Dad's Not Superman? || RP

[ Northern Camp ]

Magpiemask ||

Although the molly usually had a stone-cold glare, as she watched her kitten's uncertain movements, Magpiemask raised her brows, softening her features. Berrykit didn't know. Of course, a kitten wouldn't understand such tragedy - they'd be unable to comprehend it. Magpiemask didn't expect her daughter to be able to process her father's run-in with a wolf all too well, if at all, but her ever-stern and straight-faced nature only allowed her to physically express so much sympathy. She wished for her kits to grow into strong soldiers, sure, but Berrykit may have needed some further explanation. That much the queen knew.

Allowing her other kittens to trail off, the mother called, "don't wander too far." She sat down, tugged the sandy-brown pelted kitten close and licked her head twice, neatening up the tufts of fur between her ears. "Berrykit, your father is a strong warrior. He'll overcome it." The scars her mate would bear after the incident were permanent, even she would have to get used to them.

Berrykit ||

The silence felt deafening as it hung in the air for a bit after Berrykit had voiced her reasoning. It had been the truth, she didn’t really know why she didn’t want to see Smudgenose now. She was typically quite close to him and he was usually the first one she ran to when going to tattle on anyone. But the new, bubbling feeling of needing to avoid seeing him couldn’t go ignored. 

Berrykit did seem to settle down a bit compared to her previous outburst after receiving a quick groom from Magpiemask. The physical touch from her mother wasn’t foreign, but it wasn’t often that it came from a place of comfort as it usually was a more to do with keeping her and her littermates clean.

”I know he is!” She insisted with a small huff, how could she possibly forget the praises sung by many in the clan to her parents’ strengths and accomplishments. She wasn’t intending to be outright disrespectful towards Magpiemask, but most of her responses lately had been on the snappy side. ”But now, he’s not…!” Her voice died down to a weak tone as she looked down at her paws. ”He’s hurt, so how could he be all those things you say he is…?”

Magpiemask ||

Kitten mentality wasn’t quite known to Magpiemask, raised to be a capable member of the clan from a young age herself. Expectations were there, but they were never harmful. That was how she wished to be with her own kin. However, despite this care and regard for her own litter, the queen failed to understand Berrykit’s behaviour. Kittens didn’t come with a set of rules, they weren’t always easy. But it was worth the time of day to try to reason with them. To empathise with them as best she could.

But Berrykit’s words stung. Magpiemask couldn’t deny that. Her own mate being doubted by her own daughter? It felt almost like betrayal. But Magpiemask had worked with kits for most of her adulthood. She knew they could only comprehend so much. They needed to be taught. So although Magpiemask wished to speak sternly, she flattened the fur upon her head and spoke under her breath. ”The scars that cling to your father’s pelt are signs of survival, Berrykit.” The words were cold but thoughtful. She admired her mate greatly, as he did her. Despite them being a strict pair, their love and care for one another was unmistakable. ”They aren’t anything t be ashamed of. He still walks beside us, just a little differently than he did before. He’s still your father, and he still loves you.” The dark-pelted molly paused.

”And I’m sure he’d like to know that you still love him too, wouldn't you say?" She gently lifted Berrykit's head, touching the younger's face with surprising tenderness.

Berrykit ||

Despite the outward directness of her mother’s words, Berrykit was still able to tell it was Magpiemask’s way of intending to be kind in her own way. Still, it was scary to think that someone so great that the young mind of a kit could believe them to be invincible and untouchable was so easily defeated by one incident. Would her mother be next? Or even Snowkit or Lizardkit? Such worries were not meant for a child, but one could not undo the events that had occurred.

A deep frown set upon her maw as she gazed up at Magpiemask, but her light green eyes shone with a certain brightness that spoke of wanting to believe and trust in every single word the grey and white she-cat spoke. Her mother had never once lied to her, and she didn’t think that she would start now. ”Yeah, I… I want to tell him.” Berrykit sniffled as if to cry, but she wanted to show that she could brave the task.

Berrykit did however lean into her mother’s gentle touch, an awkward but quiet purr rumbled from her as she rubbed her furred cheeks against her before standing stiffly to gaze towards the medicine den. It was obvious that she was still nervous to lay her eyes upon Smudgenose’s weakened state. The reality that he could be taken away from them so easily was hanging just above her, ready to crash down on her shoulders. The first step was unfortunately always the hardest one to take.

Magpiemask ||

With a nod, a faint smile appeared on the molly’s face. ”I’m sure he’d love to see you.” It would have been a shame walking into the medicine den with all but Berrykit attending to visit Smudgenose. Magpiemask was more than aware of the possibility that her daughter may have had more attachment to her father, and took no offence to the idea at all. Smudgenose, despite his recent predicament, was quite the impressive tom, and she wanted none other than himself having a large impact on the lives of her kits. ”You don’t need to hide your worries either. Your father’s an understanding tom.” The brown tom, as stern as he was, always seemed to favour the idea of a daddy’s girl. And that he received when the slightly older than usual couple managed to have a litter of their own. Saying it would have been a shame for the bond to break now would have been a severe understatement.

Wiping the tears off of the young one’s visage, the queen allowed Berrykit to burry herself in her thick, grey and black fur.

”Come, now, I’ll stick with you if it helps. I know it’s going to be… Different.” It would be hard. Of course, it would be more than difficult, but showing weakness was something Magpiemask seemed unable to do in front of her kittens. At least for now.

With a small nudge behind Berrykit's ear, Magpiemask took one step forward. One stride at a time, they'd get to the den. They'd all get through this eventually, together.

[ Medicine Den ]

Berrykit ||

Berrykit was still quick to follow after her mother, instinct had taken over to not lose sight of her parent after the older she-cat had given her a soft nudge of encouragement. She felt nervous still, and had even hung back for an extra heartbeat or two before cautiously following inside the medicine den.

Instantly, the strange sharp scents of  herbs that reached her small nose, causing her to sneeze. Berrykit shook her head from the abrupt action, which did help with adjusting to the change in lighting compared to outside with how the snow brightened the area. Once being able to clearly see, she could finally glance around the den to see the herb stores and a few makeshift nests of moss, one of which contained the battered figure of Smudgenose. Berrykit immediately felt the urge to flee like she had before, but after coming so far, she knew that she couldn’t let him or Magpiemask down.

Her next paw steps were hesitant and quiet, slowly making her way over to her father’s temporary nest. She could see the cobwebs and poultice that no doubt Hailcry had used to treat the harsh wounds. It was thanks to the speckled tom that Smudgenose was still breathing. But seeing her father in such a state was heartbreaking, no kit wanted to see their parent harmed. The sandy brown colored kit wanted to voice that she missed him, that she hoped that he got better so he’d be able to help the clan like he always had, that all the things that her mother said would remain true. But the words were caught in the back of her throat as if she had tried to swallow too big of a mouthful of prey. All she could do was stare at him with pity and uncertainty.

Magpiemask ||

Pushing aside the year-round growing vines that remained hung over the entrance, the scent of herbs hit her nose. She breathed in, appreciating the scent as almost familiar. The molly passed a glance of concern in Berrykit’s direction. With Snowkit’s conditions and all of the problems that sprouted from that, the sounds of kittens’ coughs and sneezes made the fur on her neck prickle despite her indifferent expression. She padded onward, eyes settling onto the tan and brown coat of her mate. Allowing the kitten to amble onwards first, the molly gave the father and daughter time to notice one another and process the happenings.

Smudgenose ||

His skin, his bones, his body - it all hurt beyond description. But medicine was a wonderful thing, something that allowed him to have a break from the agony that the mauling had caused him. He’d half expected his dreams to be filled with wolven jaws, jolted into consciousness as his limp body hit a stone-cold wall. But they weren’t. Smooth and sound, he drifted in and out of slumber that day, though, finally, the silence would break with the pitter-patter and subtle shuffles of paws against grit and gravel.

Mismatched eyes would flutter open to view nothing but rock and vine hanging above him, his posture uncomfortable as most positions were since the attack. But then he saw her. An off-brown pelt caught his eye as he craned his neck up to view none other than his daughter. The den was silent, now, green eyes staring into green as the father forced a simper. Although hard-headed, he was devoted to his responsibility as a father, and that included making them feel comfortable in his presence despite his state. ”Berrykit,” he uttered through a little strain. He didn’t want her to feel pity for him. Not at all. He couldn’t imagine how she must have felt, the expression on her face causing an ache in his own heart. ”Feels like you’ve grown so much already,” he explained with an almost dry chuckle, turning as best he could to face her, as if he'd forgotten the scars that littered his pelt.

Berrykit ||

Berrykit sucked in a sharp gasp as her father’s body stirred in his nest, her green eyes starred back at his mismatched ones as if she had seen a cat from StarClan walking among them. His strained voice seemed to startle her out of her silence though, her shoulders jolting slightly.

”You think so? I don’t think it’s been that long.” Her voice was small, only able to be heard with the aided echoing of the cave walls. Berrykit’s ears flattened against her head as she glanced over his wounds that seemed to be causing him such discomfort. He looks so much different now, but she knew that he was still that father that she knew and loved.

She placed her front paws on the edge of the nest for a bit of a height boost so she could bury her face into her father’s warm neck fur, trying to both give and receive comfort in such a situation. ”When do you think you’ll be better?” The she-kit’s voice was a bit muffled, but it was clear she was concerned for how long it would take for his full recovery. She wanted nothing more than to see their family back to how it used to be as soon as possible.

Smudgenose ||

"It hasn't," Smudgenose stated with a gentle shake of his head, wincing as pain shot through his neck and head, as if something were pounding at his brain. Now watery eyes were a dismissed thought once a paw raised to wipe the moisture off of his visage. Despite the discomfort all of the scars and the concussion he had been diagnosed with by Hailcry, the warrior knew he had to keep marching onwards, both literally (when possible) and in life. He'd still be there for his kittens, Berrykit included. He never chose favourites but he had to admit that he had a soft spot for the little brown molly.

As she buried her face in his fur, he let out another soft titter, albeit a little spluttered out. He shifted a paw to hold her in return, pushing his face down into the fur on her head; all gentle gestures he would only ever share with his close family. "The medicine cat says it will take some time. I doubt it will take longer than a moon for me to get back on my paws," he explained, eyeballing his mate in the distance. She stared back, nodding in understanding. "Nothing should be different, I'll reassure you of that, little berry." The brown and tan tom's flat expression returned, but his soft words were uttered with confidence and intent to comfort. "Dad's not giving up that easy."

Berrykit ||

A hidden smile decorated her features finally as he answered. He would be better by the time she and her littermates would be named apprentices. That small fact gave her enough hope. She couldn’t imagine not having Smudgenose watch over her and her siblings as they were assigned their mentors, she wanted to make him and their mother proud of the cats they would become.

With seeing the return to his usual self, as much as he could be, Berrykit in turn also did so. She pulled back from his comforting embrace, turning her nose up to the air. ”I should think so, who else is going to watch me become a great warrior like you.” She replied a matter-of-factly. ”Just make sure to do as your told and you’ll be back to your paws in no time.” Though, she was unsure if she had said that for him or for her own sake.