#honeyflow

[forniaverse]

which tortured soul is YOUR favorite? collect them all!

[roxypuppy]

lesbian cats from a rp!! :3

[disneyphile]

Pocahontas...

[jillraggett]

Plant of the Day

Saturday 10 December 2022

Against a sunny, south wall at the Cruickshank Botanic Gardens, Aberdeen, Scotland, the sprawling sub-shrub Melianthus major (honey flower, peanut bush) makes an exotic feature. This plant has large glaucous, pinnate leaves that when bruised smell of marmite or peanut butter. It comes from South Africa so is not reliably hardy in colder areas and can be mulched in winter with light materials to protect the underground shoots for the next season.

Jill Raggett

[olive-on-horse]

a pretty boiii~

his name is Millefleurs or just Mil for friends the name is based of the french word for wildflower honey or miel mille fleurs

[residents-of-the-darkforest]

Rabbit Rhymes (short story)

“‘What do hawks sit on?’ Frog asked. ‘hawks sit on hot rocks!’”

“Ouch!” Honeykit piped in, giggling.

“Yes, ouch!” Fungichomp agreed with a purr, his gaze warm on the kit between his paws. “What animal do you think is next?”

Honeykit thought for a moment, her chin shifting to the side and her eyes looking to its corners. “Rabbit ‘cos they have big legs!”

“Rabbits have big legs?”

“Yeah!”

“Do they sit on something big?”

Honeykit nodded. “Uh-huh. They have big legs and they sit on big things because they have big legs.”

Fungichomp smiled as he searched in his mind for something that rhymes with ‘rabbit.’ “‘Hawks sit on hot rocks–yeouch!--and rabbits sit on....maggots!’” 

“Not maggots!” Honeykit giggled. 

“‘That doesn’t sound very comfortable,’ said the frog,” Fungichomp went on, “‘it’s not about being comfortable,’ said the mouse, ‘it’s about doing the right thing.’”

Honeykit shifted. Fungichomp waited until she was settled before continuing. “‘What do foxes sit on?’” He lowered his head. “What do you think foxes sit on?”

“It has to rhyme!” Honeykit pointed out enthusiastically. 

“Yes, it has to rhyme,” Fungichomp agreed. “Can you think of what rhymes with ‘fox?’”

Honeykit tilted her head so high in thought, she was practically looking at the leaves in the trees above them. “Uhuhuh! Hawk!”

“You’re right, hawk and fox do rhyme.” Sort of. “Do you think foxes sit on hawks?”

“Hawks won’t like it!”

Fungichomp gasped. “You’re right again! You’re so smart. Do you want to pick something else for foxes to sit on?”

Honeykit nodded vigorously. Then she giggled triumphantly. “Phlox!”

“That’s a big word!” Fungichomp responded, genuinely surprised. 

“Fadingstar saided it and I like it,” Honeykit explained.

“I like it too! Phlox! Phlox! Phlox!”

Honeykit laughed more fully, eyes narrowed in her joy. Fungichomp felt just as warm. Of all the tasks he had in the Daycare, taking care of kits one-on-one were by far his favourite of them all. They continued on until the story finished, Honeykit bursting out in laughter–again–at the ending. 

Fungichomp waited until she was fully asleep, head flopped on his foreleg, then slowly stood up. Gently, he took her by the scruff and into the napping den, where she was placed onto her nest with only a wriggling toe of protest. Her fathers should be picking her up soon. Rookstorm had gotten into a tussle with Applefoot, and both toms had gotten sick from infected wounds–because of those, sickness follows cats here, too–and Aspenroot had to train his apprentice, so Kiteburn took their litter here until they could set things back in order.

Not for the first time, in fact, it happened every time he blinked at a kit, he was glad that he decided to make the Daycare–though he would forever be furious that he needed to. But before that anger could settle any deeper than a passing thought, Mellowkit rushed toward him. “I found a ant!” he announced loudly. 

“Why don’t you show me?” Fungichomp suggested, and followed the little tom across the small clearing.

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

--A NICE story? Written by me? And not of the same characters I write about all the time? What is happening????

Lol yeah I got inspired because I’m working at a Daycare. I’m still just starting, so I don’t know how right the speech is (mainly for Fungi’s responses), but I think it’s pretty okay.

--Surely not all stories parents tell their kits are warnings. Some can just be goofy fun! This is a very slightly edited version of Frog On A Log.

--Fungi belongs to @wills-woodland-warriors

Honeykit/flower was named and designed by @starfalcon555 who also owns Rookstorm

Mellowkit/tooth belongs to @ambitiousauthor at this point in time, he only has a single mama, so she probably uses the Daycare often for support.

This would also make Mellowkit and Honeykit least five moons of the same age.

[pure-vanilla-lilies]

Her name is HoneyFlower Cookie, she’s inspired by Rosemary Winters-

I’ll draw her mom and dad tomorrow

[literaryvein-reblogs]

Word List: Honey

beautiful words with "honey" to sweeten your next poem/story

Honeybee - a honey-producing bee (genus Apis of the family Apidae)

Honeybell - a citrus fruit that is a hybrid between a tangerine and a grapefruit and that has a reddish orange rind and orange pulp and a prominent, rounded neck giving it a bell-shaped appearance; also called Minneola tangelo

Honeyberry - the fruit of either of two trees having sweetish berries: an Old World hackberry (Celtis australis), or genip

Honeyblob - gooseberry

Honeycomb - to penetrate into every part; subvert, weaken

Honeycreeper - any of numerous small bright-colored oscine birds (especially genera Cyanerpes and Chlorophanes) of tropical America; also: any of a family (Drepanididae) of often colorful oscine birds found only in Hawaii

Honeycup - sensitive pea

Honeydew - a saccharine deposit secreted on the leaves of plants usually by aphids or scale insects or sometimes by a fungus; also: a pale smooth-skinned winter melon with sweet greenish flesh

Honeydrop - a drop of honey or something like a drop of honey in sweetness

Honeyeater - any of a family (Meliphagidae) of oscine birds chiefly of the South Pacific that have a long extensible tongue adapted for extracting nectar and small insects from flowers

Honeyflow - a supply or period of availability of floral nectar suitable for bees to convert into honey

Honeyguide - any of a family (Indicatoridae) of small plainly colored nonpasserine birds that inhabit Africa, the Himalayas, and the East Indies and that include some which lead people or animals to the nests of bees

Honeying - to speak ingratiatingly; to flatter

Honeyless - lacking honey

Honeymoon - a period of unusual harmony especially following the establishment of a new relationship

Honeymouthed - sweet or cajoling in speech

Honeymyrtle - an Australian tree of the genus Melaleuca

Honeypot - one that is attractive or desirable; a substantial source of money

Honeysuckle - any of various plants with tubular flowers rich in nectar

Honeyvine - sand vine

Honeywood - a Tasmanian shrub (Bedfordia salicina) of the family Compositae having white foliage and heads of yellow flowers

If any of these words make their way into your next poem/story, please tag me, or leave a link in the replies. I would love to read them!

More: Word Lists

[cremefrappe13]

Reborn (Saint Vanilla & Child!OC)

Again, the Beast Ancients AU and character of Saint Vanilla belongs to @cuppajj

I wrote this mostly for fun and I think it was an okay job.

Trigger Warnings: mentions of death, major character death

Reborn (Saint Vanilla & Child! OC)

Saint Vanilla had finally done it. He “purified” (disintegrated) his child at last. His first and only child, Honeyflower, had finally been purified by him. He remembered the face of exhaustion and absolute terror the young girl had on her face when she embraced him in a hug, and the tears she had shed upon disappearing. However, Saint Vanilla had felt a sense of… emptiness after he “purified” her. Perhaps it was his fatherly instincts disappearing after watching his child disappear before his eyes? It could not be though… He stared at the ceiling as he tossed and turned in bed, thinking about his daughter. He tried to sleep, but his mind was faster than sleep itself as Saint Vanilla kept tossing and turning, trying to avoid all thoughts on his daughter and what he had done to her. However, what he did was right, was it not? Her soul was so pure, and the sooner she was purified, the lesser her soul would be tainted when she “ascended” right?

Right?

Saint Vanilla was not sure anymore, as he questioned his own decisions, but his Messiah complex did not allow him to think that he was wrong, let alone even consider the possibility he was feeling guilt over his actions. After all, Honeyflower had been the sweetest, most innocent thing before she ran away and let herself be tainted. However, she had already been purified, so there was no point in thinking about it anyway! He just had to move on and finish his mission of purifying every cookie on Earthbread and finally transcend to join her. Even so, Saint Vanilla still felt a pang of emptiness every once in a while without Honeyflower by his side, smiling up at him or clinging onto his robe for protection. Still… her screams and cries of pain as she was “purified” would never leave his mind. “Papa..! What’s happening to me?! It hurts… so much!” “Shhh, don’t worry my dear… you’re ascending, just like Papa will one day do too…” “But I don’t want to ascend! I want to stay here with you..! It hurts, make it stop please, MAKE IT STOP!!” “Honeyflower, don’t fight it, it’s for your own good.” “NO! I WANT TO STAY WITH PAPA!!!” “…” “PAPA! PAPA..!” “…” “Pa…pa…” “…” “…”

Those very moments kept replaying in Saint Vanilla’s mind, still haunting him in his dreams as he tossed and turned in bed, recalling his dear daughter’s cries for him to stop the process, or to end the pain, and then the silence. Either way… she was gone. For good. Saint Vanilla continued to do what he usually did, preaching the “good” message on how he would be the one who would transcend to redeem the world, leading the Lambs of Penance (his cult) and continuing to purify as many cookies as he could, trying not to think about his daughter who was waiting for him on the other side of his path of transcendence. Other than his occasional waves of emotion, Saint Vanilla’s progress with his plan went along smoothly. Well, until Strawberry Crepe had escaped the Vanilla Kingdom with Frigid Cacao’s son, but he would let the Lambs of Penance deal with that. Saint Vanilla was just planting an orchid in his kingdom when he noticed a child, all by herself. He turned to her and recognised her as one of the children of a member in the Lambs of Penance. Saint Vanilla noticed the girl disappear as quickly as she had come, and it sent a ripple of something through his heart… was it sorrow? Or was it guilt? Saint Vanilla could not tell as he pondered more about his daughter’s fate. Saint Vanilla from that point, started to become disillusioned, as he kept thinking he saw his daughter in fields of sunflowers, maybe even his own orchids, or sometimes behind a building. Occasionally, he would think that he heard Honeyflower playing in her room when he passed by it, but all Saint Vanilla found in the room was emptiness and a hollow echo of his daughter from the remnants and traces she left behind in her “purification”. He would always sigh and try to shake it off, but even he could not outrun the clutches of guilt and grief, always being unable to ignore his mind’s tricks on him, making Saint Vanilla feel rather out of it. Well, at least until he saw a small girl, eerily similar to his daughter. The way she had ran amongst the field of sunflowers in his kingdom, laughing with the other children whose parents were Lambs of Penance. It was as if Honeyflower had been reborn into a new life. A better one, without the constant threat of Saint Vanilla trying to purify her, and without others pushing for her to be purified. Saint Vanilla, as he watched this from his orchid staff, felt a father’s relief, yet his own selfish desires took over him, wanting to “purify” this version of his daughter once again. And so the same, tiring cycle repeated: Born, live, “purified” Born, live, “purified” Born… live… and be “purified” It was just the same cycle of futility all over again. No matter how many times Honeyflower may or may not have been reborn, if Saint Vanilla ever saw a smidge of his daughter in other cookies, they might as well kiss their life goodbye, as he would relentlessly pursue them, to finally “purify” all traces of Honeyflower from this world. After all, a good father always wants the best for his daughter, right?

[theresattrpgforthat]

Now that requests are open, time to drop a request I’ve been waiting on for a while:

Games where you play as bugs. Whether it be the route of Bug Fables, Hollow Knight, A Bugs Life, whatever. Rules light is preferred but I’m open! I just wanna play a game where I can play a Trapjaw Ant interacting with a whole bug bureaucracy that’s as big as a backyard.

THEME: Bug Games

Alright friend, so I think right away you want to look at Cuticorium, which I have talked about in my Insect Games recommendations. It’s about bugs that have gained sentience and also a moral compass, figuring out how to live with each-other in the shade of a magical tree. I’ve also got a few more for you to look at!

Agramabug Hex, by Volpe80.

Have you spent your whole life dreaming about what it would be like to be an insect? To crawl across the floor for a handful of breadcrumbs and a few shabby spells? To clash with the dictates of your religion that is incompatible with the very survival of your species? To trade every amenity you’ve collected in sweat and blood for precious human poo? Well, if that’s what you dream of, I may have something for you!

This is a supplement for Troika that includes a number of buggy backgrounds to choose from, as well as a bug-themed adventure. You’ll need the Troika rulebook in order to play, which is a really kooky ruleset primed for easy character creation and generative adventures.

Depending on the pace of your group, Agramabug Hex may last for a short campaign, with a small hex map for your little bugs to travel all over, and a random village generator to help you populate the map as you go a-traveling. I don’t know how much bug bureaucracy exists in this little world, but the hardscrabble fight of the various bugs for the scraps of human garbage certainly sounds like a conflict that you can throw all of your legs and mandibles into.

Hive & Hill: A Tale of Two Queens, by thebigtabletop.

Long have the insects warred amongst each-other. Hive and hill rarely see eye to eye. Both sides have suffered innumerable losses when war breaks out and prefer to keep their domains separate. Hives rule the skies and hills rule the earth. A singular threat to their way of life binds them together…

Humans have spread across the world forcing the insects into smaller and smaller pockets of the world. Their size and chemicals make them a great threat. While insects are small, they greatly outnumber the humans. In rare moments, the insects are willing to band together to fight the threat.

Upon a checked ground of red and white gingham, the humans have laid a bounty of food. A veritable feast that they seek to consume. While insects on both sides spend a majority of their time seeking out food, even a small sample of the meal that the human’s call a “picnic” would help feed a hive or hill for the long winter. At this moment, both hive and hill have agreed to work together to get the bounty and drive off the humans.

This is a game all about alliances in times of attrition, but placed on a battlefield distanced from human conflict. You use pools of dice to determine how successful each queen is in her manoeuvres, and role-play through blunders and connections between two sides of the field.

Overall I think this game is a bit closer to a board-game or dice game than a typical ttrpg, although the premise might be something that you can take and run with. If you want a collaborative, team-based game, you might want to take a look at Hive & Hill.

Bug Dish: Amuse Bouche, by The One True Ryan Khan.

Bugfolk from every reach come to Tower Lake at least once. You might be here to see the port city of Tower Point, or the golden hives of Honeyflow. Perhaps you’ve come to wander the paths of woven roots in Banyan Cradle, or to circle the lake on the Gossamer Rail.

But you are certainly here to taste the foods of Tower Lake’s Mobile Kitchens. Restaurant crews who travel around the lake creating culinary experiences. Fusing flavours, textures, and aromas with vision to create delectables no bugfolk has tasted before. Whether it’s a traditional dish perfectly executed, or a meal that changes how you think about food, these chefs are masters of their craft.

Bug Dish is a tabletop roleplaying game about bug chefs who travel the world and compete in culinary competitions. Using a bespoke push-your-luck mechanic, spend time to learn about the local cuisine, find out what your rivals are up to, and create meals to wow the judges.

This is a charming little game that casts your bugs as top chefs, tasked with learning the tastes of cantankerous judgy NPCS in preparation for a big cooking competition. I don’t own this game, but judging by the little teasers on the storefront page, your adventures will include various locations to visit and interesting ingredients to harvest in the pursuit of creating the perfect dish. If you prefer to solve your problems with a saucepan rather than a sword, this might be the game for you.

Beetle Knight, by Brooklet Games.

Beetle Knight is a bug-sized role-playing game for your tabletops. It features "contest rolls" where two creatures, or a creature and the arbiter roll dice against one another to determine uncertain outcomes. 

The quickstart for this game starts with a short list of intriguing mysteries that your little characters might find themselves engaging with; from disappearing flies to a water skater trade embargo, to a sudden reticence amongst the court of the Orb Weaver queen. The problems that plague the insect kingdom call for a coterie of buggy knights, called to go where most dare not go!

This game feels heavily inspired by Hollow Knight, and asks the players and GM to engage with contests with e/o every time the Beetle Knights face up against an obstacle. Depending on the foe, this could make play very challenging. Your characters also have a magical resource called Resolve, which can be gained when you roll ties and spend when you want to use the magical items that your knight carries.

The game underwent some fundraising on Kickstarter a while back; there’s no official release of the game yet, but you can still download the Quickstart version of the game if you like. If you want a game with all the fantastical fixings, I recommend Beetle Knight.

Queenless, by Croaker RPGs.

Our Queen is dead! Such sorrow and despair! Without our Queen, our hive, our home, will slowly perish. Our only hope, our only slim hope, is to find, beg, borrow and steal enough Royal Jelly from our neighbours. If we have enough Royal Jelly, maybe, just maybe, we can raise another Queen.

In Queenless you’ll explore the valley, meeting other insects along the way. Your aim is to recover six jars of royal jelly, which your hive will use to raise another Queen. Some insects are friends, such as the Ants who share much in common with the Bees. But some are deadly foes, like the Praying Mantis, who would like nothing more than to eat you up little Bee.

Queenless is built as a solo game from the start with tables, exploration, and other mechanics that will keep you interested and challenge your little bee as it explores the valley on its quest. The core mechanic is based on Firelights, where you use a deck of standard playing cards and dice to determine success, partial success, or failure. You flip two cards and compare them to a dice roll+stats. Easy to figure out and resolve.

If you want a solo game about exploration and survival, but also bargaining with a number of other insects as you search for the things you need in order to raise another queen. Using the Firelights system, you’ll need a deck of playing cards to draw from, using the values of the cards against the results of your dice rolls to determine whether or now you succeed, and whether it will cost you anything to do so. If you want a game that can be be played at the comfort of your own pace, without the constraints of a group, I recommend Queenless.

You might also be interested in…

My Bee Games recommendation post.

This quick Bug Knights recommendation list.

[forniaverse]

Happy Halloween!

[albonoooo]

lestappen: pansy

symbol of thoughtfulness, remembrance and nostalgic love, exact meaning differs based on different colours; yellow stands for happiness, joy and positive energy. red and orange symbolise love, affection and passion. blue means honesty and loyalty. finally, purple represents royalty, nobility and beauty.

the name comes from the french word pensée which means "thought"

in the victorian language of flowers, a honeyflower and a pansy left by a lover for his beloved mean "i am thinking of our forbidden love"

purple pansies are commonly considered a fitting gift for someone who is not just ordinary to you

f1 drivers x spring flowers

[disneyphile]

Mulan...

[splashspeck]

Clan Kingdoms - Discussions on Kin

A sweet drabble I've been sitting on and debating posting for a bit, SilverFire and Bluestar and Fireheart bonding.

Fireheart fought not to shake at the sensation of the honeyflower and oak leaves woven into his pelt, knowing that if Bluestar found out he pulled the irritating leaves from his fur before he left his meeting she’d lecture him about presentation of Leaderkin… again. He’d had enough lectures in recent days. At least the lavender he held carefully in his jaws, plucked from the edge of Windclan territory to the amusement of the observing patrol on the moor, a smiling Deadfoot giving him a knowing smirk. Flanking him as he trotted towards the Sunningrocks were Runningwind and Mousefur, the twins bickering good naturedly in a way that soothed most of his anxiety about meeting the Riverclan patrol that was no doubt awaiting them.

It had been longer since he and Silverstream had met properly, only encountering one another at the Gathering before Fireheart left to return Windclan to their territory, and having only long enough to talk briefly. Between Windclan and the newly arrived Cloudkit, Fireheart had nearly forgotten to prepare for their next planned meeting. With the quarter moon hanging high in the sky, the light was somewhat dim as he reached the edge of the trees, leaping down to the riverbank and smiling around his bundle as he spotted Silverstream laughing happily with her own escort. Heavystep and Loudbelly were grinning, likely at some joke Heavystep had told, lightening the mood immediately with a cheerful call to Runningwind and Mousefur. The twin warriors joined the other chaperones eagerly, and Fireheart met Silverstream’s warm smile with a purr as he leapt up atop the smooth stone next to her, gently placing the sprig of lavender at her paws.

“A gift, to apologize for missing our last meeting.” He mewed, smiling nervously up at the bigger molly, and earning a happy purr as she bunted her cheek against his.

“No apologies needed. We are warriors of our clans before we are Betrothed, Fireheart, I understand when duty gets in the way. I will accept the gift, however, it smells lovely! What does it mean?” Fireheart felt that warmth in his belly spread across his pelt as he settled next to Silverstream, watching her gently inspect the lavender sprig.

“If I remember my lessons, Lavender is a symbol of devotion. It can also mean distrust in the wrong circumstances, but I hope you know that’s not the intent.”

“I’ve no reason to distrust you and endeavor to not give you reason to distrust me.” She purred, only to falter when his face fell. “Fireheart?”

“Sorry, it’s been an interesting quarter moon.” He meowed, unsure how to broach the subject of his accidental adoption.

“Does it have to do with why you smell like the nursery?” Her eyes were guarded, and tail slowly swaying in a way that made him a bit nervous.

“Yes, though not in the way you may suspect. I’ve… taken in a kit, kin of my kin.” Blue eyes blinked, surprise and confusion blossoming.

“... you never told me about any kin.” She settled to lay down, tucking his gift close to her and giving him a nervous smile. “Tell me?” And Fireheart remembered why he’d admired the silver tabby so much since they met. Silverstream was bold and brash, but her kindness and understanding towards him as he learned two different cultures had been more welcoming than he’d ever expected. He settled at her side, cautiously draping his tail across her hind legs and responding in kind when she started to purr softly at the gesture.

“I wasn’t a one-kit litter, and one of my littermates lives in a twoleg nest not far from our territories.” He meowed, fidgeting with one of the oak leaves stuck to his fur with sap. “Her name is Princess. We aren’t particularly close, but she’s the only one of my birth-kin that I even know at this point.”

“The only one?” Silverstream mewed, brows drawing in. “Not even your mother?”

“Ah, kittypet’s are… different about birth-kin.” He felt his tail lash a bit in embarrassment and quickly tried to move on. “Anyways, she recently had a litter, and we were talking about how the clans feel so much stronger about family. She’d never leave her housefolk-” Silverstream opened her mouth to question and he smiled. “What kittypets call Twolegs. But… I think she wishes she could have that. So… she gave me one of her kits. Wouldn’t take no for an answer and made me take him home to Bluestar.” Silverstream’s surprise had bloomed into warm affection.

“Will you let me meet him? When he’s older?”

“Of course, he’s to be your kin as well as mine.” Fireheart purred, bunting his head into her chin with a louder purr. “I just didn’t want you to think ill of me, bringing another kittypet into the clans-”

“He’s your kin Fireheart. If anything I think better of you, offering your sister’s kit a chance at a life in the clan.” Fireheart noted, and couldn’t quite put into words the appreciation, that she didn’t call it a “better” life. “... tell me about your birth-kin?”

“I shouldn’t-”

“Why not?” Silverstream raised her head to eye him, eyes narrowed. Fireheart lowered his own, trying to look up at her.

“Some cats may see it as… corrupting you with kittypet ways of life. Cats… didn’t react well to me telling my denmates about my family when I first joined the clan. Especially since kittypets are so different.”

“How so?” Fireheart glanced towards their chaperones, anxiously wondering if they were listening. “Fireheart.” Silverstream’s tone was gentler, and he met her eyes. “If you aren’t comfortable I understand, I just want to know more about the cat I’m to be with for the rest of our lives.”

“... Kittypets don’t value birth-kin the same way clan cats do. Most cats don’t actually get to stay with their birth-kin very long, so it doesn’t make sense to be close.” He meowed, watching Silverstream settle back and watch him. “I never met my sire, Jake was just the tom Nutmeg happened to have kits with, and he didn’t even live nearby to her nest. Nutmeg told us he was always more ‘wild’ than your average kittpet, wandered further.”

“Some kittypets are like that, some of our warriors and Mudfur will trade items and herbs with a few wanderers.” Silverstream commented, and Fireheart smiled at the image. “Was Nutmeg your kin?”

“My mother. She didn’t really call herself our mother often though. Kittypet queens don’t get to keep their kits usually, so getting close just… doesn’t make sense.”

“They don’t even visit?”

“Queens don’t know where their litter will end up. Princess and I being near one another is quite rare. I haven’t heard anything about Nutmeg or my other three littermates since my old housefolk took me in… so you can imagine the culture shock when I joined Thunderclan.” He huffed, smiling nervously up at her. Silverstream was silent for a bit, then sighed.

“I can kind of understand that. I can’t even remember my mother. She and my littermates died before I even opened my eyes.” She looked towards their chaperones. “Dad was… mourning heavily, most of my kithood. Uncle Oakheart and my cousins made it easier, but I felt like I was the clan’s kit more than Dad’s for a long time.” Fireheart frowned, Crookedstar had seemed so close to his daughter. “It got better pretty quickly once Dad started actually talking to people again outside of duty. Now he’s my best friend, but… sometimes I wonder what life would be like if Mom had made it.”

“... I’ve never called anyone Mom. I don’t know if I’m actually allowed to call Bluestar that. I know she’s technically my mother now but… it’s just for succession.”

“I wouldn’t say that.” Silverstream meowed, looking thoughtful. “She seems to be really fond of you. My cousins had my mother’s sister for a foster mother and she looks at them the same way, they’ve called her Mom as long as I’ve been alive, if not longer.” She was quiet a moment, but her tail twitched as she thought, and Fireheart waited quietly, watching the beautiful molly ponder something. “Clan cats may value birth-kin a lot, but chosen family isn’t something to dismiss. Graypool chose her kits, but they’re her kits just as her birth-kits were. Bluestar chose you, and I would wager she feels just as strongly towards you as she does her own birth-kin.”

“She’s rather unhappy with me at the moment.” He chuffed, amused and embarrassed. “She thought I was bringing home a bastard kit. Fresh out of the apprentice’s den and already souring Thunderstar’s line.” Silverstream laughed loudly at that, earning the attention of their chaperones, and Fireheart saw the warm way Loudbelly’s eyes softened at the sight. “Now, MIstyfoot’s kits, are they as cute as you expected them to be?”

The two of them lazed on their stone, purring happily and trading tales of kin and kits, until Loudbelly and Mousefur called the meeting to an end. Silverstream nosed Fireheart’s cheek, picking up the spring of lavender he’d gifted her and trotting after the two older toms, chirruping and purring fondly with them. Mousefur and Runningwind would tease him the entire way back, though the twins were kind enough to help free him from the adornments in his fur before he slipped into the nursery. Brindleface greeted him with exasperated bemusement, playfully nosing Cloudkit from her nest and sending the little white fluffball to his uncle. As the two settled in the nest he’d been allowed to make in the nursery, the white tomkit climbed atop his uncle and sprawled along his back. He was softly snoring in moments, and Fireheart was well on his way to following him.

The soft rustle of ferns at the entrance pulled him back from the edge of sleep, eyes opening slowly at the warm purring murmurs from Brindleface to the approaching cat. Turning carefully to the entrance Fireheart smiled when he met Bluestar’s eyes, the leader’s expression fond and bemused at the kit softly snoring on his back.

“Kits always find the oddest places to sleep.” She mewed, soft to not wake the three kits snoozing. Brindleface had settled back into her own nest, tail wrapped tight around her two remaining kits. “How did the meeting go?”

“Well, Silverstream wasn’t offended at my missing our last, blessedly.” He mewed, lifting his head, careful to not shift his shoulders too much and wake Cloudkit.

“Good, I hear from Runningwind you gave her a gift?”

“Willowpelt said Riverclanners appreciate gifts, so I gave her a sprig of lavender.” Bluestar smiled, purring softly and lapping at his head. “She seemed to like it, brought it home with her.”

“A good choice, a show of your devotion to her. Hold still, you still have sap in your fur.”

“Don’t wake Cloudkit, please, he just fell asleep.” He pleaded, earning a purr. They sat quietly for a bit as Bluestar settled and groomed his pelt. “I told Silverstream about him.” He blurted it out, fighting to keep his fur flat and the tension out of his muscles when he felt Bluestar stop.

“... and?”

“She’d like to meet him. Wanted to know more about his mother, my family. I told her a bit, that kittypet kin is different than clan kin-”

“Fireheart-”

“She asked, Bluestar, said she wants to know her future mate… He turned and met her eyes. “She told me about her mother, that she lost her young, that she can understand.” Bluestar frowned, but sighed and returned to grooming him.

“Crookedstar and his kin have suffered much loss.”

“It’s good she had her uncle, aunt and cousins.” Fireheart agreed, feeling the tension ebb a little. “It’s something I’m a bit jealous of, admittedly, clanborn cats have extended families. Have… families.”

“... Fireheart, you have a family here.” Bluestar meowed, firm but not unkind. “My kin is your kin, and they will consider you as such. Whitestorm is your cousin, whether by blood or not, and he will look out for you and care for you because you are my son and our kin.” Fireheart sat silent for a moment, processing the warm feeling blooming in his chest, then leaned towards Bluestar and bunted his head under her chin with a purr, earning a shocked one in response.

“Thanks Mom.” Bluestar’s purr hiccuped a moment before renewing stronger and pulling him a little closer.

“You are my son, Fireheart. No matter what, we are kin.”

[a-star-shines]

oh and hey @luminarygardener

this fic is gorgeous

and I recommend all their works :)

[residents-of-the-darkforest]

RookAspenKite bio kit 1/4, Honeykit/Honeyflower!

-oldest and only female of the RookAspenKite bio litter

-named after Rookstorm's grandmother Honeyshade

-most closely resembles the litter's surrogate carrier Shiverrose, her bio dad is Aspenroot

-inherited Rookstorm's NPD

-a spoiled AF daddy's girl and she knows it

-a disaster lesbian with a big AF crush on Proteafang

SHE'S SO PRETTY and can definitely see Shiver and Aspen in her

and I absolutely adore the fact that Kite and Shiver went from "killed the other / planned to kill the other to being close enough for Shiver to be a surrogate to Kite's kit. Truly amazing

--

ref by Turukhan