The Strongest Tree[C]

Gender: Male
Rank: Kit
Stats: 10 HP / 30 SP

Cedarkit quietly watched the clan hustle and bustle from a sheltered spot near the nursery. He didn't quite know where Shrewkit had gotten off to, but he assumed she was having fun, wherever she was. That kit really knew how to make things fun. Cedarkit felt like quite her opposite sometimes. Though, he hadn't done too poorly if he was honest with himself...regardless, he wasn't quite sure what to do with himself. All of the birds were away, hiding from the clan, and it was a pretty clear day, so no cloud watching.

Just as he had resigned himself to yet another day of boredom, a somewhat familiar voice caught his attention. For a moment, Cedarkit thought that Shrewkit had finally shown up, but upon closer inspection, he realized that it was Shrewkit's sister, Copperkit. He didn't know the she-kit personally, just through the few things Shrewkit had said about her.

The red and white kit straightened, suddenly concerned about his posture now that he knew someone was paying attention. "Oh, yeah, that's me. You're Shrewkit's sister..." The tom paused awkwardly, not sure where this was going. He eyed the little white flower, curious, but not willing to say anything about it. "Did you need this spot? I can move if you want."

Mostly, Cedarkit didn't want an awkward interaction. He'd noticed that Copperkit also tended toward the sidelines, so maybe she wanted this spot so she could observe their clanmates? Not that he would blame her. The shade from the nursery, the perfect view of basically the entire clearing, it really was the ideal spot to pick up on some fun gossip.

Gender: Male
Rank: Kit
Stats: 10 HP / 30 SP

Cedarkit's brows furrowed and he looked Copperkit up and down before shrugging in acceptance. He felt bad for being in such a foul mood today, but he wasn't sure how to be better. Some days felt harder than others. On a day like today, he just wanted to curl up into a ball, sleep, and dream that his dad was still in Thunderclan - struggling with the loss of Cedarkit's mama, but willing to be there for his sole kit. Sometimes, Cedarkit wondered why his father would leave. He hardly remembered the tom, but he could recall his scent, his eyes, and the way he used to groom Cedarkit's fluffy pelt.

The young tom was jerked from his thoughts as he suddenly noticed Copperkit much closer than she had been. He went still, curious to see what she was doing, and also not wanting to offend her by moving away. Once she stepped back, he noticed two things, the flower she had was gone and something was tucked behind his ear.

Cedarkit glanced up, trying to see the little white flower, but it was out of sight. Not gone, he just couldn't see it. He looked at Copperkit uncertainly but scooched over to make room for her in the shade. "Okay..." He trailed off, then added - "And I'm sorry for being so prickly." The red tom didn't offer an explanation for his behavior, though. He didn't feel that it was neccessary.

Gender: Male
Rank: Kit
Stats: 10 HP / 30 SP

A short, somewhat tense silence filled the space, making Cedarkit slightly uncomfortable. He watched Copperkit closely, noticing the subtle changes in her body language and stiffened, suddenly feeling a rush of clarity as he examined the other kit. He was surprised he hadn't noticed it sooner - he knew he looked the same way sometimes when his thoughts got too loud.

However, Copperkit was definitely much better at pushing it down. He wanted to say something - but what? It seemed unlikely that Copperkit would appreciate him pushing his way into her business, much less trying to psychoanalyze her. He would, however, try to be nicer to her.

It felt wrong to be relieved, though, when Copperkit finally spoke again. He cocked his head to the side, curious. Deputy, huh? He could see it, actually. Even now, as a kit, she was capable of pushing her feelings aside as needed. Not necessarily a good thing, but probably something a deputy or leader would have to do a lot. He smiled softly and settled down as well. "I think it's good to have dreams like that...you'd make a good deputy."

He paused then, unsure about what he wanted to do when he grew up. He'd never actually thought about it before, having spent the last moon or so moping around the camp like a useless lump of fur. The young tom's brows furrowed, and he looked away suddenly. He wondered what everyone thought of him - the orphaned kit that hung around the camp like a shadow.

After a long minute, Cedarkit shrugged, "I...actually haven't thought much about it. I guess I'll be a warrior? Nobody's ever asked me that before."

Gender: Male
Rank: Kit
Stats: 10 HP / 30 SP

Cedarkit dipped his head gratefully but didn't respond. He knew that at the very least, he'd make for an acceptable warrior because if not, he'd be of no use to Thunderclan. The mere idea of being useless made his skin crawl like there were ants in his fur. What if he never learned how to hunt? What if he was horrible at fighting or tracking? Would he be banished or kicked out? What would his mother think?

She was probably up there, somewhere, watching out for him and rooting him on. Knowing that she could see him at any given moment was frightening...he was afraid he'd fail and let her down.

However, what Copperkit said next caught him of guard, yanking him from his thoughts. He looked oddly at the she-kit, trying not to let his fur bristle indignantly. Though she wasn't wrong, he didn't like that she was able to guess as much just by looking at him. The tom had hardly ever spoken to anyone about his parents, especially after his father left. Cats seemed to look at him with pity all of the time and no one wanted to deal with poor little Cedarkit who had no family.

He shifted awkwardly, then sighed. Maybe Copperkit was asking because she was curious...or concerned. He did tend to mope around a lot. "Just wondering what they would say if they were here. I don't think they'd be happy with my behavior." He looked away uncertainly, then, in a bid to divert the attention away from himself - "What about you? What're you thinking about? Sometimes...sometimes you look really sad."

Since Copperkit didn't mind crossing certain lines, he assumed she wouldn't be to upset if he asked about some things as well. Besides...he could relate to her. Though, Cedarkit wasn't really sure if that was a good thing or not.

Gender: Male
Rank: Kit
Stats: 10 HP / 30 SP

Cedarkit hummed thoughtfully, trying to fully consider Copperkit's words. He kind of understood what she meant, but his situation was different. Goldenfern's brother had died...a cat she had known her entire life. Whereas he had never gotten a chance to know his mom. She had died the day he was born. As for his father...he'd only known the warrior for - at most - a moon. He didn't think he deserved all this time and space to mourn the loss of parents he never knew.

Even worse, everyone always seemed to tread on eggshells around him and he wasn't sure if it was because of his bad temper, or because they thought he would fall apart at the first mention of his parents. If he was honest with himself, he had already accepted not having a momma. It was the sting of knowing that his father had decided to abandon him.

Regardless, what was done was done and there was nothing he could do about it. Copperkit was an easy distraction from his painful thoughts, so he focused on her, curious to hear her response. As she spoke, Cedarkit's chest tightened. He hadn't known the dead warrior had been her older brother...

"I-I'm really sorry Copperkit. I didn't know." Cedarkit silently chastised himself, ashamed to have been so caught up in his own problems that he was oblivious to everyone else's. The young tom blinked sympathetically at Copperkit. He could understand what she was feeling, on some level anyway. "I know its not the same...but I can sort of understand I think."

Gender: Male
Rank: Kit
Stats: 10 HP / 30 SP

Cedarkit frowned, his bushy tail curling uncomfortably around his paws. He'd said the wrong thing, hadn't he? Copperkit looked arguably more upset than before. The tom nodded along, only half hearing what Copperkit was saying. Things seemed so much simpler with Shrewkit - they could run and play with little to worry about.

But Copperkit was a different story. There was some deep sadness in her eyes...along with other things Cedarkit couldn't quite put a name to. Gah! So stupid! Why did he care anyway!? It wasn't like they were littermates, or even friends! Still...he felt connected to her, in a way. Maybe it was because they were so scarily similar to each other?

Regardless, it wasn't Cedarkit's job to fix everything. Some cats just needed to figure things out themselves. At least, that's what Cedarkit told himself anyway.

Cedarkit flinched, suddenly jerked from his thoughts at the mention of Shrewkit. The red kit blinked, trying to remember what Copperkit had said up to that point. Something about...what he thought of her? Hopefully that was it. He didn't want Copperkit to think he was ignoring her.

Clearing his throat, Cedarkit shrugged. "I like Shrewkit, she's a lot of fun..." He paused, then met Copperkit's gaze. You two are pretty similar...but not at the same time." Cedarkit scratched at the ground awkwardly, trying to find the right words. "But I haven't been able to talk to her like this. She's good at making me forget why I'm sad. You're good at helping cats feel better when their sad."

Gender: Male
Rank: Kit
Stats: 10 HP / 30 SP

Still uncomfortable, Cedarkit looked away before eventually nodding. He was right, he knew he was. Copperkit was kind, thoughtful, and she always seemed to put others' emotions before her own. At least, that was what he'd noticed in these past few moons. Usually, he would sit on the edge of the camp and observe his clanmates...was that creepy?

Well, he hadn't been doing it to be weird, he just wanted to get to know his clanmates better without actually talking to them. Ah, maybe that was weird.

Cedarkit sighed, not sure how to break the tense silence between him and Copperkit. Maybe there was no way to break it. Maybe he'd never be able to hold a real conversation with another cat...what if all he was good for was a temporary distraction from one's troubles? What if he never learned how to comfort someone or talk to them one on one?

No, this kind of thought process wouldn't do him any good. Still, the thoughts continued to worm past his defenses, burrowing into his mind to plant little seeds of doubt. He just wasn't cut out for this.

Suddenly, Cedarkit screwed his eyes shut and batted a paw playfully at Copperkit's shoulder. "Sorry. I'm no good at this. I really meant what I said though." The tom spoke haltingly, his eyes still closed as if not being able to see Copperkit would mean that she wouldn't be able to see him.

"I can tell you're a good sister and a good friend...maybe, when we're apprentices anyway, we can help each other out?" Cedarkit's ear flattened against his head and he grimanced. "I mean...like - uhh..."

He hesitated, reaching for the right thing to say. "We can lean on eachother!...Y'know? Whenever we're sad or upset." Stupid, stupid, stupid! What was he even saying? Copperkit had an entire family who would be there for her. Did she really need another cat pestering her?

Still...that didn't mean that Cedarkit couldn't try to be friends with her - at the very least.