Showing Interest (open)

The faded smells of an empty den enticed Cloudkit since the moment he'd been dropped into the territory. Collectively raised by the queens along with his sisters, the little kit was doing well in his adopted clan. So well he sometimes forgot that he hadn't actually been born here. The black tom nosed around in what he'd heard to warriors call the "medy-sin" den. Why was it empty? There were nests here, so why were the cat scents so faded? Dried-out leaves of many types littered the floor and the pool of water was still and stagnant. But despite its abandoned appearance, he felt drawn to it. Some of the leaves smelled very strong, why? He padded clumsily over to sniff it and let out a loud sneeze.

Wait, what if he wasn't supposed to be in here? Alarmed, the kit buried himself under the stronger-smelling nest, but forgot to tuck in his stark white fluffy tail.

Ripplepaw had been eating a squirrel near the apprentice's den, when she spotted a black and white kitten enter the medicine cat's den. "What's he doing, going in there all by himself?" She thought, frowning. Getting to her paws, the grey tabby she cat picked up her meal and padded after the kit.

Ripplepaw entered the medicine cat's den quietly, looking around for the kit she had spotted a few heartbeats ago. At first she couldn't find him, but eventually she noticed his fluffy white tail sticking out from under a nest. "And what do you think you're doing, little one?" she scolded gently, setting down her squirrel. Her tone was soft, she didn't mean to scare the kit, nor had any intention to punish him. Ripplepaw had a certain soft-spot for kits, one that wasn't really reflected in any other aspect of her personality.

Cloudkit backed out from under the nest, little eyes wide. "I was just curious..!" He pawed at his ears to dislodged a clump of moss that had attached itself to him. Was she going to send him back to the queens? He didn't want that. He wanted to explore more.

Ripplepaw purred with laughter, her yellow eyes bright. "The medicine cat's den is dangerous for little kittens like you," she warned him. "How about I show you someplace more fun? Have you seen the inside of the apprentice's den yet?" she suggested. Why would any cat want to explore the medicine cat's den of all places?

"Dangerous?" Cloudkit glanced at the shrivled leaves, stems, and berries that littered the floor. What in here could possibly be dangerous? He looked up, head tilted. Why did every other cat want to stay away from here? It smelled kind of nice. "Isn't it crowded in there?" He couldn't understand why every kit wanted to be a warrior or leader, too much responsibility! His paws were already so big and clumsy that hunting and fighting would be near impossible. If only he could stay in this den, maybe find out why so many different plants had reached the same spot.

"Yes, there are herbs in here that can make a kit very sick," Ripplepaw frowned slightly at the kit's protest. "The apprentice's den is usually rather empty at this time in the day." What kit didn't want to see the apprentice's den? She Ripplepaw recalled how excited she was to become an apprentice, and simply didn't understand the kit's interest in the medicine cat's den.