|.welcome to the world`

[Roxie !]

A light rain scattered the ground, rhymically pitter-pattering as it thumped against earth and stone, and the lone barn that sat on the hillside looking over a small pond. The sihlouette of a calico she-cat watched motionlessly as the rain disrupted the surface of the once-still water. There were darker clouds in the distance, so drizzle would probably turn into a full-out storm soon. Her fur prickled slightly at the thought. Massie was never too fond of storms--they were loud and...wet. She was getting restless being cooped up in her barn all afternoon, but didn't dare head outside. She couldn't risk catching a chill when she was pregnant. Massie only hoped the storm would end soon, just so she could stop thinking about her pregnancy if nothing else. It hit her for the millionth time that she had no idea whatsoever how to be a parent. What would her kits think of her?

With a sigh, the loner tucked her paws under her and narrowed her eyes as the wind brought a few droplets of the rain into the barn. Turning her head away disdainfully, Massie flattened her hears against her head and put her head down. She was so bored. She almost couldn't wait for Leaf-Fall, when things would be much more dry. The lack of prey wasn't something to look forward to, but she'd manage. She always did. Only now, you'll have kits to feed as well. A thought nagged at her. Her leaf-green eyes widened and she pushed the thought away quickly. She had to stop thinking about that. Even a mention of it made her feel unwell...in fact, very unwell...or maybe it was this weather.

Massie stood up, intending to walk off the ache she was developing. She'd barely took a few steps in her pacing path when she was suddenly gripped by a horrible, clenching pain that nearly made her collapse. What in the world...? She stood rigidly, catching her breath from the sudden shock. After a few minutes, the calico warily straightened again. "That was odd..." She murmured, her eyes narrowing. She'd almost dismissed the incident when another, fiercer pain gripped her. The loner gave a sharp gasp and stumbled into the soft hay as a spasm ran through her body. It was then that it finally clicked: her kits were coming!

"No, no, not now..." She murmured to herself, her eyes clenching shut. For moons she'd been frantic about being pregant, and now that in a matter of hours, her kits would be here, the panic was completely setting in. Taking deep, sharp breaths, Massie lay limply on her side, her heart pounding louder than the distant thunder. Where was Mikkikko?! She needed him here!

And this was her last thought before she became far too distracted to think of anything but the unbearable pain.


((Yeah...fade to black? xD Our birthing threads back in the day were so scarily graphic! Anywayyyy...later on.))


Evening was beginning to approach, and the storm was beginning to slow when the loner's four kits had finally been born. She was nearly too exhausted to think;could barely lift her head to gaze at the tiny scraps of four that now nestled close and nursed quietly. They were so small and vunerable; their little eyes closed shut as they would be for several weeks. One was a calico, like her, while the next was dark ginger like Mikkikko. The other two were ginger-and-white, and golden. Two toms, and two she-cats. Massie gazed at them with wordless wonder. Her doubts still hung over her like a shadow, but she could not ignore the tug that pulled at her heart each time she looked at the kits. It was almost magical...these were her kits.

A purr rose in her throat. She'd done it.

[Roxie !]

OOC//B u m p!

[le Dawnz]

OOC// I'm sorry! I'll post soon. I just have no muse whatsoever right now. -rolls eyes- Stupid muse is never around when I need it.

[le Dawnz]

With leaf-bare just around the corner, rain was the last thing most cats wanted, but Mikkikko had to admit that the world held a certain beauty to it after a good storm. And as he trotted along the familiar path toward Massie's barn, he enjoyed the quiet sounds of the forest all around him. The russet-colored tom would have been at Massie's sooner, but the storm held him up. He'd been so worried about his mate lately, especially since it was so late in her pregnancy.

He'd been hunting when the rain started to fall. The BloodClanner had been content to continue hunting until he started to hear thunder. As soon as he saw the lightning, he knew he had to take cover. Large storms could be very dangerous in the forest. They'd already caused more forest fires than Mikkikko cared to count.

However, a while after the storm began, Mikkikko had experienced a very strange feeling, like he was meant the be somewhere that he wasn't, or that something was happening that he should have known about. His paws were itching to get moving as he waited for the storm to end. He was suddenly very worried about Massie. He hoped she was warm and dry in her barn. Mikkikko had been hopelessly devoted to his loving mate as of late, always worrying and trying to look after her. It helped keep his mind off what was coming. But even if she wasn't pregnant, if anyone ever saw the way Mikkikko looked at Massie or tried to take care of her, they would see just how completely and totally in love he was.

And now as he padded closer and closer to his second home, a rabbit swinging limply from his mouth, he felt that same strange sense of urgency and broke into a lope, eager to get to Massie.

He approached the barn and peered into the dimly lit building. Something about the place smelled different. There were new cats there. Mikkikko felt a growl growing in the back of his throat, the fur along his neck bristling. Then he caught another scent. A familiar scent. It reminded him of his days as a kit in the BloodClan nursery. It was the scent of milk!

His ears perked forward alertly. What was going on? He stepped into the barn slowly, letting his eyes adjust to the dark. He saw Massie's figured huddled in the back of the barn. What Massie hurt? Had someone attacked her? He dropped his prey and bounded forward hastily. "Massie?" he exclaimed loudly. But when he reached her side, he found that she wasn't injured. In fact, she was purring warmly, for there, suckling hungrily, were four tiny kits. Mikkikko was frozen to the spot, his mouth ajar as he stared down at the little furry bundles curled up at the she-cat's stomach. He was struck so speechless that even his thoughts were incoherent.

[Roxie !]

When she heard her name being called, Massie perked her ears and looked up. Approaching her quickly was her mate, Mikkikko. She realized then that she'd been so overwhelmed that she hadn't heard or scented him before this, but his timing couldn't be better. Her smile grew wider at the sight of the ruddy tom she loved so much, and she opened her mouth to greet him. "Hey--" Massie's voice was still soft and tired, but that wasn't why she had stopped. She had fallen silent upon reading Mikkikko's expression--he had just seen his kits. Even she could still hardly believed it had happened, and so she allowed him a moment to take it all in.

Her pregnancy had not been an easy road for the two of them. It was just so frightening, the prospect of having kits. So much responsibility; one wrong paw, and they might not get a second chance. Now that it had actually happened, Massie's fear had been numbed some by her sense of accomplishment and the adoration for the four tiny bundles of fur she was feeling. But Mikkikko...he hadn't even known she'd went into labor. The calico understood that this must be a shock to him right now.

Carefully, she leaned down to lick one of the kit's soft, now-dry pelts a few times, an instinctively maternal action. The loner then returned her gaze to the BloodClan tom before her, her head tilted slightly to one side. She wasn't exactly sure what to say, because this had all happened so fast, but she felt she had to say something. And so she leaned out, touched her nose gently to Mikkikko's leg, and murmured, "Well...here they are."

And indeed, there they were. With each passing moment, they seemed more and more perfect to Massie. And though her words had been spoken with classic Massie-esque to-the-point character, they were laced with a tenderness that rarely gripped them...except for around her mate, and now, their new family. She glanced down at the kits again. Each one was so distinct, so lovely, so surreal...and she wondered, what would happen if she wasn't a good enough mother for them? What if she couldn't take care of them? Because she felt that these kits deserved the world. And she wanted so badly to give it to them, but the thing was, she didn't know the first thing about parenting.

Massie raised her cautious gaze to Mikkikko once again, but didn't say another word. There was so much to do and decide. Names, for one thing. Funny as it sounded, she had never really thought about names. But right now, words weren't really needed.

[le Dawnz]

Topaz eyes bore into the furry little bundles now curled at Massie’s stomach, as though they would burn a hole straight through each one of them. Mikkikko did not hear his mate’s greeting. Nor did he comprehend that she was waiting for him to say something. When her cold nose gently touched his leg, he jumped and recoiled away from her until he came to realize it was only Massie. He inhaled sharply, unaware that he had stopped breathing from the shock of it all.

“Well… here they are.” the calico told him quietly. That’s when it really hit him. Thoughts swam through his mind behind his eyes, thrashing so violently against one another that they became incoherent as they fought for the position of top priority. Opposite the turmoil going on in his head, his expression had softly slightly. Still obviously shocked, even though they had known this day was soon to come, but different now. Blended with a mixture of emotions other than surprise.

Instead of piercing, his eyes know held a hungry look. Not as though he wanted to eat these newcomers, but in a way that he had only ever looked at Massie or Leafwhisper. Loving. Protective. As though he were saying “more than myself.” His mouth was slightly ajar, but he was breathing now as he unconsciously leaned forward, his head very vaguely tilting to the side almost curiously. His garnet ears were pricked forward, but his tail hung low and his legs leaned away, fearfully trying to pull him back. His claws were sheathed once again, but in a more obvious manner, like he was afraid he would hurt them if he got too close. They were just so… small. So vulnerable. How in StarClan’s name was Mikkikko suppose to be a father to these kits?

Despite his fears, the “hungry” look did not dissolve. It was clear now that he had fallen under some sort of spell. These kits had him. He loved them, and would love them for always and forever.* Just as he loved their mother. He pulled his gaze away from the tiny kits to meet Massie’s. How long had he been unintentionally ignoring her? He hoped he hadn’t alarmed his mate with the time his silent analysis might have taken. He felt the corners of his lips turning up the longer he stared at his beautiful mate. Now he glanced back and forth between them. There was one (?) that looked like her. It had her astonishing spotted coat. The others (?) looked like him… they shared his ruddy orange fur. These kits. His kits. Now he just stared in amazement at what Massie had done. She’d done it all alone. Completely… and totally… alone.

His smile disappeared. Mikkikko had left her alone with this terrible burden. How could he have been so stupid? They’d known she would give birth any day, but he’d gone away and left her by herself to deliver them. What if something had gone wrong? Massie could be dead right now! Horror and regret invaded his expression as he continued to gaze silently at the she-cat. He opened his mouth to tell her how sorry, how tremendously sorry, he was that he hadn’t been there for her. But he couldn’t form the words. “I… I…”



OCC// * Ahhh…. Did you get that bit up there? Gosh I love that movie. I wanna go watch it now. But my stinking power went down. I’m writing this on word. I don’t have the internet, radio, TV, or, most importa ntly, HEAT. Stupid storm front gonna freeze us into little Dawnie-sicles and mom-sicles and pa-popsicles (lol Glinda). As for the rest of it, I admit that this was a little Twilight inspired. Did not plan it that way, ‘specially since I haven’t read any of the books lately, but it couldn’t be helped. I had to phrase it the way I did. It was the perfect thing for Mikkikko in my opinion. I couldn’t NOT say it. xD You get what I mean? It was too… right to be left out. (Ha, right, left, get it? Totally unintended. Haha… Yeah, I know I’m weird… lol)

[Roxie !]

Her green eyes glowing, Massie gazed at her mate gently. She could see how stunned and awed he was, much the same as she had been only moments ago...and still was, actually. She still couldn't look at her kits and believe they were really...real. That this was all really happening. Of course, the fears and doubts of parenthood still lurked in the back of her mind, ready to spring out again at the most inopportune time. But the moment she saw Mikkikko pad into the barn, Massie had pushed all of these thoughts away. When her gaze rested upon the dark ginger form of the handsome tom, everything just seemed to...come together. They were a family, a real, whole family.

Massie never really had a family before--not like this. Hers had always been dysfunctional, and rather distanced from each other. But looking at her mate and kits now, the calico she-cat couldn't think them to be anything less than perfect. She looked at them, and felt as if nothing in the world could ever be wrong again. Inevitably, her lingering doubts would return, but none of that mattered now. Massie's eyes closed momentarily, and the purring in her throat grew louder. She was at peace, if just for this moment.

Her eyes blinked open again as she met Mikkikko's gaze once more. Her mate was smiling at her, and Massie couldn't help but smile widely in return. She loved to see him smile. The loner knew that the tom wasn't like most other cats; he didn't smile for any old reason, or smile when he didn't mean it. No, Mikkikko's smiles were genuine and special, and they always sent a warmth right to her heart (--wow, cheesy, good job.). She held his gaze for a moment longer, and then looked down at their kits again.

She could hardly tear her gaze from them. How could anything be so fragile and perfect at the same time? Massie gazed down at them, and thought half-seriously that these flawless little creatures couldn't be her kits, could they? They must have gotten all their traits from Mikkikko. She leaned down, and licked each of them in turn again. Despite the disbelieving haze lingering around her, Massie realized that some things did need to get done. For one thing, the kits would have to be named. Massie glanced up at Mikkikko again, about to ask him for his opinion on the matter. Her mouth opened half-way, but then she stopped, frozen by the expression on her mate's face.

Mikkikko's smile had vanished completely. His expression was now muddled with different emotions, and Massie couldn't read them all--but she thought she could make out shock and guilt. Her own smile faded slowly, and her ears pricked up as the tom stumbled over his words. She waited a moment for him to speak, and then when it seemed that he couldn't, she spoke up. "What?" Massie pressed gently, leaning towards him. She looked from Mikkikko to the kits, and then back again.

"Mikkikko?What's wrong?" She asked, a little more nervously. He seemed upset now. Was he regretting this? Kits were a big responsibility; Massie couldn't blame him for being just as scared as she was. She knew, of course, that Mikkikko would never back out on her, but the last thing she wanted in the world was for him to be unhappy. Suddenly, Massie felt as if she might be tying her mate down. She lowered her gaze, her ears twitching anxiously.

[Roxie !]

OOC// Bumpeh.