private you pity me, i fear you // mercykit

[promisekit]

The early morning dawn affords the nursery a new chill to plague its residents. Promisekit burrows his muzzle further beneath Mercykit's chest ruff, a disgruntled growl reverberating against his ribcage. At first, the weather change had been fun - cats of the Clan began bringing new, interesting things back to the Clan! But now the threshold of their den falters with the leafbare winds and the child harbors new frustrations.

It'll pass, the adults say when he complains. It'll be newleaf before we know it! The excitement does not reach even the chilled paws of the youth, only vague understanding.

"Mercyyyykit...!" he whines as he again tries to drown himself beneath her meager weight. They have the same thin frame and gangly legs, unlike their fuller bodied siblings. He would have better luck trying to hide from the cold beneath Tinykit, or even Ashenfall. Stubborn is he, a lazy smile spreading across his sleepy face. "Tell the cold to go away. I know you can..." he pretends as if she has control over the cold, now kneading a paw into her side.

@mercykit
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[mercykit]

they lazily try to wrap promisekit in ebony forelegs, drawing the blue littermate closer to ruffled chest fur. the chill bites at meager kitten fluff. mercykit's teeth threaten to chatter, but her jaw tightens as to not reveal such detail. it's not about her right now – her attention is solely on promisekit and keeping him as comfortable as possible.

"i can try," the specter of a child murmurs, though they know they have no control of the weather. bicolored eyes flicker open fully and they raise their head to gaze out into the openness of camp just beyond the nursery entrance. "oh great cats of starclan… please take away the cold. it is too… cold," mercykit recites in an almost incantation, though their final words escape in a short lived bubble of laughter. hopefully that is enough to appease those who bear more control of the weather than a cursed child.

mercykit's chin droops once more, resting gently upon the crown of her littermate's head. "hopefully that helps you, promisekit," they murmur, pulling the blue tom in closer to share even an iota more of warmth should the chill decide to disregard her words and stubbornly stay.​

[ penned by kerms ]​

 

[promisekit]

They send a prayer to the stars, one that Promisekit half-heartedly repeats in kind. The whisper of StarClan between them does little to quell the freeze in his young bones, but it does stir is unyielding mind. He follows their gaze to the openness of camp, now filling with warriors of the night trading places with their dawn replacements. They are complaining too, he bets, as Mercykit tucks their wedge shaped head atop his again.

"... They're listening, right?" he asks after a moment, deciding that sleep is a mistress he is unwilling to chase down. He does not untangle himself from their hold, selfishly harvesting the warmth they afford him. "We have family in the stars, you know... I would think they'd move clouds on a whim - at least for us," a childish stance he holds too well, eager to be the prefect of the stars. Who would prefer to see their kin tremble and shake with the cold? None of his family. He refuses to think that if they did have a say in the weather, that the cold would ever exist.

"Do you think StarClan has a leader?" he asks Mercykit. It's the only means he believes for his family to not hold control and power, even in the afterlife.
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[mercykit]

starclan is an entity that claims much of mercykit's curiosity but continues to be held at arm's length by the bicolored child. oft they wonder if starclan knit them together, murmuring blessings or curses upon shadowclan the moment mercykit drew breath. they realize soon enough that they know oh so little about the skyward guides – and they fear they will never truly know what is and is not within starclan's control.

the weather though… mercykit thinks that easy enough for her ancestors to mold and shape for their bloodlines below.

"i think so?" she whispers in response to promisekit's delayed inquiry. he continues to speak of their family in starclan, innocent and selfish declarations setting her heart astutter. "our starclan family would do as our living family does… they'd take care of us as best they can. or, well, at the very least they'd take care of you." she has not forgotten the hushed words of swansong; the utterance of an aunt mercykit mirrors, spoken of like a curse upon the land.

her head rests heavy upon his crown. this conversation suddenly heavier than two children should shoulder. "do i think starclan has a leader?" they echo thoughtfully, bottlebrush tail swishing against the ground slowly. warriors mill about outside, completing their duties and living their lives. do they have time to ponder these things? would they have better answers than two children who look too much like the bloodline they do not share? "no." she finally answers, then releases a soft sigh. "one leader could not hear every cat and kitten of the forest. that world be too much, i think."​

[ penned by kerms ]​