𝐖𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐫𝐬: 𝐍𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐓𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐬

꧁6. Parenting~ Fernsong꧂

   Mother? Can I ask you something?

   You may ask me anything, dearest.

   How come toms don't raise kits? How come only she-cats do that?

   It's the way cats have been doing that since the beginning. Queens can provide milk and care, while toms fight and hunt to protect them. Some things are just natural, I suppose.

   Well...has there ever been a tom who raised kits instead of the she-cat in the clans?

   There is, actually. A tom who helped calm and care for his feisty mate. He vowed to take care of the kits while his mate continued her warrior duties.

   C-can you tell me his name? I want to learn all about him!

   Of course, sweetness. He was named Fernsong.

꧁꧂

   Fernsong padded into the ThunderClan nursery, taking in the sweet scent of milk and soft crunch of moss underfoot. He was soon rushed back into memories of kithood, mewling helplessly with his littermates pressing into him. Now, these sounds were all around him.

   "Fernsong, Fernsong! Look what I can do!" squealed Flykit, one of the three older kits in the nursery, breaking Fernsong's thoughts. "Lionblaze showed me this warrior move, isn't it cool?" The young kit rolled around the nursery, tossing up the moss as she attempted to do a duck-and-roll.

   Snapkit shook his small head vigorously, bounding over to Fernsong's paws. "No, watch me! I can do it much better than Flykit!"

   "Kits!" Cinderheart meowed, putting her tail between the two kits before they knocked down the whole nursery. "Be a bit more mindful of Ivypool's kits and Spotkit," she said, gesturing to the tiny kits and a sleeping Spotkit. Both kits looked down in shame, murmuring apologies.

   Fernsong flicked his ears in amusement. "Surely I wasn't that much of a pawful when I was a kit?"

   "I beg to differ," his mother answered with a playful smile. "Go on, Ivypool is waiting."

   Fernsong swiveled his head to look at all three of his beautiful, petite kits curled up around Ivypool's belly. The warm scent of milk and the sound of kits mewling surrounded him, instantly calming him.

   "Took you long enough!" his mate joked as they touched muzzles. "The kits are all fed, and I asked Thornclaw if I could patrol with him today."

   The cream-colored tom hummed lightly, bending down to look at Bristlekit, Thriftkit, and Flipkit. My kits. I created these, he thought in admiration and bafflement. And I love them with all my heart.

   "Fernsong?" squeaked the high-pitched mew of Bristlekit, looking at her father with wonder and hope twinkling in her large eyes. "Are you coming to stay with us while Ivypool does her warrior stuff?"

   Fernsong chuckled, taking Ivypool's place as the gray-and-white queen stood up. "That's right, little one. We're going to have so much fun, the two of us."

   "What about meeee?" Flipkit whined, popping his large brown head out from where he was resting. "I want to play too!"

   "Yeah, we want to play, too!" small Thriftkit mewed, tussling with Fernsong's bushy tail.

   Fernsong swished his tail out of Thriftkit's grasp, making her jump in surprise. "There's plenty of fun to go around, though you kits are barely one moon old, I suppose we should stay here in the nursery..."

   "Aww, but Spotkit, Flykit, and Snapkit get to go into camp!" Thriftkit said enviously, flicking her ear.

   "Because they're older, mouse-brain," Fernsong said jokingly, smoothing out a tuft of her soft fur with his tongue. I can imagine why Ivypool was so intent on leaving me here with these fluffy balls of energy.

   "Fernsong?" Bristlekit asked, pawing his smooth belly in confusion. "How come you don't have any milk like Ivypool?"

   "Only she-cats have milk, I'm a tom, silly," Fernsong responded lightly.

   Flipkit piped up, "Then how come you stay in the nursery? I don't think Lionblaze ever took care of Flykit, Spotkit, and Snapkit."

   Fernsong thought for a while, trying to place his words carefully. "Well, Ivypool and I decided a long time ago that I would be the one to take care of you kits. Your mother was intent on staying true to her warrior duties, so I volunteered to keep you company. That doesn't mean that Ivypool doesn't love you, StarClan, no. We both love you very much."

   The kits blinked for a while in both confusion and understanding, the sunlight seeping from the leaves overhead and shining in their eyes. Oh dear. Have I frightened them? Oh, Ivypool's going to claw me for this.

   "So, uh... how about we go and play a game of," Fernsong searched around desperately for Cinderheart, but she was already heading toward the fresh-kill pile with her kits, "of... catch the prey!"

   "How do you play that?" Bristlekit asked, tilting her head. "I've heard Snapkit, Flykit, and Spotkit play it a couple times, but Ivypool says we're too young."

   "Ooh, I think I know! You find a piece of prey and catch it! Liiiike this!" Flipkit exclaimed, clawing the moss.

   Fernsong tried to suppress laughter. "Almost. Here, it's like this!" he said, demonstrating on a leaf that was floating down.

   After explaining the rules, which took quite a while as Flipkit kept interrupting him, and playing a few rounds with Thriftkit throwing a fit when Bristlekit caught her leaf, Fernsong finally thought that he had tired the small kits out.

   "Fernsong?"

   Ivypool came in to the nursery, smelling of marigold and herbs.

   "Hm? What happened to your paw?" Fernsong mumbled, barely lifting his head. All three kits were snuggled around him, sleeping. Their tiny bodies were breathing softly in sync.

   "Just a thorn." Ivypool licked Fernsong's ear, looking at their kits lovingly. Said kits stirred slightly in their sleep, Bristlekit's tiny nose wriggling as if she was smelling for prey. "I'd never thought in the great forest would you have been able to tame these kits."

   Fernsong opened his eyes, looking at his wonderful family. Pride bubbled over inside him. "All kits need is love and someone to play with, after all."

   Ivypool let out a soft laugh, leaving the young family in peace, seemingly forever.

꧁꧂

   And that, Honeykit, is the story of Fernsong. Or, part of his story. This is only a chapter in his life.

   Wow... Fernsong must have been very brave to be the first nursery...king?

   Fernsong certainly took a large step for the future of toms and she-cats. And I'm sure that one day, you will too, little one.

   I hope so! Maybe someday I'll...I'll...zzz

   Aw, Honeykit. Goodnight, dearest.