The Persistent Problem

Toadspeckle had tried to ignore it for as long as she could. Deep down, she knew what the steady weight gain had meant, but she wished with all her heart that she was just mistaken. But now it was becoming almost impossible to ignore. Her warrior duties as of late had started becoming too much for her to complete. Reluctantly, she had to acknowledge the truth of the matter. She was expecting kits and soon the whole Clan would know. With heavy paws, she crossed from the warriors’ den to the medicine den and poked her head inside. The smell of old herbs made her stomach turn.
“Driftpaw?” She called as she took a hesitant step inside. What should have been joyous news tasted bitter in her mouth as she stared down the suddenly uncertain future that lay ahead of her. Not in a thousand moons did Toadspeckle ever think she would have this conversation with any cat, let alone with such a young apprentice.Will he even know what to do when the time comes? She thought with a repressed shudder. Stars, help me if he doesn't...

Driftpaw's ears twitched as he heard the sound of pawsteps, peeking open his eyes as he glanced over his shoulders. He had been trying out trying to recognize herbs by scent alone - closing his eyes, fumbling up a small pile and picking out a herb to guess at its name before checking to see if he was right. It was one of his best ways to pass the time when he was content with his storage and there wasn't any work to be done. "Oh, hello Toadspeckle," he greeted as the she-cat called out his name and entered the den, giving her a nod as he pushed his messy little pile of herbs toward his storage shelf. "What ca-can I help you with?" he questioned, doing his best to put on a smile. His training with Mistedsong had been going well enough but he had yet to be taught everything he would know - so far the needed basics had been covered so...He only hoped he could be of help. He didn't want to let ShadowClan down but it was a bit much to be unsure if he could currently help with every problem his Clanmates would come to him for...

Toadspeckle gave Driftpaw a polite nod and cast a hopeful glance around the medicine den. Perhaps Mistedsong was visiting his apprentice and she would be able to talk to him instead-- but it seemed Toadspeckle wouldn’t be that lucky. She took a deep breath to steady herself as she turned her attention back to the apprentice in front of her. “I need to talk to you about something important,” she said as firmly as she could. She sat down and wrapped her tail around her paws. Toadspeckle at first made eye contact with Driftpaw, but when the words wouldn’t come, her gaze shifted to look over the top of the young tom’s head. “This is… Difficult to ask,” she began slowly, the tip of her tail twitching nervously. “But has Mistedsong taught you how to deal with queens expecting kits yet?”

Driftpaw hesitated as Toadspeckle spoke. Something important? ...Right, that made sense - he would have to deal with all matter of important stuff now. But he was certain he could help her, Mistedsong had taught him a lot of things bu-Oh. He blinked as Toadspeckle questioned if he knew how to handle expecting queens, mouth opening for a second as he tried to find the words. The short answer wasn't something to be something she would like hearing, taking a moment to think of what to say. "...Not exactly," he admitted, pawing at the ground. "A lot of our current lessons has been on the...Uh, broader things. A little on how to see if a cat is expecting, and what herbs may be useful to them but...For the...Uh... End of it, not...Quite," he said, ears slicking back as he sheepishly bowed his head. But then he straightened up, tail swishing. "But! The next time Mistedsong stops by for my training, I can ask him to just focus on whatever you need! I-It shouldn't be a problem, his visits have been pretty often cause I still don't know...All of the basics yet."

Toadspeckle suppressed a derisive snort-- of course Driftpaw didn’t know much. What were you even expecting? He doesn’t even have a mentor in ShadowClan! “I thought as much,” she sighed, brow furrowing. How long does it take for a cat to learn all the things needed to help bring kits into the world, anyway? Should I have said something sooner? She felt the fresh prickle of unease beginning to work its way under her mottled pelt. She shook her head to try and chase away the intrusive thoughts. “Thank you, Driftpaw. I guess I’m just a little nervous...” She gave him a slight nod as she got back to her paws. "I guess this'll be a learning experience for the both of us, then," she added, forcing a joking lightness into her voice.