camp love is an echo | hearing

[budkit]

Until now, Budkit’s world has been a muffled nest of warmth and comfort - a veil of protection put up by Butterflytuft the day she rescued the newborn. Long forgotten are the memories of cold and hunger, of searching for warmth and food in the hound caused chaos. Replacing such memories are flashes of autumnal hues and sunflower eyes. The calming physical rumble of a motherly purr as Budkit is cared for day after day.

Until today that is.

Dusky ears slowly unfurled in the syrupy passage of time now stand erect. Ear canals once sealed blossom into existence, gathering sounds in hushed whispers slowly increasing in volume. She hears. The vibration of Butterflytuft’s purr, the consistent thrum of her heartbeat, is alive in Budkit’s sense of hearing. Curiosity tilts young head to the side as baby blues stare at her mother’s flank in wonder. Another noise, sudden and distant, peels her attention away and casts it towards the nursery’s entrance.

“Mmrrrp?” Budkit chirps in response, head bobbling and legs wobbling as she tries to stand and get a better view (she can see just a little bit farther now) of the source of the sound. It’s a little bit alarming - visible in the way her triangular tail is raised and the close proximity she keeps to her mother - but childlike wonder does keep her vigilant.

/she hears!! anyone is free to have made the loud noise if you want, this is just a fun little development thread for bud <3​

[ penned by kerms ]​

 

[ricepaw]

She's been so incredibly bored since her friends have left the den. It feels empty now, too, but now she has all the time in the world to keep herself busy. She had recently gotten a leaf of her own that had blown in to her face earlier, and is now idly batting at it as it flutters in the breeze. Except, when she reaches out to bat at it again, she misses and it smacks right in to her face again, specifically almost in to her nose.

This action causes her to sneeze. It's not a dainty sneeze as its quite loud, but she cannot help it as the leaf shoots from her nose and catches on the wind and floats away, the sneeze wracking her body.

Mmrrp? Comes a quiet little response and Ricekit has half a mind to cuff whoever made the quip over the ear, irritated that she had been perceived in the first place. She whirls around to look. Theres a wobbly kitten standing at Butterflytufts side. "Oh. Hello. Hi, wow, you can walk. I mean, stand." though it sounds sarcastic, leaving Ricekit's lips, shes completely genuine in her observation; shock sparks in her eyes as she gazes upon Butterflytufts newest little one, one who had been a little too young for her to play with when Hollypaw and Candorpaw left her behind for the apprentice den.

"Can you talk yet?" shes curious of the extent that the kitten had grown. Can she play? Would she throw a mossball back if she throws one? Probably not, she guesses. Probably not.

𝙸𝙳𝙴𝙰𝙻𝙸𝚂𝙼 𝚂𝙸𝚃𝚂 𝙸𝙽 𝙿𝚁𝙸𝚂𝙾𝙽 -♡₊˚ 🦢・₊✧ 𝙲𝙷𝙸𝚅𝙰𝚁𝙻𝚈 𝙵𝙴𝙻𝙻 𝙾𝙽 𝙸𝚃𝚂 𝚂𝚆𝙾𝚁𝙳

• 
  ❥ ricekit
  ❥ cis female ,, she/her ,, 05 months
  ❥ kit of skyclan ,, heronstep x cauliflowercurl ,, siblings
  ❥ regal, curly-furred white she-cat with striking green eyes
  ❥ "speech, f0a78e" ,, thoughts
  ❥ too young ,, single ,, not interested at all
  ❥ smells like hyacinths & lilies
  ❥ penned by chuff

​

 

[Ghostpaw!]

Ricekit's sneeze isn't enough to turn Ghostkit's head. It wasn't that far out there as sounds go, and she knows Ricekit can be a little mean if approached incorrectly. Besides, she'd found a little worm inching around in the dirt that required her undivided attention. It was the second gentler sound that drew her ebony ears. Ghostkit cupped one paw over her worm and glanced over her shoulder. She knew of the recently rescued kit (if it belonged in the nursery, she knew about it), but the little one was too little for more than being known. Was that, her? 'Mmrrrp' sounds were not expected out of Ricekit. Seeing the fluffy cloud of a kit wander curiously toward the nursery, Ghostkit didn't want to miss out on any new developments. She scooped up her wiggling friend and trotted toward the den mouth.

"Hello Ricekit!" she purrs, pale gaze flashing from her to Budkit. It was you! Woah. So she did make cute little sounds sometimes. Ghostkit had never really paid attention before. The child stared back with sky bright hues. Her tiny ears stood straight on top of her head. She looks... different. Ghostkit couldn't put her paw on it. How different can a baby be in one day? The furs on her paw tickled, and she remembered the little friend she'd brought along.
"Ever seen a worm, Budkit? Or, uh, maybe it'sa caterpillar. I dunno, but it looks cool!" She set the little creature down in front of Budkit and Ricekit, tail twitching happily as the worm began to inch once more.

​

 

[ORIOLEKIT.]

Hollywhisper has told her to be mindful of the others in the nursery, but Oriolekit can't help but exclaim "Her ears aren't broken anymore! Budkit's ears aren't broken anymore!" Her own had been folded like that not that long ago, not that she remembered. But she'd been told she was just as little as the littlest kit in the nursery was, and one day Budkit would be as big as she was and do all the things she could too!

She looked at the little friend her cousin had brought, a laugh escaping her maws. "Ooh! Budkit! Look! Worm! Wormy! Wormy worm! Can you say worm?" Could she talk? Ricekit had already asked that question though, so it was up to Oriolekit to test and see if she could. She watched intently, golden gaze locked onto the kitten beside Butterflytuft's side, unaware if she was being too loud or obnoxious.​

"Speech"​

---

STILL BOUND TO THE FLAME THAT I BEAR​

​

 

[budkit]

It seems she has drawn a small crowd, much to her… actually, this was alright. Budkit does not feel the discomfort of the unknown, finding each face approaching to be recognizable in one way or another. Not exactly familiar, but recognizable. It’s enough to keep her features from crumpling and a wail from erupting from teething maw.

A step in the right direction.

Ricekit acknowledges the seal point kit first, though her words mean little to the youngling. Budkit answers back with another “mmrp,” and even offers the older nursery resident a pearl studded smile. Ghostkit arrives second and places an intriguing thing in front of the child. It wiggles and moves sporadically. She is enamored with the creature until Oriolekit’s loud voice startles her.

Thin pelt fluffed nearly twice in size, Budkit stumbles and falls over from being caught off guard by such a projected voice. Wide eyes lock onto Oriolekit and there’s a split second of tension where it is unknown if she will burst into tears or recover. Perhaps if Ghostkit had not brought a friend then Budkit would be buried back into Butterflytuft’s plush flank, crying in alarm. However the wriggling insect becomes the pinnacle of her attention once more, Oriolekit and Ghostkit still keeping it at the forefront of her mind.

“Wuh,” Budkit babbles carefully, wobbling back to her paws and staring with oceanic gaze at the worm (or caterpillar) as it crawls closer to her wide mitten-like paws. And then in a move only a well seasoned queen could predict, Budkit jerks her head down with mouth wide open, aiming to taste and possibly eat that poor worm.​

[ penned by kerms ]​

 

[stormpaw]

( ✿ ) the slate-swirled she-kit lays idly beside her sister, dual hued optics vaguely following the shape of the leaf as ricekit batters it to submission. boredom comes easily to the siblings it seems, and with the departure of lionpaw from the den, stormkit is once again left without a partner in... well not crime exactly. ricekit and dogwoodkit are fixated on big games, with grand plans for their apprenticeships. their softer sister hangs back, makes the nursery her business. today, it means watching over their newest member. budkit is so darn cute, stormkit wants to watch her forever, but it seems the minute she takes her gaze off of the littler child, something big happens.

ricekit sneezes, and the blue tabby is about to offer a 'stars bless you' when there's a noise from butterflytuft's corner of the den. curious eyes follow her sister's words, and delight creeps into a delicate smile on the snow dappled maw. "budkit!" she'll murmur cheerfully, following her denmates to the source of interest. oriolekit comes crashing in, earning a soft hiss of disapproval as the budkit's gaze widens and tears almost well. still, it seems ghostkit's distraction has worked- the child wobbles out an almost full word, wuh, and her snout arches down, teeth gleaming in the low light, to snap up the worm.

panic floods the older she-kit, a gasp escaping her. she's about to watch her younger denmate end a life (and eat a gross bug on top of that.) "buddy, no!" she'll whisper, voice quiet but concerned. a pale paw dips in to attempt to gently shuffle the worm out of harm's way. "that's not for eating," she explains, positive that oceanic eyes will well up yet again at the disturbance.

AND IT FEELS GOOD ✿ TO BE KNOWN SO WELL

• // "#758ba4"
  
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• 
  STORMKIT ✿ SHE / HER, KITTEN OF SKYCLAN. CAULIFLOWERCURL x HERONSTEP, SISTER TO RICEKIT, DOGWOODKIT, WHITEKIT. 5 MOONS OLD, PENNED BY LAVS
  
  
  blue tabby with low white and blue/green heterochromia a long-furred blue feline with darker blue curling stripes that splash across her chest, flanks and tail. white floods the fur around her neck, the tip of her tail, her stomach, and paws. dual hued eyes of sky and forest make her pretty in an innocent way, and her body is small and lithe, although her fluffy fur makes her look larger.
  

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[budkit]

If you ask any young child what the worst word in the world is nine times out of ten they will say ‘no’. A short and concise word to end all fun; to end any interest and fixation upon an object or action that commands burgeoning minds.

Budkit is no different from the vast majority of kits who’ve come before her and kits who’ll come after.

Her prize, her object of desire, her ‘wuh’ is ushered away in a swath of quiet concern - the word ‘no’ stinging her brand new ears like an iron. It is a great injustice! And stars above the little seal point is going to make all of SkyClan know! Oceanic eyes alight in unadulterated dismay and betrayal. Her round features begin to crumple, her bottom lip trembling, and a large breath is sucked in.

A harbinger of the storm to come.

All at once the floodgates open in glorious wail. Fat tears roll down chubby cheeks as ghastly ear piercing cries fill the air. Budkit screeches until her lungs ache and she sputters on her own saliva. Brief interludes are granted to catch her breath but once she does the next thunderous wail rolls in.

All over a worm she wasn’t allowed to put in her mouth.​

[ penned by kerms ]​