since I knew him. I don't want him to do anything to either of our kits. They've done nothing wrong." Hickorykit looked up at Crescentshine meekly.

~ Hailflight nuzzled Crescentshine with a purr. "We should be getting back now. The others must have noticed we're gone by now." She nudged Hickorykit gently with her head. "Come on, Kitten. Let's go home." She looked back at Crescentshine with a smile. "Goody-bye old friend."

"Bye, mama… it was nice to meet you." Hickorykit nuzzled against Crescentshine again before he returned to Hailflight's side. "It was nice to meet you too, Hickorykit. Now, run along with Hailflight." Crescentshine smiled gently before fading away.

~ Hailflight blinked open her eyes, finding herself back at the Moonpool. She looked at the sky to find the moon was high above them. "We need to hurry. Come on. I'll give you a badger ride back to camp."

"Mmkay…" Hickorykit climbed onto Hailflight and clung tightly to her, still shivering violently. He was still shocked and conflicted, which made him very quiet.