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Post by matchesrulezu on May 7, 2019 18:35:12 GMT -6
“...It’s everything.”
– Michael J. Fox
The sun was bright and warm, providing a perfect afternoon for sun bathing. The camp was quiet and relaxed, cats either out enjoying the weather or taking a nap after returning from patrols. Being as swollen as she was, Brookshine found it difficult to move around much, but she couldn't resist the appeal of the sun's rays. She wasn't sure how long she had been napping when a deep pain rippled through her core. "Oh," she grunted, lifting her head, but just as quickly as it came it passed again. Brookshine waited another moment, but it seemed to be done, so she assumed it must have just been one of the kits shifting uncomfortably. Laying her head back down, she started to doze off again when the pain coursed through her, a little stronger and more persistent this time. "Oh boy," she breathed, letting it pass before eyeing the medicine cat's den. Just to be diligent, she waited another moment, and sure enough another contraction came. "Oh wow...It's time...It's time," she realized, pushing herself to her feet with a huff. Right as she reached the entrance, she felt another contraction and groaned audibly. "It's time," she breathed, looking into the den.
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Post by gingerluna on May 8, 2019 22:40:09 GMT -6
Bayflower jolted at the queen's words, whipping around to stare at Brookshine with wide eyes. StarClan. It was time. Time for him to deliver Floodstar's kits. "Y-yeah! Right!" he chirped in reply. "Uh, so do you want to..." The nursery, right? She was supposed to have kits in the nursery. "Go to the nursery? Or stay here. We need to get Floodfield. And herbs." He turned back to his supply. "I've got this. Can you go to the nursery? And I'll come with herbs?" He could feel himself shaking. He'd never delivered kits before, but he couldn't let Brookshine know that. Wait, didn't she already know? He scrambled across the den to fetch what she needed. He had to do this right.
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Post by matchesrulezu on May 13, 2019 16:00:52 GMT -6
Brookshine might have laughed if another contraction hadn't hit at that moment. Instead all she could manage to do was breathe as she nodded her head and waddled over to the nursery. When it passed, she managed to call out, "You make sure Floodfield is here!" There was a slight threatening tone in her voice, produced by a mixture of fear and annoyance. No way would he get her pregnant and then skip out on the messiest part. She'd hunt him down herself.
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Post by gingerluna on May 13, 2019 19:23:57 GMT -6
Chervil and Borage. Chervil was easy enough, a bunch of knobbed roots near the back of his den. Borage was in between Chervil and Mallow, dry and zesty smelling. He'd long gotten used to the scent of herbs, and his nose barely twitched as he picked up the herbs. Burnet was for expecting queens. He didn't think it would help with a delivery. Poppy seeds would just make her sleepy, which wouldn't help...raspberry leaves! Paledawn had taught him that, they helped stop bleeding. He grabbed a few before bolting out of his den, weaving through the camp and setting the herbs down in the nursery. "Eat these two," he said, nudging the raspberry and borage forward. "And chew on this root until it's all mushy in your mouth, and then spit it out. I'll be right back!" He turned and proceeded to barrel through the camp, screaming Floodfield's name the entire way to the elder's den.
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Post by silentpaws on May 16, 2019 3:31:30 GMT -6
Floodfield had been half asleep in a patch of sunlight outside the elder's den, but at the sound of his name being screeched he was awake and up on his feet in a split second. His mind took a couple of confused seconds to recognise Bayflower running towards him, but he didn't wait for the medicine cat to say anything before he knew what was happening. It was time; the kits were coming. "Calm down Bayflower, take a breath. Is she ok?" he asked, trying not to look at him too intently. The leader in him wanted the young tom to take a moment and not overstress himself, the father in him just needed to know if his mate and kits were ok.
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Post by gingerluna on May 16, 2019 12:04:36 GMT -6
"Y-yeah. Yeah. She's good," Bayflower said, gasping as he stared at the ex-leader. He took a shuddering breath. "It's all good. I just didn't know where you were." What a ridiculous lie, he was terrified, but he was going to do this. "You should come. But you need to stay calm, or else you have to go outside." That had been Rosedawn's rule. Paledawn didn't allow toms present at all, but Bayflower thought that seemed mean. He turned, doing his best to seem like he wasn't losing his mind with worry. "I gave her herbs."
Brightsplash heard the commotion, and approached Bayflower as he stepped towards the den. "I'll get some fresh bedding, and moss soaked in water," she said, brushing her cheek against the medicine cat's shoulder in a comforting gesture.
"Yes. That's good. Thanks," Bayflower stuttered as she hopped off. He stepped inside the nursery. "He's here," he said to Brookshine. "Let me check the contractions."
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Post by silentpaws on May 16, 2019 15:57:21 GMT -6
"That's good. You're doing a brilliant job," Floodfield said, knowing he needed to be there for Bayflower as well as he would need to be there for Brookshine the minute he stepped into the medicine den. "I think I can stay calm," he continued with a slight smile, adding a quick "Thank you, Brightsplash," before he hurried forwards into the den. Immediately he was by his mate's side, murmuring aa quiet "Hello my love," as Bayflower came forwards to check everything was going ok. His heart was hammering in his chest as he waited for the 'ok' signal; the memory of Liongaze telling him about Dovemoon's torturous kitting was lingering in his mind and he prayed to the memory of his old friend that he would keep Brookshine safe.
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Post by matchesrulezu on May 23, 2019 15:39:28 GMT -6
ooc;; aw his remembrance of liongaze. my heart ;m;
- - - - - - - - - - -
ic;;
It felt like both eons and mere milliseconds had passed while she waited in the den, somehow. She looked up as they entered, immediately grateful for their presence. A low purr began rumbling in her throat at Floodfield's greeting, but another contraction interrupted their moment, and her purr turned into a low groan as it peaked. "They're happening faster," she panted once it finally passed, looking over to Bayflower.
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Post by gingerluna on May 24, 2019 21:11:17 GMT -6
Bayflower perked up as Brookshine noted they were coming faster. "That's good!" he chirped, resting a paw gently on her belly. Paledawn had given him a time frame, and he wondered just how far along Brookshine was. He remained quiet for a moment as he felt her belly, noting the telltale ripple of a contraction as the she-cat panted. "We'll wait for two minutes," he said, realizing he hadn't given her an update in a bit. "And then I think you'll be okay to push! It might be more comfortable to shift around a bit as you do. Some queens lie on their side, others squat, whatever feels natural." His tail swished behind him eagerly, and he felt his panic fizzling away. He knew how to do this. Rosedawn had taught him well, and he had generations of knowledge to guide him. He glanced back at Floodfield, then looked back to Brookshine.
Brightsplash appeared, rolling a ball of dry moss and carrying a piece soaked in water. She set the soaked moss near Brookshine, then slipped silently into the background, beginning to craft a nest that was both clean, and big enough for Brookshine and her future kittens.
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Post by gingerluna on Jun 16, 2019 14:52:40 GMT -6
(skip?)
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Post by matchesrulezu on Jun 19, 2019 15:34:35 GMT -6
ooc;; sorry i wasn't sure if silent wanted to respond again and then i forgot about it. at this point, what do you think? do you wanna try to go through the actual kitting real quick or just pop back in with the kits already being born?
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Post by gingerluna on Jun 19, 2019 17:19:59 GMT -6
(Real quick kitting?)
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Post by silentpaws on Jun 20, 2019 13:49:13 GMT -6
(either is fine with me it's up to you guys c: )
Floodfield relaxed when Bayflower said everything was going fine so far, even though the voice in the back of his head reminded him that they were far from out of the woods. He made sure to keep out of the way by Brookshine's head when Bayflower prepared her for the actual kitting, giving the medicine cat a tiny nod when he met Floodfield's gaze. There was a newfound confidence in his stance that almost surprised Floodfield, but he was thrilled to see his friends' son finding his feet in his new job. When Brightsplash passed him the damp moss he gave her a quick nod of thanks, grateful for her help when the rest of them were occupied.
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Post by matchesrulezu on Jun 20, 2019 16:25:04 GMT -6
The time might have dragged on, but the contractions kept her plenty occupied. After a few minutes, her next contraction hit and this time it was a little different, deeper. Instinctively, she pushed with it, her breathing heavy as she tried to maintain her breath without panting. She pushed with another contraction and felt the tiny body of their first kit enter into the world. Brookshine wouldn't say it out loud, but she was mildly grossed out by how messy birthing was, although she knew the end result would be well worth it. "Is it okay?" she asked breathlessly.
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Post by gingerluna on Jun 20, 2019 16:48:55 GMT -6
Bayflower watched Brookshine closely as she shifted, and as the first kit slid out, he rapidly moved to break the sack and lick it. The kit's limbs twitched, and he paused in his motions to answer Brookshine. "Seems alright to me," he said, then instantly realizing that wasn't enough. As he licked, the kit continued to twitch, and as he cleaned, the kit let out a shrill cry. "Perfect," he said excitedly, nosing the kit over to Brookshine's belly so it could feed. "You've got a healthy little tom."
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Post by matchesrulezu on Jun 20, 2019 17:57:38 GMT -6
"A tom," she breathed, looking down at the tiny, vulnerable body feeding at her stomach. So this was what made it all worth it. Unfortunately, she didn't have much time to enjoy the moment as another contraction rolled through her body. Trying to control her breathing so she didn't disturb the little kit feeding, she groaned lightly as she pushed with the contraction and felt relief as another little body entered the world. Her heart was racing between the physical exertion and nervousness. Their first kit was healthy, would this one be healthy, too?
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Post by gingerluna on Aug 8, 2019 16:03:10 GMT -6
(do we want to drop?)
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Post by silentpaws on Aug 10, 2019 15:34:44 GMT -6
(I'm good to continue, I thought you and matches were just gonna race through this one so I wasn't sure I should reply c: )
"He looks like me," Floodfield breathed out as he laid eyes on the tiny tom. Even before he was fully dried off he could recognise his dark blueish tones in the kit's grey pelt, and as Bayflower cleaned him off he didn't want to look anywhere other than his son. But another pained breath from Brookshine made him realise that the second kit had been born, and he waited with baited breath for Bayflower to tell them that this kit was healthy too. In the meantime he covered his mate's ears with gentle licks, wanting to tell her how infinitely proud he was but scared to say anything until they knew everything was ok.
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Post by gingerluna on Aug 12, 2019 18:22:59 GMT -6
Just as the tom began to feed, Bayflower realized another kitten was on the way. He watched carefully as the kit eased its way into the world, and quickly nipped the birth sac and began to lick her clean. The kit let out a loud wail, wriggling beneath his tongue. Bayflower guided her to Brookshine, taking a deep breath. "And a strong little she-cat," he said, looking at Brookshine wearily. He glanced back at Floodfield, happy to see the joy on the former leader's face. He'd only felt two kittens before, but it wasn't an exact science. "Do you feel any more coming?" he asked the queen.
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Post by matchesrulezu on Aug 29, 2019 15:35:32 GMT -6
Brookshine let out a sigh of relief when their second kit began mewling and Bayflower gave her affirmation that she appeared healthy. A purr began rumbling in her throat in respond to her mate's affection and the happiness that their kits were safe. She paused a moment at Bayflower's next question before responding, "No, I don't feel anymore contractions. Just aching and tired, at this moment."
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