lost at a sleepover [C]

Rookkit

Flights of fancy were not thoughts worth entertaining.

They were a waste of time, and of energy. No cat should bother to busy their mind with fantastical ideas that would forever be out of reach. There were much better uses for the mind, much more practical uses. When there was so much to learn, so much that was proper and useful and logical, it did not make sense why one would choose to spend their conscious thought dreaming. And that was the worse part of it: it did not make sense. If it did not make sense, why were so many cats prone to having hopes?

And if it did not make sense, and they begrudged entertaining the illogical, why had Rookkit fallen prey to those poor lines of logic?

Quietly and smoothly, Rookkit disentangled their limbs from Lark's, peeling away from their brother and the queen that had been watching over them. They were having trouble sleeping, and were instead thinking about their still-absent Father. They could not shake the idea that perhaps he was on the way home now, and perhaps if they sat outside for a while, they would be there to greet him when he breached the island and returned to his Clan. The glimmer of hope in their chest at the idea could not be tamped down, even if it was kittish (they would ignore their status as a kit in favor of rejecting false hopes).

But... they did not want to go alone. It was cold outside, with snow on the ground, and they were not alone very often. He did not like the quiet that came with solitude, even if he preferred quiet most times. Rookkit had considered waking their brother, but something stopped him. Lark surely wouldn't have liked being dragged outside in the middle of the night for something like that. His ears flattened, and the slim kit stepped away from the nest they shared with Larkkit. Perhaps they would simply brave the night alone. But, as they stepped across the den, a spot of bright fur caught in the filtered moonlight made their head turn. Sunkit... he was not as insufferable as Rookkit first thought. And if nothing else, Sunkit was stockier and with thicker fur; he would be warm to sit beside.

Padding over, Rookkit gave their denmate a firm kick to the flank, stalled a beat, then murmured, "You are awake now," and issued another harsh nudge to assure Sunkit would follow his orders. Without waiting another moment to fully confirm that fact, Rookkit moved away, sliding out of the den to cut a path through the shallow drifts of snow where they would wait at the heart of camp.

Sunkit was, unfortunately, already awake. Ever since his parents’ disappearance, Sunkit’s restless energy extended to even moments of rest. Once upon a time, he slept like a rock with a fair frequency. These days, he stayed awake late into the night, long after his denmates snores filled the room, and twisted and turned. He would find little things to do to entertain himself, or go outside and play as quietly as he could. Sometimes he’d attempt an escape of the walls of camp, though he found himself snatched by the scruff of the nightwatch every time.

He was in the midst of counting seconds between the snores of the queens, eyes clamped shut in the hopes it would make him sleep faster, when he felt a sharp pain in his side and his eyes flew open with a sharp squeaking sound. ”You are awake now.” Is he?? He was not asleep before. He blinked a couple times, so startled he didn’t respond before Rookkit nudged him again.

“Huh-wha? I’m awake! Oh, we’re leaving, okay!” Sunkit said in a harsh, not-actually-that-quiet stage whisper as he scrambled to his feet and trotted after his friend. It was very rare that Rookkit actually approached him and not the other way around, and Sunkit was not about to let the opportunity for company go to waste.

He was all too happy to breathe in the cold night air. He grew distracted briefly pouncing on a small snow drift, getting clumps of snow in his fur and prompting giggles to leave him, before he shook himself free of the snow and sped up to join Rookkit in the heart of camp. “What are we doing out here? Could you not sleep either?” Joyful at the ability to speak in a more full voice and at getting to stretch his legs, Sunkit was trotting around Rookkit in circles for a few minutes, tail held high.

Rookkit

Their denmate was not long to follow, coming out of the nursery at a hearty trot. Rookkit turned to keep an eye on his approach, watching as he dove into the snow. The small fit of giggles was surprisingly loud, echoing off the snow. Rookkit found their ears rotating forwards instead of flattening against their head. The moment of playfulness even prompted them to press a paw into the snow, for more than just padding through it. They were already indulging themselves more than they might usually allow; what harm could that do? The powder was cold against their pads, and it stuck to their toes the further they pushed their paw in. They retracted quickly, brushing the paw against their other foreleg to clear away the dust before Sunkit joined their side.

With the same boundless energy he always had, the golden tom trotted circles around him, and Rookkit's head swiveled slowly to follow his path as he kicked through the snow. "No. And shhh." The hush was not malicious, nor even scolding. It simply was. "Or do not shhh. I am trying very hard to listen, though." Sunkit's pacing was causing some of the snow to stick to their pelt. Rookkit bent their head to eye where it freckled their dark fur, squinted, then lifted their head again. Instead of focusing on Sunkit, they looked dutifully towards the entrance to camp.

"I have had an idea. I have had the idea that, if I sit out here just the right amount of time, my Father will return. Only once I have waited long enough. Then he will decide to rejoin RiverClan. So," Rookkit inclined his head, not removing his attention from the tangle of sedge and reed sheltering them, "I have come to wait. Perhaps count stars, should I find myself bored. I do know how to count quite well. You are the cat I am most familiar with that would indulge whimsy. You are also the warmest. I am quite prone to getting cold. And, thirdly," there they flitted their attention briefly, pointedly back to Sunkit before centering on the objective again, "you may like to wait for your family as well. It is a winning affair for us both."

The ”Shhh” drew Sunkit to a stop, his head tilting quizzically. They were far enough away from the nursery, and surely any den, to really draw much attention, right? And then- Oh. Oh.

Sunkit settled into a sitting position. Rookkit had not mentioned their father much to Sunkit in their escapades together, though Sunkit knew he was missing as his own parents were. He had tried not to think about it too much. Other cats had come home, so must their parents. Right? Or Sunkit would become big and strong enough to go get them. There was no doubt about it.

Except there were doubts, always lingering in the back of his mind and twisting up his stomach with uncomfortable emotion.

Flicking his ear in acknowledgement, Sunkit scooted over until he was pressed against Rookkit. He was pretty warm himself, and the mild warmth that naturally radiated from Rookkit’s pelt was nice too. “I’m great at counting too,” Sunkit chirped confidently. “I have trouble falling asleep sometimes. Lakestone once told me to count mice, except that there weren’t any mice near me, so I started counting other stuff instead. Like how many stars I could see through that hole in the den, before it got patched up.”

Taking a moment to pause, Sunkit considered for a second, his own attention becoming fixed on the entrance. “I think that’s a good idea. I keep trying to leave camp. Perchstar says I can’t, I’m too young, but she won’t make me an apprentice either. Everyone just keeps telling me to be patient, but...” His claws flexed briefly. “I don’t know how I’m supposed to find my parents if I can’t leave and I can’t start training. So… I like this idea.”

Rookkit

It was, admittedly, a touch difficult to focus on Sunkit's chatter when he had ceased prancing in favor of pressing against Rookkit's side. The smaller kit tensed and bristled, leaning stiffly away. They had not invited Sunkit to touch them yet. It was in intrusion. However, he was warm; for the moment Rookkit had allowed the contact, they could feel the heat under his thick fur. It was a comfort, especially when they were sitting alone with just the snow and stars and soft wind. "Count the mice in your head, then." To emphasize, they closed their eyes. When they did, and focused only what was behind their eyes, they could see many mice: bright ones, their coarse fur in colors real mice did not tend to come in. The rodents danced through Rookkit's not-vision, marching one-by-one along until they opened their eyes again. "It is easy."

But imagined mice were not the focus of their mission, and Sunkit switched conversation to the more important subject. Rookkit's ears flapped rapidly back and forth as they listened. "Well, Perchstar will not let you because it is a bad idea." Their ears flipped around again, then sat forward and were still. Slowly, their neck turned until their attention was centered on their companion. "We are kits. It is a noble ideal. You would likely die though. Or be taken as a kittypet. We do not have the claws nor the training to handle a twoleg." Rookkit blinked. It was a truth they knew themself, just from the size of the twolegs, but it was what Larkkit had told them as well. That made it true on principle. Still...

Rookkit straightened out their body again, and re-leaned into Sunkit with a soft thump. The golden fur was dense and soft. Even where the cold seeped into their pads, they felt cozy. His fur was comfortable. In a softer voice, one meant for holding secrets, they breathed, "It would be nice though. We may get apprenticed near to each other. If that is the case, and our families have yet to return, we may go look together. At least one of us may know how to engage combat then. We will both be more secure." Rookkit blinked again. Their attention had not left Sunkit in a while; it was time to look at something else now. This time, the stars. "But that will not be a concern. We will wait together until they come. Consider it an extended exercise in behavioral practice. If we are good long enough, a return they cannot deny us." Rookkit's tail whisked through the snow, and their ears flitted downwards. They could only hope that that was the case. If not, then this was a pointless venture, and an utter waste of their time. They did hate wasting time, and moreover, wanted to see Father again.

When Rookkit leaned away, Sunkit straightened up and shuffled a bit away too. He had thought that the mention of staying warm meant having to stay close, as that’s what he did whenever he was cold, was to nestle up to his mother. Or… that’s what he used to do. He must’ve misunderstood, based on the way Rookkit stiffened. He felt a little guilty. He’s not the best at understanding when a line has been crossed. He hopes he has not crossed one. Rookkit carried on as though the silent interaction had not occurred, and Sunkit’s shoulders relaxed. That was one of the reassuring things about spending time with cats like Rookkit or Twistpool. He always knew they would say exactly what was on their mind.

Sunkit frowned, closing his eyes and trying to imagine the mice too, but the little mice he focused on flickered in and out of focus. The imaginary ones were replaced with the ones he’s eaten, which made his mind drift to some of his other favorite foods, like fish! Should he count fish? The fish felt slippery in his head though, and he couldn’t decide what they should look like. His nose wrinkled and he opened his eyes again. “I think it’s harder for me.” He admitted softly.

“Mm.” Sunkit’s ears folded back as Rookkit reminded him of the same thing everyone else told him, and he couldn’t bring himself to meet Rookkit’s golden gaze. He didn’t quite know how to explain that he knew it wasn’t a logical train of thought, but with each passing day without his mother or father home, his anxiety grew, and so did the restless urge to do something about it. He felt like he was ready to burst out of his skin.

Just as he was trying to find his words again, Rookkit’s skinny body flopped into his, and he turned his head to stare at Rookkit in surprise and meet their eyes now. Oh. Okay, maybe he really hadn’t crossed a line. Sunkit’s smile returned, and he sank a little into Rookkit in return, enjoying the warmth they shared between them. “I’d like that. Looking together, I mean.” He said softly. “It’ll be pretty nice, being apprentices together, right? Maybe, once we found our parents, we can go looking around the territory together sometime. Just… y’know. Exploring! Seeing what’s out there.” A soft gasp left him. “We could go swimming together!”

Rookkit

The quiet in response to their dismissal was acceptable. Rookkit hadn't been expecting much of an argument, anyway. It was a point of fact, so why contest it? The acknowledging hum from Sunkit was response enough. That was enough to settle it. Sunkit had even turned to stare at them and pulled his mouth into a smile. A little flicker of contentment sparked in their chest, and they made a similar, soft mm when Sunkit pushed into their leaning. So, for a few moments, it was just the two of them and their view of the stars, cold and still and far, far away. The sky looked the same as always. They had expected the conversation to lapse into silence, but their denmate's voice made one ear twitch with attention.

"I did not record any new stars," Rookkit announced slowly as he lowered his head to stare unblinkingly at Sunkit. He let each of their separate statements sit in the cool air for a moment before speaking again. "Probably it would be better to explore our territory before attempting rescue missions. I will be confident in our abilities to find them whence we are apprentices, but fool I am not to think we would not get lost." His tail flicked slowly, idly behind him. He paused for a while, considering. It would be a fool's errand for the two of them to run headlong out of camp on their first day as apprentices. Taking the time to become acquainted with the world outside camp would benefit them both, as it was the intelligent approach. It was the intelligent approach, yes.

"It would be nice." They were hesitant to use the word fun, though they would still acquiesce. It would be nice to explore for the sake of exploring. There was so much beyond the confines of camp that they had never seen and could never imagine. They wanted to soak in all of it, fit the world between their teeth– not for any lust for ambition, but a simple want to know. It would be good, even if it was not a tactical thing. Their ears wiggled again when they thought to Sunkit's other comment about swimming. It was not something they had really considered, despite the fact it was in their Clan's blood. When they thought of it now though, the bridge of their muzzle wrinkled just slightly. "My fur would get. Wet. Probably cold as well." It did not sound pleasant in any way. Still, "But yes, we could go swimming together. Lakestone ought to take us to the broken pools. Then we would have experience. I would be used to it, also."

Sunkit purred softly, eyes closing as he imagined it. The images swirled in his mind, going as quickly as they came, but he sat, and he imagined. He imagined himself and Rookkit as warriors, tried to imagine what it would be like to explore the territory, what it’s like beyond the walls of the camp. He imagined the river rushing beneath them and grass underpaw. It made him happy to think about, even if it felt a long way off.

“That would be nice. I’ll ask her tomorrow,” Sunkit said, stretching out for a moment before sinking back against Rookkit, his fur puffed and warm despite the chilly air. “Hopefully I won’t sink like a rock the moment I get wet.” He paused, giggled. “You’d have to change my name to Rockkit!” He giggled again, pleased at his own (in his opinion) clever joke.