Misery Loves Company {Closed for Grey}

Falconkit tripped as he snuck out of the nursery. He didn't know how to make a "nest" so he slept on a few leaves and some small branches. It was a feeble attempt to fit in but, he did it anyway. It was cold and the moon loomed in the darkest of skies. He stood at the freshkill pile, he had heard the others call it that, and grabbed a mouse by the tail. He struggled for a moment and kept tripping as he dragged it to his next destination, the medicine cat den. The soft rise and fall of Rockpaw's pelt could be seen from the shadows and he inhaled a shaking breath before dragging the mouse to him. Heasitating, he pushed it with his paws to the apprentice's side before jumping back as if he was playing with a snake. With pale eyes stared at the pelt before he twisted around and made his way to the exit. However, it was freezing and snow stuck to his thick pelt. The sky was clear and full of stars he had never dared to see before. The kit sat in the entrance of the den, staring up, unknowing of the apprentice who was far from sleep.

Rockpaw was awake, his mind on how close he came to certain death, how he had killed the newly named Falconkit's mother, being fool hardy and wrecking his friendship with Mottleheart, trying to rekindle it by sneaking into Windclan camp and getting attacked by the deputy. Though the tom was 12 moons now, a lot had happened in his life.

Rockpaw was alerted by a shuffling and some grunting, the smell of mouse coming along with the sounds of the intruder. But Rockpaw laid still, recognizing the kit's smell, it was Falconkit, the small tom he had orphaned. Frowning he raised his head to look at the kitten who had stopped at the entrance of the medicine cat den, and appeared to be star-gazing.

Shifting until he was sitting with one of his legs picked up off the ground due to his horrible shoulder injury he turned his head to address the kitten more fully, keeping his torn lip out of sight it was a pretty gruesome wound, far too horrible for a kitten to see. "Those are our ancestors, those who died of any reason, the look down on us and watch us, to make sure we're safe." Stiffly meowed the tom, his voice raspy and weird sounding due to Rockpaw not moving his lip too much.

Falconkit let out a squeak and looked back at Rockpaw who was partially in shadow. Thinking about what he said,   Falconkit peered up at the stars again. He looked skeptical yet mystified. "R-really? How do you know that?" He asked, laying his head on his paws and blowing a puff of air. It sent snowflakes into the air, blending with the stars.

Rockpaw tool a moment to look at the mouse, wondering how he was going to eat it without the flesh slipping and plopping out of his mouth. Without giving much of his doubts show on his face, despite Falconkit looking away he meowed. "We never really know, but we see the proof of it through our leaders and medicine cats. I bet your mom is up there, watching over you too." The tom whispered.
"I'm sorry I killed your mom, I feel so terrible and I didn't mean to do it! I swear, I thought she was going to kill me... all I wanted to do was protect my clan." Rockpaw huffed, bowing his head to the small kitten.

Falconkit's eyes flashed with a bit of hope. He searched through the stars and saw one tinged with red, flaming like his mother's determination. It was just a small ways off from the moon but, it was bright regardless. He smiled slightly. Maybe she was up there. Rockpaw's next claim made his smile fall. He didn't want to upset the apprentice but, he wasn't sure if he'd ever be over it. He was quiet for a moment but remembered the stories his mother used to tell him when they were stuck in the twolegplace. The ones about grudge filled cats that didn't focus on anything else. They caused their own defeat being so blind. Falconkit turned his head, surprised to find Rockpaw bowing his head. It wasn't like he could change the past. Besides, his mother wasn't gone, she was in the stars, right?

"S'all right..." He meowed quietly. The kit shuffled his paws and sighed. "I just don't know what to do now. I'm too little to hunt and I don't know what I'm supposed to do. It seems like everyone else has a job to do." He frowned. Feeling lost and like an outcast he looked away. "Do you think I'll ever fit in?"

Rockpaw blinked at the young kitten, it thought that it had to do work? Huffing the apprentice meowed a little sternly, though he was touched by the kittens forgiveness. "You're a kitten, you don't have to do anything except play, eat, listen to the elders tell stories and sleep all day! I suppose if you really wanted to do something to contribute you could find ticks and fleas on the elders and remove them? You'd have to talk to Sparkpaw about getting the mouse bile... it's really gross." Rockpaw huffed, giving a raspy chuckle, his heart feeling much lighter than earlier.