[Phoenix]

LET THE YEARS WE’RE HERE BE KIND

She tried not to think about it, to put it out of her mind, but she couldn’t help it. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw the mangled body of Pinkcloud and heard her dying gasps as StarClan took her. There was nothing she could have done, they said. Under those circumstances, comforting her clan mate was the best thing she could have done. But they didn’t understand, and she had no way of telling them – she hadn’t held the other warrior’s paw as she lay struggling to breathe. She had wanted to, but she’d simply frozen, as useless as though she had been the one trapped under the snow-covered branch. Pinkcloud had died right in front of her, and all she had done was watch. She hadn’t said anything. She hadn’t tried to move the branch. She hadn’t run for help. She had simply stood there.

And she hated herself for it.

Had they not split up to hunt, had she taken the other path, it would have been her broken body they carried back to camp. Had they hunted in some other part of the forest, Pinkcloud would still be alive. Had they been there a moment sooner or a moment later, and the clan would not have lost one of its sweetest cats. The thoughts haunted her, but none more so than the fact that it was all so arbitrary. It was all so needless.

But she couldn’t think of that, especially not now that she was delivering a little of their precious food to the nursery. This haven for their newest generations was no place for such dark thoughts, and a small part of her wondered if she had taken on this task in hopes that the slightly lighter atmosphere would chase away the shadows lurking in the recesses her mind. Littlestep did not follow that train of thought. With a pathetic excuse for a mouse held delicately in her jaws, she ducked into the relatively warm nursery and looked around for its occupants. “I’ve brought you something to eat,” She offered, dutifully ignoring the jealous complaints of her own stomach. “It’s not much, but it’s something.”

Littlestep | TreeClan | Warrior | North - Sleeping at Last

LET OUR HEARTS LIKE DOORS OPEN WIDE

Hellion

[Hellion]

Everything that kills me makes me feel alive!

Dusk-kit felt neglected but also gulity for feeling that way. She had bene cooped up inside the nursery for days because the snow was too tall for her that it touched her chin when ever she walked outside. A queens had carved a careful path for an easy route to make dirt, but it didn't allow the she-kit much reason for fun. She had tried to visit her brother, even begged her mother but the golden she-cat forbid her daughter with well planned excuses. Dunekit was unhealthy and needed to be kept in Littletimber's den, Dusk-kit was healthy and needed to kept safe in the nursery. Hearing those excuses only made her unhappy and unwilling to listen. However, the golden color of her pelt prevented this, she was easy to spot. A queen that was expecting her own litter of leafbare bundles had fallen asleep to better deal with the Clan's shared hunger. Dusk-kit had too much energy to even manage a nap, she had been sleeping for what felt like days! Instead this growing bundle of fur and bones had stationed herself right near the enterance of the nursery to try and peak outwards into camp. She was starting to memorize her fellow Clanmates's faces and scents, but it was still a challenge when there was a pair or a small group. A small shadow blocked the den enterance and before she could alert the queen behind her she caught the scent of Littlestep. Quickly making herself presentable she stood before the warrior, her tail twitching. "Thank you!" She meowed in appreciation before devouring into the stringy and meager meal. It wasn't much but then again her stomach was fairly small compared to full-grown cats and it provided her with ample substinance. "Is it really cold outside?" She asked, if maybe she could learn more about the camp and what the weather was like she could get the other queen to give her permission to play outside. "Ashwhisker say I can't go outside because its too could but if she heard you say it was fine I could go outside!" Dusk-kit was already showing eagerness to experience anything that wasn't the soft floor of the nursery den. tagged: (open) words: (words) notes: (n/a)

made by remi of isc & rilla go!

[Phoenix]

LET THE YEARS WE’RE HERE BE KIND

Unearthed by the familiar scents and sights that washed over her, comforting memories of her own time in the nursery, which she viewed with great fondness, surrounded and embraced her, chasing away some of the demons that lingered in the forefront of her mind. Though she had few regrets and – barring a few specific incidents, including this most recent event – a relatively easy and pleasant life, the warrior occasionally found herself recalling simpler times with a faint sense of longing. As a kit, she had carried far less weight upon her shoulders, certainly, and she had had no real appreciation for the time when the most frustrating aspect of her life was being confined to a warm, safe den. But that perspective came with age. Though she had a better idea, now, of the unforgiving realities of a warrior’s life, Littlestep also acknowledged that there were some not-so-harsh realities as well. Among other qualities, the bond between clan mates and the loyalty each cat had to TreeClan never ceased to impress her, and she knew that she would not have been able to fully appreciate those intangible virtues in her youth.

Looking down at Dusk-kit and her eager eyes, she felt her heart warm and a smile begin to turn the corners of her lips upward. There was so much excitement there, so much energy and enthusiasm as of yet untouched by the frost and the cold that had beaten down the warriors. It was refreshing. Sheltered from the worst of the leaf-bare, the smaller she-cat had, at best, a kit’s understanding of the prey shortage and their current situation, and Littlestep found herself hoping to preserve that innocence for as long as possible. Kits should not have to worry about carrying the burdens of adults.

“You’re welcome,” She replied softly, before nodding in response to Dusk-kit’s question. “Yes. It is very, very cold outside, so it’s a lot nicer in here than it is out there.” A brief pause as she considered the request, remembering with clarity her own frustrations as a kit and balancing that against the some of the wisdom she liked to think that she had gained with age. Ashwhisker, if she remembered correctly, had always been a fairly reasonable she-cat – though perhaps a tad overprotective at times – and Littlestep had no doubt that the queen knew more about raising kits than herself. Chances were the other she-cat had many valid reasons for not wanting Dusk-kit to venture beyond the relative safety of the nursery, which undoubtedly included the cold and risk of illness. The conditions outside were not good, and the warrior had no problem agreeing with the her colleague regarding this matter.

Dusk-kit, however, would probably not appreciate the good decision-making of her elders. “Actually,” Littlestep explained, “I think you’d like it so much more if you stayed in here. You’d be like a warrior, Dusk-kit – all of the warriors really like it when they can stay in their warm dens. How about both of us stay in here where it’s nice, and we can play a little together?”

Littlestep | TreeClan | Warrior | North - Sleeping at Last

LET OUR HEARTS LIKE DOORS OPEN WIDE

Hellion

[Hellion]

Everything that kills me makes me feel alive!

The young she-kit took into consideration what the older she-cat had to say. Perhaps if she was born in the warmer Newleaf instead of the frozen Leafbare she'd likely have a better chance at leaving the nursery. Again for a moment her attention drifted to her brother. Dusk-kit longed to be in his company, the relearn his scent when it wasn't musky with sickness. She had to remain positive because if she didn't this spunky kit could fall into a depression like her mother had so many moons ago. "Ashwhisker is just really boring," She whispered upwards to Littlestep with a quick glance to the older queen toward the back of the den. Like most kits Dusk-kit was partial to her own mother and would likely listen better if it was Lionsong telling her no instead of some other queen who she shared no relationship with. Part of her wished to know other family members that she had. Her sister had lost most of her family during various illnesses or battles, she wondered if her father's own family would visit her. Her growing sense of family and community was in it's early stages and easily shaped. Littlestep was providing some important shaping of her own. Dusk-kit was starting to understand what the meaning of clan-mate was and so far she felt a sense of admiration for the warrior. Her short attention span was keen on picking out words she liked to hear. Playing was such a word. Flicking her tail the she-kit gave a mixture of a meow and purr to show her excitement. "I would love to! We can play pass the moss ball! Or maybe you can tell me about battle training. There so much I don't know!" The young she-cat began to chatter on, turning to nose around in small single kit nest to find her moss ball. She nudged it toward the older warrior before motioning for her to enter further into the nursery. Ashwhisker sensing that a game was about to start woke up from her nap and quickly departed. Explaining in passing that she was going to take a walk, ease the stiffness her pregnancy had brought her, leaving the two she-cats alone. tagged:Phoenix (open) words: 390 (words) notes: (n/a)

made by remi of isc & rilla go!