#bloodlamb story

[residences-of-the-darkforest]

Shadows of Guilt: The Final Gift (part 3)

First

Previous

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“Surrogacy?” Bloodlamb repeated the news with a gaping mouth, sharing Leafcurl’s earlier surprise. “What did you say?”

“That I would talk to you first,” Leafcurl answered, settling in their shared nest next to her. She watched as the wind buffeted the trees outside. It was difficult to take much notice of anything though, not with the hundreds of thoughts racing through her mind at once. Her claws were working in and out of the lichen-leaf nest under her.

It was one of two nests they had. They lived in a  log wide enough to fit the two of them comfortably with space to spare, wedged in what must have once been a rockslide. One nest they had at the mouth of their den, meant for this purpose: to enjoy the scenery cozily. The other they had beyond the other end of the log, in an open space they had dug out of the landslide. That was where they slept.

They simply needed to pull the overhanging branches from nearby trees to cover the entrance. It cast the entire inside of the den in near-pure blackness. It had unsettled and frightened Leafcurl at first, but it became easier to deal with, and now it didn’t bother her at all. 

Bloodlamb, on the other hand, was very welcome to the darkness. She had, after all, grown up in the Gaping Maw caves, a territory that was far from where they lived now. Because of me, Leafcurl thought, feeling a fresh wave of gratefulness for her love. Bloodlamb knew how important Leafcurl’s family and home was to her, and how uncomfortable new things could make her, and was more than willing to stay with her close to Leafcurl’s family, even if it meant moving away from her own.

Leafcurl purred, thinking of all the times Bloodlamb had soothed her in the darkness.

You don’t need to see, she had said. Just feel me next to you. 

“You gonna say yes?” Bloodlamb asked, cutting into her thoughts and giving her a look.

“What? Uh, why?”

“Because you’re purring.”

“Oh.” Right. Their talk. The important talk. “What do you think?”

Bloodlamb was fiddling with a minnow bone between her teeth. “We’re both surrogacy kin, ain’t we? I have grandmothers, you, fathers.”

Leafcurl nodded. “Right.”

“My aunts 'n uncles never knew their father,” Bloodlamb went on. “Don’t know what he looks like.”

Leafcurl fidgeting with the leaves. “Sparktail and my papa were close friends before he had us with dad. We still see her lots.” 

“Hon.” Bloodlamb placed a paw on Leafcurl’s shoulder. Her face was solemn, taking Leafcurl by surprise. “They don’t know what he looks like,” she said again, and this time, the words sunk in. What if the same happens with these kits? Would they never know Leafcurl, never know her pelt, never able to pick her from a crowd? Would the only thing they would ever know her as be the cat that carried them for a couple moons? Sure, she and her littermates saw Sparktail often and referred to her as their aunty, but she had been friends with their fathers long before they considered having kits. Leafcurl, Larksnow, and Tawnyshriek were an entirely different story.

Bloodlamb went on. “Right now, they’re just a thought. But love, two moons of carrying? A moon of nursing at least? Would you be ready to part after that? Give them up?”

“They’re not meant to be my kits,” Leafcurl told her, and partly told herself.

“That don’t make it any less painful when they’re taken away,” Bloodlamb replied lightly. 

Leafcurl sucked in a breath. Was she right? She was silent for a long time, searching everywhere in her scattered mind until finally her racing thoughts were closer to organized and neatly packaged ideas. “Your aunts and uncles made your mothers happy, right?”

Bloodlamb grinned. “I like to think so.”

“I know my siblings and I made our fathers happy, and that they loved us and cared for us so much and so well.”

“Uh-huh.”

“I…” Leafcurl searched for a way to put it into words. “I want to allow someone else that happiness. I want to be the…the…”

“Miracle-maker,” Bloodlamb finished, eyes soft. 

“But I need you to be okay with it, the kits and the–the making the kits, and the whole deal.”

Bloodlamb thought for a moment, sucking in the side of her cheek. Was she going to say no? Leafcurl’s heart sped up. “Your heart is so pure. I just worry that you’re doing this for them even if it hurts ya. We haven’t even talked about birthing kits. Everyone knows it hurts worse than a Star’s bite, and the ‘process,’ ya sure you’re comfortable with that?”

Leafcurl considered that, thinking. “Well I wouldn’t enjoy it, but it’s not like I’m meant to. But I can handle it, both aspects. And…I don’t think I have to worry about not seeing them, not too much. Our families are close. We’re not, but–surely we’ll still see them lots. And I can ask to be a part of their lives, even if it’s small. Or maybe I can be a mentor, or volunteer at that place Fungichomp has.”

Bloodlamb licked the space between Leafcurl’s ears. A small gesture, but the strength behind it was more than enough to assure Leafcurl of her affection. “You sound sure. If you really want to, I’ll support ya. But give it some time, yeah? Sleep on it a few nights.”

Yeah, that was reasonable. Leafcurl smiled as her eyes met her mate’s. Bloodlamb could be so vicious and loud, swinging claws at anyone who so much as sneezed on her unintentionally, but with Leafcurl she was gentle, caring, loving. She didn’t have this talk for the sake of herself, but of concern for Leafcurl. And for that, Leafcurl thought that she had somehow fallen deeper in love, and she buried her chin deep in Bloodlamb’s side. “Can we sleep now?” 

Bloodlamb’s turn to purr came. She curled around Leafcurl, resting her chin on the brown cat’s spine. This wasn’t their sleeping nest, but it would do just fine.

===============

--Blood has a fluctuating accent!

--We get a peak at the wlw couple!

--Sparktail is mentioned so psst @elementaldeityoffood

--I am writing this when I am about to fall asleep so fingers crossed it came out halfway intelligible.

[residences-of-the-darkforest]

Shadows of Guilt: The Final Gift (part 5)

First

Previous

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Leafcurl waited until they were out of earshot before she gave her mate a confused look. “Are you okay?” Bloodlamb had seemed eager–suddenly so–to get herself and Leafcurl away from the toms. 

Bloodlamb’s eyes were round with worry. “Reckon I outta be asking you that. You were mighty nervous, maybe plumb scared. Shaking.”

“Oh–No, I…” Leafcurl pressed her side against Bloodlamb’s. They stumbled a bit, but continued to walk with their bodies flush together. Bloodlamb could be so protective, it was endearing, reminding Leafcurl how much her mate cared about her. “I still want to help them, it’s just…all so fast, I guess.” She was still reeling from the fact that she was asked to be a surrogate at all.

“I ‘kin tell ‘em to back off fer ya.”

Leafcurl shook her head. “I don’t want to be mean. It’s fine.”

Bloodlamb huffed. "If them bugs of Basiltooth's was bitin' ya, you wouldn't be growlin' at 'em. I love ya, and I love that big ol' heart of yours, but keep doin' folks favours against yer wishes and you gonna find yerself in a heap o' mess."

Leafcurl stopped so that she could look Bloodlamb in the eye. “It’s not against my wishes. We talked about that.” She paused. “Is it against yours?”

Bloodlamb blinked. "I like how our life is, is all. I respect the world outta ya for wantin' to help 'em, and I know that fer them it really means a lot, I just...don't know why it needs to be now."

Leafcurl frowned. She should have made sure she and Bloodlamb were on the same level long before they approached Larksnow and Tawnyshriek. “It doesn’t need to be now,” she soothed. “We can talk to Larksnow and Tawnyshriek, I’m sure they’ll understand. And it’ll give us more time to work things out. The–the boundaries, and stuff. And I’m sure they would appreciate the time to make a proper nursery.”

Bloodlamb nodded, though she still seemed uncertain. Leafcurl licked her cheek. “We can wait however long we need to, until we’re all ready. And if we never are, well, they can find a new surrogate. I want to help them, I do. And if I do help, then I want to be part of those kits’ lives. But that…I know that would change so much. If you’re not ready for that sort of life, I won’t push you into it.”

Bloodlamb let out a long sigh, then returned the lick. "If'n we don't hurry on, that idea is somethin' I could get on. Maybe over time, it could become a reality that suits me just fine. But it's gotta be a slow-go. Agree? And if them toms ain't on board, they can go chaw on a rock."

Leafcurl smiled, understanding her love’s words as soon as they left her lips. “Yeah, okay.”

Bloodlamb nuzzled her a moment longer before pulling away and padding on. “Well ain't that splendid! Now that that's taken care of, let's go git us some fish. Ain't nothin' like some fins to wash down a good ol' rock.”

Leafcurl gasped playfully. “We are not making them eat a rock!”

Bloodlamb’s laughter filled her ears, making her heart swell with love as they bounded down a slope in the direction of the Minnow Pool. “Ya never know what the day might bring!”

=======================

--Just wanted to write more Bloodlamb chapters.

[residences-of-the-darkforest]

Shadows of Guilt: The Final Gift (part 4)

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Larksnow shuffled his paws, working them so hard that they pressed the grass beneath them flat against the ground. Beside him, Tawnyshriek stood, shoulders brushing, and holding Larksnow’s tail with his own.

They tried to appear calm and collected, but on the inside, they were both quacking with nerves–it was hard not to be. Leafcurl, along with her mate,  Bloodlamb,  found Larksnow earlier  and told him that they were ready to announce their decision. Larksnow left to get Tawnyshriek as quickly as he could, stumbling in his haste,  and now they both stood facing the she-cats, who by the looks of them, were as nervous as the toms.

“Bloodlamb and I talked about it,” Leafcurl informed them. “I would be honoured to be your surrogate.”

Larksnow let out the breath he didn’t realize he was holding, and felt Tawnyshriek relax beside him, tense shoulders melting like snow in New-leaf (or at least how his parents described it, as he had never experienced it for himself). “That’s wonderful!” He responded, smiling so wide that he was sure his jaws would ache later, but he didn’t care.  Even if he knew that his mouth would ache for days or even fall off, he doubted it would be enough to quell his joy at this moment. He wanted to leap in the air and dance around the trees, but he forced himself to give a simple dip of his head. 

“Thank you,” Tawnyshriek added, clearly just as happy. “Really, thank you. We can’t begin to express how much this means to us.”

Bloodlamb’s gaze was warm, but sharp. “We ‘ave a few conditions,” she told them. 

Tawnyshriek and Larksnow both nodded, flicking their ears forward to show that they were listening.

Leafcurl looked suddenly shy. “I was hoping that I could–I mean I know that they won’t be mine, not technically, and I’m alright with that! But I thought that maybe, if it’s okay with you, that I could be a part of their lives after they’re weaned? Maybe as a mentor or aunt…It’s okay if not, I don’t want to overstep…”

“It’s not okay if not,” Bloodlamb cut in. Her pupils were as thin as claws as she stared the toms down. “I hope ya realize what big of an ask ya’ll’re putting on my mate. She’s willin’ ta go through so much for yar benefit.”

“I understand,” Larksnow assured her, a bit nervously. 

"Alright then, ya see why she deserves some perks. She ain't gonna go through all that trouble of carryin' and birthin' them kitties just to give 'em up completely, ya hear? Y'all gonna be their daddies, and she won't be their mama, but she still deserves a spot in them kitties' lives. We all agree on that, right?" 

“Of course!” Larksnow and Tawnyshriek both answered in unison. Though he was intimidated, Larksnow couldn’t help but admire Bloodlamb’s protectiveness. Perhaps, in a sense, that meant for greater protection for the kits. He relayed Bloodlamb’s words in his head, internally repeating them to himself so that he understood properly–it was difficult to know with the strange way in which she spoke.

“Of course you can be in their lives!” He said emphatically. He looked to Tawnyshriek for agreement, and his mate nodded vigorously. 

“Yes,” Tawnyshriek affirmed. “Of course, there would need to be some set boundaries, but nothing that can’t be worked out before the kits come, right?”

Larksnow saw Leafcurl’s tail slump. “Nothing too strict, I’m sure.”

“Fer both of us,” Bloodlamb put in. “We got lines we don’t want y’all to be steppin over.”

“That sounds perfectly fair,” Tawnyshriek replied. “Now that we know your answer, we should discuss our next steps at length. It’ll probably take time to get everything out in the open,” he added. “Do you want to come to our den? There’s water and you can use our nest while you stay.”

Bloodlamb looked to Leafcurl.

“Okay,” Leafcurl answered, and tried not to tremble. This was happening. “Okay, let’s head over there now–”

“After we catch us some fish." Bloodlamb said loudly. "Talkin' just ain't as good without some grub in ya belly, right? Y'all can hang tight right here if ya want, just make sure we can track ya down later.” Then she whisked Leafcurl away before anyone could respond.

==================

Again, hope it reads well. Most of my writing effort goes to my book so other stuff might not seem as well as normal. Plus a tv is playing loudly nearby so it's a bit hard to hear my thoughts when I read it over.

[residences-of-the-darkforest]

Shadows of Guilt: The Final Gift (part 2)

Previous

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“Surrogate?” Leafcurl repeated, astonished.

Larksnow and Tawnyshriek were facing her, paws shifting on the ground. “If you don’t want to, that’s alright,” Larksnow began. “We’re not in a rush.”

After the couple had moved into their new home and Larksnow confessed to wanting kits, the couple had had a long discussion. Once some things were decided–where the safest place for the kits would be, what great fathers they would make, the names they would pick–they knew that they had to pick a she-cat to carry the kits for them.

Leafcurl and her sisters had come to mind quickly. She and Larksnow had talked many times in the past before, but that was more due to their families' closeness than their own. They were more acquaintances than anything, and that was just fine with him–being less close with whoever would be their surrogate would in his mind make the…process…less awkward.

However, their weak bond could also mean that Leafcurl wouldn’t be willing to go through the trouble of carrying and birthing kits just to give them up. He didn’t blame her for that, but it did make him worry that they would be spending a long time searching for the right cat. They had sought out Leafcurl in particular because of how kind she could be. Personalities are, for the most part, taken from those who raise you, but if there was even the slimmest chance that their kits would take after their mother, they wanted that mother to be a good cat.

“I…never thought I would be asked this,” Leafcurl admitted, feeling numb and dumb. “I’ll…” She had to be smart, even if right now she was too stunned to think clearly. Her mate. Right. She had a right to the decision. “I’ll need to speak with Bloodlamb.”

Tawnyshriek dipped his head. “Of course. Take all the time you need, we understand it’s a big ask.”

“Okay.” Leafcurl nodded, though there was no real reason to. “Okay, I’ll talk to her. We’ll give you our answer in…uhm…”

“Just come and find us,” Tawnyshriek suggested helpfully. “Whenever you’re ready, if you ever are. Just…don’t feel pressured into this.”

Leafcurl nodded, this time in response. “I won’t.” Then she smiled. “Thank you for considering me. It’s an honour to be chosen for such a big step.” And it was. The surprise was fading now, melting into a warm, soothing joy. Saying her farewells to the toms and walking home, she realized, more sure with every step, that she wanted to say yes.

==================

--We are now introduced to the to-be surrogate! It's Leafcurl, a SmalljumpXBasiltooth baby! She was named after Smalljump's mother, Curlear, and is the closest to Small (she's a daddy's girl).

Leafcurl herself was a surrogate baby. Her bio mother was @elementaldeityoffood 's Sparktail!

[residences-of-the-darkforest]

I'm using an accent translator for Bloodlamb in the next story and it's so great

[residences-of-the-darkforest]

Shadows of Guilt: The Final Gift (main points so far)

Don't know how clear it is because I write one chapter and then don't write the next one until a couple days later so the flow and understanding of the chapters may not be as good as I want it to be, so here's a point-by-point:

--Larksnow surprised Tawnyshriek with a new home (which he found with Adderclaw and Jackdawfoot pre-story) and announced that he wanted kits. They agreed to look for a surrogate.

--The toms asked Leafcurl.

--Leafcurl talked about it with Bloodlamb. Bloodlamb expressed concern about how Leafcurl would feel when the kits are taken away, and reminded her how painful the birth would be. Leafcurl tells her that she wants to help someone have their miracle.

--Bloodlamb and Leafcurl meet with Tawnyshriek and Larksnow to tell them that Leaf would be their surrogate. They agree to talk more about it, but then Bloodlamb pulls Leafcurl away after noticing that Leaf was getting anxious, under the guise of getting minnows to eat during their talk.

--Bloodlamb's concerns are more clear, this time on her own behalf as she explains that it feels that they are rushing into things, and that she likes how things are now. They agree to take things slow and steady, and that if Bloodlamb still feels weird, they can call it off. The talk ends with them laughing while running down a hill. They move in the direction of the Minnow Pool.

[residences-of-the-darkforest]

STRONGER ACCENT VERSION:

“Surrogacy?” Bloodlamb repeated the news with a gaping mouth, sharing Leafcurl’s earlier surprise. “What'd ya say?”

“That I would talk to you first,” Leafcurl answered, settling in their shared nest next to her. She watched as the wind buffeted the trees outside. It was difficult to take much notice of anything though, not with the hundreds of thoughts racing through her mind at once. Her claws were working in and out of the lichen-leaf nest under her.

It was one of two nests they had. They lived in a  log wide enough to fit the two of them comfortably with space to spare, wedged in what must have once been a rockslide. One nest they had at the mouth of their den, meant for this purpose: to enjoy the scenery cozily. The other they had beyond the other end of the log, in an open space they had dug out of the landslide. That was where they slept.

They simply needed to pull the overhanging branches from nearby trees to cover the entrance. It cast the entire inside of the den in near-pure blackness. It had unsettled and frightened Leafcurl at first, but it became easier to deal with, and now it didn’t bother her at all. 

Bloodlamb, on the other hand, was very welcome to the darkness. She had, after all, grown up in the Gaping Maw caves, a territory that was far from where they lived now. Because of me, Leafcurl thought, feeling a fresh wave of gratefulness for her love. Bloodlamb knew how important Leafcurl’s family and home was to her, and how uncomfortable new things could make her, and was more than willing to stay with her close to Leafcurl’s family, even if it meant moving away from her own.

Leafcurl purred, thinking of all the times Bloodlamb had soothed her in the darkness.

You don’t need to see, she had said. Just feel me next to you. 

“You gonna say yes?” Bloodlamb asked, cutting into her thoughts and giving her a look.

“What? Uh, why?”

“'Cause yer're purring.”

“Oh.” Right. Their talk. The important talk. “What do you think?”

Bloodlamb was fiddling with a minnow bone between her teeth. "We's both surrogacy kin, ain't we? I got grandmamas, you, grandpappies."

Leafcurl nodded. “Right.”

“My aunts 'n uncles never knew their pappies” Bloodlamb went on. “Don’t know what he looks like.”

Leafcurl fidgeting with the leaves. “Sparktail and my papa were close friends before he had us with dad. We still see her lots.” 

“Hon.” Bloodlamb placed a paw on Leafcurl’s shoulder. Her face was solemn, taking Leafcurl by surprise. “They don’t know what he looks like,” she said again, and this time, the words sunk in. What if the same happens with these kits? Would they never know Leafcurl, never know her pelt, never able to pick her from a crowd? Would the only thing they would ever know her as be the cat that carried them for a couple moons? Sure, she and her littermates saw Sparktail often and referred to her as their aunty, but she had been friends with their fathers long before they considered having kits. Leafcurl, Larksnow, and Tawnyshriek were an entirely different story.

Bloodlamb went on. "Right now, they're just a notion. But love, two moons of carrying? A moon of nursing at least? Would you be ready to let go after that? Give 'em up?"

“They’re not meant to be my kits,” Leafcurl told her, and partly told herself.

“That don't make it no less painful when they're taken away," Bloodlamb replied lightly. 

Leafcurl sucked in a breath. Was she right? She was silent for a long time, searching everywhere in her scattered mind until finally her racing thoughts were closer to organized and neatly packaged ideas. “Your aunts and uncles made your mothers happy, right?”

Bloodlamb grinned. “I reckon so.”

“I know my siblings and I made our fathers happy, and that they loved us and cared for us so much and so well.”

“Uh-huh.”

“I…” Leafcurl searched for a way to put it into words. “I want to allow someone else that happiness. I want to be the…the…”

“Miracle-maker,” Bloodlamb finished, eyes soft. 

“But I need you to be okay with it, the kits and the–the making the kits, and the whole deal.”

Bloodlamb thought for a moment, sucking in the side of her cheek. Was she going to say no? Leafcurl’s heart sped up. "Yer heart is so pure. I just worry that you're doin' this for them even if it hurts ya. We ain't even talked about birthin' kits. Ever'one knows it hurts worse than a skeeter's bite, and the 'process,' ya reckon you're comfortable with that?"

Leafcurl considered that, thinking. “Well I wouldn’t enjoy it, but it’s not like I’m meant to. But I can handle it, both aspects. And…I don’t think I have to worry about not seeing them, not too much. Our families are close. We’re not, but–surely we’ll still see them lots. And I can ask to be a part of their lives, even if it’s small. Or maybe I can be a mentor, or volunteer at that place Fungichomp has.”

Bloodlamb licked the space between Leafcurl’s ears. A small gesture, but the strength behind it was more than enough to assure Leafcurl of her affection. “Ya sound right sure. If ya really wanna, I'll back ya up. But maybe mull it over a spell, yeah? Sleep on it a few nights."

Yeah, that was reasonable. Leafcurl smiled as her eyes met her mate’s. Bloodlamb could be so vicious and loud, swinging claws at anyone who so much as sneezed on her unintentionally, but with Leafcurl she was gentle, caring, loving. She didn’t have this talk for the sake of herself, but of concern for Leafcurl. And for that, Leafcurl thought that she had somehow fallen deeper in love, and she buried her chin deep in Bloodlamb’s side. “Can we sleep now?” 

Bloodlamb’s turn to purr came. She curled around Leafcurl, resting her chin on the brown cat’s spine. This wasn’t their sleeping nest, but it would do just fine.

Shadows of Guilt: The Final Gift (part 3)

First

Previous

============================

“Surrogacy?” Bloodlamb repeated the news with a gaping mouth, sharing Leafcurl’s earlier surprise. “What did you say?”

“That I would talk to you first,” Leafcurl answered, settling in their shared nest next to her. She watched as the wind buffeted the trees outside. It was difficult to take much notice of anything though, not with the hundreds of thoughts racing through her mind at once. Her claws were working in and out of the lichen-leaf nest under her.

It was one of two nests they had. They lived in a  log wide enough to fit the two of them comfortably with space to spare, wedged in what must have once been a rockslide. One nest they had at the mouth of their den, meant for this purpose: to enjoy the scenery cozily. The other they had beyond the other end of the log, in an open space they had dug out of the landslide. That was where they slept.

They simply needed to pull the overhanging branches from nearby trees to cover the entrance. It cast the entire inside of the den in near-pure blackness. It had unsettled and frightened Leafcurl at first, but it became easier to deal with, and now it didn’t bother her at all. 

Bloodlamb, on the other hand, was very welcome to the darkness. She had, after all, grown up in the Gaping Maw caves, a territory that was far from where they lived now. Because of me, Leafcurl thought, feeling a fresh wave of gratefulness for her love. Bloodlamb knew how important Leafcurl’s family and home was to her, and how uncomfortable new things could make her, and was more than willing to stay with her close to Leafcurl’s family, even if it meant moving away from her own.

Leafcurl purred, thinking of all the times Bloodlamb had soothed her in the darkness.

You don’t need to see, she had said. Just feel me next to you. 

“You gonna say yes?” Bloodlamb asked, cutting into her thoughts and giving her a look.

“What? Uh, why?”

“Because you’re purring.”

“Oh.” Right. Their talk. The important talk. “What do you think?”

Bloodlamb was fiddling with a minnow bone between her teeth. “We’re both surrogacy kin, ain’t we? I have grandmothers, you, fathers.”

Leafcurl nodded. “Right.”

“My aunts 'n uncles never knew their father,” Bloodlamb went on. “Don’t know what he looks like.”

Leafcurl fidgeting with the leaves. “Sparktail and my papa were close friends before he had us with dad. We still see her lots.” 

“Hon.” Bloodlamb placed a paw on Leafcurl’s shoulder. Her face was solemn, taking Leafcurl by surprise. “They don’t know what he looks like,” she said again, and this time, the words sunk in. What if the same happens with these kits? Would they never know Leafcurl, never know her pelt, never able to pick her from a crowd? Would the only thing they would ever know her as be the cat that carried them for a couple moons? Sure, she and her littermates saw Sparktail often and referred to her as their aunty, but she had been friends with their fathers long before they considered having kits. Leafcurl, Larksnow, and Tawnyshriek were an entirely different story.

Bloodlamb went on. “Right now, they’re just a thought. But love, two moons of carrying? A moon of nursing at least? Would you be ready to part after that? Give them up?”

“They’re not meant to be my kits,” Leafcurl told her, and partly told herself.

“That don’t make it any less painful when they’re taken away,” Bloodlamb replied lightly. 

Leafcurl sucked in a breath. Was she right? She was silent for a long time, searching everywhere in her scattered mind until finally her racing thoughts were closer to organized and neatly packaged ideas. “Your aunts and uncles made your mothers happy, right?”

Bloodlamb grinned. “I like to think so.”

“I know my siblings and I made our fathers happy, and that they loved us and cared for us so much and so well.”

“Uh-huh.”

“I…” Leafcurl searched for a way to put it into words. “I want to allow someone else that happiness. I want to be the…the…”

“Miracle-maker,” Bloodlamb finished, eyes soft. 

“But I need you to be okay with it, the kits and the–the making the kits, and the whole deal.”

Bloodlamb thought for a moment, sucking in the side of her cheek. Was she going to say no? Leafcurl’s heart sped up. “Your heart is so pure. I just worry that you’re doing this for them even if it hurts ya. We haven’t even talked about birthing kits. Everyone knows it hurts worse than a Star’s bite, and the ‘process,’ ya sure you’re comfortable with that?”

Leafcurl considered that, thinking. “Well I wouldn’t enjoy it, but it’s not like I’m meant to. But I can handle it, both aspects. And…I don’t think I have to worry about not seeing them, not too much. Our families are close. We’re not, but–surely we’ll still see them lots. And I can ask to be a part of their lives, even if it’s small. Or maybe I can be a mentor, or volunteer at that place Fungichomp has.”

Bloodlamb licked the space between Leafcurl’s ears. A small gesture, but the strength behind it was more than enough to assure Leafcurl of her affection. “You sound sure. If you really want to, I’ll support ya. But give it some time, yeah? Sleep on it a few nights.”

Yeah, that was reasonable. Leafcurl smiled as her eyes met her mate’s. Bloodlamb could be so vicious and loud, swinging claws at anyone who so much as sneezed on her unintentionally, but with Leafcurl she was gentle, caring, loving. She didn’t have this talk for the sake of herself, but of concern for Leafcurl. And for that, Leafcurl thought that she had somehow fallen deeper in love, and she buried her chin deep in Bloodlamb’s side. “Can we sleep now?” 

Bloodlamb’s turn to purr came. She curled around Leafcurl, resting her chin on the brown cat’s spine. This wasn’t their sleeping nest, but it would do just fine.

===============

--Blood has a fluctuating accent!

--We get a peak at the wlw couple!

--Sparktail is mentioned so psst @elementaldeityoffood

--I am writing this when I am about to fall asleep so fingers crossed it came out halfway intelligible.