An Exciting Life (Open)

The world seemed very small inside the nursery. Weaselkit was well aware that is was much larger, but despite the glimpses of the outside world, he had nothing to prove that it was. The little tom was getting restless inside of the cramped den. Tawnystorm's litter had been large. He had too many siblings for him to count quite yet. In his head, they could be a whole clan themselves. But somehow there were more cats. Frogjaw had come to visit. Because of this, Weaselkit had figured out there were places to go other than this stuffy nest. After that, leaving the nursery had become his goal. Restless tabby paws bounced across the ground. In a couple moments, Weaselkit had bounded over to his mother and was nudging her, relentlessly. Despite her exasperation and sometimes aggravation with the plethora of kits, he adored her. Tawnystorm was easily the best mother ever. Even though he didn't know many more, she took the top spot in his mind.

"Mom! Mom! I gotta go outside!" His voice echoed through the nursery. Of the litter, the boisterous tom was undoubtedly the loudest. Weaselkit had no volume control when it came to speaking to others. His mother, of course, had tried to shush him. But he was simply too excited about just about everything to be able to contain himself. Pelt quivering at the exciting prospect of seeing the Riverclan camp, he rushed back and forth between Tawynstorm and the nursery entrance, constantly prodding her with soft, kit forepaws.

Jasminekit had been sleeping soundly, comforted by the warmth of her mother. She twitched at the sound of Weaselkit's obnoxious voice but continued to sleep, she didn't want to wake up she was having such a good nap. The she-cat continued to shift to try and get in a more comfortable position but with the sound of her brothers obnoxious voice she couldn't sleep anymore. Lifting her head Jasminekit glared towards Weaselkit "Shut it!" She hissed.

Finchpaw, who had been sent by one of the warriors to bring prey to the nursery, pushed her way through the entrance. Though the she-cat was quite small, it was still a bit of a squeeze to make her way into the heavily barricaded den, and she couldn't help but smile fondly. I still remember when that entrance seemed bigger than anything. Suddenly, she was interrupted from her memories by something rushing by her legs, and she jumped aside with a small squeak. What was that? Watching, she saw a small tom-kit dash back over to Tawnystorm, and one of the queen's small she-kits protest her brother's disturbance. With an amused purr, the silver and white tabby set a carp down next to the queen's nest, before turning to the kit. "Wow, you sure are fast, you almost knocked me off my paws!"

Willowkit's head rose quickly from her paws in alarm where she was relaxing next to her sister, Jasminekit. She was gratfeul for her many siblings because she was too shy to talk to anyone else, but she could stand to have Weaselkit be a little quieter. He was always so loud, especially when she was trying to get some sleep! She sighed, deciding she wasn't going to get much at that moment, and rose to her paws, fluffy white fur sticking out in all different places. She went up to Tawnystorm and nuzzled, "I'm going out too, mother!" She whispered loudly, conscience of her sleeping siblings, but her paws shuffled excitedly.

Duskkit shot awake, his head scanning the room for anything he found scary. When he saw his siblings leaving, he groggily followed them, his eyes drooping. He shouted to his mum he was leaving with his littermates, then pushed up beside Weaselkit, his brother. "Couldn't you find a [i]better[i] time to wake up?" he whined into his sibling's ear, then started digging in the sandy ground, as if searching for something.

"Shh, my kittens. You'll wake up the others." Frogjaw meowed, hopping over through the nursery entrance on three paws. In his spare paw, he carried a vole that was imbedded in his claws that gripped it tight. He could hardly carry it in his jaws so he had to make do. Though he was glad that his kits were healthy and rambunctious like they should be, he knew that the other queens wouldn't look too favourably on them for this. He didn't want anyone looking bad at their precious kits, they were so perfect, he couldn't bear the idea of someone not liking them (he was well aware this was a bit over the topic, but it was his first litter).

"Tawnystorm, I brought you something to eat. I'll take the kits outside, take a break." He licked his mate on the muzzle before turning to herd his kits out the entrance. "C'mon, I know you're all dying to see the camp. Just don't run ahead without me."

The complaints of his siblings didn't phase him. Excitement was far too much for him to care about their griping of his noise. It was when Finchpaw first entered that he finally stopped his energetic pacing. Instead, he bounded up to the apprentice and stuck his nose in her face. A goofy grin was painted over Weaselkit's features as he looked boldly up at the older she-cat. Another clan cat! He had heard about many of them, but rarely did he see many while stuck in the confines of the nursery. Seeing another one of his clanmates made him even more eager to see the whole of Riverclan.

"I'm just so ready to go out! I need to see it all!" It never even occurred to the young tom that he didn't know this cat's name. Weaselkit simply accepted she was another friend. With a soft kit paw, he batted at her playfully. The gesture was meant to be a bit of a greeting. At first, he intended on trying to play with her, but was interrupted when his father came to join them, "Frogjaw!" He yowled joyfully, running over to headbutt the warrior. By this time, Weaselkit had already ruffled all of his medium length, tabby fur. All he needed to hear was 'kits' and 'outside' before Weaselkit was bounding out of the nursery. The rest of his father's word fell on deaf and very distracted ears.

As he leaped ungracefully out of the den, the little tom tripped over his slightly too large feet. It was a lot easier to stay upright when there was less space to run around in. The world spun for a moment. Weaselkit landed with an 'oof' in a mess of now dusty fur and limbs. With a couple blinks, the world came back into focus. All around was a blend of endless colors. Everything was vibrant and busy. Cats of all shapes, sizes, and pelt colors roamed around as they completed their tasks for the day. His jaw fell slightly as he gaped in wonder at the scene. Riverclan was more amazing than Tawnystorm had ever described. And Weaselkit was finally seeing it with his own two eyes.

His eyes were wide as his head swung around wildly trying to take it all in. After a moment of this, it occurred to him to try and join in the activity. Weaselkit definitely did not just want to be a spectator. In an instant, the kit sprang to his feet and raced across the camp. Only to barrel straight into the freshkill pile. Fish, voles, and other creatures scattered all around the surrounding area. It took a second to register what had happened. The little kit simply sat up with a sheepish grin on his face.

Finchpaw laughed, greatly amused by the young kit's energetic antics. "I'm sure you'll see it all soon, little one! I'm-" The short molly was about to properly introduce herself, but the tiny brown tabby had dashed over to Frogjaw, his father, as he entered the den behind her. Stepping out of the way, Finchpaw watched from the corner as the family interacted, and suddenly realized that she was probably intruding. Backing out of the den, she returned to the camp clearing just a few seconds before the kits came tumbling out with their father. Sitting down, she watched with a purr as the young tom she had just talked to stood awe-struck as he gazed at the camp, before dashing away. Eyes widening, Finchpaw shouted a warning too late; the kitten had run straight into the prey pile. Holding back a snort of laughter, she met his sheepish smile with an amused shake of her head, the ends of her mouth twisted in a kind smile.

"Hang on there - Weaselkit, Duskkit, Willowkit, Jasminekit, wait. You're barely three moons, and you could wander off anywhere." It felt strange to be saying all those names, that all those kits were hers. "And I don't trust your father," she added with a smirk to her mate. "I'm coming with you, alright? I don't care that I'm meant to stay here, I'm making sure you all stay out of trouble." Finishing off the prey Frogjaw had brought her in a few bites, Tawnystorm stood up and followed the others out of the nursery. Oh, it felt good to be back out here again, rather than cooped up with all the kits. If she was going to take care of six little ones, she may as well do it while doing something she enjoyed. That moment of happiness, however, was quickly interrupted with a crash as Weaselkit barreled straight into the fresh kill pile. Tawnystorm raced after the mischievous kit, groaning internally.
"Weaselkit!" she scolded, picking up her son. "For the love of StarClan, don't run off, and even more importantly, don't act like the fresh-kill pile is a WindClan warrior and attack it!" She sighed, shaking her head. "You're going to help me clean this up, right here, right now. No ifs, no buts."

"Mom! There's so many things out here! Did you know it was so big?" Weaselkit's eyes were wide and his voice with still filled with the ever present joy. The fact Tawnystorm had come out to scold him went completely over his head. Although, he did recognize the need to clean up his mess. Once more he was up on his paws bounding around. Each piece was batted playfully into a make-shift pile. It certainly wasn't what it once was. But Weaselkit had tried and stood with his head raised proudly at the efforts. Once it was mostly together, he raced over to rub against his mother for a second before darting off again.

This time he found himself at Fishstar's den. The whole air of the camp smelled like a variety of fish and cat scent. Those were the two smells he really knew. Each den was a mix of the many cat scents around camp. Although, what make him like this one, was the fact it only smelled like one cat. The little tom cocked his head in curiosity. His kit paws patted against the ground, unable to stay still, as he continued to peer inside. This was very different from his home back in the nursery. Green eyes blinked against the mild darkness of the mouth of the den. His little eyes had just gotten used to the brightness of day. It was all a bit much. After a moment of pacing curiously at the mouth of the den, he mused aloud, "Whoever lives here must be super important to have such a big den!"

"Admit the truth, Tawnystorm. You're just sick of the nursery." Frogjaw teased while laughing at his mate's words, making space for her to go through the entrance first. He was a fool to think Tawnystorm would be like any other queen, she was the love of his life because she was different. She saw beyond facades and was a she-cat of action. But it seemed their son took a little too much after her, rushing ahead to slam into the freshkill pile. The tabby tom sighed, herding the other kits to stop them from following their brother's example with a flick of his tail. However, his whiskers twitched in amusement that was neatly concealed as Tawnystorm told off their son.

"Come on, Duskkit, Willowkit, Jasminekit. Let's see if there's anyone else around for you to meet. It's high time you met your clanmates... Otterleap!" The mostly white brown tabby shot up his head at Frogjaw's call. He was grooming his daughter, Sparkpaw in the shade of the willow tree.

The brown tabby yawned, before greeting the group. "Hello there, rascal." He teased Frogjaw, before looking down fondly at the kits before him. "You must be my newest siblings. Ah, Tawnystorm, you're making Aspentail and I feel ancient!"

Willowkit purred in amusement as right after her mother allowed them to leave, Weaselkit leaped straight into the Fresh-kill pile. Then after being scolded he raced straight to a den that seemed only fit for one cat. Before she even had time to think about why, she gasped with happiness as her father entered the den. "Daddy!" She squeaked excitedly. At the mention of meeting others she didn't know, her heart started racing. Oh no.. What if i say something stupid? She questioned herself, but followed Frogjaw to the two older cats anyways.

"Weaselkit, no!" Tawnystorm yelled, chasing after her son again. "You can't go in there, you might disturb Fishstar - and I'm sure the last thing she wants is to be tackled by a mischievous kit. Come on." She picked Weaselkit up by the scruff and carried him over to the rest of his family. Like a little weasel. Hm, turns out that name fit him better than I thought.
"Oh, you're not that old, quit complaining," she said with a smirk to Otterleap, setting down Weaselkit. "That's Duskkit, Willowkit, Weaselkit and Jasminekit. Little rascals, all of them. I've forgotten what sleep feels like." She motioned to each of the kits in turn.

Leaning down, Otterleap gave the kits an inquisitive sniff. Yep, they were his siblings alright. They smelt of milk and that comforting scent that he'd long associated with his mother, though these days, he hardly seeked her out for affection like he had as a kit. Though it was a little weird seeing his old friend as his mother's mate, the tom couldn't help be happy just to see Tawnystorm happy. His father's death had weighed on them for a long time, his mother deserved better than to live her life alone, and he could never resent her for moving on.

"About time you had some troublemakers, Aspentail and I were too easy on you. You never got to feel the trials of panicking when the kits go off on their own silly adventures. Snowpaw was our only sweetling, the rest were, I mean, are hellions." He gave his daughter Sparkpaw a pointed look that the she-cat brushed off as she pranced away to find her twin.

-

Frogjaw placed a paw on his son's tail, pinning Weaselkit in place to groom him. If he struggled, the tom pretended not to notice, not letting up his attentions even once. He knew better than to let the slippery tom get his way too much.

Fallowstripe walked up to Frogjaw and Tawnystorm, smiling an incandescent smile. "Oh my StarClan, guys, they're beautiful!" she gaped, watching the squirming bundles of fur. Fallowstripe was sleek, sometimes bouncy, and she had never expected to be a mother or even have any sort of burgeoning maternal instinct, or even to watch another cat's kits with such exuberance outlining her crystalline eyes. But here she was, her own kit interacting with Tawnystorm's dear kits! She sat down slowly.