She simply grunted at AdderKits comment as the warrior was the first to join. The queen was satisfied though, plenty of cats gathered…why wouldn’t they! Blueberry was amazing and they clearly all recognized that! Next, an enthusiastic (actual) kit. “Snowkit…a beautiful name. Do you like the snow, hm? We’ve been getting quite a bit of it.” she offered the kit a gently smile. More cats crowded after that, the queen didn’t bother to bother them. They seemed interested, that was enough for her.

Her ears immediately perked as a familiar bengal approached and spoke to her. Ah- BrokenStream / Mr. Helpful. This event wouldn’t be without him…at least the end of it. “Pft, no way! I have the best stories!” she stated, though a joking tone was laced in her voice. Next…she was going to tell all to gather close just in case they weren’t already. Most seemed to pick up on automatically, but she didn’t want the stragglers to freeze. Then- oh! BrokenStream decided to take a seat next to her. Eh, she wouldn’t complain, more warmth for her!

“Alright! Gather close, don’t freeze! And listen up! I’m only saying everything once…I’ll pause a few times for questions, so don’t worry about that!” she called, scanning the crowd. She called for the event so…no deaf cat would be here, right? Always a worry for her if she did something like this. Her sister was born mostly deaf, and was entirely deaf by apprenticehood, and BlueBerry herself had some issues. She wasn’t fully deaf in either ear yet, but her left was weakening.

“There was once a family of rogues—a mother named Ashen, her three kits…” BlueBerry paused, scanning the cats around. She didn’t remember the exact kit names so…”Snow, Fawn, and Eel.” she stated their names as she looked at the two kits and apprentice. “And an old tom they called Crooked. They were travelers, always moving, searching for food and safety. It wasn’t by choice; they had lost their home to a fire long ago, and since then, life had been a constant struggle.”

“As the winter frost deepened, so too did their hardship. The snow seemed endless, smothering any sign of prey. The icy winds howled through the bare trees, cutting through fur as if it wasn’t there. Ashen did her best to shield her kits, pressing them close to her body, but her ribs jutted through her pelt, and her strength was fading.” … “Crooked, though frail, refused to let his age or pain stop him from trying. He would drag himself through the snow each day, sniffing out old burrows or clawing at frozen roots in the desperate hope of finding something edible. But more often than not, he returned empty-pawed.”

“The kits tried to be brave, though hunger gnawed at their bellies, and the cold made their little bodies shiver. They huddled together for warmth, their cries quieting as Ashen whispered stories of green fields and warm sunlit days—things she hadn’t seen in many moons. But as the days turned to nights and back again, it became harder to hold onto hope. The frost bit deeper, and the mother’s once-bright eyes grew dull with despair. She knew, in her heart, that they might not survive another moon.”

BlueBerry paused, her eyes scanning the faces of her listeners, letting the weight of the family’s struggle sink in, as well as allowing her first pause for questions (or comments).

 

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