camp BRAN IS YOUR NAME [first word]

Feb 28, 2024
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𖠰𖠰 Kitten-blue eyes have opened, and tiny gray-brown ears have perked up. The downy fur of kittenhood has begun to stick up all over his body, unruly and in constant need of grooming. His toddling steps have grown more coordinated as well, trips outside of the nursery growing more and more common. But still, Beanchkit has not found his tongue, not begun conversing with those who also mill about the camp or rest in the nursery. Usually one of his older siblings speaks for him—Snowypaw seems happy to do so, and as such the kit rarely needs to even squeak to get things that he wants. But Gigglekit is already saying things… so of course, the lilac-striped tom wants to say things, too.

Wrangling a new form of communication has proven difficult, only babbling noises and squeaks leaving his mouth. But as the kit sits just outside the entrance of the nursery, finally an intelligible word leaves his mouth. "Bran… Branchkit…" The little kit’s voice is soft at first, lilting higher as he speaks. Words feel so new, so foreign to him. "Branchkit!" His audience is none but himself—but if anyone happened to be paying attention to the kit, they would see a bright grin on his face, new little fangs on display within a mostly-toothless mouth.
 

Although not as big of a talker as, say, Snowypaw, Gigglekit was gearing up to be a big talker - right now, her only obstacles were losing her baby talk and learning new words. She could also stand to slow down a bit and enunciate better, but these were all things that would learn and come with time. Unlike her brother, Gigglekit had been fine to laze about in the nursery, never really going out into the brightness that marked the entrance of the nursery - but now, she toddled her way out, small ears held high and blue eyes wide with joy.

"Hey, y'said somethin'!" Gigglekit mrrowed, practically bursting with excitement. "Branchkit! Branchkit!" She echoed her brother with a chant of his name, bouncing on awkward paws as she did so. "Hey, hey, can you say m'name, too? Branchkit an' me... Gigglekit!" She giggled happily as she prodded her brother to continue.

"'ama, 'ama, Branchkit said somethin'!" Gigglekit stuck her head into the nursery to deliver the grand news to Needledrift.
  • ! talking to mom @Needledrift ^^
  • GIGGLEKIT kit of shadowclan, zero moons
    blinks incessantly.
    peaceful and healing powerplay permitted.
    penned by Archivist.archivist on discord.

 

Gigglekit may be the biggest talker out of the three, but Morelkit is quick to learn and his own vocabulary grows a little more with each day. Babble-filled and short-sentenced, and still all so new, it’s more than the mews that have been carrying his voice for the bulk of his life, at the very least.

The kit is content at the mouth of the nursery, eyes growing heavy with the need to sleep. He doesn’t shut them for long before dark ears catch hold of a voice. One new, one that chirps his brother’s name. Kitten-blue gaze opens, a head lifting toward the noise, and paws moving to rise, to follow Gigglekit in investigation.

Said something, his sister says in greeting to their brother and Morelkit’s eyes brighten with realization. Branchkit said Branchkit! Branchkit speaks!

Branchkit! Branchkit! Yay! “ he follows in Gigglekit’s chant. Soon their brother would be saying many more words, just like them. And maybe Gigglekit’s name will be next, since she asks of it before peeking her head back into their home. “ Bran, Gigs, Mo! “ the kit cheers, for he can say all of their names, his mother’s too.
 
𖠰𖠰 Seeing Gigglekit and Morelkit come wandering out of the nursery, two pairs of blue eyes trained on him, brings a loose smile to the tabby tom’s face. His siblings and parents are some of the most familiar faces in the clan, and of them his littermates are the most familiar to him. He knows their names, but even as he tries to do so, he can’t quite form his mouth around the words needed to say them. Instead, as Gigglekit attempts to get him to say her name, he lets out a babbled version of it—Bibibit, her name becomes. And Morelkit, who sounds equally as excited as their sister, gets a soft Mo in response.

"Branch… Branchkit." He repeats, a purr rumbling through his chest. Pride coats his voice, eager and happy to use his newfound voice over and over again. "Branchkit!" Still only one name leaves his mouth, but excitement brightens his blue eyes. He’s said something! He’s talking, and both his littermates are happy about it. He just can’t wait to tell his mothers, too. Few things seem important to him at his age, more than content to sleep around the nursery or play with the other cats around camp, but this seems more important than those. Everyone else can talk, and so it only makes sense that he should, too.
 

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It's strange to think that not long ago she used to be much the same as Branchkit. Little, incoherent, a ball of fur that just tumbled about the nursery all day. But now? Now she got to be one of the cool big kids, the very same as the ones that little Halfkit would have to tilt her head up to look at and she would think Im going to be just like them someday except she was better. Why? Because she said so that's why! What other apprentice can claim to have done the things she has already in her short life?

She is drawn to the nursery today by a commotion, a celebration it seemed. The high voices of kittens squealing usually had the opposite effect on her. Usually, it made her want to turn and head in the opposite direction but today? Today it seemed.. different somehow. So she makes her way over on socked paws to investigate and what does she find? Branchkit has finally said his first word. "Whoa you can TALK?!" She says, feeling a little too excited. It's just that one moment Branchkit was like a gross worm and the next he was an actual cat in her mind. "Say my name next! Halfpaw!" she says pointing to herself "Haaaalf-paaawww" she even drags it out for him so he could get it easier, see how nice and cool she was!
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  • UnubgZp.jpeg

  • 74005637_Mkbfa9PMK58YlSi.png
    HALFPAW SHADOWCLAN APPRENTICE ; SHE / HER ; SISTER TO APPLEPAW, ASHENPAW, SWANPAW, GARLICPAW, THORNPAW AND LAURELPAW
    A fluffy she cat who's fur is half cream tabby, half blue tabby split by white. Her eyes are two mismatched shades of blue, with one being a light icy blue and the other being darker in color.
    Easy in battle + still learning how to fight
 

Ferndance did her best to stick to her mate like velcro whenever she wasn't ushered away for duties, so, when Gigglekit called for Needledrift, the cinnamon tabby found herself answering too. Ears flicking in acknowledgment, she excitedly moved to the entrance of the Nursery, pupils wide and ears swiveled to the side like a bird's wings. Her heart thrummed in anticipation, and then, sure enough, the son she'd named spoke again. "Branchkit." She nodded in agreement, what a wise young kitten! So wise that he was able to repeat himself and she didn't detect a hint of hesitation. A quick glance was offered to Halfpaw, the sudden thrill she felt for another speaking their first words causing the emerald-eyed she-cat to blink rapidly. Turning her head back, she offered a smile to her little ones, giving each of them a lick between their ears in greeting. Blood did not bind them, but seeing them all together, she couldn't help but think of them as her own all the same. "H - ah - fffff - p - aw," she broke it down even further for the lilac tabby, flopping down nearby with paws fidgeting from the excitement flowing through her veins.

 
𖠰𖠰 It seems that his first word has drawn more attention than just that of his siblings—Gigglekit’s call for their mother is answered first by Halfpaw’s incredulous question, and then by Ferndance’s arrival. The cinnamon-furred warrior licks him atop his head and the kit coos in return, his body trembling with a short purr. His mama is proud of him! Big blue eyes seek out green, and he gives another purr when she confirms his name with a smile. Halfpaw joins in on the excitement, encouraging him to say her name as well—she breaks it down sound by sound, as does his mama, but Branchkit only blinks up at the apprentice for a few heartbeats before speaking.

"Hah… paw…" The middle part of her name, he pauses on. His little mouth opens and closes once, but still he doesn’t say the older ShadowClanner’s name. Instead, he gives his mama a toothy grin, lilac-striped tail sticking straight up in the air. Everyone seemed really excited when he said his own name—if he keeps saying it, maybe they’ll be even more happy about him talking! "Branchkit," he declares, lifting a little paw to stamp it against the ground.
 
”Tha’s you,” Leechkit agrees, having heard the commotion surrounding the other kitten speaking for what seemed to be the first time. ”An’ I’m Leechkit,” it adds on with a little grin, wiggling slightly. Maybe it can get the other kit to say it’s name next. It decides to help it along by sounding out its name for Branchkit. “Leeee-chuh, Leechkit,” it says, making sure to properly enunciate. Usually it’s words are a bit less clear, but it’s determined to be Branchkit’s next work now. It’s still wiggling a bit, excitedly waiting to see if he’ll try to copy its words.