TO THE MOON \ crabkit

[FERNGILL]

You could tell that Pinekit was Iciclefang's daughter, in the same way you could tell Crabkit was Ferngill's nephew. Tangerine tabby stripes had been passed down, though Crabkit had been born a little more vibrant than Ferngill had... he was markedly not a runt, distinctly underdeveloped when compared with his siblings, the same way Ferngill had been. Another thing they did have in common was a bit of emotionality... a gene passed down from Mudpelt, whose yellow eyes Ferngill had seen glaze with tears on more than one occasion, usually out of happiness.

Crabkit did not appear to be sniffling for the same reason.

It was an instinctual pull to rush to his nephew's side, sympathy aglow in his sighted eye. He didn't seem to be too terribly hurt, but... sometimes injuries could be invisible. Oh, but it wasn't worth panicking just yet... "Hey, Crabkit... wanna talk about it?" His voice was soft, his best soothing adopted, silken tail poised to wrap the young tom into a comforting embrace if he needed it.

\ @CRABKIT ​

✦ penned by pin ✦​

 

[CRABPAW]

𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 Being a kit in a world full of warriors is hard. It’s so hard being small, defenseless, when danger lurks around every corner and older clanmates don’t seem to share the same concerns as he does. When he’d expressed his worry about the river flooding, one of the apprentices had said it’s stupid to worry. Crabkit doesn’t think he’s stupid, but it still doesn’t make him feel happy! He tries to keep himself from crying as he sits by the nursery, but the tricolored tom has always had trouble hiding his feelings away from the world. Sniffles escape him even though he tries to keep them quiet, but he straightens in surprise when a familiar voice reaches his ears.

"No," he says in response to his ginger-striped uncle’s question. Ferngill seems concerned for him, but he doesn’t wanna tell the older tom why he’s upset. What if Ferngill also thinks it’s stupid? "I’m scared. Salmonshade was putting shells around the nursery, for if the river floods." In spite of his reservations, the words fall unprompted from his mouth, and then he really is explaining what’s making him sad. "And I was scared, because I don’t wanna drown if the river floods, but one of the apprentices said it was stupid…" Is it stupid? He sniffles, swiping at his face with a ginger paw before looking up to his uncle with watery eyes.​

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[FERNGILL]

Right, well- at the very least he wasn't harmed, so Ferngill could quiet the quickening of his heart at that idea. There weren't many things in he world that could light a fire of anger within him, but anyone laying a paw on his nephew would manage to do so. Still, the story that Crabkit recounted did not sit entirely well with him. A lone eye of idyllic green studied the boy's face... had he not been so awash with concern, Crabkit telling his story even after refusing to might have amused him.

He met the kitten's dewy look with a gentle gaze. "It's not stupid," he assured his nephew, sounding extremely sure of himself. Every word, even in soothing, was given with conviction; a show of uncertainty now would probably only disquiet Crabkit more. Worrying was very easy when you were a kit, guarded from the world by a load of cats who all knew more than you, and who fenced you in from the outside. Ferngill remembered his own fear of the river itself- how nervous he'd been to swim for the first time.

"If the river flooded, it would be scary. There's nothing stupid about knowing that." A silken tail moved to curl around his nephew. "But Salmonshade is a very smart warrior. She knows where to put the shells to keep everyone in the nursery safe." And it was important not to make Crabkit feel small, or stupid, like he said... but, "I promise there's nothing to worry about."​

✦ penned by pin ✦​

 

[CRABPAW]

𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 The older tom’s reassurance brings a shaky smile to Crabkit’s face, because if Ferngill doesn’t think he’s stupid then surely he isn’t. Ferngill knows best, that’s why he’s a lead warrior alongside Iciclefang. But his uncle’s words still don’t soothe his fears entirely. Crabkit lifts a paw to touch the orange tail that winds around him, mossy gaze shifting to his uncle’s face. Of course Salmonshade is smart, but Crabkit still doesn’t understand how a few shells will stop water. What if it just washes away the shells?

"But… but what if there is something to worry about?" Ferngill is smart. If he says there’s nothing to worry about, then maybe the little tomkit should stop worrying. But Ferngill is also brave, so what scares Crabkit surely won’t scare him. He’s so much bigger and stronger, too… "I can swim! But not good. What if the camp floods and… and I can’t swim good enough?" He and his littermates have been taught to swim, but even little Crabkit knows he isn’t exactly a warrior yet. He and Cragkit may have pretended to be warriors saving dry-pawed cats on the journey, but he isn’t actually a hero like his mother and uncle are.​

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[FERNGILL]

What if- Ferngill wasn't too familiar with that worrying. Though in many ways he found similarity in himself and Crabkit, the fears of the young ginger tom were not shared by Ferngill's own memory of his youth. Fernpaw had been fearless to a fault, and had a brambling scar across his face to prove it, an eye blinded in a moment of stupidity, setting him back to learning how to be a warrior twice over.

"Lots of cats in RiverClan can swim well enough to carry another cat to safety." His reassurance was soft and steady, armed with the sympathy he always carried when regarding his kin. Crabkit especially earned that tenderness with thinner skin... and maybe Iciclefang would prefer he was a little harder on him, but it wasn't really in Ferngill's nature. "Even if the camp flooded, I know your mother and I would drop everything to rescue you and your denmates." Speaking with certainty might have seemed overzealous, but Ferngill truly meant every word, and trusted it all implicitly. "And it wouldn't just be us. The river's powerful, but warriors learn to master it- not just for our own survival, but for all of RiverClan."​

✦ penned by pin ✦​