[AbsurdJinx]

Originally Posted by RedHead

A sapphire blue gaze could be seen from the shadows in the clearing, as Shellfeather was grooming herself. Her gaze was full of mixed emotions; excitement, worry, wonder, fear. She had had suspicions about it, but now she was for sure. The little bodies she could feel inside of her were definitely not her imagination.
And the molly knew exactly who the father was. There was no other tomcat that she'd spent more time with in the last moon besides Scorchingflame. Even though she hadn't even seen the kits yet, she was certain that they were his. But that is what worried Shellfeather. She had never seen Scorchingflame as the fatherly, loving cat. More of a stoic, sturdy warrior. But maybe there was something more to him that Shellfeather didn't know.
She did know that there had been moments when she loved him. When he had made her feel wanted and safe. And in those moments, Shellfeather had felt... Real again. She'd been living in this half-life, where she was practically a ghost, floating about the clan miserably. But Scorchingflame seemed to have found her, and brought her back.
But could he be as good of a father as a lover? And would he even want to be a father? Shellfeather wasn't sure if Scorchingflame would even want to accept the kits as his. The two weren't officially mates, it had never been mutual between the two.
And then there was Shellfeather's worries about herself. She had lost half of the kits she'd gave birth to. That had led her to believe that she was cursed or something. Cursed to bear heartbreak and turmoil. Maybe I'll need to take a different approach with these kits... Maybe I need to rest more, or eat more..
or... The molly realized that before she started deciding things, she should probably talk to Scorchingflame. She needed to hear what he had to say about the whole situation. She was scared, but hopeful at the same time.
Taking a deep and calming breath, Shellfeather stepped out of the shadows and walked over to where she had seen Scorchingflame sit down. Her belly was only mildly big, it looked a little bit like she ate too much recently, it was noticeable, but not too noticeable. Sitting down in front of the large ginger tomcat, Shell curled her tail around her paws, to prevent herself from shifting them nervously.
"Scorchingflame, I have something to tell you." Her voice had come out a lot more confident than she had expected. Please Starclan, don't let him be angry.... She waited for the large warrior to respond before she told him the big news. News that could possibly change their lives, their friendship, everything.

Scorchingflame's ears twitched, alerting him of someone's approach. He blinked his eyes open, his golden eyes displaying exhaustion as his gaze fell on Shellfeather. Immediately, he felt his spirits rise, a smile crossing his muzzle and his eyes sparkling happily. He raised his head, a welcoming purr rumbling in his throat. He looked her over, remembering how close they'd come since his return. Scorchingflame, before he'd come back to RiverClan just recently, had been fighting for a chance with the pretty feline. Now that Russetswirl - he still refused to call him by his true name - was out of the picture, Scorchingflame had a much better chance, and he was taking advantage of that.


He adopted a rather concerned expression at Shellfeather's worrying words. Scorchingflame frowned, tilting his head slightly in confusion. He was afraid of Shellfeather telling him something he didn't want to here - that she regretted their time together, that she didn't love him, that she could do without him. All these haunting thoughts caused him to shrink back frightfully, a sad cloud washing over him. He knew it was coming - why not delay the inevitable? With a sigh, Scorchingflame looked down, shaking his head sadly. ``I - I'm sorry, Shellfeather. I thought I could make you happy, and I swear to you that I'm trying my hardest. I can do better - just don't leave me.``


The massive ginger tomcat who often came off as stoic and intimidating was now nearly in tears, afraid of losing his best friend and the love of his life. He pulled himself into a sitting position, his muscles tense with fear. He looked down at Shellfeather worriedly, but affection still littered his gaze. Scorchingflame seemed to silently apologize and swear to do better simply through this look, a plea to forgive him and allow him one more chance.