stop your crying it's a sign of the times

[poppy]

tw: this va involves topics of abuse, death and neglect

Dovekit was slumped by her mother as the older molly sobbed and howled over FInchkit. Dovekit stared at her brother’s body, squinting against the light. Her dad stood over both mother and daughter, a dangerous look on his face. Not grief of a father who lost his son, the grief of a father who had lost his only child. Because Dovekit had never been his daughter.

He had always been her dad, though. She didn’t get to choose her parents but apparently her parents could choose their kids. A soft whimper left her as she moved to cling to her mother, to seek comfort and to give it. She wasn’t selfish but maybe now that Finchy was gone, her mother would love her. Maybe parents could only love one at a time.

”Get the hell off me.” The breathless, hateful snarl came as a shock, even though it wasn’t the first time. Dovekit jerked away, but her father took it upon himself to ‘help’. A paw swiped her up and flung the small kit a few feet away, tumbling and skidding. Tail between her legs, she went around them, reaching her her brother. They had never allowed her this close to him- but maybe since she couldn’t taint him anymore, it was okay to give him a good-bye hug.

She heard her mother let out a shriek, like Dovekit was killing him or something, and then her father’s cruel, jagged teeth sank into Dove’s scruff, scooping her up and then tossing her away from her brother, acting as a terribly impenetrable wall between the 4 moon old and her only friend in the world. She knew they wouldn’t let her near him. They never had.

Turning on her heel, she slunk to the elder’s den, tears pooling in her eyes. A thin gray tom lay in his nest, lapis eyes just like hers.

”Grandpa.” She whimpered softly, climbing into the nest, burying her face in his fur. ”Papa.” Since her grandmother had died seasons ago- long before Dovekit- he had been lonely. They both had.

”Dovie.” He cooed softly, leaning down to gently clean her scruff of blood and torn fur, grizzled old face creased with hate towards the mate of his daughter. ”Dovie what happened?” He knew damn well what happened. But he didn’t want her thinking that this was anything less than an accident, he didn’t want her to know the full darkness of her father.

This was a flawed plan. He had thought he would have time to help her learn that it wasn’t normal. He didn’t want her looking for this hatred in future relationships- (but that’s exactly what happened).

”Mommy and Daddy are mad at me.” She whimpered softly, cuddling up to the old cat in their nest. She had stayed with him for the past few moons, after her parents chose which child to pour everything into.

”Poor Dovie.” He rasped out, wrapping his thin gray tail around her and curling up next to his granddaughter.

”I’m going to be a nice Mommy when I grow up. And I’m gonna find a nice Daddy-cat and I’m gonna love all of my kids.” Dovekit whispered to her grandfather, lips feeling pulled down into a permanent frown, tears drying to darker gray streak on her little face.

”I made a friend yesterday. I think.” She babbled on tiredly, not noticing her grandfather falling asleep beside her. ”His name was Darkkit. He’s really nice.”

Darkkit wouldn’t be nice for long.

Fast forward 23 moons and she would lay dying underneath his claws, throat in his fangs.

But at least he was a comfort in her troubled youth. Perhaps that was why she stayed with him so long.