Flooding aftermath .. (OPEN!)

The flooding was .. rather terrifying sight to see. While Ashkit hadn't the chance to see much of it, getting a glimpse of the collateral damage on the way to Sunningrocks gave her enough of an idea of what happened ... and to be frank, she did not like knowing any of this.

"How long are we to be here ... ? Are we ever going to go home?" She thought to herself.

Being so young, she assumed once something is gone, it's gone permanently. So one thing led to another and her thoughts begun worrying if the River Clan camp was going to be gone forever. Being more familiar with the clan, the little she-kit was beginning to come out her awkward shell and become more acquainted with the others upon meeting her adoptive guardian and new younger brother. But with that in mind, another worry began to peck at her train of thought.

"What if someone got hurt .. ?" She muttered, stopping in her tracks to look back at the path that leads to the place she came from. But what could she do about? Ashkit was ... a kit! Not much could be done, or at least nothing someone so frail like her that would benefit any dead or wounded. What did it matter to her? She wasn't going to be the one to search for any cats, so why was she pelted with such dark thoughts?

"I .. I want to go home ... " She whined to herself, her stomach churning and her tail curling underneath her.

For Sunkit, the flooding was unimportant. He hadn't been old enough to know what had happened, as far as he was concerned, Sunningrocks was their home. He was born here and had been raised here, why would he yearn for a place he'd even been before? So without a care in the world, Sunkit prowled about the stony camp, chasing beetles when he spotted them and giving the voles a good scare. That was when he heard her mewl.

At first, he ignored it.

It wasn't his business and he had more important things to do, like catch snails. But then she said that word. 'Home.' Everyone was talking about RiverClan camp as if it was some great place. What about it was so special anyway. But she sounded so pitiful, not wistful like most of the warriors. So with a sigh, he came out of hiding, exposing that he too had been wandering far from their stony prison to greet her.

-tt-

Her eyes darted up from the cold ground upwards to the more vividly colored kit. The small, frail little thing's ears perked up learning it was another kit. A bit younger than she, but not by much by the looks of it.

"Who .. are you?" She asked in a meek tone. Ashkit doesn't believe that she's met this tomcat before, but he smells to be of the same clan as she. She made a few paw steps forward to get a closer look at this kit.

This was unfortunately the reason that he rarely interacted with his fellow clanmates, this little problem here where he couldn't really reply to her. For a while, he looked down in frustration, furrowing his brows until he figured out a way to say it. Sunkit flicked his head up to urge her to look up at the Sun, and then rested a paw against his chest to say that it was him. Repeating the gesture a few times so she definitely caught on, he jutted his muzzle out as if to ask who she was.

After all, this wasn't just a new encounter for her but him as well.

Her eyes followed his, looking up at the sun? Was that what he was doing ..? Her attention was brought back down, seeing the kit gesture towards himself now. The sun? And himself?

Can he not talk? She simply wondered as to why he wouldn't just say his name, but not wanting to really press anything, she went along and tried to piece the two gestures side by side. Her face looked extremely puzzled and confused for a few moments before putting them together and wording it out.

"Sun .. Kit? Sunkit? Is that your name ... ?" She asked, hoping to have gotten the answer right.

"I .. If that's your name, my name is Ashkit." The she-cat nodded, bowing her head a little as a form of greeting for meeting this new kit.

He nodded when she got it right, his tail flicking from side to side in delight. She got it. Maybe this wasn't such a mistake after all.

When she finally told him her name, he trilled in thanks before tilting his head to the side with an amused look. He pointed at her with a paw, looked around before shrugging, his way of asking what she was doing all the way out here.

Most kits didn't stray too far from their parents, did she not know she could get in real trouble if she was caught?

"Oh, you're welcome. I guess you can't talk .. ? It's okay if you can't." She commented shyly. Not wanting to be rude if it was the case that this kit was made the way he was, and in this case? Born with the inability to talk.

Keeping a close eye on his next set of gestures, she already began thinking what he was trying to ask. His paw moved and pointed at her, then his eyes looking around from where she was standing.

"I can't find .. the she-cat who looks after me. So I'm trying to see if I can find her. Ever since the main camp was filled with so much water, I've been having trouble finding any familiar cats ... " She murmured very feebly.

"So I guess until I find Tawnystorm, and my little brother .. I'm stuck being alone unless they find me .. " She carefully explained to Sunkit, sitting down where she stood as she got into her explanation. Looking a little upset with not being able to find her guardian or her sibling, Ashkit does her very best to muster up that common but weak smile of hers.

Tawnystorm... That sounded familiar. The she-cat was raising him, Ivyfall, had mentioned her before. He frowned, tail swishing from side to side behind him as he tried to piece it together. Then it hit him, Tawnystorm was Ivyfall's daughter! Sunkit let out an excited thrill, spinning around in a circle before headbutting her foreleg with his head. He span around and flicked with his tail for her to follow, he knew the way.

-tt- He trilled loudly, ears pricked up with glee.

She had fallen backward upon Sunkit's sudden and awkward sort of headbutt on her front foreleg. Blinking idly a few times, squinting her eyes as she thought why he had done that before she realized what he was attempting to say.

"Oh .. you want me to follow you?" It began to make a lot more sense to her now ..

"D-Do you know where Tawnystorm is?!" She asked in a much more eager tone. Her eyes widen with curiosity, and also hope. Getting up back on her four feet and ready to follow this kit wherever he was planning to lead her.

He nodded vigorously when she figured it out, turning around to nip at her lightly in the ear to hurry up and follow. He knew where to find her guardian, Tawnystorm was in the camp most likely away from the nursery. Otterkit was nearly old enough to not need constant attention now and liked to play with his sister, Lilackit.

Tail straight up in the air, Sunkit dashed towards the camp, zigzagging across rocks as he lead Ashkit to the camp again.

Mewing a little at the sudden nipping of her ear, Ashkit nodded then kept her head low and legs strong as she did her best to keep up with Sunkit. She was a little clumsy at running since normally she doesn't run this far or fast all that often.

Waiting for Sunkit to descend, she then made quick but slightly clumsy footwork of jumping from rock to rock all the way down to the ground and beside Sunkit once again. Her face changed from her natural worried expression to a face more of relief and glee seeing her adopted brother again. And how he's almost as big as her now!

"Otterkit, he's okay." She muttered happily. Smiling shyly towards Sunkit and nodding her head as a sort of silent thank you.

"Ashkit! There you are!" Tawnystorm rushed over, looking worried. The two kits in her care were both older now, thank StarClan. They didn't need constant attention anymore, and more importantly, they seemed to have survived the flood. "I've been looking for you! Otterkit's playing out somewhere here, but I thought I might've lost you." She gave her adopted daughter a quick lick on the ear, before Sunkit caught her gaze."Oh, hey there, Sunkit," she greeted. "What are you two up to?"

"Tawnystorm!" She cried, trotting over to her and nuzzling into her legs. Still being rather small, she couldn't look her directly in the eyes even if she wanted to, but she made it apparent enough to exhibit that she missed Tawnystorm as well as Otterkit very much.

"Sorry for worrying you, I got lost ... " She explained, her ears folding down slightly.

"But I'm okay now, Sunkit here led me here! He was a big help!" She cheered, pawing at Sunkit as she praised his kind assistance, her tail swishing back-and-forth behind her with a more confident grin; which for Ashkit, is very rare to see.

(No need to bump, it's only been half an hour.)

"Thanks," Tawnystorm shot a grateful nod at Sunkit. She smiled seeing Ashkit's grin. A rare sight, something it seemed like she shared with her. 'Well, I'm glad you weren't hurt.

(Oh sorry, I was just testing my internet connection to see if it would send or not; wifi is being messed with by something and it's cutting in and out randomly! uou; )

"Same here, and I'm glad to see you and Otterkit being okay as well!" She said, peeking over at the chubbier tom-cat.

"So Tawnystorm; do you have any idea how long exactly do we have to be here ...?" She asked. Not wanting to complain or comment, but this place didn't look the least bit comfortable for .. anyone. Kits may not have minded, but by the looks of it that most of the kits were distracted by their guardians or by each other playing games or rough-housing or even pretending to be warriors.