[Fawn]

Brackenkit

Kit, 3 Moons, TreeClan, Tom

Meet me where the sunlight ends

The world had changed. Warmth inside, cold outside. The extreme difference in temperature was fascinating — it made playing in the crisp, powdery snow that much more fun.

At first, he had not liked the way the snow felt underpaw, but that sensory detail was forgotten the moment he’d mastered the ‘scoop and throw’. Ivykit was his immediate target. They had squealed and tumbled and flung snow at one another with glee--until a glob hit poor Fawnpaw in the face.

Honeysong had not been pleased.

However, with a new day came a fresh slate, and the incident was already long-forgotten by Brackenkit. ”Who do you think our mentors are gonna be?” The warm brown coat of the litter’s only tom kit rippled as he stretched in their nest. ”There’s so many cats to choose!”

They had slowly been acquainting themselves with the multitude of faces and personalities that made up TreeClan, but it was overwhelming how many names they had to remember. He bet Lilykit had it even harder; she could only recognize them by scent, not sight. Brackenkit often took a few days to memorize names, and he didn’t have Lilykit’s limited senses.

”You’ll have to wait and see.” Lionstar’s voice rumbled from the entrance to the ancient stump, and Brackenkit shook off the moss and feathers from the family’s nest to greet him.

”What’s that? It smells good!” It was at least four times the size of a mouse or sparrow, with exceptionally soft fur. Almost as soft as Honeysong’s. Brackenkit nosed the freshkill eagerly. ”How did you find it in the snow? It’s coat is as white as Skyfall’s.” That was one name he’d managed to remember (for now).

”This is a mountain hare.” Lionstar gestured for the kits to dig in - with a soft touch of his tail to Lilykit’s back for the same indication - before joining his mate’s side. ”With practice and patience, you can catch almost anything. Their fur changes from brown to white when we enter the coldest season in the valley, but their scent is the same.”

Any questions Brackenkit had about hunting in the mountains were promptly forgotten; one bite of the hare, and his task became filling his belly.

Meet me where the truth never bends

360~ // @zen Justice @poptart // Notes: No obligation to post, just thought I'd get this up.

[Deleted]

If there's so much I must be
can I still just be me, the way I am?

---

Her brother's question had Ivykit's ears twitching from where she was curled up, thinking ahead to the day before them and wondering just what she and her littermates might do today. Apparently they were starting the day with talk of mentors. Without ceremony, Ivykit hopped to her paws, clearly more than ready for the day, her fluffy, lilac colored fur sticking out every which way. “I dunno. Someone awesome, hopefully.”

Like her siblings, she was not well acquainted with the warriors of TreeClan just yet, so it wasn't as though she could really offer suggestions on the matter. But she wasn't about to admit that. Lionstar appeared then, distracting her brother from the conversation with freshkill. Ivykit didn't particularly care how Lionstar had caught the creature, but was still very much concerned about the idea of mentors. She puffed up as she gazed up at her father's much taller form, bright green eyes narrowed warningly, “You better not give me a boring mentor.”

Warning issued, she let her gaze linger on her father's for a moment later before turning with her tail in the air to taste the hare he had brought for them to eat. It was something new, and she wasn't sure how she liked it compared to the mice and squirrels that were more common in her diet thus far. Swiping her tongue over her muzzle, she considered the white furred creature for a moment before bouncing back toward her mother and father, “Daddy you should catch me a frog. Frog is the best.”

A moment of clarity, fleeting and then gone again, left the kitten stopping in her tracks and tilting her head curiously. She could taste it... in her memory... she knew what frog tasted like, but then she couldn't remember what it looked like. What even was a frog? She shook her head, dismissing the thought. Oh well. One of the warriors or apprentices must have mentioned it or something.

---

Can I trust in my own heart
or am I just one part of some big plan?

Fawn

[Fawn]

Lionstar

The crown is getting heavy
But they've written my name in the stars

His daughter's attitude was a chief source of amusement for Lionstar; the twitch of his whiskers betrayed his desire to laugh at her wrathful words. Who in StarClan does she get it from? He wondered, considering Honeysong's personality and he liked to think his own weren't as impudent as this. Actually, if he thought back to his own kithood...

"Sorry Ivykit, no frogs this time of year. They're all sleeping, like the birds and the squirrels. When newleaf arrives, I'll catch you a frog." Lionstar replied, watching the light-furred kitten bounce back towards him. It was then that Brackenkit - who had gotten his fill of the mountain hare and sat back licking his chops - spoke up.

"What's a frog? What kind of fur does it have?" Brackenkit wiped a light-golden paw over his whiskers and muzzle, cleaning away any excess bits of hair or juices from their meal. To his surprise, Lionstar chuckled.

"No fur. Frogs have bumpy, tough skin. A little like bark or a sturdy leaf."

This revelation had Brackenkit's eyes widening with astonishment, and then, playful disgust. He batted a paw at his sister's ears, grinning. "Ew! Why would you want to eat one of those things? You're so weird, Ivykit."

In defense of Ivykit's quirky tastes, Lionstar gave his son a gentle prod with his paw, amber eyes warm. "Don't mock! Who knows? Your favorite food may be even stranger than a frog."

"What's stranger than a frog?" asked Brackenkit, half curious, half repulsed.

"A possum," Lionstar replied. "They're one of the oddest creatures I've ever seen."

I've been building up all these kingdoms for so long
It's good to be king

87 Moons || TreeClan || 260 Words || @zen

[Deleted]

If there's so much I must be
can I still just be me, the way I am?

---

Tail flicking in disappointment at the news that she would not be able to eat a frog any time soon, she huffed, “Can't you just wake them up?” She didn't want to wait til newleaf, that was ages and ages away. Brackenkit asked what a frog was and Ivykit pricked her ears curiously for the answer as well, though she tried not to look so interested. She was the one that brought it up, after all, she didn't want Brackenkit to know she had no idea what the creatures looked like, only what they tasted like. That was just weird and didn't make any sense.

Her ears flicked back as their father explained that they had no fur and Ivykit had a hard time imagining it. What did a creature without fur look like exactly? Probably really odd. Her brother's paw swiping over her ears distracted her from the thought and she hissed at him as he also had the audacity to call her weird. She glared at her brother as Lionstar came to her defense on the matter, but she didn't need him to defend her.

Brackenkit seemed interested in talking about other strange prey but Ivykit couldn't care less, so as Lionstar started talking about some other creature he found strange, she crouched briefly and launched herself at her brother, leaping in attempt to land on his back, “I'll show you weird!” Brackenkit would look like the weirdest cat in all the Clans once she clawed his ears off!

---

Can I trust in my own heart
or am I just one part of some big plan?

Fawn

[Fawn]

Lionstar

The crown is getting heavy
But they've written my name in the stars

Lionstar grinned. Truth be told, he wasn't such a strong advocate of respect towards nature that he wouldn't go wake up some frogs for Ivykit. However, finding them would be a greater headache than he cared to deal with; how absurd would he look, returning to camp with muddy paws and dead frogs dangling from his jaws? Perhaps Ivykit's delight would make it worthwhile, though. What wouldn't a father do for his kits? I'll keep an eye out for any frogs, on my next walk. That was the best he could do without making a complete fool of himself for the whole forest to see.

His description of the possum went unfinished - the kits had stopped listening, as told by Brackenkit's eager leap away from his sister. The darker kitten's fur was fluffed up in mock challenge, and the bright, playful light in his eyes was good to see. Lionstar's own gaze, after watching them briefly, went to where Lilykit was sleeping with her mother. He couldn't be here as often as he wanted, and he only saw bits and pieces of her life in the nursery. Does she play as well as they do? Does her blindness hinder her? He did not want his daughter to grow up in fear.

To become timid. Yes, the world was a frightening place, but on his life, TreeClan's encampment would be a safe environment for her. Always.

~*~

Brackenkit, who often faced his sister's ire on a regular basis, enjoyed provoking her temper even just a bit further. With a giddy laugh, the tom-kit darted forward and gave her a not-so-gentle smack on the nose with his paw. "Gotcha, slow-snail! I bet you can't catch me!" There was the slight kick-up of moss and bark-bits as he careened away from Ivykit, tempting her into a game of chase that would probably end with one of them yelling 'ow! stop!'

It would probably be him, but that was all part of the fun. Until she started chewing on his ears. Sometimes sisters could be the worst. Worse than possums.

I've been building up all these kingdoms for so long
It's good to be king

87 Moons || TreeClan || 344 Words || @zen @poptart (Lilykit mention!)