sensitive topics morning walks [ intro ]

C

curly

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[ ❊ ] It had felt as if the whole world went cold that day. Freezing winds brushing through gorse, reaching even the protected camp in their intensity blew into the nursery, ruffling a she-cat's fur. There was not much to do when her lungs gave out, unable to name any of her children before passing on. It wouldn't matter, anyways; it seemed leafbare had claimed them too, only one still gulping in breaths without any warmth to grasp on to as her mother's fur slowly went cold. There were no attempts to latch on, limbs struggling to move at all or even to roll over. Frecklestripe waited, then, watching the only thing he had left as her life would too surely fade in the unforgiving frigid air.

"My little miracle," he said, curled around her tiny body in the nest, licking her cheek as she let out a soft squeak. The cold sadness still remained in his gaze; everything else he had was taken from him by this leaf-bare. He wouldn't let anything hurt her, now that she was here to stay. Her chest slowly raised up and down as the kit slept with a comfortable smile on her maw. Safe and loved; that was all she wanted, and even without a mother, she had someone to be that for her. For now.

Her dad didn't come back to clean her fur or talk comforting words since then. The surprise of her being there had worn off, and the most important thing was that she stayed that way. With other queens and the medicine cats to keep her safe, Curlykit remained in the nursery, sheltered from the worst of what remained of the season, hidden away from sickness and injury. Frecklestripe went out on hunting patrols every day, only returning when his strength gave out and walking right back to his nest to sleep alone. Grief is a powerful feeling; fear maybe even moreso.

The world had began to thaw, and the sun shone down onto them in the early morning, one of the rays reaching the ground outside the gorse den. Curlykit's eyes drawn to the shine, she took a few steps outside. Her maw went slightly ajar and her eyes sparkled; everything was so vibrant! Even though it was all shrubs and small puddles and sandy ground, the camp was beautiful in the light. The three-moon-old shekit would begin to walk through, taking in the little details there were, eyes flitting through the different cats going about their day. Maybe her dad was going to be one of them? She didn't see him... maybe he had already left. It didn't matter to her much. What did was exploring and finding something fun to do.

[ a broken world with nothing less ]​
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( ❁ ) Sunflowerkit had trouble keeping track of all the WindClan cats; the faces blurred in their mind, only their family standing out among them. The only other cats they paid attention to, however, were the kits. They didn't trust many, especially those older than them, but they found themself more sympathetic to fellow kits. They even remembered some of their names! That's more than they could say for most cats

Curlykit in particular had always stood out to Sunflowerkit. She was a puzzle they just couldn't solve. Older than them, raised in the same nursery, and yet never leaving even when they already had. A permanent fixture of the nursery. Why? They didn't understand. There were so many exciting things outside! Yes, it was colder (and Sunflowerkit was very grateful for their thick fur) but there were also many pretty plants and bugs. A worthwhile tradeoff, in the kit's opinion. So when they saw Curlykit out in the camp, eyes wide and awestruck, jaws ever so slightly parted, Sunflowerkit took an immediate interest.

So Curclykit could leave! And from the looks of it, she was having some fun exploring. Well, Sunflowerkit knew a thing or two about that. It was their favorite thing to do after all. They didn't often approach other cats, preferring to stick by their family and Vulturemask, but if this was Curlykit's first time out of the nursery, that was important. So they bounded over to the older kit, tail held high in hello.​
 
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Weaselclaw's paws are sore from treading through half-frozen gorse, and he allows himself to relax before he has to go and find Sparkpaw for a patrol. The sun is bright despite the lack of warmth it shares with the Clan, and the world seems almost soft in its pale, filtered light.

He catches movement by the nursery, and turns to smile as two small kits toddle out. One of them is Curlykit, who'd lost her mother during the worst of this leafbare. She's big; almost time for her ceremony, he thinks to himself, studying the way she stumbles about. Sunflowerkit is one of the kits Vulturemask brought into the Clan -- younger, though not by much.

The tabby's eyes gleam, warmth flooding his chest. Soon, his kits will be the ones peeking outside the nursery, staring in awe at the wonder of their great moors. His tail curls up as he considers it. "What kind of trouble are you too getting into today?" Though his expression remains stern, his voice takes on a lilting note.​

[ PENNED BY MARQUETTE ]​
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Oh, kittens were so funny! The way they walked about, blank little eyes peering all over the place, tiny minds unused to thinking yet. He'd bet there was little more than goo in their skulls, sloshing about in there! Eventually those malleable minds would knit together and become a brain, knocking about in their cranium... but most of them seemed concerned with little other than playing games and toddling around camp, looking at everything as if it was new. Did they even remember what they'd seen yesterday?

Well, whether or not that was true... talking to them was always a fun bit of entertainment. Eyes set wide, unblinking, the towering wraith of a monochrome tom made his way over, sidling up to Weaselclaw's side. Even more than usual did his head drop into a playful tilt, impossibly sideways and balance, impervious to all distractions, perfectly kept. Grin, grinning- through dog-fangs he spoke cheery, light-leaking words. "If you want game ideas, I have plenty!" Alarmingly sinister a suggestion to some, but Mallowlark meant no malice by it. And besides... there weren't many trees or sticks around. Not many of his favourite things were to be done without those. ​
[ PENNED BY PIN ]​
 
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IM SCARED TO GET CLOSE AND I HATE BEING ALONE
I LONG FOR THE FEELING TO NOT FEEL AT ALL
THE HIGHER I GET, THE LOWER I SINK
I CAN'T DROWN MY DEMONS, THEY KNOW HOW TO SWIM

Coldsnap had never really paid much attention to the youth of the clan before. They weren't his concern, and he meant that in the simplest way possible; he wasn't a queen or a father, didn't know what to say or how to act with young ones, and so for the most part he just went about his business and let them go about theirs. It was recently, after being assigned Daisypaw as his apprentice, that the grey tabby had began to take note of the clans kits a little more, wondering who'd they best be paired with and what skills they might excel at once grown.

As the tom led his patrol back into camp, a rock dove in his jaws, he couldn't help but catch sight of the two kits tumbling around camp as he made his way over to the kill pile to add his catch to it. They were about Daisypaws age, probably ready to be assigned mentors soon.

He hoped they ended up with good cats and not blackhearts.

"Looks like Sunflowerkit and Curlykit are out today. Why don't you bring some prey over to share with them? They'll be apprenticed soon so it would be smart to make friends." the tom suggests, yellow eyes shifting to land on his apprentice.

Coldsnap had made the mistake of keeping everyone at an arms length throughout his apprenticeship, and because of it he now lacked many of the core skills clan cats needed to thrive.

@daisypaw ! obligatory tag for ya :D

windclan warrior - male - 12 months - a large, dark grey tabby with yellow eyes​

justify]
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Daisypaw still had a sparkle to her eye whenever she was led out of camp by her mentor. There was still so much to see, and it almost felt as though the scenery changed every time they left as more and more snow melted. Even when she got mud on her paws, or stumbled when wet grass snagged her paw, it didn't keep her down for long. There was lots to learn, and she would do her best to learn it! Even if all the running around left her sore in the mornings...

While she hadn't yet made her first catch, she had eagerly covered the basics under the watchful eye of Coldsnap. It didn't seem to put down her spirits that she wasn't actively engaging in the hunt, seemingly more than content to watch him with wide and attentive eyes, and listening to his advice. He had caught a bird! She couldn't wait for the day she caught one too.

When he spoke up her ears perked, green eyes flickering up to the dark tabby from the prey that now rested on the fresh-kill pile. She turned to look at the mention of the kits, tail lifting happily. It would be exciting to have more friends to train with, she agreed. "Okay!" she chirped, stooping down to snatch that very same dove he had just deposited.

Daisypaw bounded over, slipping right past Mallowlark and Weaselclaw and dropping it down in front of Curlykit and Sunflowerkit. "Hi! Fancy sharin' this with me? Coldsnap caught it!" She was proud as she said it, as if she were the one to catch it herself.​



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Firepaw strayed away from the nursery for the most part always watching from afar if she cared to take a look at who'd be joining her in a few moons time, the youth of the clan hardly impressed her they were to soft and squishy and way to loud and they made her uncomfortable because how in starclans name do you even deal with kits? The younger ones always looked up at her with those big round eyes; almost made her wonder if they were judging her, if they weren't staring right into her soul directly. It's like they simultaneously had too many thoughts in their head yet not at all, there was nothing for her to relate to with them anyway. When she was a kit she was already being pushed by her mother always squabbling with her brothers and back then she'd been such a little pathetic runt and despite the fire she was born with (and named after) she couldn't keep up like she wanted but now she surpassed them. She wanted to think so anyway. Watching the lonely Curlykit from where she lays basking in the sun made her wonder what it must be like to have no littermates. Despite her grievances with Smokepaw at least he posed a challenge to her, his existence pushed her to try and be better then him and well he could be much worse she wouldn't want to erase him from existence.

She doesn't see that kit in particular out at all something she blames on the fact she seemed to have no one but it's not long until she sees the smaller form of one of the little runts Vulturemask had brought in come stumbling over. Regardless how she felt about kits in general she was glad to see Sunflowerkit was healthy, they and their littermates had seemed so little and pathetic when they were brought in. She's smaller then Curlykit is it'd still be a couple moons until she became an apprentice, Firepaw would be a warrior by then starcan she might be one when Curlykit was made one if she wasn't held back. She wonders just who they'd be apprenticed to, they'd grow quick after that finally becoming part of the clan in a bigger way. Part of her had always liked when new apprentices joined her, both because they were easy fodder for her to beat up and show off to but also because well it was just nice to have new faces on patrols with her rather then dealing with Snailpaw's ugly mug besides her every day.

She gulps before reluctauntly getting up deciding to at least greet the two, her ears twitch as she listens to Coldsnap's meow followed by his apprentices mewl. She casts a look towards Daisypaw and really she's not much bigger (if at all) then the two kits. She huffs thinking for a moment before deciding that well she could try to give them something to do, something useful rather then whatever nonsense Mallowlark could think of. ❝You two. Do you wanna learn how to do some simple hunting crouches? I can show you, it'll be easy promise you can't mess up horribly if you tried❞ they were big enough they wouldn't immediately fall over under their own weight. Though the more seconds that pass the more she reconsiders just running away from the nursery like she always does. ​

( PLACE ME IN MY CASKET TONIGHT ; BECAUSE IM ALREADY DYING INSIDE )
 

[ ❊ ] Her world expanded way beyond her imagination the moment she could feel the breeze through her fur, her paws on the soft ground and a million smells flowing into her brain at once. It was like a whole new world... Curlykit had thought it was okay to stay inside. She was supposed to... she was supposed to recover, because the cold was what took her mother away. But it was not that cold anymore, at least not today, so her curiousity got the best of her. Her dad wasn't going to notice, anyway.

She smiled at Sunflowerkit, about to say something when an adult walked up to them. She scanned the warrior with wide eyes before responding with a light giggle. "I'm not going to get into any trouble, promise!" Her voice was half sincere, half proud. She was supposed to be a good she-kit, to make all the older cats proud!

Another cat came up to them, seemingly interested. She wasn't a shy kit, per say, so she brightened up at all the attention. She was happy to be talking to so many cats at once! She was going to learn all she could about the things around her... but maybe that could take a backseat to having fun. "Sure, I want to play!" She responded to Mallowlark.

Another kit would soon approach, offering some food. It smelled really good, and Curlykit nodded. She didn't know who Coldsnap was, but she was glad to get some! "Thanks a lot! What's your name?" she tried. The kits in the nursery were fun, but this one seemed different... like she knew a lot more about the world. Maybe she was already being trained?

She was quickly given another offer by an older apprentice. She was conflicted now... there was so much to take in, but it felt amazing to have everyone interested in what she was about to say. "That sounds really fun! I'm not sure what I should do first, now..." She beamed, a bit of awkwardness to her voice she may or may not actually have felt. Perhaps the others would try to race each other to get her attention if she didn't choose outright... that sounded like it'd be entertaining to watch! But, in the end, she wanted to make friends with every single one of them. And she was definitely going to - it felt like she had all the time in the world for it.

[ a broken world with nothing less ]​
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( ❁ ) Not long after Sunflowerkit approached the other kit, before Curlykit could even say a word, there was someone else coming over to the two of them. Then another, and another, and... Oh, this is why Sunflowerkit always just sticks with the cats they know. Everyone here seems so eager to talk to each other, and Sunflowerkit can't understand it, much less keep up. Even ignoring Sunflowerkit's difficulty (and often, reluctance towards) speaking, the familiarity between clanmates feels foreign; trust does not come easy to the young kit.

And so, with each new cat that approaches, Sunflowerkit becomes a bit more on edge, questions their decision to join Curlykit. Still, they're here now, and they're not one to run away. Their face remains stony as ever, though their eyes flick between each cat with a hint of uncertainty. They creep closer to Curlykit, finding comfort in the other's unbothered enthusiasm.

They're a bit offended by the first cat's suggestion of getting into trouble. Sunflowerkit hasn't gotten into trouble in days at least! And they never try to, it's just that the adults don't seem to like it when they leave camp. Or take the pretty plants out of the medicine den. So okay, maybe he does have a bit of a point, as knowing the adults don't like it won't stop them. But Curlykit's never gotten into trouble! They haven't even been to the medicine den! "I'm not going to get into any trouble, promise!" Sunflowerkit nods decisively at these words. They're true, after all.

Next is Mallowlark--it takes them a second, but they know that name. They've noticed the cat before; it's a bit hard not to, with how strange he is. They like him, despite their wariness. He's funny. They don't usually like playing with other cats, but they might be interested if it's Mallowlark. Their ears perk up at his words. But then the other two come; closer in age, that's good. They know of Daisypaw, that's another cat they'd seen in the nursery. Maybe it'd be nice to spend time with two cats their age... But oh, the idea of learning hunting crouches is so tempting too! Sunflowerkit can't wait to actually start training! Hm...

Sunflowerkit looks to Curlykit for guidance, eyes wide in anticipation, and... I'm not sure what I should do first, now..." Oh no. Well, she doesn't seem too bothered about it at least. It seems everyone is looking to the both of them for an answer, so they steel themself and speak. "D'nno either..." It's barely more than a whisper, mostly directed at Curlykit as they look towards the ground by the other kit' paws. Still, it's the most they've spoken all day. They'd only begun speaking a few days ago, but this is an important day for Curlykit, so it's an occasion worthy of using their voice. Not that it changes much. They'll let Curlykit take the lead here, they think; she seems a lot more at home in this situation than they feel.​
 
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