private Singing praise (Luckykit)

[Badgermoon]

The thick, salty tang of blood lingered on Badgermoon's tongue as he chewed on the morsel of meat he had just taken from the rabbit which lay before his paws. His mealtime companion, Luckykit, commanded most of his attention despite the tasty prey, however: despite spending as much time as he could with his kits, it never felt like enough. They deserved all of his focus when he could spare it. "How was your morning, little clover?" inquired the broad-shouldered tom, swiping his whiskers with his tongue to clear off tiny remnants of his bite. The noonhigh sun was bright, when not obscured by wandering puffy clouds, and he had fetched a rabbit off the pile in the hopes of sharing it with his son. Now that they'd both gotten a few bites in, Badgermoon wanted to hear everything the boy had to say.

@LUCKYKIT​

 

[LUCKYPAW]

Needle-sharp teeth tear into flesh, and Luckykit pulls away with another bite, albeit messier than his father's mouthfuls have been. Drops of blood stain his white chin, giving him a slightly more imposing appearance; still, a contented hum can be heard as he works his way through his fair share of the rabbit. Moor-caught rabbit might just be his favorite type of prey, he thinks, though admittedly, any kind of prey is best when he gets to eat it with his family. Today, it's just Badgermoon, and though he does miss the familiar presence of his siblings and hopes none of them are getting into any trouble, there's something special about spending time alone with his father, especially considering all the time and work his role as deputy necessitates. Not for the first time does Luckykit ponder just how important both of his parents are to WindClan - as deputy and a lead warrior respectively, they both serve as model representatives of the Clan, and Badgermoon especially helps run the Clan alongside Sootstar. Would he ever hold such a position, he wonders? Surely it would be expected, though he's not certain he could ever be ready for something like that. Sometimes, if he's willing to admit it to himself, he's not even sure he'll be ready when it comes time to be an apprentice - experiencing the rest of the world outside of camp still seems far too intimidating even on a good day.

All these thoughts and more swirl through his head, but before Luckykit can fall too deeply down a rabbit hole of uncertainty, Badgermoon pauses for a moment, asking about his day so far. "Well, it's been pretty good - me 'n Scorchkit and Rumblekit and Frostkit were playing for awhile, but Rumblekit got distracted and Scorchkit followed and the game kinda fell apart from there. And the wind hasn't been so bad today! It hasn't even knocked me over yet or anything!" The boy chirps, happily rattling off this morning's activities. All things considered, it was a pretty typical day - the only outlier, really, was right now. Luckykit's certain that he'll meet up with at least some of his siblings soon enough and they'll find something else to occupy their time, but a small, selfish part of him hopes that they don't come looking for him, that nobody comes to get Badgermoon back to work. Even if they're just eating and doing nothing else, it's still their time, and he's suddenly determined to make the most of it. Another contemplative bite and he's summoned a question of his own - "What about you? Have you done anything fun today?" Being deputy is a serious, important job, but surely he didn't have to be serious all the time, right? Everybody needs to have a little fun sometimes, or at least that's what Luckykit thinks - even if 'fun' to one cat didn't mean the same thing to another.​

[ PENNED BY HIJINKS ]​

 

[Badgermoon]

Sometimes he felt a little like an outsider, looking in: after all, these were his first children, but Scorchstreak already knew what it was like to be a parent. Her expertise, plus the amount of time she spent with them by dint of her being their mother, sometimes made him feel superfluous. As the kits grew older, their ability to play together and the little worlds they invented made him feel even more distant. He was determined, though, to allow nothing to get between himself and his kits - they were perfect, every single one of them, and he was going to do everything in his power to show them he loved them. The deputy watched in amusement as Luckykit ate - messily, dribbling blood on himself; not quite an expert yet in the art of eating solid food - and listened as the boy described his day. "It can be hard when people stop being interested in your game." agreed Badgermoon solemnly. He could easily imagine Rumblekit and Scorchkit meandering off to investigate something more intriguing, and Frostkit and Luckykit left to try to play on their own. "You're getting big and strong, that's why!" he purred, extending one speckled forepaw and attempting to gently bap the little tortoiseshell. "Look, not even your ol' dad can push you over!"

Badgermoon nipped off a few more bites of rabbit, only to be surprised by Luckykit's questions. "Thank you for asking, my little sprout. That's very nice of you." had he done anything fun today? He'd organized patrols, like usual...he'd taken Snakepaw out for a bit of battle training...he'd caught a pair of field mice...he'd almost fallen into one of the tunnelers' damn holes..."This is the most fun thing I've done all day." said the bicolor tom after a thoughtful pause, offering a grin. "I can't think of anything better than spending time with my son." he flicked his white-tipped ears, contemplative, before mrowing, "When you're done eating, I wanna show you something cool. You up for that?"​

 

[LUCKYPAW]

Rabbit temporarily forgotten, Luckykit nods along at Badgermoon's words in silent agreement. It always seems like things slowly peter off rather than having an abrupt, agreed-upon end, and while he knows he can't exactly blame his littermates or his denmates for wanting to play something else, it's still frustrating when someone wanders off, or when the game they started with turns into something else entirely. There's not enough time to get worked up at the thought before Badgermoon has moved on to the topic of the wind, and so does he. Luckykit's chest swells up in pride as his father says that he's grown strong enough that the wind can't knock him down anymore, content in this moment to believe it's true and to leave the questions that come after the next strong gust for later. Badgermoon prods at him, and though he sways, not expecting the sudden touch, he doesn't tip over; giggles quickly bubble up in his chest, and he pushes back, small paws meeting a much larger leg. "I'm gonna even bigger and even stronger one day, so you better watch out!" he chirps out, standing up to be as tall as he can make himself. Sure, he won't ever be large enough to rival Badgermoon, but Luckykit hopes he'll be at least half as big as his dad; to him, even that's something impressive.

"Really? The most fun you've had is eating with me?" He can't help the frown that creeps up, stealing away the smile from only moments before. Not that Luckykit thinks he's bad company (at least, he hopes he isn't, since nobody's complained about him before), but eating doesn't seem all that fun. Maybe if he were really hungry, he supposes, but even then it still feels like it would be less fun than just being happy in general. It catches him off guard when Badgermoon adds that he can't think of anything that's more fun than being with Luckykit. "Nothing else?" he can't help but ask, owlishly staring up at his father. There's all kinds of other fun things out there, and Badgermoon thought that spending time with him was more fun? "Even more than, um...more than hunting?" Truth be told, he's not entirely certain of what warriors do for fun, let alone the deputy, so he just throws something out at random - surely hunting is something that's fun, right? When Badgermoon reveals that he has something cool he wants to show Luckykit, his eyes light up. "Oh! Like what?" he questions, whiskers quivering in anticipation. Normally, he's not one for surprises, but he trusts that whatever his father wants to show him will be okay - after all, Badgermoon would always protect him from anything. Almost an afterthought, he tears another mouthful of rabbit off, making a show of finishing his share of the meal.
​

[ PENNED BY HIJINKS ]​