light rain [OPEN]

It was a peaceful, still evening in RiverClan camp. Warriors returning from their patrols, apprentices sprawled out in the last of the lazy sunbeams, kits scurrying about and playing at mossball. A pleasant breeze kept the green-leaf heat from being oppressive, while the warm sunlight kept any chill away. In short, a perfect evening.

That was good, because otherwise, Drizzlekit would never have been allowed outside the nursery. Rainstep had all sorts of ideas about safety and sickness and all sorts of things that was just plain exaggerating. Drizzlekit was perfectly healthy for a four-moon-old kit. She couldn’t even remember the whitecough that had taken her voice as a newborn, it was that long ago, and she hadn’t been sick once since. Well, maybe once or twice. The point was that, frankly, Rainstep was overprotective, and so Drizzlekit was savoring every moment of her time spent outside the nursery.

Just because her mother would let her out of the nursery didn’t mean she was allowed to play mossball with the older kits, and so Drizzlekit sat in a nice patch of sunlight, grooming down her fur like she’d seen the older cats do. The ginger-and-cream she-cat watched the kits that were playing mossball, wondering if there even were any rules to the chaos.

Probably not, she thought to herself with a smirk.

With barely a glance, he kept the cream-and-ginger kit daintily grooming down her fur in the corner of his eye. The younger kit was finally outside, though Rainstep no doubt lurked just inside the nursery. A brow raised slightly as he peeked back over his shoulder.

He suspected that his watching her now was what pacified Rainstep. Drizzlekit had kept his paws full since she was a newborn. It had always been, ‘Lavenderkit, get Drizzlekit some water from the broken pools’; or, ‘Lavenderkit, find Sandyshell to check on Drizzlekit again just in case’; or, ‘Lavenderkit, I’ll only be gone a moment but don’t take your eyes off Drizzlekit’.  To be fair, with the amount of apprentices and kits in camp, he could only guess how many moons the queens had been run off their paws with the flood of new life into RiverClan. 

Lavenderkit didn’t mind helping, he would have been serving the clan as an apprentice long ago; his -kit name did not suit him. He let out a breath and a tiny smile, he was almost like a queen himself. Lavenderkit had been hesitant to ask about his apprentice ceremony, with so few warriors to mentor. So here he was, watching Drizzlekit watch the game of mossball. She smirked at the chaos.

It had taken Lavenderkit patient observation and the benefit of the doubt to see any method in the madness. The object was to have possession of the mossball, and to keep it as long as possible, to get all the way around camp. The kits chased the mossball and each other, batting it out of another kit’s claws or running head-long into another kit to tackle it to the ground. Sometimes, the mossball rolled out of every kit’s reach and they all suddenly stopped still as if they expected it to dart away. Then, the kits were not fighting each other for the mollball but hunting it as if it was prey. Rather than all rushing for it, the kits watched each other for the tiniest sign for movement, aiming to strike and seize the mossball when the others least expected it. This could go on for some time, with many tricks and false starts. After all, the patient clever cat caught the fish.

Now! he thought, seeing a perfect opportunity to move. The other kits could be more effective and it frustrated him. Lavenderkit did not bother to ask Drizzlekit if she wanted to play. She would never be allowed. Besides, he was far too old for mossball, though the joyful mews of the playing kits lifted the mood of the already perfect evening.

It had been a bad season for sickness in the cramped tangle of reeds of the nursery, through leaf-bare and all the way into new-leaf. He had gotten it several times, like every kit and had his share of stays with Sandyshell. That ~ and the accident when as a very young kit Lavenderkit fell into the river, which he could not remember but meant he couldn’t use his back legs; it made him understanding of the delay of his apprenticeship, especially with apprentices  doubling up. But, the weather was warmer, the river calm and more welcoming, it would be a perfect time to begin his training soon. 

The cream-and-white kit would surely be happy too. He turned to her with a question, “Drizzlekit, wasn’t it?” Of course, he knew, but wasn’t sure how much mind the small cat paid him. He had been less cooped up in the nursery, and Rainstep a little less worried and asking less of him, lately. He and Drizzlekit had not played together yet, either, just for fun.

OOC: thank you sm! yeah it’d be great if they were already friends :D

Lavenderkit’s familiar voice reached Drizzlekit’s ears, causing the slight molly to turn to him. She tilted her head at his question, amber eyes flashing in amused confusion. He knew her name! Silly Lavenderkit. The cream-and-ginger she settled for sticking her tongue out at him, eyes flashing with mischief. What did he think, that she had the attention span of a midge?

Lavenderkit was much older than Drizzlekit, who still had at least two moons left until she was apprenticed, and probably more responsible, since he helped the queens with stuff. Also, they seemed to like him, which was definitely a point in his favor. With the queens, at least, although Drizzlekit was old enough to appreciate that him helping was good for them all, somehow. Something about freeing up cats to do things, or something. She hadn’t really been listening.

A renewed burst of noise from the tussling kits, causing Drizzlekit to turn towards them. She clicked her tongue loudly, shaking her head in a clear these fools! Stars above, if you were going to all pile on the mossball, of course it would fall apart! She glanced at Lavenderkit, shaking her head. Whatever were they going to do with those rascals?

Of course, she wasn’t older than them (and, honestly, probably not more mature). She was just better at looking it.

A smile of quiet amusement settled on Lavenderkit's face. Many young kits did not know the names of other cats; he blinked in subtly pleased acknowledgement ~ Drizzlekit remembered his name, too.

A renewed burst of noise from the game caught both kits' attention. The playing kits had all piled on top of the mossball and it had fallen to pieces. Small wails of distress and accusations of foul play began to build among the kits. Drizzlekit clicked her tongue loudly and shook her head. Lavenderkit shared a look with his friend, before turning and hauling his hind legs as fast as he could back inside the nursery. There was plenty more moss in the fresh plush nests. Lavenderkit grabbed some and reappeared a moment later. "Sorry, make a mossball," he asked Drizzlekit.

He scooted over to the crying kits. "Look, it's okay, Drizzlekit is making another mossball," he comforted, angling his ears towards where Drizzlekit sat. He gave each of them a gentle lick on the head as they all turned to look. This kept their attention and gave a mere few seconds of quiet, before every kit began wailing again.

They were bored! Not just hungry or tired! They did not want to stop playing! They wanted Lavenderkit and Drizzlekit to play with them now! They all climbed on top of the slender sleek blue-grey tom, trapping him under a pile of small fluffy mewling kittens. Helplessly, he raised his brows with eyes wide as he looked to Drizzlekit with amusement. Help? he mouthed jokingly. 

Maybe she had some sense for the other young ones... he hoped.

Drizzlekit tilted her head to the side at her friend’s sudden dis- and re-appearance. He wanted her to make a mossball? Well, that couldn’t be too hard, surely. The young kit started shaping the moss, ears flattened as she focused. Right. Hm, that wasn’t bad at all! She perked up, purring proudly and turning to where- Lavenderkit seemed to have been defeated by the younger kits? Hmm? Was this a course of events she ought to have expected? A logical conclusion to their game? Somehow, she doubted it.

The ginger-and-cream kit batted the mossball in their direction, sending it flying past and distracting the pile of kits. Hm. They really were obsessed with that thing, weren’t they?

Lavenderkit felt the mossball sail past his ears and the weight lift as the pile of kits scrambled after it.“It’s a good one! Thanks, Drizzlekit!”

The kits started to play a new game, in which they had to toss the mossball past Lavenderkit to Drizzlekit. If Drizzlekit caught the mossball, she would toss it back to the other kits; if Lavenderkit caught it, the kit who had thrown it joined him in the middle. He thought Drizzlekit was good at it, catching and tossing the mossball until the kits were once more piled on Lavenderkit... and they were tired.

“Who wants a badger ride?” Lavenderkit offered. There was sleepy enthusiasm. The kits took turns getting on, their little claws pricking his shoulders as he carried them to their nests.

Lavenderkit shared a secret little amused smile with Drizzlekit, almost rolling his eyes mischievously in the direction of the den of woven reeds behind them. He watched the setting sun for a quiet second before turning to her teasingly, “Want a badger ride?” he asked his friend. He was curious, since she usually pretended to be too grown-up for such things. Though, she was younger than him as well and might soon start yawning. Or maybe she wasn’t as tired as the more rambunctious kits and wanted to stay up?

As the younger kits piled onto her friend, Drizzlekit huffed with exhaustion, watching as Lavenderkit finally returned. She flicked her tail lightly against her friend’s side, a silent you’d-better-appreciate-I-did-that in her actions. Mossball wasn’t exactly something she liked to do, but if it made her friend’s self-appointed job easier, so be it. The ginger-and-cream kit rolled her eyes fondly at Lavenderkit’s question. No, she was perfectly fine, not tired, and definitely certainly totally the size of the other kits her age. Not small at all.

Drizzlekit began carefully grooming the sand out of her wispy pelt, watching the sunset silently before she stood, stretched, and waved her tail to Lavenderkit. He might get to stay up late because he was “responsible” and… things, but she doubted she’d be allowed to stay up again if she came in late.

With a smile and a small yawn, Drizzlekit bumped her shoulder against her friend’s and padded off to her nest, waiting just a half moment to see if he had anything else to say.