And that's why we share all we have with you
Though there's little to be found
When all you've got is nothing
There's a lot to go around
Though there's little to be found
When all you've got is nothing
There's a lot to go around
.
Wavesong knew she couldn't take all her kits at once anymore, not without another pair of eyes to help. And though it warmed her heart to have her friends and clanmates keep watch over her brood, she missed the feeling of their eyes... Her eyes and Adder's.... Them being enough to keep the little ones safe. Now it was only her, and whoever she trusted to help. A wound that gnawed at her still, a guilt she carried without fully understanding why she bore it. So yes, she had left camp with three of her kits today. She was allowed this, wasn't she? They were her kits, her heart. And she had promised them a little adventure beyond the nursery walls, a promise she intended to keep. The other three would get their turn tomorrow, if the weather was kind. Lately, it was fickle, and she'd learned to keep an eye on the clouds, the way the wind shifted.
" C'mon, ye wee guppies, don't lose sight o' yer ma now! " she called over her shoulder, voice warm but firm as her tail flicked for them to follow. " I plan t'take ye all back home safe as minnows in a net, or I'll be hearin' scoldin' from here t'the Twolegplace. " She winked at them, though her eyes lingered a heartbeat longer on Troutkit, the one who looked most like his father. It was a bittersweet ache, a reminder of the tom who still held her heart, even from afar. Troutkit, Otterkit, Piranhakit… Strawberrykit, Salmonkit, Foamkit. Her little shoal. Her whole world.
" Ye can explore t'yer heart's content. " she went on, tone playful but edged with care. " But if yer ma calls, ye best listen, or ye'll be goin' home hangin' from m'muzzle like a caught fish. " Her tail swept out in a light arc, ears pricked to the sound of their paws. " An' if th'rain turns worse, ye rush back to me straight away, don't ye stray further'n needed. Always stay in m'sight. " Her eyes softened, her voice dipping low. " An' if ye get tired… tell me, guppies. It's no shame t'be tired. "
Speech, thoughts/emphasis