A Storm is here!

Meanwhile, a russet-furred kitten watched, but also participated -- in his mind, that was. He sat up, his chin raised like the head of a stag. His eyes followed their movements as his thoughts tracked their words and meanings. He tilted his head as something called "The Dark Forest" was mentioned; considering the contrast between the warrior and the Dark Forest cat, he concluded that these kits must have thought the Dark Forest was evil. It probably was, then; after all, the young, crooked-tailed tom saw no rhyme or reason for these WindClanners to possibly be wrong.

To be frank, these cats had really inspired an itch in the male kitten to play with them, but he couldn't tell why. He had figured at this point that they were playing merely because Foxkit was bored, and Stormkit was very, very friendly. Stormkit was a mystery to him, but he supposed she just had nothing to hide or lose when it came to making friends. After some thought, Beetlekit realized he didn't, either. "Hmm," he pondered.

Not a moment later, Beetlekit took a few steps out of the nursery and winced at the warm, bright sunlight. He hadn't expected it to feel so ... exposed, he supposed. He lowered his head as his tail twitched with annoyance. He glanced at their feet while he did so.

He lifted his head high again and meowed, "Can I play? I don't mind if I'm a warrior or a Dark Forest cat." This time, he enjoyed the sunlight a bit more; in fact, he enjoyed it so much, he stretched out his forelegs and purred. A fresh breath of air filled his lungs as he inhaled, which smelled - and tasted - a lot better than the boring, dusty old nursery air he had grown accustomed to.