TW: Death Open PAFP Camp RiverClan Stick to me like caramel // Strawberrykit's intro

[Strawberrykit]

{$title} Strawberrykit's mother just passed away and Wave is taking care of th epoor thing

Fear and worry, these were the first emotions Strawberrykit experienced in her new life. In a buzzing dark night, she was born. Scarce milk, scarce attention, a dying mother. Not anything she was actively aware of and of its consequences. However, she was still affected enough. She cried so loudly at it all, being soothed as best as her mother could.

With striking purple eyes, with just a tiny smudge of blue, Strawberrykit was born a little worm of a cat, and had not grown up that much either. Beautiful red fur, just like her mother, but unlike the bigger cat, she was a small thing, too small for her age.

Suddenly there was change. Too much change. Right on the day that marked her two months birthday, the warmth and the soft fur she was so used to was suddenly gone. She was still there, but no breathing movements could be found.

"Mama? Mama? Mama?!" she cried and cried and cried.

The next moments were a big blur for her. Someone had helped her, someone had taken care of her mother, someone had taken Strawberry and placed her into Wavesong's careful paws. She couldn't remember their names, she couldn't remember their faces, too focused on her own sorrow.

She couldn't stop crying. She cried and cried until her throat was sore. As if she protested the change. And, well, in a way, she did. But luck wasn't on her or her mother's side.

"I wanna my mama back!" she cried and cried and cried. To no one in particular but knowing she had a captive audience in Wavesong.

_____________Right foot in the roses, ☆ left foot on a landmine _________________

• "speech"
  thoughts
  
  ☆ OOC: tagging @Wavesong
  
  

• 

• STRAWBERRYKIT she/her, riverclanner, 2 moons.
  ☆ A small red tabby with purple eyes. Stands of short height.
  ☆ Mentored by No One
  ☆ Adopted by Wavesong
  ☆ Peaceful and healing powerplay permitted / / underline and tag when attacking
  ☆ Color = coral
  ☆ Penned by draculaelliot ↛ draculaelliot on discord, feel free to dm for plots.

 

[Wavesong]

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

.

It was heartbreaking. Utterly, crushingly heartbreaking. Wavesong could do nothing but sit there, helpless as the mother drew her last breath. Her eyes shimmered with tears she could no longer blink away. She had prayed... Oh, how she had prayed. Whispered desperate pleas to the stars when the camp was quiet, when the kits were sleeping and no one could hear the crack in her voice. Please, she had begged. Don't take her. Let her watch her kit grow. Let her see her kit's first stumble, their first purr, their first leaf-fall. But there were no answers. Only silence. And this... This was the aftermath.

The herbs had run thin since the ShadowClan heist. Despite her efforts, despite all their efforts, they had never truly recovered. And her complications during birth… It had made everything worse. She knew the blame didn't rest on her shoulders, but guilt had never cared much for logic. When Jinglemoon, quietly and wordlessly, laid the tiny kit beside her… her heart splintered all over again. She bent her head, gently rasping her tongue over the kit's ear. " Shhh, shhh… m'dear heart… " Her voice cracked like driftwood under pressure. " M'sweet wee guppy… I know. I know ye want yer ma back. An' if I could, love, if I could bring her to ye, I would. In a heartbeat. "

The little body trembled, and Wavesong drew it close with a trembling breath, tucking it into her warmth as though that alone could shield it from the ache of loss. " Shush now, m'child… Be still, love. Don't cry… " she murmured, her voice low, carrying an old lullaby's softness in its rhythm. And for a moment, she remembered another tiny weight, another soft shape pressed against her, Shellkit. Just a memory now. A heartbeat in the past. Her voice dipped to a whisper. " I won't lie t'ye. I won't say it'll all be okay. Pain like this… it don't vanish overnight. But it won't last ferever. "

Her tongue moved in slow, comforting strokes, hoping that her touch, if nothing else, could offer an anchor. " But I'll be here. Right here. Always. Fer ye. "

Speech, thoughts/emphasis

37 MOONS

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RIVERCLANNER

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SONG

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bio

 

[Strawberrykit]

Strawberrykit's crying subsided a bit. She allowed Wave's care and attention and love to sooth her. It felt nice. She missed her mother, really badly. But she, as sick as she was, could barely give her so much attention, so much care. She knew her mother had all the love in the world for her. Somehow she could feel it in how she would talk to Strawberry, even if weaker day after day.

She leaned in Wave's warmth, accepting meekly the affection. Could this be true? That her mother would never come back? That the pain would become somehow more bearable? That…that Wave would be here for her as well? That made Strawberry stop bawling for a bit. A small peace in such a troubled time.

"Do you promise?" she managed to say, quietly, barely above a whisper. "I don't want to be alone…"

She was worried. Strawberrykit liked Wavesong. The big cat was always nice to her, waving at her whenever the red little worm of a cat would peek towards their den. But she had many kits. Would she take care of one more? Wouldn't her children want Wave just for themselves?

_____________Right foot in the roses, ☆ left foot on a landmine _________________

• "speech"
  thoughts
  
  ☆ OOC:
  
  

• 

• STRAWBERRYKIT[/url] she/her, riverclanner, 2 moons.
  ☆ A small red tabby with purple eyes. Stands of short height.
  ☆ Mentored by No One
  ☆ Adopted by Wavesong
  ☆ Peaceful and healing powerplay permitted / / underline and tag when attacking
  ☆ Color = coral
  ☆ Penned by draculaelliot ↛ draculaelliot on discord, feel free to dm for plots.

 

[Wavesong]

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

.

When the crying finally began to ebb, softening into hiccups, the quiet question that followed tugged at Wavesong's heart. She glanced down at the small red kit curled against her and offered a warm, gentle smile. " Aye, lil' gup, I promise. " she murmured, her voice soft as seafoam on the shore. " Ye won't be gettin' rid o' me so easy, eh? " She gave a playful wink before huffing out a fond little laugh, nodding toward the rest of her brood, Foamkit, Troutkit, Otterkit, Piranhakit, and Salmonkit, who lay dozing or squirming nearby.

" Have ye seen all them critters I'm raisin'? " she said with a grin. " Ye think those wee tikes'd be satisfied with anything less than their ma hoverin' over 'em, groomin' their faces clean after stickin' their noses where they don't belong again? " Another gentle chuckle escaped her as she leaned down, giving Strawberrykit a soothing lick over the top of her head. " M'nest is big... " she added, voice tender now, nearly a whisper. " An' m'heart's even bigger. "

She lowered her nose to lightly boop it against Strawberrykit's, eyes gleaming with love. " Yer fully welcome here, lil' guppy. Always. "

Speech, thoughts/emphasis

37 MOONS

𖧧

RIVERCLANNER

𖧧

SONG

𖧧

bio

 

[Thunderpaw Thunderpaw]

——————————————————— You who bares all your teeth in every smile. ✦

Thunderpaw was wandering camp, she had finished her training for the day but sought something to do, not so certain what that was yet, she let her paws lead her.

But, something else caught her attention. From the nursery came a cry; she paused, blood running cold. She wouldn't have been surprised if it were one of Wavesong's little things, but the kitten was wailing for her mama… A lump caught in her throat, paws pausing as she loomed outside where the cries originated. She could hear Wave cooing to the wailing little thing, for a moment, Thunder considered walking away. But… But she couldn't.

Instead, the apprentice pressed her nose into the nursery, watching from the sidelines initially. Her heart broke hearing the tiny thing wailing, pleading for her mama… Thunderpaw knew that pain, the nights of curling up and crying, wishing Mama Sunny was still here….

Tears pricked at her eyes, it was driving her to take those steps into the nursery, ears dipped low as she looked between Wavesong, Strawberry and the kittens. All of this felt surreal, really. While their connection was only proximity, slowly the world seemed to try to give Thunderpaw more reason to stick closeby to the queen.

She padded over carefully to Wavesong, giving her a sheepish smile before her gaze fell to Strawberrykit. For a moment, she hesitated before gently pressing a nose against the red kitten. "I-I lost my mama too, and I know it's scary but." She hesitated, but then again, it was only Wave and Strawberry listening, she trusted the queen to be kind, she looked up to her when she was young and really that hadn't changed. "Wavesong helped me and my siblings a lot, and she's gonna keep her promise to look after you a-and. And I'll look after you too!"

It was a lofty promise, but Thunderpaw knew she always wanted someone to look out for her when she was this scared, so maybe it would be nice for Strawberry to have someone like her to help, too. "Things are kinda scary for you right now, but you don't gotta be brave, cause you aren't alone." She glanced up at Wave, giving her a smile. She hoped it wasn't overstepping or anything; she just knew the pain far too well of being all alone without parents to guide, so sometimes having more cats around to fill that void would mean she could still be happy and feel safe.

She swallowed hard, sitting down and watching Strawberrykit nestled amongst the other kittens. It was strange. Wave with 6 kittens again. Maybe she needed Strawberry just as much as she needed her. A pained smile appeared upon the apprentice's face; she was just glad the kitten had what she needed.

"And I can teach you all the things you need to be an apprentice when you're a little older with all of Wave's kittens too, everyone's gotta have someone to teach 'em." She nodded, trying to help bring the kitten's attention elsewhere. Wave's little fishies had older siblings, too, but Strawberry didn't have anyone else. Well, now she did! Thunder would be there for her- And the other kittens too. She didn't want them to ever be scared ever again.

——— Take a swim in the water

Dear Arkansas daughter. ————

• 
  Thunderpaw
  ✦—Riverclan apprentice | 8 moons
  ✦—She/Her
  ✦—"SPEECH", 'THOUGHTS', ATTACK
  ✦—A stocky, fluffy cinnamon sealpoint kitten with long curled ears and soft blue eyes.
  #DE966C

 

[Strawberrykit]

It felt nice, to be the center of attention and to feel like she was loved, she was cared for and she mattered for someone else besides her mother. The mother she could never see again, the mother that did everything she could to stay with her, but eventually couldn't.

A pang of guilt tugged at her heart. It felt…wrong, to feel so nice, to feel consoled, to feel soothed, when her mother wasn't there. When her mother could not feel all the love Strawberry was feeling directed at her. It didn't sit right with her, still, she leaned on it. Even if it was wrong, it did feel great, to have someone to caress her, to have someone to take care of her. All of Wavesong's love felt like a lifeline to her, something she could hold on to and breathe in the troubled waters that threatened to knock her down, under the water.

She heard with captive attention everything Thunderpaw said. Her cries long forgotten, she slightly nodded. "Okie…" she muttered, sniffing loudly.

Maybe she could live like that. If it meant she would have so much support, she felt that maybe she could live like that. With a small yawn, she curled against Wavesong, listening to the bigger cat's heartbeat. For a moment she pretended it was her mother's heartbeat and for one moment she was happy again.

_____________Right foot in the roses, ☆ Left foot on a landmine _________________

• "speech"
  thoughts
  
  ☆ OOC:
  
  

• 

• STRAWBERRYKIT[/url] she/her, riverclanner, 2 moons.
  ☆ A small red tabby with purple eyes. Stands of short height.
  ☆ Mentored by No One
  ☆ Adopted by Wavesong
  ☆ Peaceful and healing powerplay permitted / / underline and tag when attacking
  ☆ Color = coral
  ☆ Penned by draculaelliot ↛ draculaelliot on discord, feel free to dm for plots.