A Wild Kit Appears!

A white kit with grey and black tabby spots struggled to walk through the thick mud that she might sink in. She mewls for help, and food and shelter. As she tries to find said help, her fur becomes coated in mud to the point where only a few white patches remain. Only spots of some fur and her bright yellow eyes are visible. She mewls again, louder.

Bearmask was traveling through the territory with a soft sigh, her gaze flicking around. She had gone out to go hunting, but had found nothing to catch. Her ears flickered as she tried to hear any sound of prey, when something else caught her attention. A faint mewing...A mewing of a kit. Her eyes widen as she quickly tried to pin-point the sound of the mewing, before taking off as soon as she had a good idea.

She took a leap onto a fallen log when she saw the small body of a kit hidden in the mud. Her eyes quickly grew soft as she watched the poor kit struggle and hopped onto the mud, swiftly making her way over to the poor kit. As she reached down to pick up the kit, she took note of the small patches of white fur that could be seen though the mud. How strange, she thought as she gently lifted the kit up and headed back to the log. ShadowClan cats were known for their dark fur so that they could blend into a darkness, so she wondered if it wasn't a ShadowClan kit of any sort; how did it end up in the swampy forest they called home?

However, as she hopped onto the log, she said nothing as she placed the kit back down and started to attempt to clean its pelt from the mud that covered it. "Poor thing.." she whispered softly as she paused between cleaning. "Can you speak, little one?" she asked gently, wondering if the kit was even old enough to do so.

"Y-Yeah," the white kit answered quietly. She took a few small pawsteps back and tried shaking some of the mud off of her fur. It wasn't very successful. "I-I'm cold. And wet. And hungry. Y-You won't leave me, will you?"

Bearmask smiled softly as she scooted forward and wrapped her fluffy tail around the kit, pulling her close to her. "No...I won't leave you, little one," she said as she leaned down and licked the top of the kits head (which was a bit of a mistake as she gagged slightly from the taste of mud). However, as she stared at the poor young kit, she sighed softly. "Tell me, do you have a name little one?"

"Mm-mm" the kit replied, shaking her head. She shivered and pressed closer to Bearmask. She looked up at the she-cat with big eyes. "I remember my brother, but he didn't move. I waited for him to move, but he didn't... He didn't for a long time, so I decided to try and find food and stuff. It didn't work well, and I got lost doing it!"

Not even a name? Bearmask felt her heart sink slightly, but it completely dropped as the young kit spoke about her brother. Not moving? Oh..Oh my. She closed her eyes as she shook her head sadly. However, she swallowed slightly as she willed herself to speak again. "Do you mind if I give you a name, little one?" She paused, not really waiting for an answer as she stared at the kit. She could make out white furs, and what looked to be grey spots with tabby markings as she tried to come up with a name. A name...What name would fit this kit? Finally, one came to her. "May I call you Cloudykit?"

"I like it!" she exclaimed. She giggled and jumped in a circle for a few moments, but then suddenly stopped and looked back up at Bearmask. "What do I call you?"

"You can call me Bearmask," she said as she looked at the kit with a warm smile. She had always adored kits, and Cloudykit was adorable. However, she let her gaze shift away from the kit as she looked toward the direction the camp laid in. She would have to speak to her father about letting Cloudlykit join ShadowClan. Perhaps it was some wishful thinking that maybe her father would let the young kit join; but it was in the code to never turn your back on a kit; no matter where they are from. Turning their back on the newly named Cloudlykit would be breaking that code, mostly when she had no family to take care of her anymore...

The newly named Cloudykit pressed close to Bearmask for warmth and purred. She nuzzled her head against her new friend and felt at home for the first time in her life. They weren't at a shelter, but she was warmer and had someone to care for her.

Bearmask was taken a bit by surprise when she felt Cloudlykit press close to her, and looked down at her with a large, warm smile. She felt like she could stay here forever with this kit, but she soon looked back up toward the camp. "Cloudlykit," she whispered softly as she leaned down, looking at the kit with a soft, sweet smile. "How are you feeling up for a small trip?"

Cloudykit nodded, but looked a bit discouraged. "W-Will there be food there? I'm so hungry..."

"There will be food there; we are going to where I live," Bearmask answered sweetly tilting her head slightly. "But if you don't want to walk, I'll happily carry you."

Cloudkit felt her sore paws ache and her empty stomach growled with envy for the promised food. "I-If you wouldn't mind..."

Bearmask smiled softly as she gently picked up Cloudlykit's scruff, and lifted her from the ground. She carefully hopped from the fallen log they were on and to the ground. Skillful moving around the marshy ground, she swiftly headed toward the ShadowClan camp.

When they had finally reached the hollow, she took a few pawsteps inside before she gently lowered Cloudlykit to the ground. She quickly sat down and wrapped her tail around the kit to keep the kit close to her and to make sure she didn't try to escape toward the fresh-kill pile. Instead, she watched the leader's den carefully, waiting for her father to exit so that she could speak with him.

It didn't take too long for Thrushstar to walk out of his den. He hated being cooped up for so long, and he needed to make sure that his camp was doing just what it was supposed to be doing. He wanted to make sure the warriors were on patrols and all of the apprentices were training. But as soon as he walked out, the first thing he saw was his daughter Bearmask huddled around a kit. It didn't really bother him except for the fact that it was not a kit he recognized. Padding towards the she-cat, he stood in front of her with a questioning look on his face. "Greetings, Bearmask. May I ask who your friend is?" He asked her quizzically, looking down at the small kit wrapped in the warrior's tail.