- Jun 14, 2024
- 26
- 8
- 3
The small pack of outcasts lingers near the gorse tunnel that marks the camp's exit, waiting for the final preparations to be made. Coltkit's few precious playthings are wrapped up in a big leaf that he pins between white jaws, his folded ears pinned back against his head. Once, he had longed for nothing more than to run freely up the tunnel behind him and break out into the territory, ready to prove himself as the true ThunderClanner he knows he was meant to be ( right? right? ). Now, he stands with his big paws pulled close together and his shoulders slumped, trying to take up as little space as possible, hoping in his heart of hearts that Howlingstar might suddenly call them all back. Tell them that this was their home, and that they could stay—not leave—not leave behind everything he's ever known.
At the sight of familiar tabby pelts, those of @BAYINGKIT and @TWILIGHTKIT ⋆ , his bundle drops to the ground before his ivory forepaws. Though he can feel tears fluttering insistently against the backs of his eyes like butterfly wings, he refuses to indulge them—he doesn't wanna look like a weak, scared, stupid kittypet. Even if he is. His overlong fangs dig into the soft white fluff of his chin, and his lip trembles, but he does not cry—a narrow victory, for his stocky limbs nearly tremble with the effort of withholding tears.
He doesn't wanna leave Twi and Bay behind. They're, like, his best friends—or so he thinks, 'cause Bay just looks mad all the time and he can never tell what Twi is thinking. Well, he thinks they're his best friends, and he hopes they'll still wanna be best friends when he gets back . . . but what if they don't? What if they think he's just another stupid kittypet, who ran away 'cause he was scared? His small white claws sink into the earth and he tries to puff out his fluffy chest. No! He's gonna go on an adventure, 'n protect them, c'ause then he won't be here to get them in trouble, and nobody'll try to put stuff in their food, and they'll be safe. And when it's safe for him, too, he'll come back!
" Don't worry, " Coltkit proclaims to the tabby siblings, trying to stand tall like Howlingstar, even if his head droops a little. " I'm gonna be back, like, really soon. In time for us all to become apprentices together. I promise, " he vows with a poorly concealed sniffle. He has to be back by then, he just has to! The mean cats won't stop him from having his apprentice ceremony with his friends, just like the big kits today. " And—and we'll all move in together, and make the best nests, and pick the best spots. "
" And I'll have super cool stories—and I'll be back super soon—" his voice grows watery, and his small face crumples with the effort of withholding his tears—but he defeats the saltwater temptation. His small voice rises star - bright, and he tries to sound super brave, just like Roeflame, " Don't forget about me! "
At the sight of familiar tabby pelts, those of @BAYINGKIT and @TWILIGHTKIT ⋆ , his bundle drops to the ground before his ivory forepaws. Though he can feel tears fluttering insistently against the backs of his eyes like butterfly wings, he refuses to indulge them—he doesn't wanna look like a weak, scared, stupid kittypet. Even if he is. His overlong fangs dig into the soft white fluff of his chin, and his lip trembles, but he does not cry—a narrow victory, for his stocky limbs nearly tremble with the effort of withholding tears.
He doesn't wanna leave Twi and Bay behind. They're, like, his best friends—or so he thinks, 'cause Bay just looks mad all the time and he can never tell what Twi is thinking. Well, he thinks they're his best friends, and he hopes they'll still wanna be best friends when he gets back . . . but what if they don't? What if they think he's just another stupid kittypet, who ran away 'cause he was scared? His small white claws sink into the earth and he tries to puff out his fluffy chest. No! He's gonna go on an adventure, 'n protect them, c'ause then he won't be here to get them in trouble, and nobody'll try to put stuff in their food, and they'll be safe. And when it's safe for him, too, he'll come back!
" Don't worry, " Coltkit proclaims to the tabby siblings, trying to stand tall like Howlingstar, even if his head droops a little. " I'm gonna be back, like, really soon. In time for us all to become apprentices together. I promise, " he vows with a poorly concealed sniffle. He has to be back by then, he just has to! The mean cats won't stop him from having his apprentice ceremony with his friends, just like the big kits today. " And—and we'll all move in together, and make the best nests, and pick the best spots. "
" And I'll have super cool stories—and I'll be back super soon—" his voice grows watery, and his small face crumples with the effort of withholding his tears—but he defeats the saltwater temptation. His small voice rises star - bright, and he tries to sound super brave, just like Roeflame, " Don't forget about me! "
