Post by Phoenix on Aug 8, 2018 7:49:16 GMT -5
When yellow eyes first peeked out of the nursery, the early morning birdsong had just started breaking through the relative silence of the night. Their owner had risen not long before only to find the rest of his family still fast asleep, and having quickly grown bored with laying around waiting for his sisters to wake up, he had decided to make his own fun. Wiggling his way out of the heap of bodies in their little nest had taken some careful coordination, though given the way Lightningkit seemed to enjoy using him as a pillow, he liked to think that he was starting to become particularly skilled at such challenges. Thunderkit paused, a small paw in the air. Another glance over his shoulder, just to check that everyone was where they should have been – Robinwing and Rabbitkit remained asleep in their side of the nursery, his mother and sisters similarly dead to the world on the other side – and then he was gone.
With the sky stretching far above his head, the camp always seemed so large and open, so free. Cloudyfeather liked to keep them close – something about hawks and other birds of prey, though he thought they’d probably go after someone laying around like Sleetkit rather than a moving target like him, and anyway, it wasn’t like he’d ever seen anything of the sort ever when he was in camp – which meant that he never got to spend as much time out here as he would have liked. But not today! Today was his to do as he wished with no one constantly looking over his shoulder; since the rest of the clan still slumbered in their dens, he could have his first taste of freedom. The striped tom grinned as he skirted along the edge of camp, stepping as quietly as he could. StarClan’s Claws would be his destination that morning, he had decided. He had overheard some apprentices talking about it the other day, and he wanted to go jump onto the boulder where the leaders stood. He would be Thunderstar, leader of Lightning---
“What are you doing?”
Thunderkit groaned as the voice interrupted his planning, heart sinking like a stone at both the question and the speaker. Of all the cats... Plastering on his most convincing look of innocence, he turned to face Mudpelt, who, looking entirely unamused with his nephews antics, continued, “Kits can’t just wander wherever they please.” A brief pause as his uncle looked at him sternly, as if he thought he could will the words to sink into the younger tom’s brain. Yeah, right. Thunderkit very nearly rolled his eyes, stopping only because he remembered that he was trying to convince Mudpelt that he was doing nothing wrong. It hadn’t take him long at all to realize that his uncle followed every rule, even the stupid ones – and let’s face it, that was all of them – to the letter, and he wasn’t afraid to make sure his nieces and nephew did as well. StarClan, he was so boring. “Does your mother know you’re out here, Thunderkit?”
Some quick thinking: “I-I woke up early and wanted to play. But my mom and sisters wanted to sleep, so Mom told me to—” go back to sleep “—go see Blazefang!” There, that wasn’t so bad, right?
Mudpelt looked skeptical. Thunderkit wanted to tell him to go away and let him be. “Okay,” The warrior said finally as he stepped back, gesturing with his tail. “Lead the way.”
Ears began to lay flat as the kit took his own half a step back. “W-what?”
“You said you were going to see Blazefang. The elder’s den is in this direction. Lead the way.”
For a moment, Thunderkit resisted the urge to stomp his foot in protest – he had nothing to hide – but then decided that doing so would be infinitely more satisfying than trying to hold back. “That’s not fair,” He protested loudly, not moving an inch from where he looked up at his uncle. “You’d let Sleetkit walk by herself! You don’t trust me.” It wasn’t the lack of trust that had his fur bristling irritably; he didn’t mind when cats didn’t trust him as long as they didn’t get in his way. Dear old uncle, however, seemed to be entirely aware of his particular brand of fun and rather determined to put a stop to it, and Thunderkit did not appreciate the warrior’s efforts at all.
“Sleetkit doesn’t try to sneak out of camp and then lie about it. Now let’s go – either to Blazefang or back to the nursery, your choice.”
“You’re no fun, Mudpelt,” Thunderkit grumbled, obstinately holding his ground for another minute on pure principle before he took the first few steps toward the elder’s den because there was no way he would be heading back to the nursery. He had given up any pretense of trying to look innocent and just outright glared at his uncle. “And I wasn’t trying to sneak out!” The dark-furred warrior simply said nothing and continued walking toward the elder’s den. Fine! He would simply let the other tom walk him there, and once the he left, then Thunderkit would go to StarClan’s claws. Stupid Mudpelt. As the silence – angry on his side, exhausted on the other, and all around entirely too tense to be comfortable – stretched on, the striped kitten briefly considered trying to slip away again, but every time he cast surreptitious glances toward his escort, he saw yellow eyes looking back.
Why did Mudpelt have to ruin everything? He nearly stomped his foot again as they reached the elder’s den and Mudpelt still didn’t leave. Jaw clenched, the young cat strode over to his other uncle, the fun one, and poked him with his paw. “Uncle Blaze, wake up. Your brother won’t leave unless you’re awake, and I can’t breathe with all the boring in the air when he’s around.”
@zen
Fawn (and so it begins)
Taxx (Sleetkit mention)
Amber (Rabbitkit mention)
With the sky stretching far above his head, the camp always seemed so large and open, so free. Cloudyfeather liked to keep them close – something about hawks and other birds of prey, though he thought they’d probably go after someone laying around like Sleetkit rather than a moving target like him, and anyway, it wasn’t like he’d ever seen anything of the sort ever when he was in camp – which meant that he never got to spend as much time out here as he would have liked. But not today! Today was his to do as he wished with no one constantly looking over his shoulder; since the rest of the clan still slumbered in their dens, he could have his first taste of freedom. The striped tom grinned as he skirted along the edge of camp, stepping as quietly as he could. StarClan’s Claws would be his destination that morning, he had decided. He had overheard some apprentices talking about it the other day, and he wanted to go jump onto the boulder where the leaders stood. He would be Thunderstar, leader of Lightning---
“What are you doing?”
Thunderkit groaned as the voice interrupted his planning, heart sinking like a stone at both the question and the speaker. Of all the cats... Plastering on his most convincing look of innocence, he turned to face Mudpelt, who, looking entirely unamused with his nephews antics, continued, “Kits can’t just wander wherever they please.” A brief pause as his uncle looked at him sternly, as if he thought he could will the words to sink into the younger tom’s brain. Yeah, right. Thunderkit very nearly rolled his eyes, stopping only because he remembered that he was trying to convince Mudpelt that he was doing nothing wrong. It hadn’t take him long at all to realize that his uncle followed every rule, even the stupid ones – and let’s face it, that was all of them – to the letter, and he wasn’t afraid to make sure his nieces and nephew did as well. StarClan, he was so boring. “Does your mother know you’re out here, Thunderkit?”
Some quick thinking: “I-I woke up early and wanted to play. But my mom and sisters wanted to sleep, so Mom told me to—” go back to sleep “—go see Blazefang!” There, that wasn’t so bad, right?
Mudpelt looked skeptical. Thunderkit wanted to tell him to go away and let him be. “Okay,” The warrior said finally as he stepped back, gesturing with his tail. “Lead the way.”
Ears began to lay flat as the kit took his own half a step back. “W-what?”
“You said you were going to see Blazefang. The elder’s den is in this direction. Lead the way.”
For a moment, Thunderkit resisted the urge to stomp his foot in protest – he had nothing to hide – but then decided that doing so would be infinitely more satisfying than trying to hold back. “That’s not fair,” He protested loudly, not moving an inch from where he looked up at his uncle. “You’d let Sleetkit walk by herself! You don’t trust me.” It wasn’t the lack of trust that had his fur bristling irritably; he didn’t mind when cats didn’t trust him as long as they didn’t get in his way. Dear old uncle, however, seemed to be entirely aware of his particular brand of fun and rather determined to put a stop to it, and Thunderkit did not appreciate the warrior’s efforts at all.
“Sleetkit doesn’t try to sneak out of camp and then lie about it. Now let’s go – either to Blazefang or back to the nursery, your choice.”
“You’re no fun, Mudpelt,” Thunderkit grumbled, obstinately holding his ground for another minute on pure principle before he took the first few steps toward the elder’s den because there was no way he would be heading back to the nursery. He had given up any pretense of trying to look innocent and just outright glared at his uncle. “And I wasn’t trying to sneak out!” The dark-furred warrior simply said nothing and continued walking toward the elder’s den. Fine! He would simply let the other tom walk him there, and once the he left, then Thunderkit would go to StarClan’s claws. Stupid Mudpelt. As the silence – angry on his side, exhausted on the other, and all around entirely too tense to be comfortable – stretched on, the striped kitten briefly considered trying to slip away again, but every time he cast surreptitious glances toward his escort, he saw yellow eyes looking back.
Why did Mudpelt have to ruin everything? He nearly stomped his foot again as they reached the elder’s den and Mudpelt still didn’t leave. Jaw clenched, the young cat strode over to his other uncle, the fun one, and poked him with his paw. “Uncle Blaze, wake up. Your brother won’t leave unless you’re awake, and I can’t breathe with all the boring in the air when he’s around.”
@zen
Fawn (and so it begins)
Taxx (Sleetkit mention)
Amber (Rabbitkit mention)