Unexpected Friends[C]

Copperkit had been playing with herself quietly in one corner when a strange scent attracted her attention. The small she-kit looked up towards the source, leaving the mossball to roll away. She had smelled it before, she was sure, but only in the past few sunrises, and she couldn't name exactly what it was. If she had to describe it... it was like ashwood, but also like dust. lots and lots of dust, and something foul she couldn't describe. A bit of ash in there as well, and not a wiff of forest. At least after it's initial appearance, it began to slowly fading into the soft, rich scents of the forest.

At last, she spotted a dark brown tabby sitting by himself not too far off. A mouse laid at his paws, but he didn't seem to be eating it. How... odd. Wasn't that the cat Blazefang said had been taken by Twolegs and only just returned? So the foul scent must belong to Twolegs, right? For a second, she thought of approaching the tom, then quickly thought better of it. I have no right to act as if he needs my help, she thought to herself, yet she still risked a glance at the tom. How strange that he is my clanmate and I don't even know his name.

Still, the thought of the tom nagged at her mind for the rest of the day. At last, as the sun began to set and washed the camp in an blood-orange light, Copperkit worked up the courage to talk to him. A small bundle of bright orange marigold flowers clamped firmly in her jaws, the dilute tortoiseshell approached the tabby with a determined yet nervous look in her eyes. After catching the tom's attention, she laid the flowers at his paws and mumbled out a "Hello". She raised her head to look up at the tom. She was already small compared to the other kits her age, and yet this tom seemed much bigger than the other apprentices, so he completely towered over her. Trembling slightly, Copperkit mewed softly, "My name's Copperkit, what's yours?"

Frond lifted his head curiously as a kit wandered over to him, flowers in her maw. Huh? Copperkit, she said her name was. Huh. “I’m Frond-paw,” he added swiftly, tacking the ‘paw’ onto the end. He’d dropped it in Twolegplace, not needing another reason for the rogues and loners to pick on him, and even now that he was back it was a hard habit to break. “Nice to meet you, Copperkit. Where’d you find the flowers?”

It was an action that touched him, honestly- this kit might’ve been one of the older ones, not too much younger than him, really, but she could hardly expect to come by too many flowers stuck in camp. That was- that was awfully nice of her, really. Frond glanced down at the mouse at his paws and gently nudged it her way. “Thanks for the flowers.”

Frondpaw seemed to instantly light up when she brought him the flowers. He must be really lonely... that, and he had mispronounced his name. Did he forget the -paw after frond-? Thinking about it, he didn't need to have the -paw after his name when living in the Twolegplace. Dayquill told her about all the weird names and cats outside the clans, so Frondpaw must have changed his name to avoid suspicions.

"I found them behind the nursery. I had to dig around a while to find these," Copperkit answered simply.