WAYWARD SON // joining.

[Cottontail]

@MILKYKIT @Violetkit
// Feel free to reply before them! They are four months old, and are still only called Milky and Violet.

Her tail balances her properly as she carries two sleepy kits on her back. Blue eyes watch as birds flutter above head, the sun setting just right that the moon slowly rises into the sky. She watches as cats move along the trees, clueless of the words they spoke, for everything fell on deaf ears. Her eyes blink momentarily, a broken chirp leaving her lips to catch their attention. When they don't respond, Cotton rolls her eyes.

"H-Hello?" Cotton croaked out loudly, voice cracking with effort. Her tail lashes behind her, and the pale femme waits. And waits. And waits. She begins to wonder if this was a good idea.​

 

[QUAILFEATHER]

Quail's hearing isn't what it was when she was a younger molly, admittedly, and she's startled almost out of her dappled fur when a white queen calls out to her with a loud voice. The torbie turns forest-colored eyes on the newcomer; they are round with her surprise, at least until she can get her heartbeat to slow.

"My apologies, dear. I get distracted sometimes." She comes to sit before the newcomer, peering over her shoulder to see the two kits resting peacefully on her back. "Oh! You're a mother! They're beautiful." She purrs. It's been so long since she's seen babies that small.

But she assumes the pale queen is here for a reason, and she resumes her stately posture, tone turning businesslike. "Have you come seeking shelter for you and your children, then? Our leader is Ember. She'll be along soon, I'm sure."
​

PENNED BY MARQUETTE​

 

[Leafshade]

SO YOUNG, YET SO BROKEN​

---

Leaf was stalking back towards camp, a squirrel hanging limply from his jaws as the only sign of what he had been up to. He also had a bird to go back for, but the furry rodent was fatter and he assumed it would be a better contribution to the fresh-kill pile.

A loud and cracking 'Hello?' would stop him in his tracks, dropping the prey for just long enough to scent the air and confirm that this wasn't a clanmate he knew. The fur along his pristine white shoulders would bristle and, scooping up the prey once more, start to hurry towards the direction the ear-grating voice and unfamiliar scent were coming from.

The scene that he found upon arrival was a strange one, the old annoyingly nice molly Quailfeather was already happily greeting this new face as if they were lifelong friends and not some cat blatantly trespassing. A soft growl of warning would rise in his throat as he prowled forward, moving to flank the elder molly in an almost protective manner. He may not be keen on her, but she was still a clanmate.

His steel blue eyes would harden at first, an attempt to appear ready to defend should the molly be a threat, but then he spotted the two small bundles riding on her back. Leaf would stiffen, almost recoiling back from the queen and her kits, but forced himself to hold still.

He had just growled at a queen. If his mother had been here she would have scolded him for his poor manners. Claws sinking into the ground the blue point would appear conflicted, before he suddenly stepped forward and dropped the squirrel at the molly's paws and motioned with his head towards the kittens, "For them. If they're hungry..."

Turning around to hide his embarrassment, he would grumble a low, "I'll get Ember..." to Quailfeather before casting one more look back at the white she-act and then hurrying away to grab their leader.

//
@ember
​

 

[. Wildflower .]

✵ ღ ☾ LOVE WITH EVERY STRANGER - Truthfully, Cotton’s call couldn’t have come at a more inconvenient time for Wildflower.
Crouched in a perfect hiding place, her eyes were wide with juvenile excitement as she was prepared to spring out and scare Quail. She had never been able to sneak up on the wise molly like this before, and with all the recent events, Wildflower was finding it hard to get quality time with her like she was used to- so maybe a prank would catch Quails attention!
But right before she was going to spring, a voice came from somewhere, and Quail quickly turned to follow it.
Curious, Wildflower was left to instead stumble out of the shrubs in a hurry, catching a leaf or two in her ashen fur.
Trotting to the older molly’s side, Wildflower was met with Cotton, and two kittens. ❝ Oh hello! ❞ Flow began to gush, watching as Leaf strode away. ❝ Where have you guys come from? ❞ She asked to Cotton, her head tilting, they must be hungry and thirsty! Hopefully Ember would arrive soon.
❝ Speech. ❞

THE STRANGER, THE BETTER​

​

 

[KINDLEHEART]

It seems like, with the arrival of ThunderClan, Kindle sees more and more new faces with each day that passes.

This time, it's a white she-cat. A mother, by the look of the kits she brings along.

Kindle isn't as swift to meet new faces as Quail and Wildflower are, the two inevitably meeting the newcomers before his paws are able to take him to the voice he - and everyone else, apparently - had heard.

Both Quail and Leaf speak of Ember, of getting her, of her showing up soon. Is that how things were going to be around here, now? Every new face must go through Ember first? Odd, this whole ThunderClan thing.

"Hello," he says with a nod to the mother, "Have you been traveling long?" She must be hungry - her kits too, if that were the case.
​

 

[emberstar]

"WE ARE THE BROKEN ONES, WHO CHOSE TO SPARK A FLAME"​

Concern, that had been the first emotion the sight of Leaf hurrying toward her brought. He had headed out with a whole patrol, hadn't he? It was strange that he should return so quickly, and without any of his clanmates. The sight brought to mind her own ill-fated patrol, that had sent her scurrying back to the pine group's camp to tell Rain that one of their number had been attacked.

Fortunately, it was far gladder news that was brought back to her. The possibility of a new member instantly squashed her fears, and she followed her clanmate's lead eagerly.

"Heya!" she called out brightly the moment she spotted pelts through the trees. She raced ahead of her guide, winding her way though her clanmates to get to the new face in their midst. Or, rather, new faces she quickly ameneded as the two smaller forms atop the pale molly caught her eye. "Oh, and hello to you both as well!" she greeted once more, this time a fair bit quieter. "My name's Ember, an' I'm the leader of Thunderclan. Nice ta meetcha!" her introduction came with a practiced grin. It seemed she was saying those words more and more often as of late, not that she was complaining. "Now, what brings you around here?"​

✦ ★ ✦​

 

[MILKYKIT]

Camouflage activated! Or, attempted to activate. A soft, fluffy cloud of bleach white fur tried to melt into her mama's long fur. Paws kneaded a makeshift nest as her face pressed securely against her mother's back. She blended in well, a knot in her mother's otherwise perfect fur, but her position was easily given away considering her twitching tail and trembling frame.

Blue eyes dared to look up. Regret, so much regret. Stranger danger! So, so many cats were swarming them. A grey molly was talking - or perhaps rapidly flapping her lips around. It certainly seemed that way because none of the words registered in her brain.

A cream-pointed molly emerged from the nowhere. Like termites, they were crawling out of the woodworks. Milky had never seen so many cats in her life. The most recent arrival looked up at her and, for a moment, their eyes made contact. Oh, no. No, no, no. She'd been spotted. Why had she let her curiosity get the better of her?

She held her breath as her face burrowed back into a sea of fur. Maybe they'd forget they saw her. ​

 

[Cottontail]

First there was one, an older molly with a kind air about her. Then, another joined- a tom with what seemed to be a bit of a hesitance to see her. There's words on the male's lips as he drops prey at her paws then saunters off looking guilty, and Cotton tilts her head in confusion. Had she come to the wrong place?

And then there was three, then four. Two more unfamiliar faces, and Cotton couldn't find it in her to do anything else but smile. She didn't understand the words being spoken, the symphony of voices seemed to wade beneath waves of silence; and Cotton was left to watch and nod along awkwardly. She feels the claws of her kits in her pelt, but they don't hurt- merely a reminder of their presence. Not that she'd ever forget them, anyways.

A fifth face arrives, one with the air of authority, and the tom that had left before had returned. She takes a second to lick down a stray piece of fur that stuck up on her chest, nervously grooming herself to prepare to greet what seemed to be the Leader with how the young tom treated her. She doesn't get their names as easily, but their appearance is filed away in her memory for later. Perhaps, she thought, she could talk to them privately and personally get to know them if she and her kits are permitted to stay here. She waits for Ember to finish talking, and then- she finally parts her jaws to speak; the unmelodic voice crawling its way out of her throat.

"I'm.. Cotton. T-Theesee.. A-Are my kits, Violet 'nd Milky." The molly meows, paw lifting to her chest then pointing to her two kits that nearly blended right into her fur. She smiles at the prey at her paws, looking over Ember's shoulder to Leaf- and smiles, thankful for his generousity. There's a shine in her eyes, and tears threaten to spill past; these cats were so nice to her. This was very much unlike her twolegs, and their treatment of her.. She swallows back her own tears, then re-establishes her confidence, ears flicking forward despite not hearing a sound.

"I heard, ah.. A-About.. A new colony, and I.. wanted to join?" She states, unsure; was that the question most of them would be asking? Perhaps so, seeing as she was a stranger here. ​

 

[Violetkit]

"You were red and you liked me 'cause I was blue"​

The ride here was uncertain and quiet, would this be a place for them to call home? Or would they be chased out of this like they had been before? It was uncertain, but a little glimmer of hope shone in her chest as they moved. Third times the charm right? Well that is what she hoped would happen, and she peaked over her mothers' head as they came to a vast forest. Tall oaks and maples stood strong, leafed branches waved in the breeze and prey carried on the wind. It seemed promising! Though that little shimmer of hope seemed to falter as faces began to appear.

Ears went back against a small head, voices sort of graced her ears but they sounded like they spoke with cotton in their mouth. There was also so many of them! Fear spiked in her chest and she shrank back into her mothers' fur for a moment, watching Milky shy away fro the amount of stranegrs tha appeared from the depths of the bushes. Violet could feel the movement of her mother as she opened her mouth to speak, her wavering voice trying to be confident, and the little point kitten got down from Cottons' back.

"We wanna join! Our home was really stinyk!" Violet spoke shortly after her mother, repeating what she had said though the kit didn't seem to notice the words. Her own voice was loud like she was yelling over a louder sound, and her tiny tail stuck straight up behind her. ​

✦ ★ ✦​

 

[emberstar]

"WE ARE THE BROKEN ONES, WHO CHOSE TO SPARK A FLAME"​

Ember's eyes lit up at the question she had been hoping for. "Of course! We'd be glad to have you, all of you." She added with a nod toward the children atop the mother's back. Kits, in her clan! The idea filled her with a buzz of nervous excitement. It made the place feel more like a home, more worthy of protection. It also made that protection all the more important, she made a mental note to reinforce the camps defenses. Just another item on her to do list.

Unfortunately, one child didn't seem to take kindly to her greeting. Burrowing her face into her mother's fur the moment their eyes made contact. "Oh uh-" Ember stammered, glancing about uncertainly. "Don't be shy!" she tried to encourage. She didn't have any experience with kits, she realized. Was she doing this right?

The other kit hopped down to address the gathered Thunderclanners. For a moment all she could do was blink, then she burst into laughter. It had just been so out of nowhere! Besides, stinky was a really funny word. "Well Violet," she began with a bright smile, "I promise your new home won't be stinky." She glanced back up toward Cotton. "We can lead you back to the camp now if ya'd like?"​

✦ ★ ✦​