The Smoke in the Hollow (closed)

Hollowkit stretches her long legs before getting out of her nest she shook the remaining bedding off her fur and gave her smooth pale brown tabby coat a quick wash before she padded out of the nursery. She looked around with her eyes wide in awe, the first time her mother had let her go out of the nest by herself and it was a nice warm sunny day. She padded around the camp before she number into a large gray mountain of fur.

Sitting near the edge of camp, Smokepelt sat in silence as the sun sat high in the sky behind him. Closing his eyes, the tall, dark grey and white warrior ears perked as they caught the sound of pawsteps approaching, but he underestimated how close they were and jumped in his pelt when something bumped into him. Looking down, he saw Hallowkit, one of his newest kits. "What might you be doing?" the husky voiced warrior mewed blandly with barely any emotion on his muzzle, per usual

Hollowkit blinked in surprise. She had bumped into a tom she’s seen around camp, but she didn’t know who he was. The kit didn’t know her father but she was about to find out just who he was. “I’m exploring camp! Sorry for bumping into you mister!” She piped up to the tall tom with her green eyes open wide in excitement.

Leaning down, he gave the kit a sniff. Up until now, he hadn't been able to see his newest kit, but from the familiar scents that lingered on her pelt, he assumed she must've been his kin. "Don't call me mister, I'm your father, Smokepelt," the older tom mewed calmly, his face still holding no emotion towards the small she-cat.

Hollowkit looked at Smokepelt with surprise. “My father? So your the tom mommy keeps talking about!” She meowed. “Mommy says your a great warrior. Can you tell me a story?” The little tabby meows sitting down and looking up at her father with eyes filled with curiosity.

Listening to the kit, he gave a small huff when she said his mate called him a great warrior and laid down. Staying quiet, he wondered why all of his kits wanted to be told stories, but didn't say no to Hollowkits request, seeing as though there was most likely no way out of this.

"Many moons ago, there was a tom and he was appointed to be the deputy of his c-clan," he began, almost choking on his own words, but he managed to swallow his emotions and continued to speak. "At first, things were fine and life was good, but hunger and yearning for more strength and control began to consume his soul, and so the tom ended up making some mistakes and causing turmoil between the clans. In the end, his recklessness and inability to see his mistakes was his downfall. The tom was demoted from his position, lost many of his previous friends and followers, and hasn't been the same ever since," he mewed. "Afterwords, part of him knew deep down that everything that had happened was his fault, but he chose to loathe in self pity instead, which didn't help his situation at all. It's said that the warrior was able to make up with his friends and family, but no one knows if his guilt still held him captive from really living life after that," the warrior finished with a soft sigh. Turning his gaze to the distance, Smokepelt stayed silent, consumed by his own thoughts.

Hollowkit blinked. The story was sad, but the young kit wondered if it bothered her father by the way he spoke. She looked up at the battle weary tom and nuzzled into his pelt in an effort to comfort him. This was all the small kit could do for her father.

Feeling pity and sadness practically radiating off of Hollowkit, Smokepelt let her press into his pelt, finally accepting her company. "Sorry, that wasn't the most exciting story," the husky voiced tom mewed softly, staring off into the distance.