Kits don't know best [Open]

The nursery was warm and inviting as always, soft moss and feathers keeping in the heat.

However Duskkit had no intention of curling up and snoozing Leafbare away like all the other kits. He wanted to hunt and feed his clan. His mother mentioned that food was scarce during leafbare, because prey would hide in their burrows to escape the cold. And there they'd remain until Newleaf, safe in their tiny burrows.

But Duskkit had a plan. He was still small at four moons old, so he would dig out the prey. No mouse would be safe from his tiny claws. And then Spottedstar would have no choice, but to name him an apprentice early for his hunting skills.

So with that in mind, he snuck out of the nursery. His sister Coalkit blearily woke up once to ask where he was going, but he lied easily knowing she'd want to come as well. This was an adventure for a real warrior, and Coalkit wasn't ready for it, being smaller than him.

He had made it just outside camp without being spotted, using his brown pelt to hide amongst the sticks, when he heard the unmistakable pawstep of a larger cat behind him.

Blazingpaw had been unsuccessfully hunting. As he trotted along, the cold bit at his skin through his short, ginger fur. Suddenly, a whif of a cat swam up his nose. Opening his mouth to get a better scent, he found out that the cat was from Thunderclan. He followed the smell and soon heard tiny pawsteps infront of him. Blazingpaw ducked into the undergrowth, staying hidden and following the kit, hoping that he didn't get spotted by the small cat. Blazingpaw got ready though, incase if the kit got into any trouble.

Duskkit froze, ear twitching in an attempt to suss out whether he was being followed or not. He could have sworn he heard the sound of paw steps behind him, but after a moment of silence, he chose to march on.

His paws, despite his attempts to be careful, were loud as he trampled through the snow and undergrowth. His lack of any formal training evident in his clumsy stride. There might have been prey about, but thanks to his loud strides, they were long gone.

But that didn't deter the little kit, he ran on, clueless of the dangers that awaited him.


(OOC: I'm thinking maybe thunderpath or npc rouge cat?)

OOC: It doesn't matter. Whichever one you want

IC: Blazingpaw crept along, staying down-wind and hidden in the undergrowth. Man, I bet cats at the high stones can probably hear this kit trampling through the snow! Blazingpaw smiled, sniffing the air for any signs of danger. He continued on, quietly sneaking through the snow. His ginger fur didn't really help him blend in with the white, powdery substance, but the bushes and branches helped hide him.

Fearless, and undeterred by the cold, Duskkit raced onwards. He stopped a few times to check out holes, but all he got for sticking his paws in were sharp nips or a pawful of dirt. It's fine, he thought to himself, I can just catch something, I bet mice aren't even that hard to catch.

When he finally came across rustling in a bush near the Twoleg place, he pounce without a second thought. Forgetting to scent the air to make sure it was truly a mouse he was pouncing on.

But an angry hiss, and an unexpected hard swipe of a clawed paw quickly gave away the identity of his 'prey'. Duskkit was in deep trouble.

(ooc: Going with NPC Rouge Cat then:) )

Blazingpaw, when he found himself following Duskkit near Twoleg Place, he decided it was time to reveal himself to the kit and take him home, but before he could do so, a hiss came to the tom's ears. He was on the rouge in an instant, pouncing onto it's back and digging his claws and teeth into it's neck. "You touch that kit again, and your dead," he hissed. Blazingpaw was thrown off the rouge's back. The rouge turned to face the apprentice as Blazingpaw stood up and shook snow from his pelt. The rouge pounced onto Blazingpaw's back.

Duskkit puffed up his fur in alarm and confusion. Still mildly dazed from the hard swipe that barely missed him, he watched as Blazingpaw ferociously fought the rouge. He was lost, he wanted to help, it was his fault that this had happened, but he was so small compared to the rouge.

But when the rouge pounced on Blazingpaw's back, he knew he had to do something. Sucking in a deep breath, he tensed and pounce on the Rouge's tail. It was a mildly useless attack, but he bit the rouge's tail with his small kitten teeth. Drawing blood, but evidently not enough damage to be even worth another clawed swipe, as he was easily battered away with a hind kick.

Blazingpaw thrashed wildly underneath the rouge, hissing and clawing. He managed to throw the cat off his back. The tom lunged for the rouge's leg, biting down with all his strength. A loud snap was heard as the bone broke. The rouge let out a squeal. Before Blazingpaw could go for the other leg, the rouge limped off, surely going far away from Thunderclan's territory. Blazingpaw turned to Duskkit, blood streaming down the apprentice's shoulder. "We need to get you back to camp quickly, before anything else happens." Blazingpaw picked up the kit by the scruff in his mouth. "Are you hurt?" He asked through Duskkit's fur, quickly padding towards camp.

Duskkit was bruised and battered enough he hung limply in Blazingpaw's jaw without protest. He ached all over, but had no injuries a good night's sleep and a poppy seed wouldn't fix. But he was exhausted both physically and emotionally, the fight had been a terrifying ordeal for the young kit. Never again would he leave camp until he became an apprentice.

"I'm okay, Blazingpaw. Are you... okay?" He hesitated, feeling guilty that the apprentice had been injured defending him.

Blazingpaw stumbled on through the underbrush, ignoring the pain in his shoulder. "I'll be fine. Never do this again, okay?" He said it sternly, but not harshly. He got his point across without sounding scary and mean, but like a caring father scolding his child for drawing on the wall or stealing something. Blazingpaw had protected this kit from bigger injuries, and maybe even death from the rouge. He felt a sense of pride from what he had done, but not enough for it to be the reason why he did it. He also didn't just do it because the warrior code said to protect his clan with his life and never neglect a kit with pain or danger, he felt the need to protect this innocent cat. Blazingpaw was caring, and he knew that any other cat would've done the same...or at least any other cat with a heart. The ginger tom had to pause for a moment to catch his breath, setting Duskkit on a tree stump. He tried to stand in a position where the kit couldn't see his bleeding shoulder, but the stench of blood from himself, and of the rouge, stuck to him. There were clumps of the rouge's fur stuck between Blazingpaw's claws from the fight. "Wait until your an apprentice to leave camp, okay little fella?" He licked Duskkit's forehead.

"Yes, Blazingpaw." If Duskkit could have curled onto himself more, he would have. The scent of blood served as a lingering reminder of the danger that he had placed Blazingpaw in. He felt truly remorseful, he'd left camp with good intentions, honestly. He didn't imagine that a simple hunt outside could have ended so badly. He didn't even want to think about what could have happened if the apprentice hadn't have come.

"I don't think I want to leave camp, even after I become an apprentice." He whispered, shivering from the last of the shock on his place on the tree stump. Naturally, with time, his natural curiosity would encourage him to take risks once more, but for now, he had been thoroughly shocked.

Blazingpaw was ready to go again, so he picked up Duskpaw in his mouth and started walking again. "Once your an apprentice, you'll have more knowledge of how to fight off danger, including rouges. You'll be stronger then, so you'll be able to go out on the territory without being afraid of stuff like this." His voice was muffled through the kit's fur. "You know, there is a rule that kit's can't go outside of camp for a reason."

"But I'll never be as strong or as brave as you. That rogue would have eaten me if you didn't show up." The brown kit spoke rather melodramatically, after four moons of completely sheltered life in the camp, he was frightened of the forest which held many dangers. And scenting blood from a clanmate for the first time in battle was a frightening experience. What if Blazingpaw had died.

Blazingpaw laughed a little. "Please, I'm not even braver then a kit! I'm the weakest cat I know, too. And I'm pretty sure rouges don't eat kits." He meowed the last part amusingly. "And even if they did eat kits, if you encountered one as an apprentice, he wouldn't eat you, because you would be an apprentice. And being a part of a clan means that you have to risk your life for it. You have to defend your clan with your life, no matter what. When you're older, you'll realize that soon enough."

"I don't believe you." Duskkit spoke smartly, in his mind there was no way a cat strong enough to take on a rogue could be weak. "You have to be the best fighter. That rogue ran off scared of you. Do you become braver when you become an apprentice?"

The kit was curious, he couldn't imagine becoming as strong or as brave as Blazingpaw any time soon. And he was already four moons old. Two more moons and he'd be an apprentice too. "Dying still scares me."