#Ashencreek

[cloudedmoonofficial]

“Rainfall really wants us to take the kittens swimming today?” Ashencreek asked. She made sure her tone was not disapprovening. Just asking for confirmation. Even though she felt her heartbeat quicken at the thought.

Blueriver’s tired eyes locked her in a stare. Ashencreek lost herself in that gaze. She never could tell what Blueriver was thinking. Was my disapproval obvious? She panicked. She froze, only letting a guarded breath out when the gray molly nodded.

“Yes. She reminded me that her, Iceclaw and I all started swimming at this age, so my kits should be just fine.” Blueriver spoke in a monotone. Not a hint of fear whatsoever. Ashencreek swallowed back a remark about how if they were her kittens, there’s no way she’d make them start swimming at 2 months old. But her grandkittens were coming soon. In a few month’s time could she gather the courage to tell Rainfall no? Especially if her fellow Keepers weren’t even on her side? Maybe I’m just being paranoid. She tried to calm herself down. Swimming is fun! And the Training Shallows here at base are the calmest, safest waters a cat could ask for. After all, her and Blueriver were strong swimmers. And these are Blueriver’s kittens. No way Blueriver is going to let them drown.

Drown. At that thought, Ashencreek felt the panic build at the back of her throat again. Disturbing images invaded her thoughts without permission. She shuddered.

We won’t let that happen.

“I brought Pine, Snow, and Umber like you asked,” Millowgill spoke flatly. The Keeper in training was just as tired as the rest of them. With only the three of them, the Keepers had been struggling to keep up with their duties. If it wasn’t her job to help prepare parents to have kittens, Ashencreek didn’t think she’d have any time to spend with her own family.

“I don’t wanna!” came a cry from Pine, tears of rage already forming. Pine cried about everything. The tabby kitten made a break for Millowgill’s legs, but Blueriver scooped him up quickly and dropped him by her feet. 

“Stay there, Pine.” Blueriver spoke in the same monotone to her kittens as she spoke to everyone. Pine whimpered but seemed to be placated by his mother’s presence. Umber and Snow went closer to the water to sniff the cool surface. Ashencreek kept a close eye on them, edging closer to the water’s edge, just in case. Blueriver turned back to Millowgill. “You can go back to working on the nursery walls, Millowgill. We’ll take it from here.”

“Yeah,” he sighed grumpily. “I could really use your help. With Mistyclaw having her kittens soon we really need to get that south wall finished.”

“We’ll keep this lesson short.” Blueriver promised. Ashencreek had to stop herself from sighing with relief. The sooner this was over with, the better. Blueriver continued, “But Rainfall wants these three ready for field training as soon as possible.”

Ashencreek caught her son tense. At least, she didn’t think she imagined it. Minnowgill blinked slowly, a question hanging just on the tip of his tongue, but he was scared to ask it.

Blueriver didn’t need for him to ask, she read his mind and looked down at her kits. “If this goes well, we’ll be doing training like this for all kittens moving forward. And I promised her it would go well.” She looked back up at them. “Understood?”

“Of course,” Millowgill and Ashencreek practically spoke in unison. Neither dared look away from Blueriver. 

Ashencreek tried to quickly ease her fears. We have to make this work! We don’t have a choice! 

A splash made all three Keepers turn. Snow had pushed Umber into the water. It was too shallow to be a big concern, but Umber’s legs and belly were all wet and the kitten let out a growl while Snow laughed.

These kittens are so young. We should be telling them stories of our history, and teaching them the Ancestor’s Law. Ashencreek wrapped a long tail around herself as Blueriver scooped up her kittens and scolded Snow. They don’t even know enough to know that while water can be fun, it can also be dangerous. 

Maybe that’s why Rainfall is doing this? She reasoned. The younger they learn then the better off they’ll be, right? She herself was only a little older than Blueriver’s kittens when she learned to swim. What’s a few more months mean in the grand scheme of things? Maybe she was just feeling more protective now that she had grandkittens on the way... This will all be for the best. She assured herself. And with Blueriver, Millowgill and herself watching over things, she knew they would do anything to make this work. She stepped out into the Shallows to start the kitten’s lessons, but her heart dropped again when she looked into their big, innocent eyes.

Art by Tennelle

Video: https://youtu.be/dUlJVYVmv0w?si=lCcD0ACs_njd239X

[tennelleflowers]

I love exploring background characters <3

Drawing a Blank: https://youtu.be/dUlJVYVmv0w