Feeling bloated and fat - the joys of pregnancy :D

[Kitty]

Kits were good. Kits were great. But why did having kits in your belly have to come with the feeling of weight gain?

Cindertail was a small cat, although a bit stocky and muscular. Still, she was small, smaller than the average. And the senior warrior was painfully aware of the little bump that had formed over the past - what was it? Nearly a moon now? Yes, that sounded about right. Don't get her wrong, she was glad that she was pregnant, but the feeling of steadily gaining weight that came with having kits...yeah, not so happy about that.

Aw well. Every queen that had kits went through this feeling. Cindertail could, too.

And besides, as soon as she had realized that she was carrying kits, she immediately told Leopardfang, who was ecstatic. A happy Leopardfang was a happy Cindertail. He was getting up there in his moons - like Cindertail, he was a senior warrior - and surely he would be glad to finally have more family. After all, once his mother died when they were apprentices, all his family was gone.

Plus, kits kinda made the fact that she and Leopardfang were now mates seem more official.

Cindertail was stubbornly refusing to move to the nursery, insisting that she could remain a warrior for a couple more weeks. She was more useful as a warrior, until the kits were born, at least. And there were plenty of pregnant she-cats that continued with their warrior duties until they absolutely had to move....right? Well, her little baby bump wasn't affected her much yet, so she figured she'd be safe for now. Leopardfang didn't seem too happy with her decision to remain a warrior, though - he'd been taking care to make sure she didn't overwork herself these past few days.

Overprotective tom.

Ah well, she loved him anyway.

[Ki]

Leopardfang waled up to his mate and laid down beside her, despite the rain. It wasn't that heavy at the moment. And besides, RiverClan cats were used to being wet. They enjoyed it. It felt good to lay beside his mate and let the soft rain fall down on his pelt. But he was worried about Cindertail. What if she got sick from being out in the rain? This, of course, was an absurd concern. Cindertail had been swimming in the cool river every day. A little water didn't hurt.

But Leopardfang was worried about his mate. They were both senior warriors. And, as much as he loved his mate, she wasn't exactly a young queen. Any number of things could go wrong, before the birth and during. And after. He had been alive long enough to know all sorts of horrible things could happen. He wouldn't be able to live with himself if Cindertail died. Leopardfang was anxiously awaiting the day when she chose to finally move into the nursery. There she would be out of harm's way. It was clear that she was having a little trouble, espeically with that bump. On a regular-sized cat, it wouldn't have been that bad. But Cindertail was a small cat, and Shadestripe was predicting a large litter. As many as five kits, he said! What were they going to do with five kits?

"Did you sleep well?" he mewed as he licked her cheek. "Or did the children keep you up?" The other day Cindertail could have sworn the kits were already squirming around inside of her. Now Leopardfang was teasing her about it. But only a little.

[Kitty]

Speaking of Leopardfang, there he was now!

He padded right up to Cindertail and laid down beside her, as regardless of the rain as she was. It felt nice on her fur, in her opinion. And since Leopardfang seemed bent on keeping her from swimming in the past few days, she'd take all the rain she could get. He didn't need to worry, really. Queens had kits all the time.

She very nearly rolled her eyes at the tom, and bumped him playfully. "Aw, be quiet." He loved teasing her about this. But she had felt the kits move inside her, or at least she thought she had. Maybe she was just as paranoid about this as Leopardfang deep down. "I slept fine, thanks," she purred, giving his ear a swift lick. "Thanks for asking. But, really, you don't need to worry about me. Queens have kits all the time. Nothing's going to go wrong," she assured him.

Maybe she should get more details on pregnancy from one of the queens. Or maybe Shadestripe, since Tanglefang was grumpy enough as it was. She didn't like being in the nursery, anyway. No need to ask her kit-related questions.

Yeah, Shadestripe was probably the safest bet right now.

[Ki]

"I know that," Leopardfang mewed, "and bad things happen to queens all the time." He pressed his nose against her cheek. It was hard to describe how much he cared for his mate. He always had, really. As apprentices he'd watched over her like she was some sort of younger sister. As warriors, they'd been extremely close friends. Now they were older, wiser, and just now expecting a litter of kits. Leopardfang and Cindertail had both dealt with their share of problems in their lives. Greencough, badgers, adders, warriors from enemy Clans, rough waters...but kits? Never. Sure, they'd both had friends that had kits. They'd played with them and told them stories. But the truth of the matter was, this was an entirely new experience for the both of them. And Leopardfang wasn't accustomed to new experiences. Not anymore, at least.

"I really wish you'd move into the nursery." he mewed. "It would ease my nerves. And Shadestripe's, for that matter. You're a small cat having a big litter." That usually managed to put a medicine cat, and said queen's mate, on alert. Leopardfang was anxious for Cindertail to begin taking it easy. And he was anxious for the kits to hurry up and get here. A moon had never felt so long. Not only did he want this uncertainty and worry to be lifted from him, but he also wanted to meet his kits. Would they take after him? Cindertail? How many would be toms? Or she-kits? What would they be like when they were grown? "I'll be able to get through this next moon easier if I know you're safe in the nursery."

[Kitty]

Cindertail rolled her amber eyes. Really, there was no need for Leopardfang to worry so much. "Leopardfang, how can anything happen to me when I have such a big, scary tom such as yourself to protect me?" she teased. "Believe me, don't worry, alright? Just concentrate on picking out the best fish from the fresh-kill pile so the kits will be nice and strong when they're born, okay?" She knew that he might need something to occupy his time. Not that picking out the best piece of prey was a good pastime, but still. Anything to get him to focus on something besides his worry over his pregnant mate.

She shifted closer to him, pressing herself against him comfortingly. "Don't worry. I'll move into the nursery soon enough. Besides, you aren't letting me do anything but fish nowadays. All I'm doing is sleeping in the warriors den," she meowed, repressing a sigh. He wouldn't even let her wander far from camp, and seemed to be restricting her distance as the time grew nearer. "I don't want to take up room in the nursery. There are several kits in there now, you know, and Crowstripe's always going in and out visiting Sootwhisker. One more cat would just take up needed space.

"So, what do you think they'll look like?" Cindertail asked in an effort to change the subject. Besides, it was something she'd been thinking about while she was laying around in camp in between fishing trips.

[Ki]

Cindertail attempted to change the subject, and Leopardfang allowed it. He was worried, yes. But he could sort of see her reasoning. Besides, she'd move into the nursery soon. He rasped his tongue over her ear, smiling a bit. Leopardfang would try to relax. For her sake.

"What will the look like...hmmm...that's an interesting question." Leopardfang mewed. They were expecting about five or so kits. That left plenty of room for a few Leopardfang look-a-likes and Cindertail look-a-likes. Who knew? Perhaps one of the kits would turn out looking more like his father, or even his mother. Or perhaps one of Cindertail's parents. He purred as he imagined a few little kits tumbling around, some tall and lanky like him and some petite and tiny like their mother. "Oh, it could go any way really. I just hope I get a look-a-like son." He grinned. "A mini-me would be nice. And, of course, a daughter that looks like you would be adorable." In some part of his heart he knew any daughters would be protected fiercly by himself, while any sons would be held to high standards. But he wanted to be there for them. He'd gotten so little time with his own father...now he wanted to do better. For his children.

[Kitty]

Leopardfang rasped his tongue over the she-cat's ear, and she felt her fur burn just a bit in embarrassment. Despite the fact that they were mates now, she couldn't get used to this simple loving gesture. After living for so many moons without Leopardfang being more than a friend, she was still in awe of the fact that they were more. But she did like his touch, and she scooted herself a bit closer and snuggled into his warmth. The rain felt nice, but it carried with it a bit of a chill that Cindertail was not used to after all the warm greenleaf heat.

She considered Leopardfang's words for a moment before giving a nod of agreement. "Aww, a mini-you would be adorable. You were already old when I was born, so I don't know what you looked like as a teeny little kit," she cooed. "And a daughter that looks like me wouldn't be too bad either." She tried to imagine what she and Leopardfang would look like mixed together in a kit and did not manage to get it quite right. Maybe a kit with her coloring and Leopardfang's build, or vice-versa. But his unique spotting and her gray splotching didn't exactly combine well in her mind. "I must admit, I'm getting excited."

Ah well. It didn't matter what the kits looked like; she was going to love them all all the same.

[Ki]

Leopardfang chuckled a bit. "I looked like I do now. Only smaller and with no scars." He remembered that time as a kit. Once he'd been sitting beside the river with his father and marveling at the size difference between the two of them. Leopardkit had been tiny with downy, spotted fur and wide amber eyes. His father...looked much like Leopardfang did now actually. There were a few minor differences, such as the eye shape. But for the most part they'd looked very much alike. Now Leopardfang's fur was less down and sleeker. A few scars from a fight or two. Every warrior had them.

He mewed, "I am too. I can't wait to meet them." It would be a new experience, for sure. He would be responsible for these little kits. Of course, he'd have Cindertail to help him.

[Kitty]

Cindertail chuckled, giving Leopardfang's shoulder a little shove. "I bet you were a fluffy little furball, too, hm?" she teased. She remembered when she was nothing but fluff, too. A bit, anyway. She looked like her mother. Almost identical to her, actually. Those days were fading, however. Her kithood wasn't a time that stuck with her very well. She was too young to remember them. As she aged, her memory of them became only worse. Even her apprentice days were a bit fuzzy now, although she remembered the important things like they were yesterday. Time spent with her apprentice friends were well-stored in her memory, while simple apprentice tasks such as patrolling, training, and cleaning dens were all fading with age.

She let out a purr of agreement, closing her eyes as she thought about her future kits. She had to admit, she never was exactly useful around young cats, clueless at best. But she was determined to raise her kits as well as she could. Hopefully her rarely seen maternal nature would make an appearance once the kits were born. "It won't be long now. Only a moon," she mused. "That's a short time in the grand scheme of things."

[Ki]

"Me? A furball?" Leopardfang raised his head in a dignified way, smirking at his mate. He then chuckled and nuzzled his cheek against hers to show he was kidding. He didn't really know much about raising kits. Hopefully he would be able to remember a few things about his own father. Or perhaps he could talk to toms that had become fathers before? A little advice would be helpful. Too bad his poor father wasn't around to give advice. But even if greencough hadn't taken his father all those moons ago, it wasn't very likely he'd still be alive today. Leopardfang himself was the oldest warrior in the forest and could retire whenever he liked. His father and mother hadn't been young when they had him. Both of them had been about fifty moons old. If they were still alive today, they'd be veerrry old.

"It feels like an eternity, though." Leopardfang mewed, flicking his tail. "This one moon feels like twenty moons."

[Kitty]

Cindertail let out a sympathetic purr, nuzzling up against Leopardfang. "Yes, it feels like an eternity now," she agreed, "but on that day a moon from now, we'll look back on that time and think 'Wow, it really didn't take long,'" she went on, offering up some of her wisdom. Or perhaps it was just her musing aloud. Or maybe wishful thinking. Honestly, she hoped the next moon would fly by, but then again, she didn't. She wanted to see her kits - and, yeah, she might as well admit it, she didn't exact like the feeling of being overweight - but she was a bit nervous about leaving behind her warrior days. They were all she'd ever known, since she graduated from apprenticeship. But it would only be for six moons, and then her own kits would be apprentices themselves.

She smiled at her mate, pulling away from her affectionate nuzzle. "You'll see. One day we'll look back on these days and wish they'd taken longer. Enjoy them while we can, right?"

((Bleh, short. >.< Its a post, though, right?))