camp where the sky meets the sea // scars

[rivuletpaw]

Rivuletkit had seen other kittens - older ones, fascinated with their looks no doubt - peering into the puddles around camp. There had been a few times, too, where the nursery queens let them splash about the shore line and look at their own reflections. The child, almost two moons of age, is nothing but a mirror of those around her. Whilst one a master of babbling, she has begun to grasp words at a rapid pace, stringing simple few-word sentences together. She walks with a limp, mimicking that of how she's seen Robinheart move around, and she lashes her tail like she's seen the apprentices do. And today, she mimics her denmates and stares down into a puddle, waiting for it to do something.

It's entirely too boring, she thinks, simply waiting for the stagnant water to suddenly become unstill. But as she looks on, the kitten notices something. She noticed days ago, when she was told that her eyes were this... green, thing, that not everyone's eyes looked the same. She then noticed more properly that not every cat shared the same pelt - be it color, texture, or length. And now, as she stares into the water, she notices that her ears are different too. Rivuletkit has tackled in the most barest of senses the idea that her ears are tall whilst her siblings' curl inwards.

But today, as she squints into the puddle, she notices that the spot once laden with medicines and bandaging... is gone. She has an effective slice in her ear. Had Moonbeam done that? No, she doesn't... think so? Lichenstar wouldn't keep Moonbeam around if she was stealing pieces out of kittens' ears...! Rivuletkit lifts a paw and pushes it behind her ear, bending it down to better inspect it in the water. She sees better the twisting scars on her wrist then, and her memory flickers. Of the dog, of her mother's screams and her own... her ears, and the stinging pain, and... had it been then? Rivuletkit isn't sure.​

 

[CRAGPAW]

Cragkit had been watching his much younger den mate for several long moments. He is perched up on one of his watch towers, but with nothing on the horizon he grew bored and decided to watch camp instead. His head tilts, curious about what the she-kit is doing staring into a puddle, pressing her ears this way and that. Oh! She’s looking at herself! She’s looking at…oh, her scars.

With a neutral expression, the tricolored tom hops down from his perch and trots over to his denmate, coming to a stop next to her and leaning in to see her view in the puddle. “It makes you look cool!” He chirps, his tone shifting to one that is a bit more baby-voiced. She is a baby, after all. “You look like a warrior! I’m sort of jealous, you know.” He’s trying to make her happy, but he’s also not totally lying. A cool scar is just what he needs to be a true warrior. Maybe he can fight off a dog sometime soon…

He turns to Rivuletkit and grins, maintaining his babying tone. “You should wear those with honor!” ​

 

[Hawkcloud]

Hawkcloud approaches next, a smile tugging easily at the ends of her mouth as she spots the two kits beside the puddle that had formed in the dirt. Cragkit's encouraging words capture the she-cat's attention first, his tone sweet and nurturing despite also being so young himself — but it's Rivuletkit who guides her paws over to the two, spotting the way the kit studies her reflection in the water. She seems to peer at the notch in her ear, the scars on her tiny leg. The poor thing is far too young to have suffered such pain, and Hawkcloud only hopes Rivuletkit was too young to remember it.

In a sense, Cragkit is correct. Only a warrior should have to experience being injured enough to gain scars — if ever, Hawkcloud thinks. But she was still an apprentice herself when she'd had her own injury, so what is she to say? The warrior hops over to the edge of the puddle, turning so her bite-cropped tail is on display for the kits. Although her fur has grown over where the majority of her tail was once connected, leaving her with no visible scar, the short tuft is a reminder of the snapping turtle's bite that had stolen it. She tries to peer over her shoulder at its reflection now, letting out a spew of giggles over how silly she looks with her rump above the water.​

 

[Gladefrost]

The small frame of Rivuletkit made her paws move forth regardless if she wanted to or not, the sight of her best friend's kittens stirring a strange feeling in her chest. They’ll be so lucky to have their Aunt Trouty looking after them. Words of the mottled mother made her heart drop in her chest and a grit of her teeth behind a white muzzle, feeling disgusted with herself. If she had been a good friend and was there for Robinheart— neither her nor Rivulet would've gotten hurt. Those green eyes similar to Brookstorm staring mindlessly into a puddle as a false memory of the warrior giving her an angry look for not properly protecting her mate and kittens.

It had been her imagination, but it still clutched her heart.

”Rivulet,” Troutsnout would murmur softly as she stands at the entrance of the nursery, looking at the small frame of the child. It seems just yesterday they were almost the size of her paw, crawling and nursing quickly at the stomach of her best friend and now they had grown rapidly. A softness of affection can be seen in those darkened chambray eyes, forgetting for a moment that she had her own scars. Did she look like a monster now towards her little 'nieces' and 'nephews'? Her jaw tenses at the thought as she holds a paw out for the small kitten to come towards her to groom her, a flicker of gaze towards Apricotflower who had been tending to them and tipping her head in respect.​

 

[ALGAEPAW]

Algaekit learned quite recently of the concept of change, how even his siblings and his family and his clan could change. It seemed innumerably vast, too hard for her to grasp just yet. Perceptive whiskers danced along the winds of change, though she knew naught its name nor its play. In kittish stupor, he vowed to understand it one day... With the noble thought fading as soon as his stomach rumbled.

"Wow..." Rivuletkit's brother trotted up to her, intonation spacey as though it rode upon her very breaths, its motion within her nexer fixing nor vexing itself in one place. Algaekit knew that his sister had not bore an imperfect ear or a blemished pelt before. Perplexion crossed along downy features, as the hound's attack had already been a distant memory by now, and the bays of a bastard beast had long since echoed upon paper-thin ears. "How do I... get that?" Owlishly did the kitten tilt her head to the side, as brazen curiosity blazed forth to her tongue, like mercurial fluid flowing about fickle and fippant. She meant no harm by such a question, just as an honest man meant no harm when doing what he knew to be true. She was still learning of this world's impurities, as insensitive as she tended to be about it. Molten gaze glanced upwards to Hawkcloud and Troutsnout, gauging their reaction as if she would steal their expressions for herself, as a soul still kindling. They seemed... alright with it, so Algaekit was alright with it, too. Cragkit said she looked cool, and Algaekit wished to look cool as well, and a sense of unfairness turned itself over upon a fleecen heart. I'm cool, too. Do I look like a warrior?

𝙻𝙾𝚅𝙴 𝚃𝙷𝙴 𝙼𝙰𝙳𝙽𝙴𝚂𝚂 𝙾𝙵 𝚃𝙷𝙴 𝙵𝙴𝙴𝙻𝙸𝙽𝙶 ·₊˚☄ 𝙳𝙾𝙽𝚃 𝚁𝚄𝚂𝙷 𝚃𝙷𝙴 𝙵𝚁𝙴𝚂𝙷𝙽𝙴𝚂𝚂 𝙾𝙵 𝙱𝙴𝙶𝙸𝙽𝙽𝙸𝙽𝙶

• OOC:
  
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  —— ALGAEKIT / He/She / 2 Moons
  —— Kitten of Riverclan / Sibling to Redkit and Rivuletkit / Mentored by N/A
  —— A wiry, wild-furred blue tortoiseshell with high white and freckle-like spotting. Brilliant yellow eyes, like twin molten suns.
  —— Chaotic, obsessive and strange, Algaekit is a weirdly refreshing character to encounter amongst the sea of her dutiful kin. Beset by nature and her patterns, he is quick to connect the dots even when no such connection truly exists. Somewhat easy to befriend, provided that one can handle his bluntness and honesty at times.
  —— Penned by Tempest. Contact on Discord (naruk4mi) for plots and threads.

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