Kits Time:--

[Seafeather]

Willowkit

Willowkit, with clumsy paws, climbed over her brothers to reach the opening of the nursery. They were almost a moon old! Chilly air ruffled Willowkit's pelt as she set a paw outside, then another. Scents of the moors flooded her nose and overwhelmed them, making it that much harder to tell that someone was right behind her. Thicketheart. Willowkit advanced into the open space of the camp, warriors relaxing in a circle with the older ones closer to the middle, with Jadestar in the direct center. She peered through her good eye around the camp. She saw Nightleaf's den and shuddered, remembering the day that her and her siblings ate some poppy seeds and slept the whole day. At least they were exempt from playing outside in the chilly air.

The sun was high in the sky making it warmer, the exact reason for Willowkit's wanting to go out. She liked the sun, and loved to warm her thickening fur with it's life giving warmth. She turned around to go back to the den when she saw her mothers tabby stripped and white socked legs in front of her. "Oops."

[//Sunneh// is FuMiNg]

Thicketheart

It was the scrambling of little paws that awoke her.

Thicketheart stirred in her nest, taking care to stay quiet as she allowed her sharpened, if not groggy, senses to awaken. A knowing smile parted her delicately furred jaws, but other than that small movement, she kept still. If one of her kits was up to something, she was going to catch them in the act - a guilty kit was usually a compliant one, and Thicketheart wasn't in the mood for a rebellion. She tilted her head. There was a small squeak as the offender tumbled over a littermate, then a small rustle as it took a step out of the den, fresh moss squelching underfoot. The determined, yet clumsy gait was highly familiar....
Willowkit. Thicketheart sighed in exasperation, but, nonetheless, the she-cat couldn't help but grin. The little kit had been trouble ever since the day her eyes had opened - the trek into Nightleaf's den had been proof of that. All three siblings had participated in the adventure, but, despite her older brother's struggle for dominance, Willowkit was definitely the ringleader. And now this... Most kits would of learned their lesson after such a traumatizing - if not comical - encounter. To tell you the truth, Thicketheart had assumed that Willowkit had learned her lesson. She flicked her ear irritably - her youngest kit was becoming quite a pawful. I wonder if that's what I was like at that age... Thicketheart stifled a laugh at the thought. If so, she deeply pitied her mother - the russet she-cat hadn't appreciated her enough, that's for sure.

Taking a small, tentative breath of air, Thicketheart got to her paws, slightly unsteady from sleepiness, and padded to the nursery entrance. After a small moment of calculation, she stopped - if she was correct, her paws had carried her to stand directly behind her charge. Her grin had faded to be replaced by a motherly expression, but just as she opened her mouth to speak, she heard Willowkit turn around to face her. The kit stopped dead in her tracks. "Oops." Thicketheart arched an eyebrow at her. 'Oops' indeed. "Willowkit," she begin, a long-suffering tone creeping into her voice. "I honestly don't know what to do with you. You know that you need to ask for permission before leaving the den, don't you?" There was a moment of hesitation. "Well?" she prompted. "Do you?"

[Seafeather]

Willowkit

"I honestly don't know what to do with you. You know that you need to ask for permission before leaving the den, don't you?" Willowkit drooped her head and pawed at the ground with her paws. "Well?" she prompted. "Do you?" Willowkit sat down heavily and most indignantly.

"But..." She began, her lip trembling with tears. "I just wanted to feel the sun. It looks so bright and warm. It's been really cold, Momma, and I just wanted to warm up." She gave her mother a pouted lip, but quickly withdrew herself because it would do no good.

"Momma, I just wanted to feel the sun!" She said a bit louder. She's been cramped up in that nursery all day, without being able to play! Her brothers thought it a good thing that mother hadn't made them go outside, but Willowkit wasn't falling for that one. Oh no. She walked through her mother's legs and began to rub herself against Thicketheart's front paws. "I'm sorry, Momma!" She begged. She knew she would be in trouble but she thought it was worth it in the back of her mind.

[//Sunneh// is FuMiNg]

Thicketheart

Willowkit sat down heavily, her little mouth stretching open with indignation. She took a deep breath - Thicketheart could just imagine the kit's mismatched eyes widening - then managed to squeak out a protest: "But..." Her lower lip trembled with tears. Thicketheart eyed the kit apprehensively. Was this little scrap of fur really going to put up a fight? Willowkit knew she was in the wrong, and on the few occasions she actually admitted her guilt, the tiny she-cat usually retreated without a word. Thicketheart frowned - she wasn't about to judge Willowkit without hearing her side of the story. The kit continued. "I just wanted to feel the sun." A pitiful sniff. "It looks so bright and warm. It's been really cold, Momma," Willowkit whimpered, "and I just wanted to warm up." She pouted for a moment, then seemed to compose herself. Thicketheart felt a sudden urge to roll her eyes; Willowkit was becoming something of a drama queen. I wonder where that trait came from. Definitely not from me... "Momma, I just wanted to feel the sun!" Thicketheart struggled to retain her motherly scowl, but failed completely as Willowkit weaved in between her front paws, obviously remorseful. "I'm sorry, Momma!"

Thicketheart smiled at Willowkit, then reached down and gently licked her cheek. "It's alright, hon. I wasn't trying to scare you." She lowered her voice. "It's just not safe for kits to be outside alone, especially in leafbare. But if you really want to go outside, all you have to do is ask." She sat back, then nodded at her, hoping that she would get the hint. It would be a nice chance to introduce Willowkit to the world outside, and besides, Thicketheart empathized with her - if the russet tabby had been inside a stuffy den for that long, there was no doubt that she would have done the same thing as Willowkit.

[Seafeather]

Willowkit

Willowkit saw her mother's nod that meant for the allowing of her to play outside. A large smile spread across the white kit's face. "Thank you, Momma!" Willowkit rubbed her mothers legs again and began her exploration of the camp. The fresh-kill pile. It smelled warm and full of tastiness! Where the warriors were sleeping, although being careful to not step on any tails. The wide expanse of the camp was bigger than Willowkit thought possible.

"Over here, Momma!" Willowkit called when she found something interesting. It was a turtle crawling through the grass. She had never seen anything like it. "What is this shelly thing, Momma? It looks funny!" Willowkit's laughter like pealed bells filled the clearing.

[//Sunneh// is FuMiNg]

Thicketheart

"Thank you, Momma!" Willowkit exclaimed, brightening noticeably. Thicketheart's ears twitched in amusement. Was the kit experiencing mood swings already? Just moments before, Willowkit seemed distraught, but suddenly, Thicketheart could sense excitement flashing from the kit's downy pelt. Almost like rays of sunlight. No. It's because I gave her what she wanted... she though scathingly. I'm getting soft. Thicketheart shrugged; at the moment, she couldn't care less. "Go have fun, Willowkit," she murmured, flicking her tail towards the den's exit.
There was an empty pause, and she strained to hear what her kit was doing. Nothing. No, wait - was Willowkit smiling at her? Yes. Definitely. Thicketheart felt a tortured pang in her chest, and for the first time in a moon, helplessness. No matter how sharp her senses were, she would never be able to see her kits smile. Mortified, she stood quietly as her daughter brushed against her slender legs, then listened as Willowkit scurried out of the nursery, little paws beating out a soft rhythm on the hardened ground. The russet tabby smiled half-heartedly at Willowkit's retreating back before tagging along behind her, ducking a bit as she neared the exit, then straightening once again as she stepped out into the open air.

Thicketheart heard her charge romping around camp, sniffing at the freshkill pile one minute, and nosing around the warriors den another. She tilted her head. From what she could hear, the kit was doing a good job of avoiding paws and tails, but her mother wasn't about to take a chance. Thicketheart's jaws opened in the beginning of a reprimand - at the moment, the last thing she wanted was to be responsible for was awakening all those tired warriors - then closed as Willowkit darted elsewhere. "Over here, Momma!" A sigh of exasperation tore from the russet tabby's lips, but she padded over to her daughter all the same.
"Yes?" "What is this shelly thing, Momma?" Willowkit asked, giggling. "It looks funny!" 'Shelly thing'? What was that supposed to mean? Thicketheart leaned forward, eyes narrowed in concentration, then laughed. Though she had only seen this creature once, she recognized the scent immediately. "It's a turtle, Willowkit," she explained. "They're water animals, so it's strange to see one here, especially during this time of year. Be careful; it can bite."

[Seafeather]

Willowkit

"It's a turtle, Willowkit," Thicketheart explained. "They're water animals, so it's strange to see one here, especially during this time of year. Be careful; it can bite." Willowkit found that out as her mother was saying it. Sticking her little brown nose in a space, she felt a sharp pain on her nose. "Ow!" She yowled. She sat down heavily and rubbed her nose with her paw. The turtle slowly walked away as Willowkit stuck out her pink tongue.

Willowkit hopped up the rise to the edge of the camp, seeing the towering grasses. "Whoa." She said. And climbed back down.

[//Sunneh// is FuMiNg]

Thicketheart

[/font][/center]

"Ow!"

"I told you, didn't I" Thicketheart chided, her eyes flashing with reluctant, but unbridled, amusement. Predictably, the wounded kit at the tabby's paws didn't agree with her mother's delight - she sat down heavily, little pink pads rasping against her stinging nose as she rubbed it gingerly. It was her first battle wound, figuratively speaking, so Thicketheart wouldn't of blamed her one bit if she had simply sat down and cried. That, she observed, wasn't the case. It didn't even take the kit too long to recover - Willowkit was up on her paws and sticking out her tongue, obviously indignant, before she even had a chance to cry. "Now, look who's the brave one," Thicketheart purred, proud of her wounded warrior. She leaned over and licked the top of Willowkit's white head, smoothing down the ruffled fur that had bristled in surprise. What a high-maintenance kitten, Thicketheart thought dryly, the corners of her lips curving upwards in a smile. Were all kits like this? After a few more licks, Willowkit wriggled away and dashed towards the edge of camp, her pawsteps quick and lively. Thicketheart heard a small gasp escape the kitten's lips as she took in the scenery. The russet tabby tilted her head, calculating the location, then padded after her. The ground seemed to rise beneath her paws; the grasses swayed gently in the wind. Thicketheart paused as Willowkit stumbled back down the hill, then blocked the kit's movements with a white paw.

"You hear that?" she asked, indicating the rattle of the dry grass. She lowered her voice to an ominous monotone. "The elders say that it's the echo of StarClan warriors, as they try to speak to us from Silverpelt. Can you understand what they're saying?" She stifled a smile, then raised an inquisitive brow, awaiting Willowkit's answer.

ooc; just use your i-m-a-g-i-n-a-t-i-o-n! XD

[Seafeather]

Willowkit

"You hear that?" Thicketheart whispered into Willowkit's ear. She let her hearing expand outward, wiggling her ears toward the tall dry grasses that seemed to whisper with untold stories. "The elders say that it's the echo of StarClan warriors, as they try to speak to us from Silverpelt. Can you understand what they're saying?" Willowkit almost let out a gasp of surprise as her exact thoughts connected with her mothers words. They were whispering! She listened to the grass more. The sounds evolving into choruses of words and sounds. The laughter of kits playing; the pain of wounded warriors, and the pride they held in their wounds; the sturdy breath and stories of the elders relaying back and forth.

"Stories..." Willowkit said. "They're telling us stories." Her voice was small, but full of courage in her words. She knew StarClan was real, they were talking with her now. Why couldn't they be real? Didn't Father say something about seeing his mother when she and her brothers were born? And she was passed away, so she must be in StarClan. "Stories." She nodded her head and glanced at her mother, waiting for the word that would tell if she was correct or not.

[//Sunneh// is FuMiNg]

Thicketheart

Yes, stories. Cats had been telling them for generations, passing on the knowledge that their ancestors had left behind. With stories, no cat would ever truly die. They were alive in the memories of their friends and family, and when they passed it on to others, their memory grew, never to be extinguished. In her opinion, that's how the cats of StarClan continue to remain alive - it is only when a cat is forgotten that it truly dies. She held her breath, hoping that the tiny she-kit would be able to hear it. There was a moment of hesitation as Willowkit sharped her senses, then a gasp parted her lips. Thicketheart's ears pricked. Had she...?

"Stories..." Her heart leapt to her throat. The kit did understand. "They're telling us stories." Willowkit continued, then added "Stories" once again, as if to get her point across.

Thicketheart could actually hear the confidence in her daughter's voice as Willowkit murmured her reply. The russet tabby grinned at her daughter then licked her cheek. The kit certainly wasn't deaf, that was for sure, nor was she incompetent. Willowkit seemed to know what was doing, and with her blind eye, her imagination and beliefs had developed even more-so than her brothers' - perhaps it was a blessing as well as a curse. "That's right, Willowkit," she purred. "That's why I need you , and your siblings, to remember me, your father, and when we tell you stories, our own parents after we eventually join StarClan." Her voice was low and warm, as if she was trying not to scare the tiny kit with thoughts of death. "StarClan is a wonderful place, with no hunger or suffering. All cats go there--" she refrained from mentioning the Dark Forest just yet"--but if our family and friends don't remember us, it isn't worth it, is it?"

She brushed her tail against Willowkit's flank, then yawned. "Why don't you fetch your brother?" she suggested, settling herself down on a patch of dry grass. "As long as you stay within my hearing, you can play wherever you want-- Another yawn interrupted her. Thicketheart flicked her tail irritably, then gestured towards the nursery again. "Go on."

ooc;; only get one of them. o.e I don't think I can handle two! XD

[Seafeather]

Willowkit

"That's right, Willowkit. That's why I need you , and your siblings, to remember me, your father, and when we tell you stories, our own parents after we eventually join StarClan." Thickerheart said. Her voice was warm with compassion for her kit. Willowkit couldn't help but get lost in her mother's voice. "StarClan is a wonderful place, with no hunger or suffering. All cats go there--" StarClan did seem wonderful as her mother put it. Maybe it was always new-leaf? Not hot but nor cold either. Just right. And maybe prey abounded up there, never hiding for the winter. "--but if our family and friends don't remember us, it isn't worth it, is it?"

Willowkit had her own thoughts about that. Why couldn't StarClan exist without cats remembering them? How did StarClan itself start if no one had thought of it first and how is a simple cat enough to establish rules of a dimension this way? Willowkit was very bright for her age and would probably be one of the smartest cats in the current Clans. But for now she would just agree to her mother's beliefs as she stroked Willowkit's flank with her tail. "Why don't you fetch your brother? As long as you stay within my hearing, you can play wherever you want--" A yawn interrupted her speaking. "Go on," She urged.

Willowkit took her chance to play with someone and ran for the nursery. Almost tripping on a warrior's tail along the way. She padded into the milk-scented warm den of the nursery and spotted Thistlekit sitting up. A worried glance on his face. He must've been looking for his mother and sister.

"Psst," Willowkit made an attempt at whispering but it was more loud than quiet. "Come and play with me Thistlekit! Mother is outside waiting for us!" Willowkit bounced back outside and waited for her timid brother to greet the sunny sky and herself.

[//Sunneh// is FuMiNg]

Thistlekit

Yes, Thistlekit was worried. Who wouldn't be? Willowkit and Thicketheart were everything to him, and when they suddenly disappeared right under his nose, what was he supposed to feel? Sure, he had Brackenkit to watch over him, but his older brother wasn't exactly the best company. The timid kit didn't stand a chance against his brother's bossy ways, and besides; he didn't want a boss - he wanted a leader. A heroic figure. Same difference.
His ears pricked as the familiar sound of his sister's pawsteps filled the air, and, turning, he saw Willowkit's slim figure in the entrance. "Psst," the she-kit hissed, her voice a little louder than Thicketheart would of liked. But Thicketheart wasn't here, now was she? "Come and play with me Thistlekit! Mother is outside waiting for us!"

The little tabby watched as Willowkit whipped around, paws squelching into the soft moss, then bounced out the door. He hesitated for the merest fraction of a second, then followed after her. His voice, soft and gentle as it was, barely rose above a whisper as he called after her, "Wait for me!"

[Seafeather]

Willowkit

"Hurry up slow-slug!" Willowkit called to her brother. Thistlekit always followed Willowkit to the end of the world if she had a mind to go there. He didn't follow her around like a slave, more like she was the leader. Or they were separate souls, one body, but Willowkit just happened to be the thinker and mouth piece. She danced outside in the warm sun that felt hot on her white pelt. Slowing warming her until her brother got out fully from the den.

"What do you want to play, Thistlekit?" She called after him. The wind blew and stole her words from the air. Luckily it seemed Thistlekit had heard her before they blew away. His paws forcing his little body forward as he fought the wind that continued to blow in from the south. "How about a race? Or...you can pick if you want." She suggested. She didn't want to take away his choices. She'd leave it up to him. And then after they could race...if they weren't to tired of course.

[//Sunneh// is FuMiNg]

Thistlekit

As he carefully picked his way out of the den exit, Thistlekit could sense Willowkit's impatience tugging at the back of his consciousness like a needy kit. The two of them had a special connection - which was shared by any extremely close siblings, really - and sometimes, it felt as if they thought (and acted) as one. They both had different thoughts and opinions, though, but Thistlekit would abandon both of them in order to get along with his sister. How horribly predictable of him.
Padding along behind her, he studied the white she-cat, intrigued - as Thistlekit always was - at what he saw. Every muscle in her body seemed to be tensed and ready to go - personally, he wished that he could be that way, but, realistically (or, at least in his opinion), it would never happen. He was too meek, too mild - he didn't have what it took to go far, that's for sure. The kit was good at reading his sister's body language, though, for when Willowkit's tail twitched, Thistlekit knew what was coming. The spiky-furred kitten braced himself, then flattened his ears; just before the laid-back voice of his noisy sister filled the air.

"Hurry up slow-slug!"

Thistlekit wanted to protest. He really did. But, shaking off his own opinion, the little tabby's pace quickened. Who was he to argue with this lovely, all-knowing sister of his? She knew what she was talking about, and unless Thicketheart was there to chasten them, she always did.
Moving tentatively, the pale tabby stuck his head out of the den's entrance (and exit, for that matter) then slowly padded out to his sister, who was already frisking about in the sun. The wind was blowing quite fiercely, so the kit seemed to be leaning into the gale; and when Willowkit spoke, he almost didn't hear her before the wind stole her words away. "What do you want to play, Thistlekit?" The she-kit's query surprised him, and, as you might of guessed, that didn't happen often. She wanted... him to pick? Thistlekit wasn't sure if he should of felt honored or overwhelmed. "How about a race? Or...you can pick if you want." "A race," he said, deadpan, obviously relieved that his sister had given him an idea.

They had done this all before, so it didn't take much thought to unsheathe a little claw and, tiny kitten-teeth digging into the soft flesh of his lip as Thistlekit concentrated, drag it through the dirt to form a line. The starting line. He glanced up at his sister. The kit had a good idea of where to put the finish, but it was usually her decision - he wasn't about to break their tradition, now was he? Insubordination was a no-no; he didn't have the guts be in charge, even if he wanted to!

[Seafeather]

Willowkit

So he agreed then? Willowkit was delighted with this idea. Though Thistlekit was one of the more quiet kits, he was fast. And Willowkit enjoyed a challenge just as much as she enjoyed the sun. He drew a claw and made a long divot in the soft earth, the starting line. Now where to put the finish line? Willowkit's blue and green eyes scanned the camp. The warriors den, the apprentices den, the medicine cats den -Willowkit shuddered- the entrance to the camp! That's where it would be.

"The race will begin here," she said nosing the line. "and end there." She pointed her tail towards the tall grass tunnel on the skirt of the camp. The warriors and queens always told them to not go out into the plains without an adult. But they never said the couldn't go to the tunnel. It was close...but they shouldn't get in trouble. If they play it right.

"Are you ready?" Willowkit asked with a sudden urge to run. She coiled herself behind the divot line like a snake prepared to strike. Her soft brown ears turned to her right and left, checking the wind's course. Good. It was coming from the south. She was running north.