wilted violets [open for WC]

The light was fading by the time she made it to the border of WindClan. The kit Rainstrike carried by the scruff swayed as she moved, every step precise, silent, deliberate. She knew where she was going - by now, she knew the outermost edges of each clan's borders very well. A weak mewl rose from the gray she-kit. She was probably hungry, probably scared. The kit hadn't even seen her first moon yet... had she been born in the clans, she'd be confined to the nursery still, tucked into some caring queen's belly, surrounded by family and showered with love. Had she been born in the clans, she'd have a purpose. But she hadn't been, and she didn't. And every day that passed with Jaydream's young demanding her every attention was another thorn in Rainstrike's side. She had never wanted to be a mother, and it was time for them to go.

Above the milk scent that the kit reeked of, Rainstrike smelled her way along the border, searching for the weakest scent marker she could find. If they hadn't been here recently, that meant they were likely to show up soon. And if they didn't... well... it wouldn't be her problem anymore, regardless.

Despite her indifference to the kit's life going forward, the scarred she-cat was gentle as she placed the gray kit in a patch of tall grasses. By now, her scent no longer resembled anything like ThunderClan's, and nor did the kit's. She pulled away, watching her daughter squirm, searching for milk and warmth that she would never again provide. Rainstrike's single eye was cold and blue, and she said nothing as she turned away, leaving her there in the grass. This kit's fate was up to WindClan, now.

Alone, Softbreeze made her way across the moor, checking on the growth of her herbs. Softbreeze had only just found Dandelionkit a couple days ago so when a pungent milk scent hit her nose, she broke into a sprint. If it weren't for her strong nose, she would've ran right past the small, helpless newborn. The soft, tiny black bundle's eyes were shut tightly, her mews barely louder than the strong gust. This kitten wasn't even a moon old. This kitten had been abandoned. Recently, by the smell of it.

A rumbling anger rose in her throat. This wasn't kittypet kit. This was a rogue kit, by her scent, and by the fact no twoleg would be stupid enough to allow a queen to leave he den with an infant. The kitten was helpless, entirely. She'd need a name, Softbreeze realized, curling around her to keep her warm. The smell of nearby violets were strong, and so her name was chosen. "It's okay, Violetkit. You'll be safe now, WindClan will care for you."

She knew the newborn hadn't a clue what she'd said; but she felt the need to say it anyways. Right now, all the kit needed was worth, and later, food. Hopefully one of her Clanmates would come along soon.

Every rustle of the brush made Flurrypaw's heart skip beats. The soft crunch of his own pawsteps made his fur bristle as if invisible predators were waiting to leap out at him, drawn in by the sound. A shadow cast by a drifting cloud would make his paws root to the ground and his chest seize until the realization would hit him that it wasn't a bird swooping to kill him. Though he was a warrior's age, Flurrypaw was small and still fearful of the world around him. If the eagle hadn't attacked him and his mentor on his first outing, he would be a warrior alongside Clearstone. He hated how hard it was to manage his anxieties, wanted them to cease, but they never did.

And now, Flurrypaw had taken to facing his fears to try to force them away. Taking walks on the open moor was a start, something to convince himself that there wasn't always danger looming above him. And it helped to have another cat with him. He had asked Maplewhisker and Fogpaw to accompany him and was relieved to have company. But if danger appeared, would he be able to help them? While Flurrypaw feared for his own safety, it would almost kill the little tom if his clanmates were injured. After all, he hadn't been able to do anything when his own mentor was protecting him. But he couldn't focus on that. No matter how much he wanted, or had, to dwell in the fear, Flurrypaw still was supposed to hunt for his clan. 

"Do you smell anything?" He asked softly, looking up at Maplewhisker.

"I do," Maplewhisker responded to the apprentice.  She and Fogpaw had been asked by Flurrypaw to come hunting with him.  She understood how anxious he was.  Their had barely started hunting before Flurrypaw had come to a dead stop, nose in the air.  Maplewhisker concentrated, and could pick the nearby kit scent, along with the familiar scent of another WindClan cat.
"It smells like there's a kit near by," she told both of the apprentices, "and I think that Softbreeze is with them."

Maplewhisker led them in the direction of the scent.  She kept walking but turned her head to look at Flurrypaw. "That was well scented," she told him, then turned back just as they were coming out of the tall, dry grass to see Softbreeze bent over a kit that Maplewhisker didn't recognize.
"What happened?" She asked the medicine cat, concern showing in her eyes.

The dark grey she-kit lifted her blind head, trying to pick up the scent of milk. These cats were strangers to her, but she kept mewling. She reached for the cat that was closest to her. She had no name, except for... She listened to the meows of the cat beside her. One word stood out to her, but she couldn't quite understand it yet. She wriggled closer to the cat, it didn't matter now that her mother's milk scent left her, because she was safe now, there were cats here that would protect her. Her mewls became quieter as she drifted of into sleep, snuggling into the cat  that had spoken to her's fur.

"Maplewhisker, Flurrypaw! Thank stars you're here! Hurry-- this newborn needs food. She's not hurt; but Violetkit was abandoned. Oh! Uh, Violetkit is what I named her. It seemed... fitting." Softbreeze exclaimed, informing them of the situation. Standing up, sh leaned down and gently picked up the mass of dark gray.

Walking forward slowly, the sleeping kit swaying ever so gently, she lead the way to camp, reassured that no harm would come to this kit while she was around.

Flurrypaw watched Softbreeze and the kit, mouth open. Another one? If she hadn't found the kit, she would have been picked up by some predator and never to be seen again. The thought made a chill run down his spine and his fur bristle uncomfortably. He almost violently pushed away the image and smiled at the little Violetkit. With a confused and anxious glance at Maplewhisker, Flurrypaw started to follow Softbreeze back to camp, eyes trained on the skies. He didn't say a word. No harm would come to the helpless little kit if he had any say in it, no matter how much it scared him.