By the Light of the Moon (open)

Luna opened her eyes to find the world still dark around her. A dream had woken her, but she did not remember. She closed her eyes to go back to sleep but the ache in her still healing leg kept her awake. The she-cat opened her eyes and yawned, giving up on going back to sleep. Luna didn't want to bother the clan's medicine cat for any herbs, so instead, she got to her paws. While her leg was indeed healing, it still hurt to put her weight on it. Each day she spent in the Medicine Den had made her more and more frustrated. She had been eating from the clan's pile of prey, but with her injury, hadn't been able to contribute, or to really leave. Luna hoped that she would heal and be able to go back to where she was calling home, but some other cat had probably moved into where she had been sleeping by now.

As these thoughts raced through Luna's head. she became much more frustrated, and decided to get some air. She slowly made her way out of the den and into the camp, staring up at the stars in the sky. As far as she knew, none of the cats were awake, and she liked it better that way. Luna was so used to being on her own that the thought of being around so many cats made her uneasy. She curled her tail tighter around her, staring at the stars and payed no mind to anything around her, lost in her own thoughts.

Stoatkit was a peculiar creature.

Unlike the rest of the kits who were sleeping soundly curled at the warm and milky stomachs of the queens, his mind was restless. The young tom had found his difficult to slip into a contented slumber the more consciousness he gained. Instead of being able to find pleasant hallucinations, Stoatkit's mind raced with overwhelming thought. It wasn't until pale sunlight painted the skies that he was finally able to find some reprieve. But for now, his little brown and white pelt wriggled from the nursery entrance and became bathed in the silvery moonlight.

He'd learned to be silent in his steps, a stealth that would certainly be useful upon the earning of an apprentice name. Stoatkit didn't think too much about these things, despite a light recognition of the path at this paws, and was rather just interested in the things he could discover about camp. Entertaining his mind brought some level of reprieve. While such occurrences might have been considered mischievous, the little tom had no intent for such things. In fact, in most regards, he was a good kit.

His tail flickered back and forth as he gingerly padded into the camp. It did not take time at all for him to spot the lone she-cat in the middle of camp and he froze. Stoatkit's eyes were wide and curious, while also reserved and cautious. There was a pause before he finally began in a low, yet bold, whisper, "Who are you?"

A half-asleep tomkit fidgeted at movement next to him. He didn't think of it as trouble immediately, but a bleary eye opened in case something was happening. Just a little creature of brown and white, slipping out of the nursery's entrance. Mind still fogged, it took a moment for the cohesive thought of that's my brother to form. The tomkit opened both eyes, now fully awake, and wriggled away from the queens and kits to join him.

Sleekkit certainly wasn't as stealthy as his brother, but he took note of the effort used to mask his pawsteps and tried to mimic that. The whisper of 'who are you' reached his ears as he reached Stoatkit and the she-cat sitting down. "Yeah", he added, "I've never seen you before". He'd hardly seen all the warriors, but he knew some of the apprentices and all of the kits. The she-cat didn't look like a kit. Maybe she was a warrior on night watch... in which case, would he and Stoatkit get in trouble? He cast wide amber eyes on his brother for a moment, hoping.

It took Luna a moment before she realized someone was speaking to her. She looked around a moment before looking down to a kit had approached her. He was a young tom, and Luna caught herself before she said something mean. She wasn't in much of a mood to have a conversation, let alone deal with a kit, but she took a deep breath. "My name is Luna." She watched as a second kit approached and spoke. She couldn't help but to be amused at their innocence. Walking up to a strange cat, and asking questions... She thought to herself. After a moment, she replied to the second kit, "You haven't seen me before because I'm new here. Your..." She trailed off as she struggled to remember the words for their healer cat. "...medicine cat is helping me while I heal." She wasn't sure if they could see her injury on her hind leg, but it was healing, so it didn't look as bad as it had. "You shouldn't talk to strange cats you know."

Luna. It was a funny name compared to those that he'd normally heard and it caused him to tip his head ever so slightly. Stoatkit peered at her with more questions behind his eyes. While she might have thought that their lack of familiarity came from origins outside the clan, but it was rather due to a youthful lack of experience. Her response cooled what little hesitance had stalled his little pads. If the medicine cat was looking after her, surely this cat was decent enough to be welcomed into camp. He tilted his head once again, "If I don't talk to any cat, how can I ever get to know them? You're in my camp, so you're at least friends with some cat." Stoatkit spoke matter of factly, studying her expression before piping up once more, "Where do you come from?"

Luna opened her mouth to reply, and then promptly shut it. She was unsure of how to respond to the kit's words. He was partially right, he couldn't get to know the others in this camp without talking to them first. On the other hand, she wasn't really a part of the clan, and the she-cat knew some cats could take advantage of their generosity. She needed to be careful how she treated the cats in this clan, if they thought she was a horrible cat, they might throw her out. When she finally spoke, her tone was lighter, more polite than before. "You're right, young one. In order for you to get to know the others around you, you should talk to them. Just be careful." She looked towards the entrance of the camp before answering the question. "I'm from... well I don't know what you would call it, but... I'm from outside the territories. I don't usually stay in one place, so I don't have a specific place to call home."

At the warning to be careful, Stoatkit offered a stiff nod. He was cautious but never fearful and always watching his surroundings. Wide eyes now flickered around camp to drink in the silver-bathed scenery. It was so still - speaking almost seemed like a forbidden crime. Despite being awake most nights like these, the tom seldom said a word and experienced the world in his own racing thoughts. The company was nice, unusual though. He narrowed his eyes as she spoke from being outside the territories. Before he'd learned better, Stoatkit was contented to think that the forest was it. Each passing day taught him there were answers endlessly beyond the sight of his own whiskers. The longing to learn it all was overwhelming.

"What was it like out there? I want to know everything." He insisted, pressing for more. Luna could have been an enemy for all he cared, being from outside the clan, even though standard logic had already proven otherwise. However, it would not have mattered either way. To the little kit, despite his quick thinking, a thirst for curiosity burned above all else.

Luna looked at the small kit as he pressed her for more information. She wasn’t sure what to tell him. All in all, it wasn’t horrible, but there were some things a kit shouldn’t hear. After a bit of internal debate, Luna decided she would tell him some of the truth, and if he was still curious when he was older, he could ask again. She looked to the sky once more as she began to speak. “It’s a lot different than here. Out there, you’re generally on your own. Some cats travel together, but most don’t. You are free to do as you please, go almost anywhere you wish, and you don’t have to worry about taking care of other cats.” Luna paused, taking a moment to think.

“There are dangers as well, if you encounter a predator or a stronger cat, you’re on your own, and don’t have anyone to help protect or save you if you need it.” Luna’s voice was tinged with sadness, but she gently shook herself out of it, instead talking about something happier. “Being out there isn’t for every cat, but it is nice to be able to sun yourself after eating a mouse, because you don’t have to spend all your time patrolling and hunting for the other cats.” Luna looked down at the kit again, watching him for his reaction to her explanation.