camp DON'T LEAD WITH YOUR EYE \ picky eating

[STORMKIT]

He'd approved of it yesterday, so it wasn't the warrior's fault, but at the prey offered to him now- a squirrel- Stormkit pulled a face. Whatever warrior it was, because it was always someone- or maybe it was an apprentice, learning they had to feed him (and his denmates and littermates...) before everyone else- Stormkit in that moment hated them more than anything in the world.

He took one sniff of the squirrel and scrunched his whole expression up, umber eyes smouldering with anger, like thunderclouds lit with lightning. "This is gross!" he said, pushing it away with an ill-tempered paw. Yeah, squirrel had been good like ... five days ago or whatever, but now it was like the worst thing he could possibly ever think of eating. The thought of poisoning himself with it was horrible. "Why would you do this to me?" he huffed. "I'm just gonna eat nothing, I'm going to starve and it'll be your fault!"

What did he want?

Those embers faded almost immediately. He chucked his temper to the floor and let it shatter across the ground, tilting his head in such a way that would make even a scraggly, badly-proportioned and ungainly kitten like himself look a little bit cute. "Can you plee-eease get me a bird instead?" ​

penned by pin ༄​

 

[Fadingpaw]

[ ༻ ☼ ༺ ] Despite it not having been her bringing the kit something to eat, his pickiness did bring a frown to the apprentice's lips as she moved towards the warrior side casting a gentle look in her dark blue gaze before adjusting herself to crouch to Stormkit's level while a gentle smile played onto her lip. "It's never good to be picky, prey is becoming more scarce Stormkit. But, I'll get you a bird just this once okay? You can't do this when leaf-bare comes along though" she said softly. Albeit then, Fadingpaw would be perchance a warrior then, and Stormkit an apprentice, so he might learn better when the time comes yet the kit was always kind of on the know-it-all side, not that Fadingpaw mind.

"I'll see if one of the elders wants the squirrel, I'm sure they'd love it" she stated looking over to the poor warrior who decided to get something for Stormkit, then her gaze returned towards the squirrel while an apologetic look danced on the quirky girl's face. She knew they needed to eat yet... still, she felt bad for the creature even if it's death had been for their survival. She was quick to pick up the limp creature into her jaw, and she only hope none of the others scolded her for giving in to a kit's pickiness.
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‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎┌── So many angles , so many lines ──┐‎

• 
  "speak""Thoughts"
  
• 
  Fadingpaw ☼ She/Her, Apprentice of Thunderclan, 8 moons.
  ⭃ Stocky short flame point tabby she-cat with blue eyes and stubby tail, one floppy ear
  ⭃ Crimsonsun x Shadedmoon
  ⭃ peaceful and healing powerplay permitted (ask first) / / underline and tag when attacking
  ↛ see battle info here
  ⭃ penned by Ryn ↛ @/Rynnaro on discord, feel free to dm for plots.
  

​

 

[YIPPINGKIT]

Having shared the nursery with Stormkit for a couple moons now, any cat would be forgiven for thinking that Yippingkit was at all friends with him. Nightbird may have sheltered them well during Skyclaw's reign of terror, but they had never cared to get close to her brood — or really, anyone at all. Their existing anxieties had been squashed beneath the paw of the tortoiseshell tyrant; had been compressed with all the new fear to compound it; had become a black diamond in the pit of their stomach, one that still rattles there now. There hadn't been time for friend-making, really.

But now that Skyclaw is dead, the weight is lifted, if only somewhat. Cats do not seek to hurt him here, now, but they had before, in their blood crusade. Who is to say there are not still sympathizers in ThunderClan's ranks? Who is to say that death does not follow him like a chained dog? Baying Hound, Howlingstar, Skyclaw; the other bodies scattered on the camp floor, slain for speaking out one way or the other. Yippingkit had been terrified to die, but now he is quite terrified to live, too. It's all very exhausting — and it makes him quite hungry.

They rustle from their nest at the smell of squirrel. It is unusual to see them stir for much else; Yippingkit refuses many attempts at play or chatter. But today, they are hungry, and something else flickers in them, too. Stormkit's petulant whining skims the foam off their stockpot memory, revealing a roiling kithood. Baying Hound bringing them half-scraps, hardly better than carrion; Baying Hound bringing them starved mice and young rabbits; Baying Hound, sick with infection, doing her best for kits who needed her. To see Stormkit refuse such a plentiful meal....

Yippingkit approaches bristling, even as Fadingpaw acquiesces to the other kit's whims. "Eat it," the hulking tom instructs, half-light maw peeling away from his milk teeth. "Or starve. No trading." Their bottlebrush tail lashes behind them. Stormkit would learn to eat even what he didn't like — it is a necessary lesson. Yippingkit is... helping, he thinks. As long as helping feels like having one thousand wasps beneath his pelt, like an over-gorged stomach, like a thorn in the paw, then that is exactly what he is doing.

𝐈 𝐊𝐍𝐎𝐖 𝐈𝐓 𝐌𝐔𝐒𝐓 𝐁𝐄 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐊𝐈𝐋𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐓𝐈𝐌𝐄, 𝐔𝐍𝐖𝐈𝐋𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐋𝐘 𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐄 !

• ooc.
  
• YIPPINGKIT —— kit of thunderclan . baying hound x duke . littermate to howlkit and thrashkit, sibling to many ✦ penned by meghan
  
  ✦ a hulking black smoke with low white. striking dual-toned eyes. fluctuates between total apathy and a need to fit in; difficult to befriend, and does not trust easily. unsure of thunderclan as a whole.
  ✦ intersex, nb masculine / he they pronouns / 04 moons & ages every 5th
  ✦ peaceful and healing powerplay permitted / underline & tag account when attacking
  —— will start fights / will not flee / may show mercy. a kitten, he can hardly defend himself, but that will not stop him from trying. apt against opponents his age thanks to his sheer size.
  
  ✦ "speech", thoughts, all opinions are in character
  ✦ full biography — msg on discord for plots — toyhouse
  

• 

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[Tybalt [Stagstrike]]

Tybalt let out an exasperated sigh as the kit let out a wail of disapproval. He had never complained about food when he had been young, and he harbored little sympathy for the picky kitten. He reached out to give Fadingpaw a gentle cuff around the ear. "Don't get him anything," he mumbled flatly. "He needs to at least try it before you give 'im something else." He turned his attention back to Stormkit.

"I've seen you eat squirrel before, kid," he pointed out, wavy-furred tail flicking in mild annoyance. "The colder it gets, the less birds there'll be around. You can choose to eat nothing all you want, but you're certainly not gonna starve from missing one meal." Despite the tom's scrawny size and awkward proportions, he was well-fed and currently in no danger of going hungry. "At least try the squirrel. A couple of bites won't kill you and then maybe someone can see about getting you something else."

The sternness faded slightly from his tone, and his expression softened a bit. "You need to get used to eating different things," Tybalt told him gently. "Pickiness isn't a luxury you'll have in every season."

 

[PALEFIRE]

Palefire can't say she isn't the slightest bit stung when Stormkit openly rejects the squirrel, considering she had been the one to go out of her way to catch it for him when he'd said he was tired of birds. Disappointment surges through her as he throws his little tantrum, pushing the prey away rather dramatically. Her first instinct is annoyance, but she manages to push the feeling away. Recent events have taught her a much greater measure of patience, and she understands that he's only a kitten. Sometimes they couldn't control their feelings, but she was grown and certainly could control hers.

A soft sigh breezes past her lips as Fadingpaw offers her an apologetic look before retrieving the squirrel, though she only offers a small nod of approval in return. Yippingkit and Stagstrike both appear, the feral kit offering gnashing teeth and harsh words, while the warrior has the gall to cuff Fadingpaw's ear and lecture the ebony boy. Palefire's tail lashes behind her, that irritation creeping back up to the surface as her gaze narrows. "Leave him be. Nightbird can manage parenting her kitten without your help," she bites out coolly, though the majority of her ire is directed towards the older tomcat. Yippingkit was also young and still new to the clan, but Stagstrike should know better. And if he didn't, she was sure the black smoke would soon happily correct that herself. "That was a nice thought, Fadingpaw. I'm sure the elders would really appreciate a fresh squirrel."

The truth is, Palefire feels oddly protective over Nightbird and Raccoonstripe's brood. She admires her former mentor more than anyone, and wants to see her children grow up well. The lynx-point focuses on Stormkit, still draped across the ground, and lowers herself to his level, knowing he can't see her very well. "You don't have to eat squirrel if you don't like it, Stormkit." she murmurs, lowering her voice conspiratorily. "But I'll let you in on a little secret. Birds are so easy to catch. Anyone can do it, that's why we have lots of them. But squirrels, those are much harder. Only really good hunters can catch them." She smiles, though he won't know it, and nudges his little paw with her own. "I'm sure you'll be a great hunter too someday, so you'll get to eat them a lot, if you want to."

---

‎‎ooc ♡ info

• 
  

  

• 
  PALEFIRE ♡ she / her, warrior of thunderclan, 18 moons
  ⭃ lh lilac lynx point w/ low white and blue eyes
  ⭃ single, crushing on no one / npc x npc / sister to bluestride
  ⭃ mentoring meadowpaw & ivorypaw / mentored by nightbird
  ⭃ peaceful and healing powerplay permitted / all opinions ic
  ⭃ underline and tag when attacking
  ⭃ penned by limerence ↛ @limericks. on discord, dm for plots.

​

 

[Softsight]

Softsight watches from afar as Stormkit refuses to eat the squirrel that was presented to him. She'd had half the thought to get involved and try to convince Stormkit that it was as good as the next thing - in this case, a bird - but she halted when Fadingpaw and Stagstrike stepped in before her, both with their own approaches to guiding the kit in the best direction. She can't help but later come to agree with Palefire, that Nightbird could properly parent her own kit, and Softsight can't help but smile at the scene.

Stormkit's refusal gives Softsight pause. She can't remember ever being so picky when she was a kit, but then again, times changed with the seasons and situations. Yippingkit comes from hardship, and she comes from perhaps a softer life but one born in the bitter cold months. Prey ran scarcer for the two of them in their youth, and Stormkit hadn't yet had to suffer those brutal moons when prey hid away in their own little holes. Perhaps he would soon learn that there was no place for favoritism, or perhaps he wouldn't - she wouldn't hold it against him either way.

"You've a knack for convincing, there." She comments quietly to Palefire. A good, maternal trait, if that was the road that Palefire wished to travel down one day. The thought of the older she-cat having kits gave way to realization of how old they all had gotten over the steady course of the moons - Softsight could remember the days when she and Palefire had been apprentices together, doing chores and practicing battle and hunting tactics. These days, it wasn't out of the question for them to start treading into the field of romance and family.

‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎OOC ᓚ₍ ^. .^₎ .ᐟ.ᐟ INFO ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎

• !
  

• 

• SOFTSIGHT ✩ warrior of thunderclan, twelve moons
  → peaceful and healing powerplay permitted.
  → penned by Archivist → .archivist on discord.
  

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[TIGERKIT]

A bunch of cats were coming to look at Stormkit... and it's really not fair, cause he's just being annoying, isn't he? Tigerkit stands nearby, cause that's what she does... Staying by her family is easy, even though she's not super sure she likes it... She'd like to think she understands Stormkit, but she really doesn't. Did all these cats expect her to understand her brother? They probably did. They probably did and they were totally wrong, and Tigerkit was totally the worst for making that true... At Stormkit's outburst, she stops and stares. The tip of her tail flicks, annoyed... or something close to that, probably.

Even though Fadingpaw's getting Stormkit a bird, he's still being scolded, so Tigerkit should probably scold him too. She was just a kit, though... but so is Yippingkit. Why did Yippingkit get to scold, too? And it's mean! No one would like Tigerkit if she was that mean, she's sure.

Her ears are pricked to the older cats, taking in their words... You need to get used to eating different things. " I eat lots of different things, " she shares. Not in an annoying way, hopefully. She didn't want to be annoying, but she wanted to be cool... " I eat them and I get to have the first bite. I'll eat the squirrel. " she volunteers. She wasn't... wasteful. She was good! And everyone should see this, she thinks. So it's pretty annoying when Palefire is saying all this stuff to Stormkit... Why can't they talk, instead? " I like it, " Tigerkit insists.

Apparently, birds are easier to catch than squirrels. Tigerkit feels like she sees way more squirrels than birds... but what if she was wrong? She would glance to Softsight, looking to see if she would confirm or deny this claim... She doesn't wanna catch birds if they're easy.​

 

[Tybalt [Stagstrike]]

Tybalt only shrugged his shoulders, unbothered by Palefire's scolding. He still thought Stormkit should at least try the squirrel, lest he become pickier in the cold months when he wouldn't have the option to do so, but he supposed there wasn't much he could do about it. His amber gaze flitted briefly to Tigerkit, who immediately piped up that she ate lots of things, and she would eat the squirrel if Stormkit wouldn't.

"It's good that you like lots of things," he told her, easily picking up on the younger cat's desire for praise. "It'll serve you well the older you get." He wrapped his tail over his paws and shrugged again. "If Stormkit doesn't want it, perhaps the elders will share it with you."