The Dancing Pattern of Death (open, B-Claw, Tilly)

[.:-Aikoa-:.]

Angel lay in the nursery on her side, staring blankly into some unknown place. She knew the kits were coming, but she was so scared she couldn't move much. Tempeststorm was beside her, trying to cheer her own despite her woes. Angel had been devestated for her friend, who had lost everything when Dragonstar was killed. Their noble leader, who died before he had a chance to show them the true way to freedom... Angel winced in pain as the contractions started. Three hours later she had given birth to six healthy kits.

"What are their names?" Tempeststorm asked gently.

"I don't want them to have Clan names. At least not... for now." Angel said gently. Tempeststorm nodded. Angel was so relieved they were all alive, she could hardly contain her excitement.

"This one's name will be Road," he mewed, touching the dark grey kit, "This one will be Memory, and this one Bane," She added, touching first a white she-kit and then a black tom, "The last kits will be called Moon, Tiger, and Death." She meowed gravely. Tempeststorm cocked her head to one side.

"Why Death?" She asked. Angel shrugged.

"I'm not sure." She knew that Tempeststorm knew she was lying, but she didn't care. She just wanted to be with her kits.

Memory. Who was white as freshly fallen snow that sparkled in the weak winter sunlight.
Bane. Who was as black as midnight and reflected the lost faces of Angel's past.
Moon. Who was small but already more bold than the rest.
Road. Who already seemed to be trying to find something more than his immediate surroundings.
.... Tiger... who sat as still as...
Death. Who was a combination of them all.

[Brambleclaw]

[[Death adopted the 'kit' BTW, you may wanna change that]]

Googolkit blinked as the kits were born, fascinated. It was interesting sequence, one he would never suffer but would watch if he ever found love. Kits were hope, and hope was something his sister loved. Gigakit was fiery and fierce, an outgoing kit who wasn't afraid to speak her mind. Still, Angel seemed to love her kits with all her heart. It made Googolkit long, if not for but a brief moment, for his mother's love. But he was a scholar by nature and soon lost that long for love. He was just interested in birth, death, life and its mysteries.
"Well, these kits are lovely. But genetics don't work to make Moon gold like that. Unless you guys had parents carrying a gold stripe gene of a sort, which made the trait come up as a visible color." Googolkit said with a smile and a swift nod. The kits looked very different in size, color, and genders were not all the same either. Googolkit smiled as he watched Angel's love for the new kits.
"Does my mother love me like you love your kits?" Gigakit asked with a sigh.

[.:-Aikoa-:.]

OOC: what in the name of fur and feathers is a googol?

Angel looked at Googolkit and listened intently, wondering how in the name of stars and moonshine he knew all of that. My mother was a golden tabby. She was as beautiful as the sunrise, from what I remember. Angel thought happily. She missed her family, her parents who had died in the wars, and especially she missed the fervent sunshine of her home.

"I'm sure she does, Googolkit. But certain Queens have a different way of expressing their love. I am merely doing what comes naturally to me." Angel meowed with a slight smile. She looked down and noticed Tiger had still not moved. She gently licked his head, but he was already getting cold. Angel felt a sharp pain in her chest. He's dead... She felt a wave of grief washing over her. She had lost her kit, just like before. She turned to the others. No, she still had plenty more kits to love, and she would keep Tiger alive in memory, her little Tiger...

"Tempeststorm?" She asked gently, motioning to the little kit. Tempeststorm crouched and sniffed at him, then nodded.

"I will take him outside." She mewed softly, picking the kit up and making her way out of the den. Angel watched her for a moment, then looked down at her kits, who had started to nurse.


Memory.

That was her name. She was smaller than most of her other siblings, with pale white fur and a grey-black spot above her left eye. She had fierce little blue eyes that were clear as crystals. And everything about her seemed unreal.


Bane.

That was his name. He was black as night with dark blue eyes and a white stripe along the back of his right ear. He was larger than most of the other kits, but smaller than Road. His face wore a mask of anger, but perhaps that was only the lighting...

Perhaps...

[Brambleclaw]

[]

Googolkit nodded, watching as Angel examined her kit.
"Often times when five or more kits are born wild it can cause troubles." He said with another nod. His mother had told him all about that one. Blessed with knowledge was the last thing she had said to him, exactly eight sunrises ago. She hadn't seen him since then.
"Yeah, even we're defected. Take Googolkit for example..." Gigakit teased, receiving a playful blow to the head by her older brother. She pounced at his tail, but he moved it and she ended up eating dust.
"You know, I think my mother hates us. She loves Devil's-paw so much they're mentor and apprentice, but she hasn't visited us in eight sunrises!" Gigakit complained sadly, wishing that he mother would show any signs of love or at least a little motherly pride in her kits. Did she not love them like she loved her mysterious first litter? Only Devil's-paw was left, and were the other five just not her loves?

[.:-Aikoa-:.]

Angel looked at Googolkit and thought about his questions for a moment.

"Well," she meowed slowly, "Otherstar is very busy. I cannot say that she loves you for I don't really know, but I know what it's like... to lose a kit... and I cannot believe that your mother doesn't love you both very much." Angel meowed gently.

[Brambleclaw]

Timekit stood, shaking his head and glancing at his brother.
"No, she could at least try to stop and see us." He said with a sigh. He shook his head sadly. Googolkit nodded. But it was okay... wasn't it? Gigakit rolled her eyes, batting at a piece of moss sadly. They were all thinking about what the might give to receive some love from their mother.
"You'd think she'd visit us occasionally." She said as she tossed the moss to one side with a sigh of boredom.

[.:-Aikoa-:.]

Angel sighed sadly.

"My mother never paid me much attention, either. I thought she didn't love me. But one thing I will always regret was holding my anger towards her and hating her for not being there for me. I missed out on what friendship I could have had, and I don't know why Otherstar isn't visiting such wonderful kits, but if you were mine I would never want to leave you," she meowed fondly, "And I know that no matter what she feels she doesn't dislike you. No mother could truly do that or they don't deserve much of what they have." She meowed, shaking her head. She saw Bane move slightly, his little head turning slightly to listen to the kits. Then he snorted weakly and turned back to his mother, not caring anymore.

[Brambleclaw]

Moon watched with fascination at the happenings of his subconscious. His life paved before him, and how easy it seemed. Follower. Death was the one he followed. His genius brother. The silver tom shifted uncomfortably as he saw the happenings of his own life, not so sure he liked what he saw. Googolkit smiled, watching the kits with fascination. He cast a quick glance at his own family of five, noticing that Timekit looked horribly uncomfortable watching the kits. Googolkit wondered what his problem was. They were just kits!

[.:-Aikoa-:.]

Memory. Her pale face was hidden by her mother's fur, and her thoughts were muddled and blurry. She could see in her mind's eye a strange field filled with dark shapes that were wreathed in a strange, bitter scent that the kit did not like. She looked down at her paws and found that they were coated in dark crimson and looked grey. She stared up at the battlefield and her eyes, which were amber, eyes completely expressionless. "Why did they all have to die?" Her voice was not her own. She spoke without telling herself to speak. She turned and saw a mighty tabby standing nearby, his image blurry amongst the waving grasses. "That is the price that must be paid, Mourningwraith." He replied stiffly. The she-cat bristled. "You could have stopped this, Tigersun, but you did nothing!" The she-cat - for her name was no longer Memory but Mourningwraith - found herself hissing. The tom frowned. "Perhaps. But I did what I had to." He said expressionlessly. Mourningwraith turned her back on him. "Fine. I will do what have to, as well, then. I will find the fallen DesertClan and I will destroy the one who did this to us." She hissed. The tom seemed sad when she looked over her shoulder. When Memory turned she found that Mourningwraith had split from her and was walking away. The vision was fading, though, to be replaced with darkness. Memory.

Bane. His world was dark. He knew nothing. He was nothing. A shadow stretched in all directions from him and he stood in the middle, a dark ripple passing from beneath his paws. He opened his eyes slowly, and they had become a dark red stain in the blackness around him. He curled his lips back and flexed his claws. He heard a startled squeak and retracted his claws from his mother's side, hearing her complain that he had sharp claws. Yes... A little voice mewled in his head, Sharp enough for what they are to do. The kit ignored the voice, but the evil chuckle that echoed in his head made it ache and he didn't like it. Bane was angry at the voice. Bane wanted it to go away.

[Brambleclaw]

Death watched in horror as the golden tom stared him down.
"Pitiful wretch must pay for ignorance..." Was all he heard. Squeal, pain, blood. Blood scent drowning everything. Red in his vision, up his nose so he snorted and gasped and snorted for breath. Choking his mouth, bubbling up from his throat, all over his pelt and through his thoughts. He was seeping red blood. Suddenly, a loud bong. Painful, earsplitting loud. Bong. Bong. Bong. That was all he heard, suddenly seeping into the earth. He wasn't filled with blood, he was blood. Seeping into the trees and sprouting deathly life. Deathly. Death. He choked at the thought, convulsing...

Googolkit stumbled back as Death spewed milk and wailed in disgust, weak and pitiful. White milk barf coated his face as he cried, and he began to spasm violently.
"Help!" Gigakit cried, sitting up straight with fear. Timekit stood and rushed over to the kit. He knew what was going on, but he couldn't tell the others. Not yet.

[.:-Aikoa-:.]

Angel's eyes widened in horror. What was wrong with Death? She tried not to move too suddenly and disturb her other kits, but she managed to squirm under protests from the kits so that she stooped over her son.

"Death? What's wrong? Someone fetch the Medicine cat, please!" She begged. A small shape darted from the back of the nursery. Destinykit's eyes were wide.

"Longkit and I will." She meowed, dipping her head before darting out of the nursery. The dark grey tomkit pounded after her, his fur on end. Angel turned to the kits watching, feeling helpless and yet unsure at the same time.

Memory sensed something was wrong in the present time, the world she could faintly distinguish as real. She turned and sniffed, and she did not like the smell of whatever was all over her brother, but she remained completely still, her face emotionless. What was happening, she wondered. She felt the world dip from beneath her paws and she was lying in a nursery snuggled up to another kit. She turned slightly and noticed that she was larger than the kit at her side. She could smell something, and strange thoughts flitted through her mind. She's choking. I must get yarrow! She had no idea what yarrow was, and yet there it was in her mind. She darted out of the nursery that looked nothing like TrueClan's nursery and fetched the foul-smelling plant. She brought it to a Queen who was very angry at her, but her mind was set on the little still kit on the ground. She bit into the leaf and put some on the kit's tongue. She swallowed and began coughing up whatever had blocked her windpipe. Memory stepped back just as she heard the Queen say; "No wonder they named him Savior."

[Brambleclaw]

Timekit shook his head.
"No need. I know what's wrong." Was he really about to admit all he knew? Would he look like a freak? Would he save the day?
"Just clean him off and leave him be." It was unusual for a kit to be bringing subconscious to reality, but maybe Death was special. After all, Timekit was very special. Blinking, he sat next to the kit who was very small in comparison.
"Think of it like a bad dream he's having." Timekit reassured Angel, smiling softly and hoping to be of some comfort to the worried queen.

[.:-Aikoa-:.]

Angel looked at Timekit with wide eyes. She nodded slowly and began licking off Death slowly. She saw out of the corner of her eye Destinykit and Longkit bouncing hurriedly back into the nursery. Littlecloud followed, watching with curious eyes.

"The kits say something's up." He meowed, his smooth voice somewhat interested. He began sniffing the other kits, eyeing Angel as she licked Death fervently. For some reason she trusted Timekit, despite his youth.

Memory felt something cold touch her neck. She shivered and felt herself being drawn into another dreamworld. She was standing beside a brook and when she looked down at her reflection she saw a tabby face with blue eyes staring up at her. She looked up and saw a beautiful cat dancing amidst the waters, her eyes bright as she laughed. She's so beautiful... can this really be love I feel? The thoughts belonged to her but didn't. Memory shied away from the feelings that resided in the tom's heart, and she found herself back beside her mother. She flinched away from Littlecloud, trying to get as far away from his memories as possible.

[Brambleclaw]

Timekit looked at Littlecloud thoughtfully, but without any happy expression on his face. His face always read concern, calm, or relax. It was hard to tell all the looks apart, but they were there. Now was relax and calm, not concern. He wondered if Littlecloud would believe him, probably not. But Death was fine, and Timekit knew that. He had seen that.
"He's fine. Nightmare." Timekit said cooly, dismissing the tom with a flick of his tail.

[.:-Aikoa-:.]

Littlecloud turned and looked at Timekit curiously. He had known that Death was just upset and not suffering much, but how had the kit known? Perhaps he shows promise as a Medicine cat? We will see. Littlecloud thought solemnly. He nodded.

"Very observant. I can give him a tiny dose of poppy seed if he doesn't calm down, but nothing too extravagant and only if he needs it. Otherwise just let nature run its course. Your kits are all very healthy, Angel." Littlecloud meowed with a sigh. He felt strange, as if someone was watching him from the dark shadows of the nursery, but he didn't know why. He shook the thought off and smiled at Angel.

[Brambleclaw]

Timekit smiled a little, but it flickered away to the emotionless face again.
"It passes. Don't give him Poppy Seed, it'll make him sick. He's fine." Timekit said, padding over to a corner of the den and curled up for sleep. Gigakit blinked, confused, and Googolkit just stared dumbfounded at his brother.

[.:-Aikoa-:.]

Littlecloud eyed the kit. I thought I said if he gets worse. Oh well. The tom thought, sighing. The feeling of being watched was gone, but he noticed the white kit's face was turned towards him and her brows were furrowed slightly. He felt a bit awkward at that stare.

"Well, if that's it I'll go then." He meowed.

"Thanks for coming in Littlecloud." Angel said, smiling.

[kelsey .]

Road wished he could see what was happening. THe little kit could not here or see anything, and he hated it.. The long furred kit wondered what was goin on, and he meowled for his mother. Authentic padded into the den, sad that he had missed the naming of his kits. He licked Angel's ear. "How are they?" He asked, a proud father.

[Brambleclaw]

[[Kits don't open their eyes for 2 and a half weeks!!! -.-]]

[kelsey .]

[[Modified]]