pest control [c]

A small black and white bundle of fluff scurried through ShadowClan camp, pelt blending into the shadows. Upon reaching a patch of deeper shade, Asterkit fell into a sloppy imitation of a hunting crouch, slinking forwards with yellow eyes narrowed to slits and ears pinned back against her head. The young kit had watched the apprentices all last night- and now it was time to practice. Unfortunately for her, she… well. Her attempt was not just sloppy- it was something half-hunting crouch and half-fighting crouch, all incoordination. At least she hoped that the warriors would be impressed at a young kit even trying such a thing.

A look of intense concentration crossed Asterkit’s face as she thought through every pawstep, trying her absolute hardest to mimic a real hunting crouch. Unfortunately, when you weren’t even four moons old and not exactly steady on your paws, well…

Asterkit overbalanced suddenly as a gust of wind blew through camp, landing on her side. Thankfully, she was not tall enough for such a fall to hurt yet, and so the young kit immediately sprung back to her paws. She would just have to try again- however, she was not sure how much time she had until her mother called her over for something or other. Asterkit did not plan on practicing in front of her siblings. No. She would practice out of sight, until she was good enough to show them. And help them practice as well.

ShadowClan needed good, strong warriors. Asterkit planned on herself and her siblings being the cream of the crop. Not that she knew what that meant. One of the apprentices she had been watching had said it in a positive context. So it probably fit.

The small kitten focused on her attempted hunting crouch, oblivious to the world.

It was hard to miss the rather unstealthy little kitten trying to stalk in the shadows like a proper Shadowclan warrior. It was cute, though it would take a threat to pull that confession off his tongue. It reminded him how he used to do the same, hunting crunchy leaves in leaf-fall. There weren't any leaves up in highstones though, nor were there any bugs in leaf-bare, so it looked like the kit was making due just practicing her novice stalking skills. A part of him was content to just watch, but something pulled him to his paws to lumber over. He could afford to entertain a kit for a moment, having already patrolled for the evening.

"You're doing good, I would have completely missed you if I were some other clan cat. Shadowclan has a natural eye for stealth living in the shadows." He crouched down, more just to get down on the young she-cat's level. He was a solid, scarred tom, he didn't want to be too intimidating. "It's smart to practice while you're small. You'll be ahead of all the apprentices when you become a 'paw," Locustcall praised, repeating his own kittish logic he had declared when he was no larger than she.

"You're one of Leopardsun's, right? What's your name?" He didn't know the she-cat well, but she had been pregnant when he had returned to Shadowclan and now there was a patrol of kittens following her around. He felt he had pretty good odds that this kit was one of them.

Another voice chimed in out of nowhere. Asterkit let out an unwarriorlike squeal, fur puffing out in all directions as she glared at the intruder. She had not even heard him coming. In the future, she would have to exercise caution and stay alert whilst practicing hunting- or even hunting for real! The small kit wrinkled her nose at the calico tom. Who was he? She had seen him in camp before- in real camp. Not WindClan camp. “That is the idea,” she mewed, yellow eyes studying the other ShadowClanner. He was big. And strong looking, and scarred. “I am going to make sure me and my sib- my siblings and I will be ahead of everyone else!”

The young kit nodded at the warrior’s question. There were other kits around, but none quite their age. “What is your name?” Asterkit asked. “I am Asterkit. Do you have any stories? New ones.” He looked like he might know some interesting tales, beyond what her mother and father knew. She could ask any warrior or apprentice to help her with her stalking, but unique stories, she had already learned, were difficult to come across.

The small kit straightened up, sitting tall and proud. Asterkit had worked hard to learn what she already knew. Perhaps the warriors would notice- perhaps they would even compete to have her as their apprentice. Asterkit did not think she would mind that- as long as her siblings were not aware of her superiority.

Locustcall chuckled when the kit squeaked, but only once he realized he had just caught her off guard. He supposed he should be louder when approaching next time, but the kit pulled herself together quickly, glaring at him like a grumpy weasel. Good, it was nice to see a little attitude in Shadowclan's youth. They needed strong, stead-fast warriors.

The kit, Asterkit as he was told, sat up and the tom settled down, curling his paws underneath himself. "I'm Locustcall," he introduced himself, silently relishing the simplicity of it. There was no need for an 'I used to be that name' or an 'I go by this name now.' Asterkit was too young to need all that pretense, he could just be Locustcall.

He rumbled low in his throat in thought. "Stories... I got a few," he mused, trying to search through his brain for a few he could make kit-friendly, and more importantly, make himself heroic in... something surprisingly difficult if he remained truthful. "I could tell you about how I battled rogues far away... or how I fought an owl on my first day as an apprentice." Those two seemed the easiest to water down and twist to sound cool to a kitten. He could tell little of the Forgotten Order as none of what he remembered of them was fit for a young mind, nor could he speak of the Dark Forest, having fled during their reign and knowing little of their defeat. However, Asterkit didn't need to know that.

"There are plenty of battles I could call from. It's an important part of being a warrior, after all." He licked a paw, drawing it over his scarred muzzle.

Locustcall? ”What is a locust?” Asterkit asked, tilting her head to the side. She did not recall hearing of a locust. Was it a bird? Or perhaps a fish? However, all thought of “locusts” was wiped away as the calico continued speaking. “You have fought rogues?!?” Asterkit squeaked in excitement, jumping to her paws. “No one else tells stories about rogues. They say I am too young to hear about them attacking camp. Do you have other stories, about different rogues- oh, of course. Those were here. Those you fought were far away, so they were different. Correct?” Pleased with herself, Asterkit sat up a little straighter, if that was even possible. This tom seemed very interesting. “A very important part,” she echoed, eyes wide.

"Uh, think a huge grasshopper or cricket." Locust shrugged. "Boring on their own, but they can gather in huge swarms." The addition wasn't needed, but he wanted to try and make his name sound cooler than just a big bug.

The large tom grinned at the kit's excitement, absorbing the enthusiasm he craved. "Yes, the rogues I fought were different than the ones that attacked camp. I was far off, past highstones to where there's a different twoleg place and a forest very few cats here have ever gone to." He gestured with a paw out towards the direction he used to travel. He didn't have many fond memories there. He was a clan cat by blood, he was always meant to be with Shadowclan and the distance between him and his clan was sickening... but he was a cat who loved the adrenaline rush of battle. He'd be lying if he said he didn't instigate just as many fights as he did get stuck in them.

"It's dangerous out there, and a warrior's heart should always be with their clan, but... I got separated and couldn't return." He skipped over the details, hopeful stories of battle would capture her attention more. "So I honed my skills with rogues, fighting them over territory and fresh kill and living beside the monsters that roam twoleg places. There was this she-cat there, some big ragged molly that thought she owned the place. We fought constantly over food and land. She tore my muzzle open over a mouse." He batted the scratch marks over the bridge of his nose for emphasis. "Rogues can be mangy things, scrabbling like rats. You're lucky you were born into the best clan around with the code to keep us all stabilized."

Asterkit had not seen a grasshopper or cricket yet, nor had them described. However, she was aware that they were bugs. Interesting. She did not know anyone else named after a bug. Or, perhaps she did and simply was not aware of that fact yet. They gathered in swarms? Interesting. However, tales of rogues were more interesting than facts about bugs. The small kit listened intently, head tilted to the side. He had fought rogues- big ones. Scarred ones, that returned the favor. The world was a better place for his efforts, was it not? One had torn his muzzle open over a mouse- stars. How petty and cruel. Asterkit glanced around camp. The orderly way ShadowClanners went about their business stood in stark contrast to Locustcall’s tales of brutal rogues.

The small bundle of fluff nodded sharply at the warrior’s last sentence. She was well aware of this fact. Otherwise, why would the Clan go to such lengths to be separate from WindClan? Even their allies (someone had explained this to her when she had asked, that they were allied with WindClan) did not follow the Code. Asterkit, however, had already made an effort to memorize it, with… mixed results. “I know the first few rules! ‘Defend your Clan, even with your life. Do not hunt or trespass on another Clan’s territory. Elders and kits must be fed before… uh… everycat else. Mmm… don’t kill prey for no reason and make sure to thank StarClan’.” She recited proudly, albeit with some stumbling. “That is all I know so far. I do have to spend time practicing hunting first.” Learning how to feed the Clan came before learning the Code, did it not? At least, that seemed to be how Mama and her siblings viewed it.

The tom nodded along with the little she-cats listed codes. They weren't exact and it certainly wasn't all of them, but it was good for a kit who couldn't break the code if she tried. She was meant to eat first, and couldn't dream of even reaching a border to trespass. Knowing the code was basically just a bonus at her age. "Well done, you know the most important ones. There's also the fact a warrior must reject the soft like of a kittypet and that your leader's word becomes the warrior code and must be followed as such, but the others will be more important once you become an apprentice. A kit your age should have no worries of border marking or warrior vigils just yet." He used a large paw to gently ruffle the top of Asterkit's head.

"It is good to learn how to hunt, but the code is what makes us different from loners, rogues, and kittypets. I'd say it's just as important as the frogs and mice in the freshkill pile. My mentor taught it in the first few days of my apprenticeship." Of course, ensuring the clan was fed was a warrior's first priority, and hopefully a warrior wouldn't need a code to think to feed the young and old first, but the code made it punishable if they didn't. "I'd say you're smart enough to learn both at the same time. Young minds tend to suck everything up like moss."

“I know that one,” Asterkit reassured Locustcall. “No ShadowClan cat would ever choose the life of a kittypet, so I do not consider that one as important. I did not know that Nightstar’s word is the warrior code, however. That is aweso- er, impressive.” The small kit’s ears blushed faintly red. Awesome was not a word that ShadowClan’s finest warrior would use. It was alright for now, while she was a kit, yet it was not a good habit to get into. Despite herself, Asterkit felt a surge of joy at the warrior’s praise, and did not complain as he ruffled her fur. Unlike some kits, she appreciated the fact that a warrior’s praise, no matter which one, was something to be earned and savored, not taken for granted or as a birthright.

“Just as important?” Asterkit echoed, tilting her head slightly to the side. “That does not seem practical. The code is very important- but food is essential, is it not?” The words were not a challenge; rather, a question, with a fulfilling answer expected as a matter of course. Suck… up? Like moss? Asterkit decided that was more than likely a compliment, based on how their conversation had been going, and lifted her chin accordingly.

The tom nodded at Asterkit's confusion. "Yes, just as important. A mouse will fill a cat's belly and hunting is important to keep a clan running, but hunting only works when there are cats to hunt and prey to catch. If we hunted for sport, not eating what we caught and hunting far beyond what we needed, we could hunt the land dry. If we apprenticed cats too early, killed dishonorably, lacked loyalty, Starclan knows what would happen to our numbers." Locustcall spoke with a bit of hyperbole, but the best examples were those in the extremes, where the consequences were at their most tangible. Hopefully, if the code were ever dismantled, cats would still act with sense, but he wouldn't leave it up to chance.

"The code ensures everything runs smoothly and cats are safe when they are their most vulnerable. It keeps us respectful, civilized." He paused, trying to find a way to shift the tone to something brighter. "It's good you asked questions though. It's commendable to pipe up with your own thoughts. Too many will just follow blindly." Locustcall praised, just to boost the kitten's confidence.