camp i don’t want anyone ] watching

[HOWLPAW]

Howlkit sits alone at the edge of camp, the cold wind tugging at his fur. The sun hangs low, casting long shadows that make the clearing feel smaller, more enclosed. His amber eyes scan the scene, each movement, each sound—whether it's a warrior's pawstep or the whisper of wind through the trees—is registered with a measured caution. He keeps his back close to the brambles behind him—not out of fear, but necessity. No one can creep up on him from behind this way. His thoughts churn in the quiet, as they always do. Is there something more lurking just beyond the camp's borders? A threat he can't see? He had learned long ago that dangers weren't always obvious, the point only proven by the whole situation with Skyclaw and his fellow rebels. The world has claws, and it takes pleasure in striking when you least expect it. His tail flicks rapidly as his mind runs through familiar calculations: who might be trustworthy, what routes offer the fastest escape, how many warriors are in camp today, how he can avoid them when they inevitably turn on him.

He draws in a slow, deep breath, letting the chill air settle the restless pounding in his chest. Outwardly, he is still—his large frame imposing even for a kit—but his mind is always moving. Watching. Waiting. He glances toward the nursery, where the others are probably tumbling about, unaware of the invisible threats he sees everywhere. His gaze lingers for a heartbeat longer before he tears it away. He doesn't need their games. Doesn't need the hollow laughter or the soft warmth of idle chatter. No, it's safer out here, away from all that. Here, he is in control. He curls his claws into the dirt, feeling the cool earth beneath him. His shoulders are tight, but his expression remains stoic. He had learned to hide the weariness, to mask the endless stream of thoughts with silence. No one could see what boils beneath—no one except maybe him. And even then, he isn't sure he fully understands it beyond the recognition of danger, danger, danger.

He watches as a cloud moves across the sun, casting the camp in an even deeper shade. There's something comforting about the shadows. They're predictable in a way. They might hide dangers, but at least they don't pretend to be anything else. His eyes remain locked onto the slowly shifting darkness, contemplating.​

 

[TIGERPAW]

Howlkit's not alone, cause Tigerkit doesn't super like playing. Maybe she would if she was good at the games... Is the problem her not being good at the games, or are her littermates just cheaters? They're all so loud Tigerkit can barely hear herself think... Not like she really did hear that, anyways. Lots of the time, she just walks around and she feels things. She says things. Other cats would probably think that's a lot better, but she actually thinks its a lot worse...

It's probably why she passes by Howlkit and she doesn't really know what to do. She doesn't have to do anything, technically... but she'd like to. She needed friends, or she was gonna be the loneliest apprentice there ever was. She really didn't want that. Raccoonstripe wouldn't talk to her. He wouldn't want other cats to know she has no friends, she bets. Plus, while it was just him and Tigerkit here, there'd be no way he could ever get distracted by someone way louder than she is. ...Howlkit picked a good spot, she thinks. It's good because she found him there first.

" Hi, Howlkit, " she greets. She always does, cause that's the nice thing to do. Tigerkit tries to follow his gaze. There's nothing to see, though. Nothing but clouds and dirt and stumps. Normal camp things. But then, she'd thought normal camp things ages ago, back when Howlingstar was here. And now she wasn't, and now Tigerkit stole her face. Worry scrunches her face. He was seeing something terrible. Something terrible that Tigerkit couldn't see cause... cause she's not good enough at it. There's an anxious swish of her tailtip. " Do you think something bad's gonna happen? " ​

 

[leafhusk]

there is something… off about the rogue sister's young siblings. they look like dogs trapped in a kit's body, with their fur stretched over an oversized body with thick paws. their grayscale patterning is unique to a cats, but she can't help remembering the dogs that would walk by her old house. overall, she isn't unnerved by the kits, they're children, stars above— their rogue history is simply obvious. they stand out when put aside someone like tigerkit.

if tigerkit hadn't spoken to howlkit, leafhusk probably would've never realized the child was nestled in the camp wall. she feels bad that his stare is a little creepy, but any kit that sits in silence like that would make her skin crawl. he is, in no better terms, sitting like a guard dog.

"nothing bad is going to happen, tigerkit." she reassures, wondering how she could've gone to such a conclusion.

"i almost didn't see you there, howlkit… are you training for your warrior vigil? that's seasons away." she lets out a short chuckle, gesturing to how howlkit stands at the wall with a lift of her paw.

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[HOWLPAW]

When Tigerkit approaches, Howlkit remains still, his large form wedged against the wall of the camp. He had noticed her coming some time ago, his keen eyes catching every subtle movement around him. After all, it was hard to miss anything when you lived with your back quite literally pressed against a wall. It's not until she speaks that a reaction flickers across his face. His hackles lift, not by much but enough to signal his unease. His eyes narrow into cautious slits, and his ears pull back, half-flattened against his head as if expecting a threat. He watches her for a long, tense moment, evaluating the small kit before him. There's a wariness in his stance, muscles coiled and ready to spring if needed. But as his gaze flicks over her, he determines that someone so small, so seemingly harmless, couldn't be a threat. Slowly, though not fully, his body begins to relax. The tension in his limbs lessens, just a fraction—enough that he no longer feels the urge to lunge and tear out her throat like Fallowbite had done to his mother. His tail lashes once, twice, behind him in nervous agitation before he finally decides to speak.

"'course it is," he mutters under his breath, his voice a low grumble, rough and guarded. His gaze breaks from her, returning to its constant scan of the camp. His eyes never stop moving, always vigilant, alert for any sign of danger, any sudden movement. His attention sharpens as he catches sight of a larger shape moving toward them. Instinctively, his body tenses once again, a low hiss escaping his throat as he presses himself further into the brambles behind him, trying to melt into the shadows. When Leafhusk speaks, her words contradicting what he had just told Tigerkit, he scoffs audibly, a sharp sound filled with disbelief. He brushes off her second sentence without a thought, dismissing it entirely. He assumes she's trying to make light of the situation, perhaps even attempting a joke, but Howlkit finds no humor in it. There is always danger, always something lurking in the shadows, waiting for the right moment to strike. His eyes lock onto Leafhusk, refusing to look away as long as she's near him. His distrust is palpable.

"You shouldn't lie. Something bad always happens," he mutters, his voice dripping with a mixture of bitterness and warning. Though he's staring directly at Leafhusk, his words are meant for Tigerkit. His gaze remains fixed on the warrior, not willing to let her out of his sight, but the lesson is for his fellow kit beside him. "Danger lurks around every corner. Anything can kill you," he continues, his voice dark and heavy, as if recounting truths he's lived with all his life. "Eat the wrong thing and you'll vomit for days. You'll get so thirsty you just... die. There's dogs, foxes, birds—things that can tear you apart in seconds." His words spill out like a grim inventory of all the threats he knows too well. "And don't even get me started on what's here, in this Clan. Other cats—they're the worst. They'll smile at you, be nice to your face, then slit your throat the moment you're not watching. You shouldn't trust anyone who lives in a Clan. They only care about themselves."

These lessons, drilled into him by Baying Hound, resurface as if etched into his very soul. His words are harsh, filled with the certainty of someone who has learned through bitter experience. "You need to be ready for it, always. So it doesn't take you by surprise when it comes," he adds, voice dropping lower, more intense. His eyes, filled with a wary determination, flick back to Tigerkit. "Look at what happened when me and my siblings got here. Your clanmates were murdering each other. If you're not careful, it's you that ends up getting murdered."​

 

[TIGERPAW]

Howlkit answers her question very easily. Not quickly— no, he glares at her first, and Tigerkit looks back at him with wide eyes and dark ears flattened. Yippingkit had done the same thing as him. They were all really scary, him and his siblings. If Tigerkit thought Lightningkit and Stormkit and Bayingkit and Twilightkit were loud, did other cats think she was loud too? She didn't wanna be loud. She didn't wanna be growly like Howlkit and his siblings either. She wanted to be nice. Maybe if she kept being nice, more cats would notice her.

She's pretty sure a warrior would've said something different. Something nicer. But Howlkit just says, course it is. " Really? " she squeaks. Something bad like- like- Skyclaw again? He was gonna come back and take away more of his family? Make Leafhusk leave again? Leafhusk, who appears not long after, swiftly denying what Howlkit himself had said. Tigerkit furrows her brows as if conflicted. As if Leafhusk wasn't obviously the special one, and she shouldn't obviously listen to her... That wasn't true, though. No. She should... should listen to Leafhusk. Tigerkit cranes her neck at the Lead Warrior, intending easy agreement, but for some reason its hard to get out.

Howlkit says she's lying though. Would a Lead Warrior lie? Tigerkit thought her kin couldn't le, but Skyclaw did. " Always? " she parrots. " Anything? " And suddenly, Tigerkit wants to cry. She is crying, actually. There are wet spots on her face. Was everyone nice to her gonna try and kill her? A whine wells up in her throat as Howlkit says all these terrible, no good things. " Not anyone? " She lived in a Clan. Was she a bad cat? She didn't wanna be a bad cat. A fearful gaze flicks to Leafhusk. Was she gonna murder her? " I don't wanna get murdered! " she wails, vigorously shaking her head.​

 

[leafhusk]

leafhusk expected howlkit to simply disregard her, hiss at her to go away because she's blocking the view of camp. instead he monologues robotically about how horrible other cats are. everyone is out to get you, me, her; leafhusk's golden eyes blink in disbelief as he drags on. it's… sad to see howlkit hate the cats around him so much. to be brought to thunderclan during such a time of strife, she has a hard time arguing with his reasons. cats had murdered each other. during her time in the loner lands, she used to wonder if skyclaw would extend the attacks to anyone born outside of the clans. the pessimistic part of her wants to say yes, if they didn't stop him fast enough.

"well— hey, now, those attacks were targeted and–" she stumbles over her words, trying to catch him before tigerkit is scared any further and oh stars she is crying. leafhusk stops herself, rubbing a paw across the center of her face. "no one will murder you tigerkit." it's impossible to tell if her voice can be heard over the kit's crying. this precedent she willingly put herself into is an amazing reminder for why she doesn't want kits of her own.

howlkit's beady eyes stare into her, but she has a strong feeling the kit doesn't care about what she says. it's wrong to tip-toe away and pretend she wasn't there. even if that sounds easier than trying to encourage a rogue kit to unlearn his harmful ideologies. the sepia looks around awkwardly, knowing there has to be onlookers with tigerkit's sniffling. "you can't just say these things, howlkit. thunderclan is safe now, a lot of us worked hard for that to happen. does tanyshine know you feel this way? she can help."

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