HeronFlight's Mistake

The days after

(The chapter art is Spruce)

It had been a moon since Dark had set foot in the kitden, as he refused to lay eyes on Heronkit after the encounter with the shadow-cat the day he was born. He of course, spent as much time with Blossom as he could find when Heron was napping so he wouldn't have to spare the kit any words or glances. Snowpelt of course had noticed this but didn't want to pressure her mate into talking to him but some of the clan were less understanding. 

"He needs to stop avoiding Heronkit! You'd think the poor kit offended him in the one moon he's been alive!" The harsh words belonged to non-other then Rainpaw, a grey shecat who had come to love the russet male in the moon she'd spent using different herbs to see if she could get the frail looking kit to gain some weight to ensure his survival through the especially hard leafbare that battered the clan but to no avail. He remained just as thin as he had been the days before. As Rainpaw conversed with Snowpelt, who had brought herself out of the stone den to enjoy the little heat the sun offered, they kept their gaze locked on the russet ball of fur that was Heronkit as he bounced around with Cherrykit and Cloudkit. 

"I don't want to pressure him into spending time with his son but at this rate, friends are all he'll have and Blossomkit will never make any friends her age if Darkpelt keeps stealing her away to play mossball. It's unhealthy for both the kits," Snowpelt huffed, her voice thin with stress as it had been since the arrival and sounded more like a thin wail of dismay. This sound did not go un-noticed by the other queen who was currently sharing the den with snowy queen and to prove her point, the grey feline stuck her head out of the nursery. Her orbs instinctively flickered to her own kits, the two larger balls of fur tussling with Heronkit, before her gaze switched to Snowpelt. Although she tried to comfort the clearly worried feline, she had no clue what to say. What DO you say to a feline who's mate rejected one of the kits and instead poured all his love into the one? She and Hailstar, her mate, both loved their two children equally after all. 

"I'm sure he'll come around. No father can resist his own kit for long and he'll miss out if he doesn't come around," Echomist offered, her voice sounding more firm then she felt as she joined the two felines in the patch of sun they'd selected. 

"He'd be a mousebrain if he doesn't. Who REJECTS their own kit?! And his own son at that!" The grey apprentice seethed, shooting daggers at the dark hued male as he batted a mossball toward Blossomkit, cheering when she returning the volley. Snowpelt watched with a sigh, feeling suffocated as she always did when Darkpelt' rejection of Heronkit became the topic of conversation. It always seemed to be and she was sure that's what the groups of warriors were whispering about as they observed Heronkit playing aside from his sister and father. 

"I'm going on a walk," she announced shortly, trusting the other queens to watch her son in her absence. Rainpaw's eyes suddenly filled with guilt and she nodded before brushing past the queen's at her mentors irritated call. Echomist chuckled slightly as she watched the male scolding the small shecat when she reached reasonable ear-shot until she disappeared into the den, in no doubt embarrassed and ashamed. Snowpelt joined in the chuckle, her laugh loud enough to ring off the camp walls but no one looked up from their sun-high meals. Laughter was a common thing in Shadeclan so no one payed much attention to loud outbursts of it these days. the two queens swiftly exchanged a smile before the snowy queen made her way to the camp entrance without challenge. Once under the tree cover, her limbs began to burn with desire to run under the soaring branches as she had before her pregnancy and as she would soon enough with both her kits at her sides. She allowed her paws to lift her off the ground and long strides until everything was a blur on the outer edges of her vision and she looked more as if she were gliding along then actually touching the ground. the sense of restriction began to fade from her mind as she neared the deeper portion of shadeclan territory. This part had always been her favorite, under the cover of the densely growing pine trees. The darkness made her fur glow and appear more like a starclan cat rather then a warrior. It made her look powerful and remote the way Heronkit looked every time a ray of light hit his fur, lighting him up like a flame. Some days she was convinced he would actually burst into flames right before her eyes.