Stormkit's first time out of the nursery

A crisp wind fluttered by, singaling the end of Greenleaf and the soon-to-be Leaffall. A frail young she-kit opened her green eyes. It wasn't her first time seeing the world, but it was her fith or sixth. Stormkit wobbled onto her thin legs and shook the moss from her smooth, glossy black fur. The muddled kit lingered there for a moment before taking a step forward, towards the entrance of the nursery. Another step followed and another; soon she was standing in camp, looking around with quiet, wide eyes. The area bustled with activity, warriors were returning from patrols and apprentices were talking near-by. A group of kits played a game of mossbal under the eyes of a few queens. Stormkit flicked her eyes over to a cat a few tail lengths away, her soul filled with wonder. Who is that?

When her gaze landed on him, he smiled. Frozenflame had been watching in the shade of a tree...he was always watching. He watched everyone and everything. When he had heard the news of a new kit named Stormkit, he couldn't help but go and see. He had a daughter named Stormstrike, who was once a Stormkit, and part of him was tricked into thinking that this kit would look like her. But, she didn't. Stormkit had black fur and his daughter was grey. Feeling awkward at the stare of the she-cat, Frozenflame stood up and padded over.

"Hi," he greeted with a purr. "I couldn't help but notice you were looking at me. What's your name?" He asked. She seems like a shy one...one of those who doesn't have much friends, The grey and ginger tom thought with a sad smile.

He's talking to me. Stormkit stared up at the large tom. He was nothing like the queens in the nursery or the kits for that matter. No, he was more like a warrior, like the ferocious ones in the stories the elders told. A spark of admiration lit in Stormkit and she returned the stranger's smile. "I...I'm Stormkit," she said as she sat down to stop her legs from shaking nervously. The little fur ball wrapped her tail around her paws, having nothing else to do with it.

Frozenflame let his amber eyes stay on the kit. He decided to sit down too and curl his tail around his legs and cover his paws, just like Stormkit. "Well, Stormkit, I'm Frozenflame. If you need anything, just let me know and I'll do it for ya. Like, say if you wanted a fresh mouse. I'll go and quickly hunt one for you and bring it back. If you need some moss for a nest, I'll go and get some." He lit up at his promise, glad to finally have something to do besides moping round camp all day.

Stormkit nodded subtly before abruptly standing up and pushing against Frozenflame, burying herself into his chest fur. "I don't have a momma," she said sadly. "The other queens take care of me." She liked his warmth and was glad she could rely on him to be there for her. Stormkit felt awkward after a while and sat back down, grooming her shiny, jet-black pelt.

The tom was taken aback by the sudden gesture before he heard Stormkit's muffled words through his fur. She doesn't have a mom. I'm the first one to care for her like a mother. Frozenflame purred and licked her on the head. He could feel the tension of awkwardness once the black she-cat sat down, so he decided to break it. "Want to play mossball?" He asked with a grin.

Stormkit thought for a second. "I never played mossball before," she said with a shrug, looking ashamed. Every kit has played mossball before, that's just what they do. "But I can probably learn how to play easily, if you teach me." The black female looked up at Frozenflame with her green eyes, respecting the warrior proudly.

The former queen Fawnwillow had just walked through the gourde tunnel when she saw her father playing with a kitten, curious she purred and mewed softly. "Hello! Can I play as well? It's been so lonely since my kits became apprentices that I have no one to play with anymore" She mewed, her soft fawn Brown pelt twitched with anticipation.

Frozenflame laughed and formed some moss that had been laying around near-by into a ball. "Okay, I'll teach you," he purred. Before the grey and ginger warrior could start, he heard a voice. Frozenflame turned his gaze to Fawnwillow, his daughter, and his heart dropped the slightest bit. He had been wanting to spend some alone time with Stormkit. "Uh...sure, I guess so," he said the slightest bit uncomfortably.

Stormkit giggled, but when the other cat came over, shyness struck her like lightning. She looked up at the she-cat in fear and pounced over to Frozenflame, crouching underneath him as he stood so she was partially hidden. "A...actually, o...on second thought," she stammered squeakily and quietly. "I...I don't feel like playing anymore." She hid her face from Fawnwillow and curled into a tiny black ball.

Cloverpool padded out of the nursery yawning her belly twice as big as it was last moon. She squeezed through the walls of the nursery brambles to see younge Stormkit,Frozenflame, and her friend and distant relative Fawnwillow. "Hello Frizenflame, Fawnwillow. Lovely day isn't it? Hello Stormkit and how are you this morning? I do hope I didn't bore you to sleep last night my dear." The tourtiseshell queen purred and gave a friendly smile. Her warm Amber eyes seems to smile the kit. She tried to sit down but had trouble and ended up just flopping down on the floor unsuccessfully. She sighed and settled down into a laying position so her swelling belly didn't get in the way and so it wasn't so awkward. Smiling through her third litter of kits her eyes betrayed just the tinyest bit of pain but not enough to worry anyone as long as they didn't look closely.

Fawnwillow nudged the queen into a comfier position, and checked her belly. "Should be any day now by the looks of it!" She purred

Frozenflame hadn't seen Stormkit go underneath him, so when he looked over at her and realized she wasn't there, he panicked. Only when the tom heard her squealing voice did he realize what she had done. Stormkit was shy and afraid of the two she-cats...to his surprise, she was afraid of the queen too. "Okay Stormkit, we can play some other time," he purred as he dropped the mossball and rolled it to her as she was curled up under him. The warrior looked over to Cloverpool as she approached and huddled over the black kit, providing protection like a mother as she shyed away. "Good morning Cloverpool, i'm doing well. It doesn't seem like Stormkit wants to talk right now..." He trailed off and smiled. "It seems like your kits will come soon, shouldn't you be in the medicine cat's den?"

The sleek kit hid in the shadow underneath of the warrior who crouched over her as she held the moss ball in her mouth. It was comforting to know that he was looking out for her and was there for her. She didn't reply to Cloverpool when she asked her how she was doing for three reasons: 1. She didn't know who Cloverpool was 2. She was frightened that Cloverpool knew her name when Stormkit hadn't told her it 3. She wanted Frozenflame to answer it for her. She watched with suspicious green eyes as Cloverpool flopped around like a fish out of water. I feel sorry for the kits in her tummy, thought Stormkit, huddling close to one of Frozenflame's back legs.