private sunshine always follows the rain — sunflowerkit

[WOLFSONG]

──⇌•〘 INFO 〙 His time is often split fairly evenly between camp and the open moors, and at the moment, Wolfsong has just recently returned from a barely-fruitful hunt. The land is still cold enough to send prey to ground, and the melting and subsequent re-freezing of snow has left the plain's soil bitterly hard. He had the good fortune to catch a rabbit off-guard as it cautiously inspected the surroundings of its burrow's entrance. If he were a tunneller, he imagines he would return with more offerings, but he wouldn't want to be consigned to the gloam of hollow earth-snakes.

He cleans the blood from his mouth fastidiously before glancing at the nearby nursery. Is Sunflowerkit within? Wolfsong doesn't move to search for them, despite his budding fondness for the kit. When he's inside the heather walls, he tends to observe his clanmates as much as possible. He has many reasons for his surveillance, enough to deflect from his core impetus if ever questioned.
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[SUNFLOWERMASK]

( ❁ ) Sunflowerkit paces the nursery, delicate paws tracing a path in circles around their foster mother's mossy nest. She's looking at them strangely, they know, but they can't quite bring themself to care. They're getting impatient. Wolfsong went out on a hunt earlier, and they used that time very well, they think, rushing to ensure they completed their secret task before his return.

But now that they're ready for him to come back, they find themself annoyed at having to wait. They peek out of the nursery again and... nope, still not there. They duck back inside, feeling disappointed.

Sunflowerkit, despite their better judgement, has grown a fondness for Wolfsong. He had made a great first impression, what with the magnificent rock tower and the thrilling tail-hunt. His way of speaking is unusual and mesmerizing; they can never help but be drawn in. And, he's golden. Their favorite color. Truly, what's not to love?

Sunflowerkit pokes their head out again, and immediately brightens. There he is! The kit trots over, a confident determination in their gait, as if embarking on some important mission.​

 

[WOLFSONG]

──⇌•〘 INFO 〙 He would be a poor keeper if he weren't aware of his surroundings, especially with a man such as Sunstride to support, so the light patter of a quick, short stride doesn't escape him. Wolfsong turns to face his approaching clanmate and finds his heart warmer to see Sunflowerkit, an unmistakeable resolve shadowing their pace. He grins, his remaining eye brightening. They seem eager to see me— I wonder if they have many others to indulge their kitten whims. The denmothers have too many little ones to appease all of them.

Of course, he does not mind kitren antics; he enjoys them, perhaps in part because he understands how important happier memories can be. And Sunflowerkit has a vivacity, a spark Wolfsong would rather nurture than smother.

"The wind must have heard my thoughts and swept you here. I was just wondering whether I should steal some of Sunstride's tail for you to play with when he's too busy for us to hunt."
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[SUNFLOWERMASK]

( ❁ ) Sunflowerkit brightens when Wolfsong speaks. He always has such interesting things to say. The wind must have heard his thoughts? Can the wind do that? They consider the possibility for a moment. Wolfsong knows so much, and the wind is everywhere, so it probably hears a lot, they think. Can it hear their thoughts? They were thinking about Wolfsong, so maybe it swept them both here. That sounds nice, they like that.

The tom's offer to steal Sunstride's tail does not go unconsidered either. They had a lot of fun hunting it, and would love an ever-present target for their battles. Sunstride himself is often busy, being the lead warrior and all. Still, though, they mustn't get distracted. Another time, maybe.

After a moment, Sunflowerkit gives a decisive shake of their head, before smiling just a bit as they look up at Wolfsong. They bounce slightly on their toes. They have something more important planned, today. Sunflowerkit grabs a bit of the warrior's fur between their teeth and tugs, using their head to gesture towards a seemingly random corner of camp, before letting go and scampering off a bit in that direction. They turn back towards Wolfsong then, tail held high, waiting for him to follow.​

 

[WOLFSONG]

──⇌•〘 INFO 〙 So it seems they have something else in mind after all. Wolfsong can't complain; Sunstride would probably like a little break from his antics, after all, and when Sunflowerkit pointedly nips at his pelt, he doesn't hesitate to follow the cue. He must confess he's curious, and idly wonders if he's about to walk into a kitten ambush, but he thinks the child would make more of an effort to hide their eagerness in that case.

"Lead the way," he encourages with a warm chuckle. "I am yours to command. I only ask you let me keep my remaining eye." And he winks said eye as he walks after the smaller feline.
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[SUNFLOWERMASK]

( ❁ ) Sunflowerkit is satisfied when they see Wolfsong following after them. They react little to his words, merely continuing along until they reach a tangle of grasses near the camp's barrier. At this, they immediately dive in, not checking to see if the golden tom has stopped as well. They paw the grasses away to reveal a small and clearly newly-made pile of dirt, which they sweep at impatiently. Behind them, a fluffy tail twitches back and forth in excitement.

With their hastily-prepared surprise uncovered, Sunflowerkit seems to slow their pace. Their small form still obscures it, from this angle, crouched over its hiding place. There's a touch of worry, clouding their mind. Will he like it? They never give gifts to anyone but their siblings and Vulturemask, but Wolfsong's different. They like him. And he's never shooed them away like the other cats sometimes do, even with as much as they've been tailing after him these days. The gift isn't huge but... Well, they hope he'll appreciate it.

Sunflowerkit clutches the butterfly wing ever-so-gently between their teeth, and turns around.

It's a Swallowtail wing, though they know not its name. What they do know is its color: yellow and striped in a way that reminds them of Wolfsong. Even the flash of blue seems not unlike the tom's eyes. It's not exact, of course; the black stripes are more like a bee than a cat, and on one side the colors are so sun-faded as to be more white than yellow. Nonetheless, though, it seems too perfect to not give to him, so they set it before him, just brushing against his paw. "For you," they insist, eyes staying set on the wing.​

 

[WOLFSONG]

──⇌•〘 INFO 〙 His curiosity merely intensifies when Sunflowerkit pauses by a clump of lea at the outskirts of camp. Over their small form, he can see the recently disturbed earth, though his vision is soon obscured when they take to determinedly pawing away. Wolfsong could make more of an attempt to spy on their work, but resists; a surprise is as much for the delight of the giver as it is the recipient. Have they found something to show me? A skull, or a beautiful stone?

The reality is neither of them. The kit faces him with a butterfly's wing, the coloring not quite as crisp as they would be if still attached to a living body, but still with a sheen that the sunlight slides across. And then, even more surprising, they set it at his paws. A gift. For you, they say, in their rarely-used voice.

Wolfsong swallows, disarmed and, for once, at a loss for words. His jaw works and he gently brushes the wing with the pads of a paw, ginger so as not to damage it. "A grand gift," he finally murmurs. "We called them fiðrildi where I am from, a place where greenleaf was just a gasp before the snow found us again." He smiles then and steps close to touch his nose to the top of the kit's head. "Thank you."
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