Young Blood [Rosekit]

Sunlight dappled the clearing as Wolfblossom stretched, a light breeze rustling the leaves around her. The fluffy she-cat dropped back to the grassy expanse below. She'd taken a small nap after being on one of the earlier patrols, and while no more were scheduled to leave for some time yet, Wolfblossom was hoping to spend time with her clanmates rather than napping in a tree. Recently there were more kits in the nursery, and so her paws led her in that direction. There was one kit outside the den, Rosekit, if Wolfblossom remembered correctly. She made it a point to check in on the kits and queens regularly, though this kit wasn't one she'd interacted with much yet.

"Hey there," Wolfblossom mewed, approaching the nursery.

Rosekit had only just stepped outside after spending most of the morning in her nest. No longer a young kit, she was starting to understand why the apprentices complained about early mornings. Blinking in the sunlight, she turned in surprise to see that a fluffy grey-and-white she-cat had approached the nursery and mewed a greeting. She furiously wracked her brain to remember this cat's name, drawing a complete blank. "Hi there!" Rosekit mewed, dipping her head respectfully. What was this she-cat's name? The kit had a feeling she should remember, but her mind was still full of morning fog. "What are you up to?" Rosekit asked cheerfully, hoping it would come to her.

The kit dipped her head in respectful greeting, and the deputy smiled softly at her. The respect from the clan's youth was something she was still getting used to, and while she was deputy there was a certain level of respect that her position demanded when interacting with her clanmates, but Wolfblossom hoped that the kits especially still saw her as a clanmate and not just an authority figure. Perhaps that would've made the job easier if she didn't care about her clanmates, but the problem was that Wolfblossom did care.

"Oh, I just thought I'd check in on things around the nursery before heading out on patrol." Wolfblossom replied. "Have you eaten yet?"

As the older cat made her reply, Rosekit's stomach rumbled audibly. When she asked if Rosekit had eaten, the kit gave her a sheepish grin and shook her head. She was slightly distracted, still furiously wracking her brain trying to remember this cat's name.

Rosekit let her gaze trail up and down the she-cat, taking in her light, fluffy pelt. Her face lit up as she suddenly remembered. Before she could stop herself, Rosekit blurted "You're Wolfblossom!" Immediately her face grew hot and she flattened her ears slightly. Had she really just done that? The kit considered making an excuse that her brain was still foggy with sleep, but she thought better of it. Hopefully the deputy wouldn't mind. Rosekit forced herself to look up at Wolfblossom, her ears still flat with embarrassment.

The kit's stomach grumbled, and Wolfblossom chuckled softly at her sheepish expression. Turning, she trotted over to the fresh-kill pile, snagging a quail and returning to Rosekit, nudging the bird toward her. "Here. Eat." Rosekit's startled recognition of her made her whiskers twitch in amusement. She was embarrassed by it, though Wolfblossom took no offense. "That would be me. Don't worry, you're not in trouble for that. I'm not a tyrant." She grinned, tail curling over her paws.