Little Bird Lost [Open]

Crane sat and waited. Among the reeds on the soft sanded riverbank, the kit sat with her plumy ginger tail tucked neatly around her little white paws, back straight and ears pricked for any sign that her mother had come back to get her.
It had been before the sun rose when her mother had led her to the river and told her to sit and wait. Now, the sun was up, and beginning to climb higher and higher into the sky.
I wish we had breakfast before we left…
—
Crane was still waiting. She’d long since forgone any pretense of pretending to be mature while she waited. No one was around to watch her sit stiff backed and tidy, after all. The little molly had begun collecting pebbles and stacking them into little piles. With her clumsy paws, the most she’d managed to stack so far was four. It was hard to gather up any enthusiasm for her game while her belly was empty.
Her mother hadn’t told her why she was supposed to be waiting out here, alone, instead of back at their nest with her brothers and sisters. But she knew she wasn’t allowed to ask— Mother hadn’t seemed in the mood for “kit questions” when she had ordered her to wait in this place.
Mother’s never in the mood for kit questions…
But still, Crane waited.

Hollypaw padded along the riverbank in search for decorations, when suddenly pausing in her tracks as she sensed an unfamiliar scent nearby. She never had sensed this scent before, not that she had ever encountered loners, or rouges along her training. Though she knew she had to beware. With each gentle step, she creeped closer, and closer, until she finally got a proper look of the kit from just a few fox-length away. As her cadet-blue eyes met the kit's, she readjusted her posture, slightly leaning up as to seem more serious. Her eyes narrowed down, tail slowly  swaying her tail left and right. Of course, she had no means to attack the little one, it would be against The Warrior Code to harm it- rather than to protect it. The Warrior Code, She thought, revising her thoughts briefly through it. "No warrior may neglect a kit in pain or danger, even if that kit belongs to another clan."

She sighed, stopping her tail from signalling more signs of aggression than the situation needed to have. Scanning the area, she looked for traces of the kit's parents, or any scents of caretakers at all; but the scent was awfully faded in the air. Though not yet a warrior, she knew better than just to leave the kit hanging there. It was far too dangerous for a small kit to be here, alone out in the open. Any predators could easily snatch the little kit. Looking down to the smaller molly, she finally spoke up. "Why are you out here alone? Where are your parents?" She asked. The apprentice wasn't used to talking to kits, especially since she didn't socialize much as one herself. Anyway, Hollypaw kept her voice the most soothing she could as to not scare it away. She didn't need that to happen now, even if the kit was so much as a loner on RiverClan's territory.

With that being said, Hollypaw sat down, tail wrapped nicely beside herself as she waited for an answer.

Crane had almost missed Hollypaw’s approach. She looked up as movement caught the corner of her eye, immediately making eye contact with the older molly.
The only other cats Crane had ever met where her mother and her littermates. Crane wrinkled her nose at the scent that clung to this stranger’s pelt as she came closer. It wasn’t anything like she’d smelt before.
“I’m waiting. My mother told me to wait until she came back,” she answered, pawing at a pebble in front of her. “My name’s Crane. What’s yours? Did your mother tell you to wait here too?”

Hollypaw shook her head. "I'm Hollypaw. And no, my mother did not. The apprentice blinked, feeling baffled how a queen would just leave her kit out in the open like this. It was.. bewildering, puzzling. She couldn't understand the specific reason why, unless— unless— She froze. No, that couldn't be, could it? Why would a mother just abandon her own like that? Anxiously biting the inside of her cheek, the young molly sighed, confused. It was still sunny. Hopefully, the mother of the kit would return soon. She had a feeling deep inside her, that— that the mother wouldn't return, but she didn't want to believe that. It was awful to think about.

"And how long have you been waiting for, Crane?" She asked. Hollypaw wanted to be exactly sure. She intended to bring the little one back to RiverClan, but she wanted to be sure that she wouldn't be taking away a queen's kit on accident instead. That would be devastating to the queen, she was sure. Crane.. What an interesting name, though. No— this wasn't the right time to be admiring someone's name. She needed to know more before actually taking her back. Hollypaw was sure, many cats would be surprised as well.

Hollypaw. What a strange name. Crane hadn’t heard any name like that before. All her littermates were named after sensible things— the trees, the birds, the mice that sometimes Mother would bring back for a meal. What was a “Hollypaw”? She was about to ask when Hollypaw posed her own question.
“Oh.” How long had she been waiting? Ages and ages, it felt like… She squinted and lifted a head up to tenatively take a glance at the sun’s position in the sky. “Since before the sun came up…” Crane looked back at Hollypaw with a small frown. Something about that answer— even if it was true— felt wrong, even to her. She just couldn’t quite put her paw on why.

"Since before the sun came up..." The kit had said. Her eyes widened in alarm. The situation was just as she feared— Crane's mother had really planned to abandon her. No good mother would leave their kit in the open like this, would they? She wanted to comfort the kit, but she supposed that Crane wouldn't properly understand the situation until she was older. For the worst, the kit might even tear up, confused and worried. That wouldn't be good. "Crane," She had spoke, "Would you like to come to RiverClan with me? We'll be able to provide you shelter and food if Ivystar agrees." She gave a comforting smile. The kit was well.. young, and Hollypaw didn't think that Crane would be able to survive here all alone. She'd be just like free prey to the predators out here. "Think about it closely, then give me an answer." The apprentice had mewed.

She trusted that Crane would know what to do. Standing up, Hollypaw felt prepared. She was either going to lead the way now, or guide Crane to a safer space if she declined. Out in the open was too risky.

There was another funny word— RiverClan. At least she knew what half of that word meant, though. She didn’t think too much about that as her ears perked up at the mention of food. Crane didn’t think she’d even been hungrier in her entire life than in that moment.
She looked up at Hollypaw and studied for her a moment. If the rest of RiverClan were as nice as Hollypaw was, and they were going to offer her food, then it wouldn’t be so bad.
“Okay,” she mewed and got to her paws. “I’ll come with you!”

She nodded, thinking of how hungry the kit must've been alone. Then a soft smile on her face appeared as the little kit agreed to come with her back. She wouldn't know how the other warriors would react— an apprentice bringing a kit back to camp? Hopefully, not much warriors would offend, and she had a feeling that Ivystar would agree. Hopefully, Scarletriver and the others would, too. She knew it meant having one more mouth to feed, but it also meant having one more warrior in the clan soon. With a purr, she'd gently pick the kit up by the scruff, trying her best to not to injure the little one by accident. It wouldn't take too long until they were going to arrive back to camp, and she felt a churn in her stomach.

Please, dear StarClan. Let them agree for Crane to stay. With that thought in her mind, she took off, careful not to drop the kit on her way back.