A New Morning [OPEN]

A pair of murky green eyes were peering out of the nursery.

Snowkit's breath frosted in the chilled morning air, his white fur fluffed up against the cold. "Do the warriors really live out there?" he asked, unable to hide the nervousness in his voice. The nursery was snug and warm, tightly-woven with reeds and lined with feathers and moss, but the world outside was big and cold. Way bigger than just one kit all alone. The camp in his head had been as cozy as the nursery. Another pair of green eyes appeared beside him.

"Well duh, stupid," Sparrowkit was saying, poking her head out to gaze around. "Do you think they all live in here? Warriors are huge. We'd never fit."

"Of course I don't!" Snowkit flared, bristling. "And don't call me stupid. You're not supposed to say mean things. All the queens said."

"Well, you are, Stupidkit." She lashed her tail and glanced out again into the waiting outside world beyond. "Do you think they'll let us go outside? I wanna explore."

He frowned, looking to Cinderfur's sleeping form, and all the queens huddled up close beside her. Would they? Snowkit almost wanted to just crawl back to sleep and stay within the confines of the nursery, but the wafting smells of fish and flowers called to him. The sky was a grim gray, but the air was alive with the sounds of twittering birds...

"What? Are you a scaredy-mouse?"

They both flinched away at the sound of his voice. It took all of Snowkit's courage to open one eye, to view his brother and littermate. He was a handsome brown tabby tom, with a snow white chest and stomach, white paws, and a white muzzle. One eye was a murky green, just like theirs, but the other eye burned an icy blue in his face. Snowkit couldn't look at it for long without getting chills down his spine. Just the way it stared into him, almost like he was looking through him, made his skin crawl. Oakkit stalked forward, turning that blue eye on them both. A fanged grin played on his lips, and there was a hint of a purr in his tone. "You both shut up real quick," he observed. "So you are scared, then?"

"Am not!" Sparrowkit blurted. "We're just good. Cinderfur said we're not s'posed to leave the nursery yet until we're bigger."

"Cinderfur said," Oakkit mocked. Everyone always said that he looked just like their father, but the Reedstar in Snowkit's thoughts always looked kind and gentle, and both his eyes were green. He would never mock somebody like that. Snowkit drew back his lips in a silent snarl, and Sparrowkit's hackles rose. "You gonna let Cinderfur run your life forever? C'mon, let's just go outside."

"I don't wanna get in trouble," Snowkit snapped. Oakkit rounded on him, that mocking look on his face, and that blue eye blazing. "Let's just wait."

"You're just scared." He lashed his tail, whiskers twitching. "'If you live by the rules you're not living at all.' Hasn't anybody ever told you that, scaredy-mouse?"

"Who told you that?" Sparrowkit gasped, eyes widening.

"I'm not scared!" His pride pricked at the insult. "I could go outside by myself if I wanted! Maybe you're the scaredy-mouse!"

Oakkit purred, dropped into a crouch, and leaped out into the morning light. Sparrowkit sucked in her breath, wincing. "Come get me, then!" he called tauntingly. "Unless you're too scared to come and explore."

Sparrowkit was quick to bound after him, too tempted by the promise of exploration and adventure to worry about Cinderfur or the queens or what StarClan might think. Snowkit watched her go, spirits drooping, a barely concealed fury burning away at him. Reedstar would have told me to stay inside and not follow, wouldn't he?

Murky green eyes peered out of the nursery, meeting blue, and his hesitation burned away like morning dew. He crouched, took one deep breath, and leaped out into the outside world.

OOC: Yay, Mothkit is born :3

IC: Mothkit stirred in her sleep, the little ball of fur warm beside her mother, Honeywhisker. Hearing small mews within the nursery, Mothkit's sleep snapped out of her, as her eyes slowly opened. Peering through the nursery, the she-kit spotted three kits pad outside. They must be Cinderfur's kits. Watching the last kit's tail disappear from the nursery entrance, Mothkit decided that she should wake up, too. Stretching, the she-kit made a tiny yawn, suddenly wiping away her sleepiness and feeling energy surge through her paws. Kneading the nursery ground in excitement to explore, she looked back at her mother and littermates. I don't think Honeywhisker will mind if I go outside for a bit. Besides, it's not like I'll get into trouble or anything. With that thought in mind, the she-kit wandered if her littermates will come with her, too. I'd better let them decide, when they wake up.

Bobbing her brown tabby head out of the nursery entrance, a huge clearing laid out in front of her. Wow! In excitement, she skidded out of the nursery, feeling a cool breeze get to her fur. It felt a bit chilly outside, but that wouldn't stop her exploration. Finding the three kits, Mothkit ran towards them.

It was just a normal morning for the new warrior, Mistfeather, as she padded over to the fresh-kill pile with a decent sized fish in her mouth. Just as she was about to place the dead creature in the small pile, several kits came bounding out of the nursery and almost knocking the she-cat to the ground.

"W-What's going on here?" the silver tabby meowed to the four young kits as she regained her balance. She was about to force the kits back inside when Oakkit's form came into view. Mistfeather was caught of guard at how much he looked like Reedstar. But that made sense, as he is the departed leader's kit.

"Aren't you a little to young to be out here?" the warrior scolded the kits, her green eyes flashing between the four.

Snowkit at least had the grace to abashed, but Oakkit bristled at the warrior's tone. He looked up at the much bigger, much older cat with defiance blazing in his ice blue eye. "We've been stuck in the stupid nursery forever! And we'll be apprentices in only a few moons!" he blurted, lashing his tail. His white-furred brother's jaw fell open at his audacity. You're not supposed to talk to warriors that way! Even still, he couldn't help but feel a twinge of admiration... it took a certain kind of bravery to speak up like that, even if you weren't supposed to.

Sparrowkit's eyes were wide as she padded forward, hardly noticing Mistfeather's chiding. She gasped as she gazed around. "It's so big out here!" She rounded on Mothkit, green eyes shining with excitement. "And it's so cold! This is great! This is awesome! I can't wait until we become apprentices... Do you think..."

"Sparrowkit!" Snowkit hissed, flattening his ears and lowering his head. Couldn't she see that now wasn't the time?

His sister bounced farther out into the clearing as if she hadn't heard. Whether she was willfully ignoring him or was just too caught up in her own excitement, he couldn't tell. "I wonder what the leader looks like! Will the elders tell us stories, or will they be too grumpy? Do you think they'll let us go outside?"

Outside? Snowkit thought. We're not even allowed out of the nursery. And we'll probably never be allowed out of the nursery ever again because of this stupid idea... They'd almost bowled into Mistfeather! "We're really sorry!"

"No we're not!"

"You shut up!"

With a yowl, Oakkit launched himself forward. Snowkit bounded forward to meet him, anger pulsing through his limbs, and the two brothers collided in a tangle of limbs and fur.

Mothkit watched the three kits in amusement. They look fun! Feeling disappointed that Sparrowkit couldn't finish her question, Mothkit felt guilty when they bumped into Mistfeather.  Oh StarClan, what will Honeywhisker think? As Snowkit and Oakkit began fighting, Mothkit flicked her tail in annoyance. Can't they realise they're in trouble? There's no time to fight! The brown tabby pounced on Oakkit, trying to stop the fighting. "Will you two stop? It's bad enough we're outside and in trouble by Mistfeather," she mewed in a harsh tone. If they don't stop, I don't want to go back in the nursery!