pafp Something’s wrong, but don’t pity me for long! || orphans

[Emberpaw]

The ground was really squishy where Mama had left them. It was wet, too, but everywhere was, thanks to rain or melted snow. The two siblings were quite content to huddle together beneath the sparsely set pibe trees, protected from prying avian eyes. But their contentment could only last so long. Ember tried her best to sit still, but as the sun streaked slowly across the sky she found herself fidgeting. Her sibling was just as restless.
“It’s hot,” the kitten muttered, peering up at the light that filtered in through the branches above. Ember was inclined to agree, her dark pelt not doing her any favours. Mama had been gone for longer than usual. But we can’t leave! How would she find us again?

She tried to quiet her sibling, but to no avail. The youth would not be placated in the uncomfortable heat.
“Let’s find something to drink, and then we can come right back!” The thought was tempting. Ember was rather thirsty herself, and surely if they hurried back, Mama wouldn’t even know they’d gone!
“Okay, but we gotta be fast,” Ember murmured, following after her sibling as the pair of them scrambled out of cover. She lifted her nose up, trying to sniff out any hint of water, but in the marsh everything smelled a little bit watery. Luckily, it didn’t take them long to come across a shallow pool. The kittens approached hopefully, but instantly Ember felt uneasy. The surface of the water had an ugly green sheen that looked almost slimy. It was out in the open, sitting beneath the blazing sun, and Ember could feel the heat rippling faintly off it.

“Not this one, it’s yucky,” she announced to her disappointed sibling. “C’mon, we gotta hurry up.” They journeyed on, and Ember tried hard not to think about how much time was passing. Each puddle they stumbled across was the same, shallow and green and slimy to the touch. As desperate as they were growing, something inside her warned against even tasting the grimy pools. The forest around them began to thicken, and the kits once again grew hopeful. With more shade, there was a chance they’d find a pool that wasn’t all hot and murky, surely. They wandered on, catching sight of a muddy ditch next to a semi-steep rise of gravel that stretched on and on into the distance. Ember had never seen anything like it. Curiously she padded closer, only for her ears to be filled with a faint rushing sound. She paused and the sound grew louder, growing into a growl, and then into a roar. Ember flattened herself to the earth, every muscle in her small body tensed with terror. I have to hide! It’s gonna get me! But despite wailing silently to herself, she couldn’t unstick her paws from the ground to flee.

With a guttural howl, something massive flew past her on the top of the ridge. Ember’s ears stuck down hard against her skull, nearly disappearing as she squeezed her eyes shut. Slowly, the horrible sound faded away, replaced by the frantic beating of her tiny heart. Am… Am I still here? Carefully she peeped open her eyes and was met with the sight of her sibling sprinting toward her.
“Ember! Are you okay?”
Tentatively she nodded, rising to her paws. Nothing hurt, except for the ringing in her ears.
“I-I think so. But we should go back, Mama’s gonna be so worried if she can’t find us!” Ember started to walk forward, eager to put some distance between herself and the ditch she’d been lying in. After a moment she paused, gazing around uncertainly. A forest of tree trunks stretched out before them, dark boughs all waving in sync with one another. Which… Which way is home? Try as she might, the memory of the path they had taken to get here eluded her. The beast’s howling seemed to have shaken her very mind.

“W-Where are we?” she asked, turning to her sibling. She was met with a pale, frightened look of confusion. Oh no. In the next moment Ember had curled herself around her sibling, murmuring that Mama would find them as long as they stayed put. They would be okay, of course they would be. But as the sun crept ever downward, Ember believed in her words less and less. Every now and again a roar would come from the ditch, for they hadn’t left it that far behind, and the pair shivered against one another. Tears welled in Ember’s eyes, slipping down her face and soaking into her pelt. Hurry up and find us, Mama. Please hurry. The sky darkened to unveil the stars, and still there was no sign of Mama.

/please wait for @CHILLEDSTAR. to post!

 

[CHILLEDSTAR.]

DON'T YOU GIVE ME UP, PLEASE DON'T GIVE UP​

---

the forest as still as unforgiving as the day that they had made it their home. it had not cared about age, gender, or creed. the wetlands cared not for anything but survival of the fittest. it was a surprise the kittens hadn't become prey to something much larger than they. it was pure luck– maybe the kits had the stars upon their side.

chilledstar found themselves out for a late night stroll. they liked night hunting. the prey that came out at night was much more delicious than those that hopped around during the day. their tail was gently tucked to their side as they crouched in position. their gaze landed on an unsuspecting mouse, nose twitching at the scent. with a blink, the feline leaped forward, crushing the prey in their paws, jaws crushing it's neck rather swiftly. with a twitch of their tail, they stand up with it in their mouth, nose twitching as their ears perked up at the sound of something else. with a squint, they move to investigate, only to find kittens. their eyes widened as they realize there is no other scent. no mother. no father. no parent of any kind. well... shit.

"er... hey. did... you guys get lost? are you alright?"

of all the things... they weren't good with kits. they just weren't. what the hell did one say to terrified kittens?
​

 

[ROOSTERSTRUT]

❪ TAGS ❫ — Roosterstrut hadn't been meaning to intrude on Chilledstar's privacy, but he could not help but curiously make his way over to where they stood upon overhearing them addressing what he could only assume to be a stranger ( or pair of strangers ).

The orange tabby tom appeared from beyond a nearby tree, padding over as a concerned expression emerges upon his features. Kits in the forest alone without a guardian was certainly asking for trouble, considering the predators that roamed the territory. An image of a fox instantly crops up in his mind, which he tries to suppress while focusing on the situation at hand.

Roosterstrut adds after Chilledstar, "It's okay, kits. We're here to help." He hopes that his presence can provide some comfort to the pair. The leader's aura was pretty, well, chilly most of the time. He speaks gently, aiming to reassure the children that they were safe with them. "Where are your parents?" Roosterstrut was about to inquire as to what clan they were from, but he can't detect a particular scent on them. They must be loner-born.​

 

[Emberpaw]

A sudden thud and the squeal of death were the only warnings the kittens had that they were no longer alone. Ember sucked in a terrified breath while her sibling seemed to turn to stone beside her. She turned her head to see a shadow looming over them, but rather than being afraid, Ember suddenly brightened. The figure was feline, a ghastly familiar in the dark.
“Mama!” she cried out before leaping toward the figure. I knew you’d find us, I knew it! Then a strange scent filled her nose, and the kitten drew back, though not soon enough to avoid bumping into the stranger’s leg. Oh… The feline before her was dark in colour, as the children’s mother had been, but their similarity to her ended there. This cat was bigger, smelled of swamp, and their eyes shone with the crystalline blue of a joyful sky.

“S-Sorry, i thought, I thought maybe-” Her throat seemed to close around her voice, preventing further words from coming out. Thankfully, the stranger seemed shocked by their find, but not angry or mean. It can still be okay. Maybe they’ll wanna help, she thought, and emboldened by their concerned words Ember nodded frantically.
“Yeah! We waited and waited all day for Mama, but she was gone so long, we got thirsty, and we didn’t mean to go so far, but all the water around here is really stinky, so we kept walking, and then some horrid beast shouted at us, and we ran away, and, and now we’re lost!”

Lost kits. Lost where Mama will never find us. Because if she was going to, wouldn’t she have done so by now? Ember didn’t have a fantastic grasp on what a long time was, but her belly was rumbling like she hadn’t eaten in her whole life. While her sibling watched warily on, Ember suddenly pressed herself to the stranger’s leg. They weren’t Mama, but their warmth was comforting, and the child needed that right now.
“Youre not gonna leave, right? We-We don’t know where we are, or where we should go, or, or anything!” Sudden movement just beyond her vision caused her heart to leap, and a ginger tom appeared from the void. It scared Ember to be facing two strangers now, but the newcomer seemed friendly. “You are?” she whispered, hope flooding her viridescent gaze. “We don’t know where Mama went, we don’t know where she even left us anymore.” What an awful idea it had been to leave that spot. Even if their mother had returned, how would she ever find them now? Tears pooled in the young kit’s eyes, and she looked up pleadingly at the cat with the bright blue eyes. “Whatre we gonna do?”

 

[SHARPSHADOW]

† The marsh's nights are far from lifeless. Prey teamed under the darkness in the same way that ShadowClan did. Some of them just preferred it. A cat like Chilledstar may take to melding underneath the darkness of night. For a short time, being less out of the blinding eyes of their Clanmates. (Would they be even more in the eye of StarClan, though? Did StarClan care?). It's not as if Sharppaw sympathizes. ...It's a part of the job. They should be judged before they can become unwanted.

Sharppaw and Roosterstrut probably ruined that for them, though. Both them and the kits they found. Maybe one of them can add onto what another has taken away. This would be terrible without Roosterstrut. Sharppaw's eyes are like the moon they look under. Black paws shuffle awkwardly underfoot. She probably looks stupid.

How did they end up here? It's a sorry place to end up. They're not the first ones though, and they probably would not be the last. Sharppaw thinks of Loampaw. She breathes shakily through her nose.

They're scared, and Sharppaw stands by owlishly as they scramble to retrace their kittish steps. Their mom wouldn't find them, he realizes. The thought makes Sharppaw frown. He's about as good at this as Chilledstar is, and he feels like that's something he should be worry about.

" I'm sorry, " he tells them. About their mom? He's not entirely sure. Something along those lines, he thinks. He's in no position to say anything further.​

 

[CHILLEDSTAR.]

DON'T YOU GIVE ME UP, PLEASE DON'T GIVE UP​

---

"uh... what?"

the leader's eyes shrink back in confusion as they slightly move away from the kit that bumped into them. she stutters out a response of apologies, insisting that she thought that chilledstar had been their mother or father. they're not sure. the kit cuts herself off before they know what they're going to say. their ears flicked as they listened to the squeaky voice spill out words. they're trying to listen but something makes them uneasy. who in their right mind leaves their kits out here... in the swamps of all places? the darkness can only provide so much cover to kittens who haven't yet navigated their own night vision. with a grunt, they look over at roosterstrut, their fur prickling upwards as they feel a tiny body press against them. their heart begins to hammer with a certain feeling of uneasiness. the kit was asking... them if they weren't going to leave? had the poor thing gotten attached to the leader? oh, stars. they're asked another question and the leader only sighed in an almost defeated manner.

"i... cannot tell you where your mother has gone, for i do not know."

sharppaw apologizes, and they seem confused by it. what the hell did she have to be sorry for? it wasn't like it was his fault these kits got abandoned here. a once common problem within shadowclan... one that they thought they wouldn't have anymore now that leafbare had been over. clearly not.

"come on, kits. you have names? we can get you settled in the nursery with a queen who can offer you warmth and comfort."

they offer but they don't know what to expect response wise. these kits, one of them at least, seemed to want to be around chilledstar. an unusual feeling for sure. they were never one to attract so much attention from kits.
​

 

[Emberpaw]

A third cat looms in the darkness, and Ember presses closer to the sky-eyed feline. This one is smaller, younger, and much more uncertain than the first two. His uncertainty makes Ember nervous, but he doesn’t seem at all mean, really. She murmurs out an apology, and while the kit doesn’t exactly know what for, she nods shyly. As Chilledstar speaks up after a long silence, the child was only too eager to answer them.
“Oh yes, my name is Ember,” she mewed, while her sibling mumbled a name of their own, shuffling closer to the group. “Thank you! We’d love to go to a, a nur-sry, and see a queen!” Ember had little idea what those words really meant, and neither did her sibling, albeit they had brightened considerably now that the fog of fear had been burned away.

We’re gonna be okay! While she’d tried not to show it for her sibling’s sake, Ember had been petrified of having to spend the night out in a strange place, alone. They’re not gonna leave us, so everything is gonna be okay. Ember stayed as close as she could to the sky-eyed cat, contact with their leg calming her frightened heart. Bad things happened when you were left all alone. The kit knew somewhere deep inside her that if Chilledstar and their friends had not shown up, something terrible would’ve happened. That feeling had swelled each and every time their mother had had to leave them alone, and that feeling had been proven right tonight. We’re safe now. They’ll take care of us. Ember wasn’t sure how long for. She really hoped Mama would find them soon, wherever she was. But until then, she clung to the only source of safety she now knew, her sibling close behind.