Night Returns {Closed}

The first thing the kitten remembered seeing was night. The bright stars overhead twinkling as the moon passed overhead. There was no cat around from what she could tell. Her mother and litter mates were gone. Had they left her behind? The young kitten let out a mewl, forcing herself onto wobbly legs. Maybe if she looked, she could find them. The she-kit did not make it far, stumbling across a small pond, which soaked her thick pelt. Feeling many times heavier, the kitten pulled herself to the edge, just below the bush she had woken next to. Not having the strength to push herself back to the base of the bush, the kitten slumped and rested at the edge.

The kitten's nose quivered and small pink mouth opened to cry out. Maybe her mother would hear her cries...

Dawnflower was out in the territory, getting herbs to replace the store's stock seeing how she had just gotten rid of a ton of dead ones a few days ago. The medicine cat was currently digging in the dirt to get to the roots of a certain plant when she heard familiar cries. Her gazed lifted from the hole, and she looked around at the surrounding area wondering where it was coming from. She stepped away from the hole when she heard it again. Being curious, the pale colored cat walked until she found the source of the noise. She knew it was familiar when she saw it was a kit.

Feeling bad for the small black bundle before her, the Shadowclan cat pulled the kit close and began warming her up with her tongue, not caring about the dirt, and stuff on the kit. She knew that she couldn't leave the kit out here alone, so she would have to take her back to Thrushstar. That would be an interesting conversation seeing how Thrushstar took things these days.

Mudfoot was out helping Dawnflower gather herbs when he was given the task to go find Marigold. Trotting off, glad to be of service, the tom searched for the herbs. For who knows how long, he sniffed around, searching for any sign of what he needed to find. After some time, he finally found Marigold. Picking it up gently in his jaws, he padded back to Dawnflower. "I'm definitely no medicine cat but---" Placing the Marigold on the ground, he walked forward cautiously, looking at the thing Dawnflower was licking. "A kit?" He meowed tilting his head. It wasn't her's... No, it couldn't be. Could it?

It seemed that some cat had heard her cries. Although, it was definitely not her mother. Any kit with any energy would mewl in protest to the grooming. But the long haired kitten was thoroughly thankful for the warming and gentle licks. Her cries quieted as the dampness in her fur faded away. Her black and white fur stuck up in awkward clumps, and her white tipped ears were folded back. Her small kitten tail stuck straight out, and twitched every time the older cat's tongue lapped at her fur. The she-cat was not her mother, and smelled of plants instead of prey.

The kit looked up, parting her eye lids to peer up at the older cat. Blue eyes shifted from the two cats, obviously confused about her current predicament. "Where is mommy?" She mewed, tail limply twitching and paws curling inwards.

Once Dawnflower determined the kit was warm enough, the Medicine cat straightened out. "Oh dear.." The she-cat said. "She isn't here.. I'm afraid she is long gone.." The medicine cat said. She looked up to Mudfoot. "Thank you for the help Mudfoot." Dawnflower shifted slightly as she thought about what to do with the kit. She surely couldn't leave her out here.. The rogue scent was faded except for the scent the kit created.. "What is your name little one? And would you like to come back with us?"

Although it was only a kit, Mudfoot's fur still stood on end. "Dawnflower..." He started, careful not to say something the medicine cat could snap at. "What if the mother comes looking for it? And brings her rouges or a threat to ShadowClan?" It's a crazy notion, but we can't just go picking up lost kits, especially when we don't know their past." The tom loved kits, and didn't doubt ShadowClan's power, but was still worried.

The kitten's tail fell limply on the muddy ground, looking disappointed. "I don't gotta name." The she-kit responded, voice small. For some reason, the kitten couldn't find it in herself to morn the loss of her mother. She couldn't remember much. Only that she didn't look like her mother at all. Did that matter at all? Would her mom come back for her? Her mother wouldn't have left with her litter mates had she not wanted her, right? "Yes, please." She mewed blue eyes narrowing as she tried to force herself on wobbly paws. With the muddy water gone from her pelt, white spots dappled her pelt along her back and up towards her head. Like the night.

Dawnflower looked at Mudfoot with a sharp glare. "What are we supposed to do? Pray that mom comes back and takes her, even though there is a great chance of that not happening. I'm not leaving her to die." She hissed. "The scent is stale, and there is no way that mother is coming back. And doesn't the warrior code say something about not leaving kits behind no matter where they are from? We are taking the kit back." She said, not caring about any further protests. The medicince cat's mind was made-up. She would fight Thrushstar about this if she had too.

She turned her attention back to the you black kit. "You don't have a name? Well then we will give you one." Queens usually named their kits after appearances right? The medicine cat looked over the kit, and decided she looked like the night sky. "Your name is now Nightkit. I will carry you back to camp. Mudfoot can you carry the herbs?" She asked. The pale colored cat picked up the small kit by the scruff and started heading towards camp.

Giving a sigh, he picked up the herbs. There was no point in arguing with a medicine cat, they always seemed to win and besides, she had a point. The tom padded after Dawnflower, soon catching up and walking next to her. "The name suits her well." He mumbled through a mouthful of herbs.

The newly christened kitten let out a squeak as she was lifted by the scruff. Nightkit struggled for a long moment before going limp. Her tail curling upwards between her hind legs to keep it out of the marshy land. The kitten hadn't said a word, although she couldn't help repeating the name in her head, and how right the name felt. 'Nightkit, Nightkit, Nightkit...' Eyes closing, she let out a small purr. Her nose appreciating Dawnflower's scent.

It had seemed like forever in her kitten mind until they reached their camp. The scent of multiple cats filled her nose, and the kitten's eyes opened to scan their camp. In awe of how many cats there were.

As soon as the trio entered camp, Thrushstar looked over and narrowed his eyes. Having just finished his meal, he had been out in the clearing with a perfect view of the entrance just in case. Now here he was watching Dawnflower and Mudfoot walk in with a black kit that he'd never seen before. Jumping to his feet, he padded towards them, expecting one of them to explain. "Who do we have here?" He asked them monotonously as he grew closer. "Why do we have a--" As soon as he got closer and was able to take a good look at the kit, he froze in place, his eyes locked onto her fur. Instantly, Nightstar crossed his mind and the longer he looked, the more identical the two looked. "Where did you find her?" Thrushstar asked urgently, suddenly wondering if he was going crazy.

Dawnflower gently placed the kit on the ground between her paws. "Thrushstar, this is Nightkit. We found her out in the territory all alone, and abandoned. Mudfoot tried to convince me to leave her there in case the mother returned, but the scent was really stale, and I couldn't just leave her alone out there to die. So I brought her here, and gave her the name Nightkit." The medicine cat told her leader with confidence in her eyes. If Thrushstar fought with her about this she was ready to argue.

Starclan must have been toying with him at this point. There was no way that some kit could come in here looking like Shadowclan's previous leader. He was probably dreaming. That had to be it. "N-Nightkit, huh?" he asked, his mind racing and fuzzy from the sheer disbelief that poured over him. There was no way this was a coincidence. Was this supposed to be a way for Starclan to say something to him? It was a terrible way of doing so if that were the case. It only left him seriously confused. "I don't think you could have chosen a better name if you tried, Dawnflower." He was still obviously shaken up about the whole thing even though he tried his hardest to keep his composure. What in Starclan was this supposed to mean? it was something he couldn't wrap his brain around, and because of that, he was in no mood to argue, especially with one of the few cats he actually trusted. "Who will be taking care of... Nightkit?"

Mudfoot gave a sigh. Was she ratting him out or protecting him? He wondered after the way Dawnflower talked about him not wanting to take the kit. The tom tilted his head, curious as to why Thrushstar suddenly seemed so shocked to see this kit."Nightkit?" He mumbled aloud. Does that name have some importance?

The kitten was rested between the paws of Dawnflower. Her head bobbed up and down as she dozed off. Small pink mouth opened to yawn, unknowingly showing off her white kitten teeth. Sleepily, her eyes watched the new cat tiredly. Shifting her position, the kitten curled into Dawnflower's belly fur. Her spotted head resting there, in the shelter of the older cat. This journey had her ready to curl up in a nest and sleep. The kitten was not paying much attention to the conversation.