✦One step forward and no steps back✦【Closed】

❒ Shuffling over to the prey pile, Forestkit searched for a suitable piece of prey to satiate his growing hunger. It was high noon and the young tom-kit hadn't eaten anything prior. It wasn't that he had awoken late—in fact, he was quite the early riser. No, it was more like he had awoken in one of his more melancholy moods—which was a real hunger spoiler. Thankfully that night hadn't brought him nightmares.  It had been a merciful night indeed. Now that he thought about it, he couldn't quite remember what he dreamt of. Perhaps it was for the best.

❒ Shaking away from his unfocused demeanor, the grey-and-white kitten huffed and finally snatched up a rather small mouse. He didn't mind taking the smaller meals. He wasn't contributing much in his current state and those that worked hard deserved the heartier prey. Once he became an apprentice, he'll allow himself some indulgence. Just thinking about how close he was to gain his apprentice name did wonders to his spirits.

❒ With his mouse firmly grasped between his jaws, he rushed away from the pile and settled down a few fox-lengths away from the nursery. It was a slightly more adventurous setup than his usual. This meant that he was feeling a bit lighter than he did in the morning—always a good sign. It was also a nice place to observe all the hustle and bustle of his clan. With a silent thanks to his clanmates and the starry cats above for the meal, he began to dig into it with little haste. He rather enjoyed savoring his prey while allowing himself some peace to think.

❒ Jolting slightly at the nearby voice, he quickly dispersed his daydreams and he looked up and noticed the familiar pelt of his denmate, Icekit. He sat up and offered her a sheepish yet polite smile. She was right. They had not officially met. They only knew each other because they both resided in the nursery. A twinge of guilt made its round in the gray kitten's mind. It wasn't nice of him to not have introduced himself prior.

❒ Pushing away from the realization that this would be his first proper interaction with another kit, Forestkit nodded in a physical agreement with her words. "Um, yeah. I'm sorry about not saying much before. I've just never been the best at... talking with others." The tom-kit cleared his throat to distract himself from the heat of embarrassment that was slowly creeping up onto his face before speaking up again, "I'm Forestkit. Nice to officially meet you..." his voice was soft but sincere. He tried not to show his surprise at the non-existent stuttering in his speaking. Perhaps it was a sign that he was getting better at all the social stuff? Or maybe it was because Ice was another kit like him? Whatever it was, he was more than thankful.

❒ The fluffy kitten looked down for a moment and was reminded of the food he'd been eating before. Ah! He should probably offer some to Icekit. Wasn't that the polite thing to do?

❒ He looked back up and smiled gently. "Icekit? Would you like some of this mouse? I know it isn't the biggest from the pile but I don't really like taking any of the big ones—it's just a me thing, though. I feel like since I'm not doing any of the hard work, I should leave the better picks for those that do," he explained as he softly slid the mouse a little closer to Icekit.

❒ Tilting his head, Forestkit regarded her words carefully. His face betrayed no emotions as he listened on. A few silent moments after she had finished and he still hadn't said anything. However, his maw twitched for a few beats before it broke out in a warm smile—eyes following suit. "You sound like my mother... and Duskflight," he purred with a light tone—no bitter or sarcastic connotations anywhere within his words. It was fully appreciative.

❒ He met her eyes with no hesitation. "I suppose I wasn't as over being alone as I thought," he murmured gently. "When my mother and father were still... here, I loved sharing the big prey whenever they were taking a break from their duties. I guess that without me knowing, my mind didn't want me to choose something that I couldn't share with anyone. As I said, I'm just not used to talking with others..." The young tom reached out and hugged the mouse to himself with a small chuckle. "Well, I guess I need to start choosing some of the bigger prey huh? I can use them as a great way to get to know the rest of the clan more. If I want to grow to be the best warrior I can be, I need to start getting my fill. Taking care of myself so I can take care of others."

❒ The kitten pointed to the prey pile with a paw. "Want to go choose something for yourself? I know that you told me that you already ate before but if you're hungry now, I can go walk with you and then we can come back. We can talk while we both eat." His soft voice didn't mask any of his renewed vigors. He had a lot of thinking to do later but for now, he can enjoy some company.

❒ Forestkit nodded and stood up onto his paws with a small stretch. He patted his mouse and began to trail after Icekit—hurrying to match her pace once they were a few tail-lengths away. He huffed as the cold air tickled his nose. His fur did wonders to protect him from the leaf-bare elements but he was aware that once the cold dissipated and the heat came creeping in, he'll be having a much tougher time. It'll be a while till then so he didn't need to worry about it for now.

❒ The gray-and-white kit turned his head a tad to look at his companion as they walked over to the prey pile—ears twitching as he listened to her speak. "I am looking forward to it," he purred with a wistful expression. "It may not seem like it with how... shy I seem, but I'd love to help around the clan in whatever ways I can. I guess I want to be like my dad. He used to go around and offer his help to whoever seemed to need some or ask for some... My mom said he was always a real charmer or something like that," he chuckled with a tiny shake of his head. The tom-kit paused for a moment to ponder the next question before opening his maw to speak up again, "I don't really have anyone in mind, to be honest. I guess it's because I never really thought about that before now." A determined look flashed across his eyes. "Well, whoever I get, I'll do my best to listen and learn. I want to make my parents proud as well as my clan... How about you? Do you have anyone in mind?" he inquired with a tilt of his head—his tone portraying genuine curiosity.

❒ His expression turned thoughtful as he pondered the other kit's words and suggestion. "I've never spoken to Ratrunner so I suppose it'd be as good of a time as ever to do so. I need to get to know him and him to know me before anything, after all." A tiny smile made its way onto his maw at the prospect that he'd get to know yet another warrior before he shook away his oncoming daydream. This was not the time for that. "Ah well, Cicadashriek sounds like a strong warrior. I may not know them but I'm sure that with them as your mentor, you'll grow to be a really great warrior." He smiled with a warm look in his amber gaze. "Like my mother used to say, "If you've got a strong head on your shoulders, all ya need is for your body to catch up." Interesting huh?"

❒ The kit peeked forward for a moment and realized that they had already arrived at the prey pile. "Oh! We're here," he chuckled softly. "I'll stand here while you pick out your prey," he murmured.

❒ The tom-kit smiled as Icekit returned with a lizard gripped between her jaws. She probably wasn't as hungry as he'd thought since her meal of choice was a bit on the small side. At her beckon, Forestkit nodded and began to follow her lead back to their previous spot.

❒ Once they arrived back, the gray-and-white kitten plopped himself down in front of his mouse. He took a good bite of it as he listened to the she-kit speak. A pang of sadness formed at her words—an all too familiar feeling that never failed to make his chest ache but he buried it away. She was right. He did speak of his parents a lot. Honestly, it was another thing he did without knowing. He quickly wiped the frown that had appeared on his face. He swallowed and shook his head at her question. "No. They aren't... around anymore. It was a while back. One day my dad went out to do some hunting and h-he never came back. My mom loved him so much that I guess she couldn't live without him..." he trailed off with a whispery voice. "One day she was gone too. L-Like she didn't leave but she just didn't wake up... I-I know what death is. I'm not some stupid or innocent kit—my parents taught me all that stuff so I-I could be prepared. It didn't make it any better though." A faraway look flickered across his melancholy gaze. Despite his downcast demeanor, Forestkit's maw had a ghost of a smile. These were memories that he didn't want to keep thinking about. He was going to be apprenticed soon and he needed to look forward and not back.

❒ He cleared his throat and shook his head. "I'm doing better now. I'm ready to move forward and work hard as an apprentice and then a warrior. I want to do it in their honor." The fluffy tom-kit's smile was more genuine now. "Ya know what, Icekit? I'm glad I got to talk to you today. You made me think about many things that I was a bit scared to before." He chuckled and subconsciously patted his mouse. "Guess I needed a little extra push huh?"

❒ Moving forward is certainly the best option for Forestkit. Besides, he now had more cats he could converse with—with a bit of time they could even become his new family. Just thinking about his future alleviated the pain he'd been feeling deep inside. He was well aware that nothing is set in stone—wise words from his mother—but having a bit of positivity never hurt.

❒ Smile morphing into a light grin, he huffed at the other's words. "Alright, alright. I'll do my best to earn my warrior name," he chuckled. He finished the last of his meal before speaking, "And you better hang out with me whenever you're not busy with whatever duties your mentor gives you. I'd like to check up on you, you know? It's not that you really need that. I'm sure your apprentice training will go well but it never hurts to check on someone here and there." Immediately after, Forest let out a little yawn. He offered her a sheepish look before getting up on his paws. "I'm gonna go rest now. Once I wake up I'm probably going to be thinking a lot. Thanks again for talking with me, Icekit! See ya."

❒ With a final smile and a little wave of his tail, the fluffy kitten stretched and padded off to his late mother's nest. His chest felt lighter than ever and right then, he felt like things were going to be alright.