too close for comfort now | sharing tongues

[Howlfire]

The chill in the air had been getting worse the past few days. Although Howlfire was largely warm and comfortable in the nursery with her kits for the most part, she still felt the cold, such as when she would slip outside to use the dirtplace or to retrieve some prey for herself and her children. There was no doubt in her mind that leaf-bare was once again upon them. The cold weather was never an easy thing to contend with, but Howlfire also had some not particularly fond memories stemming from this season. She could only hope that this year things would be better for her and her kin.

With her kits safely sleeping with another queen, having tuckered themselves out with a hectic morning of running around and playing, Howlfire had slipped outside of the nursery. She found herself sharing tongues with another clanmate, rasping her tongue over their neck and shoulders in a similar manner to how she might have groomed her kits. "Makes a change not to have the cat I'm cleaning wriggling about protesting," Howlfire remarked with a chuckle. "Tell me, has anything else happened since the gathering?"​

 

[Drizzlepelt]

Drizzlepelt was born right before leaf-fall, and he can hazily remember how cold he was when leafbare hit at only four moons old. He was still with his mother then, but he could tell she was struggling to connect to him as her son even back then. It was not a fun time when it was only the three of them, that much was certain. This being the first leafbare he’ll be with SkyClan will make it an interesting one at the very least, though he’s sure it will be as brutal as always. The warmth of another cat’s pelt during the night in the warrior’s den will be nice, at least.

He hasn’t seen much of Howlfire since she moved into the nursery, so he was happy to be sharing tongues with her. He chuckles himself at her remark. “Wriggly is a perfect words for kits, huh? I’m sure I’ll have fun if I ever have my own.” He really does hope to one day be in the nursery himself, but that time will have to wait. “Nothing yet, though I’m certain WindClan is plotting something. I’m hoping the other clans are willing to finally stand up to Sootstar; don’t see why not. Guess we just gotta play the waiting game.”​

 

[Springshine]

With Howlfire's kits asleep and Butterflytuft's still too young to play, Roseblaze had ushered Springkit (and Pumpkinkit if it was awake) out of the nursery. "Go play" she had urged them but if Springkit was honest she didn't really want to play but she also didn't really feel ready enough for a nap either. Instead she finds herself so incredibly bored. She is so bored that instead of doing anything else, she is dragging her paw through the dirt, trying and failing to draw recognizable shapes into the earth. Finally, after the fifth attempt she gives up. She wipes the images away with a sweep of one paw and they are gone forever. This is when she finally looks up and casts her turquoise gaze across the camp.

Her sights settle on Howlfire and she thinks 'oooo Howlfire is nice maybe she'll have a story to tell me' and she bounds over, a smile on her lips and her fluffy tail waving high in the air. "I never wriggle when I'm groomed!" she boasts proudly and Roseblaze snorts in amusement from where she lounges nearbye. Springkit shoots her a look that begs her to please be quiet and mercifully the tortiseshell says nothing. "What are we waiting for?" she asks, turning her attention to Drizzlepelt. She wasn't very good at the waiting game or the quiet game but maybe if she could play it with another clan she would want to impress them and do better?

​

 

[Howlfire]

"It was easier when they were small," Howlfire responded, letting out a fake weary sigh. "Sometimes they wriggle so much its a miracle I don't get a paw to the face!" For the most part her kits were well behaved and allowed themselves to be groomed without fuss, but there were occasions where they simply did not want to sit still and she felt as though she were grappling with full grown warriors. Before she can respond, young Springkit approaches, boasting that she was always well behaved when groomed before asking Drizzlepelt what it was they were supposed to be waiting for.

"It's true - she never wriggles when I help Roseblaze," Howlifre smiled. Her comment wasn't wholly serious and she doubted Springkit would understand the subtext but she hoped Drizzlepelt would understand and perhaps pick up on it. "Don't worry, Springkit we're just discussing another clan. It's nothing serious though, don't worry!" Well, she hoped it wouldn't amount to anything more serious than it was.​

 

[BLAZINGHEART]

THERE WILL COME A SOLDIER — Blazingkit had been sound asleep but the sound of paws shuffling and voices outside the nursery is enough to stir him from his nap, he blinks the sleep from his eyes noticing that Springkit was walking out of the nursery and suddenly, he's very much awake wondering where she was heading off to. The smaller molly boasts about never wriggling whenever she gets groomed and it makes him realize what they're talking about, the fur on his spine bristling ever so slightly as he stomps a single paw to the ground "Nuh uh! I bet you wriggle a bunch like a... Uhm... A worm!" He says matter of factly to Springkit though he doesn't mean any real harm by it as he stares at his mother as if she has betrayed him and told everyone his deepest, darkest secret of not staying still while she fixed his coat.

It is then he decides that Howlfire is his enemy today and she will not know of all the games he made up before his nap, he would have to go through all his ideas with his sisters and tilts his head listening about them discussing another clan. He completely forgets about the betrayal and his curiosity gets the best of him "Windclan should leave! They only cause trouble," He squeaks out with a frown on his face then turns to Springkit awaiting her agreement to his statement

WHO CARRIES A MIGHTY SWORD 𓆩✧𓆪 HE WILL TEAR YOUR CITY DOWN

• 

• 
  ✧ longhaired red tabby tom with green eyes
  ✧ 3 moons old; ages the 28th every month
  ✧ sexuality unknown; too young
  ✧ son of coyotecrest and howlfire
  ✧ brother to wolfkit and hawkkit
  ✧ easy to befriend; will throw a tantrum if you call him filthy
  ✧ "speech", thoughts, attacking
  ✧ peaceful powerplay allowed

​

 

[wolfpaw!]

The blustering cold was no match for the warm nursery, heated by soft bodies and love itself. Wolfkit luxuriates in each nap she takes there. The nests are feather-soft against silky kitten down, and even at the belly of a queen other than Howlfire she finds ultimate peace in her dreams. However, Wolfkit is never one to be far from her family. When they rouse, she rouses, too, and soon she is out the nursery and trailing blearily after Blazingkit.

Springkit is out here, too, to Wolfkit's delight. She'd played decently at super awesome LionClan warrior battle, so Wolfkit maintains a general warmth for the other girl, though she still finds Pumpkinkit to be quite odd. While Springkit and Blazingkit boast about their lack of wriggles, though, Wolfkit takes pride in her own difficulty: "I'm the wriggliest," she insists with some shine of pride, plumed tail sweeping across the dirt behind her. It took Howlfire ages to groom the accessories (pretty twigs, awesome pine needles; the like) out of her fur. Following her boasting is a great yawn to match the sleepy timbre of her post-nap voice.

However her commitment to difference does not last long when Blazingkit proclaims that WindClan should leave. Leave to where, she isn't sure, but she sincerely agrees and signals such with an emphatic nod. "WindClan is a whole bunch of meanies," she echoes. "WindClan leave! WindClan leave!" Amber gaze finds Blazingkit, hoping to rally her brother into a chant.

𝐈 𝐅𝐄𝐄𝐋 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄 𝐓𝐎 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐂𝐎𝐑𝐄 ☾ 𝐈 𝐅𝐄𝐄𝐋 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄 𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐍 𝐂𝐎𝐋𝐃

• 

• 
  
  — wolfkit
  — she / they / he ; kit of skyclan
  — longhaired lilac torbie with piercing yellow eyes
  — "speech" ; thoughts
  — avatar by tropics; signature by dreamydoggo
  — penned by meghan

​

 

[Cherryblossom]

The chorus of "WindClan leave! WindClan leave!" inevitably draws her attention. Cherrypaw deposits her usual nothing onto the fresh-kill pile and traipses over to the loose throng of cats near the nursery, tail tip flicking with the faint beginnings of irritation. "It's just Sootstar that's bad, not WindClan," the molly unkindly remarks, narrowed gaze alighting first on Wolfkit, then Blazingkit. "I went on a really important journey to save everyone in the world with some cats from WindClan," Cherrypaw continues, neatly taking a seat near Drizzlepelt. "They're not all that bad."

She doesn't know why she's so casually insistent on defending WindClan, except she does. Eyes two-toned and golden, the warmth of a paw behind her ear, the dogsblood staining her nose like berry juice–Scorchpaw's memory never far behind her waking thoughts, no matter how hard she tries to leave them in the mountains. Deeper still are the memories of smoky fur against her cheeks, Crowkit's broken comfort in her ear, and her utmost confidence in their borders against the hidden tide of WindClanners. "The ones at the Gathering were some pieces of work though," she remarks, scrunching up her nose. Of course, she hadn't seen Scorchpaw at the Gathering either.​

 

[Springshine]

Springkit is absolutely delighted when Howlfire comes to her defense and states that she never wriggles when she helps. Of course not! Because she was a delight of a kit. Or so she had been told once. She wants to believe she's good, anyways. She doesn't argue with her mother and she always takes naps when she's supposed to and, unlike Pumpkinkit, she's never smacked a newborn on the head so she has a lot going for. Pridefully, she puffs up her chest fur and beams at the other queen. But then Blazingkit comes and like the party pooper he is he interjects to say he bets she wriggles all the time. "NUH UH!" she fires back "Your ma just said I don't and you do, are you saying your ma is a liar Blazingkit? Because that's not very nice if you are." and then as if to prove a point, she reaches down and she licks the fir on her chest flat, glaring at the red striped kitten as she did.

She does not understand why everyone hates WindClan so much, why Blazingkit and Wolfkit do not like them. "Where would they go?" she wonder aloud. The forest was all Springkit has ever known. As a matter of fact, this camp was all she had ever known. She cannot imagine a world that spans beyond her home, though Cherrypaw is there to remind her that there was in fact something beyond the distant horizon. Something she had seen. One day, maybe she would go on a journey too! Though when she thinks about it, that sounds really scary. She would much rather be here, in SkyClan where she knew she was safe with her ma and her dad and Pumpkinkit.

The idea that there are other leaders is crazy to her young mind. In her short life, she has only ever met Blazestar, and to her he was the only leader she ever wanted to meet. All the others sound so scary! She's not sure if she would like them. Cherrypaw says that the rest of WindClan isn't that bad, but Springkit is uncertain. Based on the way the adults were talking earlier it sounded like they were pretty bad and Springkit trusts the word of grown ups over the word of someone with -paw at the end of her name so she shoots Cherrypaw a skeptical look but she says nothing on the matter. Saying that WindClan was in fact bad would be agreeing with Blazingkit, after all, and she really wanted to avoid that at any costs. She decides to change the subject instead. "Ohmygosh! Cherrypaw! You've been to a gathering? Tell us what it's like? Please please please pleeeeaaassee?"

​

 

[Howlfire]

It isn't long before two of her children begin chanting yelling 'WindClan leave!' into the air. As her children share their unfavourable opinion of WindClan, Springkit ponders where they would go if they were to leave. Eventually the chanting draws the attention of a few of their clanmates, including young Cherrypaw, who comes over and points out that WindClan wasn't in fact that bad and that it was mostly Sootstar who was bad. "Okay you two hush now," Howlfire said, flicking a tail over her kits affectionately. Although her tone is light, it is said in such a manner that if they continue chanting they would be in trouble. "Like Cherrypaw said not all of WindClan is bad. There are some nice cats who call the moors home too." Howlfire pauses and then looks at her kits with a knowing look. "Don't forget you two have a bit of WindClan blood in you," She pointed out gently. "Your father was born there before he came to live in SkyClan."​

 

[Drizzlepelt]

Drizzlepelt laughs at how quickly some of the kittens are to defend themselves, and especially at Wolfkit taking pride in being a big wriggler. It’s amusing seeing how much character they are already presenting. When he was a kit, at least from what he can remember, he was very quiet. Of course, he didn’t exactly have the best mother… anything to not make her mad. Well, when he becomes a parent himself, he’ll be better than that. Like Howlfire.

He didn’t mean for the discussion of WindClan to get so heated, but at least the ones who have actually had experience with them understand that it’s not the clan itself that’s the problem. “The issue is most definitely Sootstar. And gatherings can be fun! Sometimes… but yeah, the ones that went to this last one were obviously in staunch support of her. It was on purpose, of that I am sure.” Drizzlepelt heaves a deep sigh.

“But enough about that. I almost forgot that Coyotecrest used to be in WindClan! Not that I was around for much of that, but you know. And your dad is a lovely cat,” he says to Blazingkit and Wolfkit. “You should tell us more about the ones that went with you on the journey, Cherrypaw.” He gives a big smile, genuinely interested in what she has to say.​

 

[wolfpaw!]

When Cherrypaw chides her, and then her own mother, Wolfkit feels stupid for agreeing with her brother. She parries Cherrypaw's pointed stare and turns a similar one onto Blazingkit, as if to punish him for influencing her opinion — not that she usually minded, but usually it didn't get her in trouble. What she still doesn't understand, though, is how WindClan can both be a bunch of meanies and not so bad. Her ears twitch as she tries to comprehend it. That super important journey to save the world sounds cool, too... it sounds a lot more fun than pondering morality or whatever. Wolfkit doesn't even know what morality means, anyway.

"Oh," is all she says to acknowledge the shifting tides. Howlfire reminds her of Coyotecrest's heritage, too, and Wolfkit's nose scrunches. Well, obviously WindClan isn't all bad if her dad is from WindClan, because her dad is super awesome and stuff, so.... But it doesn't make any sense. "How come dad isn't in WindClan still, then?" she asks, blinking moon-gold eyes up at her mother. "I don't want him to be a WindClanner!" she disclaims, "but like... I don't get it." Maybe bad kittens get sent to other clans? But Coyotecrest was probably never a bad kitten, so how did he end up here? Maybe he just knew that SkyClan was the best clan ever and he wanted to live here so bad that StarClan said it was okay?

Drizzlepelt adds his opinions to the chorus and Wolfkit's head spins more than ever. So just Sootstar was the problem? Then why were the WindClanners at the gathering meanies, too? The girl's eyes narrow, and really, she thinks she might just go back to play-fighting Blazingkit, because all of this adult talk was hard to follow and sort of boring — but then, when Drizzlepelt mentions the journey, her interest in Cherrypaw's tales are rekindled. "Oh! Oh! Let's talk about that," she chirps. "How did you save everyone in the world? That's really cool."

𝐈 𝐅𝐄𝐄𝐋 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄 𝐓𝐎 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐂𝐎𝐑𝐄 ☾ 𝐈 𝐅𝐄𝐄𝐋 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄 𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐍 𝐂𝐎𝐋𝐃

• 

• 
  
  — wolfkit
  — she / they / he ; kit of skyclan
  — longhaired lilac torbie with piercing yellow eyes
  — "speech" ; thoughts
  — avatar by tropics; signature by dreamydoggo
  — penned by meghan

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