A small line of ants walked across the edges of the camp, making its way from the nearby freshkill pile and towards the brambles that made the camp’s walls, to a home beyond sight...probably attracted to the scent of the meat there, or to a slightly past-it’s-prime carcass the apprentices had forgotten to take away from it or simply didn’t notice in the flurry of to-dos their lives tend to carry with.

Unending labor and diligent work unnoticed by all...except for two vibrant eyes that stared...and stared…

Most kits probably would’ve jumped to the opportunity to hunt a bug or two, especially when the ‘prey’ seemed so focused on its task that it wouldn’t notice their approach, a temptation for any opportunistic cat trying to hone its skills before their ceremony…

And yet, Stormkit’s full attention had been on this line of tiny critters as they came empty-handed, and went with their newfound spoils. Immobile except for the occasional ear twitch or flick on the tip of her tail, unblinking even. As if in some kind of trance. Unwilling to interrupt their labor, and instead trying so hard to understand what could be going through their minds…

The kit’s ear perk up almost right away when she hears a familiar voice, her gaze lifting from where the ants marched to the confused expression of the apprentice. Ah, yes, she remembered seeing this one changing bedding before! But she found her tongue in a tangle as she realized the name slipped from her mind…

“Why wouldn’t they be?” A question answered with a question of her own... “How much do you know about them? Do you know how they think? Why they do what they do? Are these ants apprentices like yourself? Or warriors of their own clan? Do ants have a clan? Are they taking food back to their own kits?”

Questions flowed past the little kit’s lips like water flowing through the calm streams often found in their neighboring Clan...and just like those, they appeared to keep flowing as one gave way to the next...and yet, such flow was soon interrupted by the loud yowls of the nearby warrior.

It was only now that the kit noticed the sudden disarray in the formerly perfect line of ants, and the ones running and clinging to his face as he tried to shake them off. Confusion was what came first and foremost, wondering what in the world had just happened, before she looked at Sootpaw...then at the ants...then at Fuzzface...then at the ants again…

“Hot?” Impulse guiding actions, she bapped close to where the ants were, soft pawpads trying to find out if the ground around them was hot, only to jump back, literally speaking, right before one could climb onto her paw. She might be curious, but she was not stupid, especially after seeing what the warrior was going through

“Why would you eat them? Or were you trying to grab a piece of freshkill they were crawling onto? They don’t seem to be very filling…or are they? Have you eaten them before? Do cats eat bugs? Why don’t we have bugs on the Freshkill pile? Or are they so tasty they always run out before I get here?”