[Fate Admin]

Close your eyes, its easier that way...

It was a beautiful sunny day… if you weren’t Pink-kit. Huddled under a withering leafy plant of some sort, eyes closed, TreeClan’s albino kit took refuge from the sun that seared her pelt like fire when she stayed out in it for too long. She would have gone to the nursery for refuge but… Mistfur was in there. And besides, she didn’t WANT to go to the nursery. She wanted to be out with the other cats… but the sun hurt too much, both her pelt and her eyes. So from where she lay, paws tucked beneath her small white body, Pink-kit’s ears pricked forward, alert and listening to the sounds of the camp. She often found herself using her ears more than her eyes during the day, unless she was lucky enough to wake to an overcast sky. Sometimes she wished she couldn’t see at all, then maybe her eyes wouldn’t hurt so much.

She listened, observing through sound what was happening amongst her Clan and giving her eyes a rest from the harsh sunlight. She listened to two cats nearby settling down to share tongues and prey. They would murmur about the nice weather and good hunting before drifting off, having finished their meal. She remained where she was, still and quiet, rather amazing for one her age. She liked listening to the camp; everyone was so happy and friendly with each other. It was nothing like the nursery. She laid her head on the cool soil and sighed, content in her shady hiding spot. She was clearly visible to any cat who passed by, but she wasn’t hiding from her fellow cat.

Opening her eyes to slits, she looked out blearily upon the camp, wondering what she could possibly do for fun on such a sunny day. She rolled onto her back and closed her eyes again, reaching up blindly with her forepaws for the lowest overhanging leaf and batting at it a few times. She liked the rustly sound it made. It wasn’t too horribly dried out from leaf-fall yet, but it was still crinkly enough to make fun noises. She purred softly and gave the leaf a few more gentle whacks with a sheathed paw. She wished she had another cat to share these simple moments with. Bluekit was ever her friend and she loved her sister dearly for it, but she also didn’t want to hold her sister back from doing… normal kit things.... Normal kits were happy in the sunshine, loved to sunbathe, raced from the nursery with glee for their mothers allowed them out on such wondrous warm, dry days that posed no threat for catching cold or worse.

Pink-kit flopped to her side, disheartened by how she could not live like all the other kits. It seemed to her that she was always sick… something was wrong with her, she knew that to be true. But apparently the medicine cat couldn’t fix it. She would always be sick. She pried her vibrant pink eyes open and stared out at the camp for as long as she could bear before the brightness of the day’s sun caused them to water in pain and her vision went white and then black as she closed pale lids over them once more. She curled up with her head on her fluffy white tail and wished again that she could not see at all if it meant the pain would stop.

... We are home now, the sun won't hurt you anymore.

[Phoenix]

Wormpaw
and you ask me what i want this year
and i try to make this kind and clear
just a chance that maybe we'll find better days

- - -

He knew cats who would be surprised by how much could be learned simply by watching and listening to one’s surroundings. The hustle and bustle of clan life in the clearing that made up TreeClan’s camp was always dismissed as such – just consistent noise and plain activity, nothing more, nothing less. But there was more; there always had been, to his yellow-green eyes. Even as a kit, he had been able to recognize and appreciate the poetry of clan life. Simply by watching, he could see evidence of the bonds that formed the core of TreeClan, the friendships on which rested every cat’s ability to trust most of those around him and thus continue the life of the clan. Amid the felines entering and exiting for various patrols and training sessions, two warriors would sit out of the way, sharing tongues as one gently groomed the other with a loving touch. Not far off, a pair of kits or young apprentices would wrestle, tumbling with the energy and excitement of an innocent cat, unburdened by the harsh truths and realities of the world. From the nursery, the watchful gaze of their mother would ensure that no trouble befall her beloved bundles, and it was never long before that careful gaze transformed into one of pride and joy on that special day, when her children would graduate and take their first steps to warriorhood.

However, not everything he saw left him with a warm feeling in his heart. He saw fights between felines once friends, raised voices and bristling fur accompanied by venomous hisses before one of the parties inevitably stalked off, tail lashing through the air behind him or her. There was bullying among the younger felines as the stronger picked on the weak, and disappointment was so quick to find its way into the postures of those unsuccessful cats, warriors and apprentices alike, returning from a hunt. He noted the occurrences, leaving his mind to invent ways with which he could improve the days of these particular clan mates, but it was the sight of a kit huddled alone beneath a leafy plant, taking shelter from the unforgiving sun on this beautiful day, that spurred him into action.

For better or for worse, there was hardly anyone in TreeClan that did not know about Pink-kit and her debatably unfortunate appearance. From his position, he had watched, admittedly somewhat curiously, over the moons while he could, seen how the once-happy couple of Mistheart and Nighthawk had been torn apart over this single kit, and the entire story pulled at his heartstrings; Pink-kit herself had always seemed somewhat oblivious to the division, and for that small mercy, he was glad. Guilt had no business resting heavily on the shoulders of one so young, even if the owner of said shoulders had such an unnatural appearance. She didn’t ask for it.

Wormpaw rose to his paws and padded quietly over to the she-cat, marveling quietly at how small she seemed compared to him. Had he really grown so much since leaving the nursery that he now seemed to tower over the kits currently residing there? Dismissing the matter from his mind, he flicked his tail and sat near the younger feline, worried at the way her face was scrunched up, as if she was in pain. Was there some way he could help? ”Pink-kit?” He asked quietly, hoping to not startle her but wanting to know if he should get Littletimber. An lopsided grin found its way onto his features as he realized that she may not know who he was. ”Er… Hi, I’m Wormpaw.” Striped shoulders lifted in a slight shrug. ”How’re you? Are you okay?”

- - -

i wish everyone was loved tonight
and somehow stop this endless fight
just a chance that maybe we'll find better days

[Fate Admin]

The sound of pawsteps heading toward her reached Pink-kit’s ears long before the cat the sounds belonged to came to stop close to her. She didn’t open her eyes just yet, but opened her mouth slightly instead to let the cat’s scent flood over her tongue. The scents told her young, tom, and obviously, TreeClan, but she had never interacted with this particular cat before and didn’t know who he was other than these very simple, basic facts. His ‘young’ smell was different than a ‘kit’ smell. He didn’t smell like milk and warmth and softness like her sisters. But he didn’t smell like a warrior either… there was something stronger in a warrior’s scent, something… harder, more pungent. And the way elders smelled kinda made her sad… a fading scent, almost, like they were disappearing on the wind…. In the few heartbeats since the tom had neared her she knew he was an apprentice. Then he introduced himself and she smiled slightly at the fact that she was right. Playing with scents was always a fun game.

She opened her eyes into slits and looked up at the bigger tom. Wormpaw. She shifted shyly and half hid her face in her fluffy tail, peering through her fur at the tom as he asked if she was all right. She nodded slightly, “I’m… I’m okay. The sun’s really bright.” She squinted up at him a moment longer before closing her eyes again, “The shade’s nice, though. I like the crinkly leaves.” She trailed off, her words jumpy, still feeling shy with this new cat. Usually Bluekit was with her when she met new cats. “How… how are you, Wormpaw? The sun… does it feel nice?” One might expect the question to be barbed with jealously, but it was anything but. She appreciated how the sun made other cats happy, how it warmed their pelts like Nighthawk warmed hers when they curled up together, made them feel safe and content just as her father did for her. She wished she could enjoy the sun as well, but she did not begrudge any cat their joy in it because she could not enjoy it with them.

[Phoenix]

Wormpaw
and you ask me what i want this year
and i try to make this kind and clear
just a chance that maybe we'll find better days

- - -

It was the sun.

The realization tugged at his heartstrings, and a sense of helplessness weighed down on his shoulders. How could he help her if the sunlight was the issue? He could hardly stop the sun from shining, and if he could, would he really want to? Guilt joined the helplessness as he thought of how much he enjoyed the warmth of the sun streaming across his striped back. What right did he have to revel in what caused another pain? A yearning filled his heart as he gazed down at the she-cat beside him, tenderness in his green eyes. Curled up beneath the fern with her eyes squeezed shut, uncomplaining, Pink-kit emanated vulnerability, and where another cat might have frowned upon that, he only felt the desire to protect her. Had she opened her eyes and peered up at him, she would have seen a small, sad smile spreading across his lips.

In a fluid movement, with little conscious decision on his part, the apprentice’s legs folded beneath him and he settled down beside the kit. ”I hope you don’t mind if I join you down here, Pink-kit…?” He murmured quietly, tail tip flicking behind him. If she wanted him to leave, he would do so in an instant, for he knew all too well the discomfort that arose while in the company of another, even if said other cat was friendly enough. A frown flickered briefly across his features as the memory of the first, painful moons of his apprenticeship under TreeClan’s leader, unbidden before he brushed the unwanted thoughts aside.

Perhaps it was the way he saw part of himself in Pink-kit that drew him to her. Her quiet mannerisms almost mirrored his own, when he had called the nursery home so many moons ago. On beautiful days like these, when the camp had been filled with the playful yowls of tumbling kits, he had always been the one resting off to the side, watching as his siblings and den mates wrestled with each other. Then he had left, become an apprentice, and his place had been filled with Pink-kit. But he could not help but wonder if she was quiet by nature – like himself – or quiet because any exposure to the sun’s brightness caused her discomfort, forcing her to seek refuge in the shadows.

”I’m glad you’re comfortable here,” He spoke softly, the smile evident in his tone. ”You certainly picked a very good spot.” His tail flicked as he tried to dispel the melancholy that had settled down over him at the revelation about Pink-kit’s discomfort. He could deal with it later, when the kit was not around. ”I’m fine.” He paused. ”And the sun does feel nice,” The apprentice conceded, ”But sometimes I like the shade better.” There had been no sign of jealousy in the question, and that pulled on his heartstrings even further. It was unfair that an innocent, good she-cat like Pink-kit had had one of life’s simple pleasures stolen from her.

I wish you could enjoy the sunlight, too. He wanted to say it, but wishing would help neither of them. So instead, he offered, somewhat awkwardly, ”Are you looking forward to becoming an apprentice? ” Of course she is, you mousebrain. ”Ahh – how much longer do you have to wait?”

- - -

i wish everyone was loved tonight
and somehow stop this endless fight
just a chance that maybe we'll find better days