Curious Rose. (Open to Clan and Tribe)

Rosekit woke up in her mother and siblings den. She yawned and stretched awake then blinked the sleep from her eyes. Once she was fully awake it occurred to her that she was the first one awake. At that thought she started bouncing shaking the nest then realizing what she was doing stopped. She can go out and play without her mother being a spoil sport! Practically running out of the nursery not bothering to groom herself she smiled as the morning sun basked in her white and orange fur and purred. It was going to be a fantastic day she can just feel it! She bounced across the camp watching the warriors and apprentice do their duties with a wide smile one of these days that would be her with her own mentor! She saw a cat off to the side watching everything with curious, weary eyes. Identifying the cat as on of the new cats that arrived from the gathering what did she heard the older ones called them? That's right 'Tribe' cats. Whatever that means. She padded over to them.

Night of Stormy Gales had awoken early from his restless sleep, the first of his Tribemates to greet the rising dawn. Gazing up at the pale rosy sky patched with fluffy clouds, the thoughtful tom sighed deeply and began to wonder. What would his life be like now that he was with SkyClan, in a plentiful rocky forest instead of up on a barren mountain peak? Would he and his companions be able to adapt to this strange new way of life, and would they ever be fully accepted by the cats who followed this odd culture? He couldn't help but think of his family, most of them dead and buried back up on that aforementioned mountain. He had left there alone, and arrived here lonely. Closing his vivid green eyes, for a few quiet moments the wise tom relished in the peace of the daybreak, before the scampering of tiny paws broke his concentration. His eyes half open, he watched as a curious ginger and white she-kit ran out of a den, presumably the nursery. Smiling, the jet black tom waved his tail tip in a friendly 'hello' when she noticed him, and watched as she began to make her way over to where the group slept. A quiet purr rumbled in his throat; Night had always loved kits.

Her voice was loud of course a squeak. "Where did you guys come from? You just all of a sudden show up from what I'm told. Why did you left? And what's this talk about this tribe?" She was so curious on who they were. Maybe this cat will tell her stories! Or maybe show her some fighting or stalking moves that was foreign to the clans! That would defiantly make her a apprentice fast! She could show the other apprentice and become their friends. "What was it like where you come from?" She asked all those questions in a hurry taking deep breaths afterwards but still smiled to the stranger.

Night cocked his head slightly, trying his best to keep up with and remember all these rapid questions.  Smiling, the prey-hunter purred; "You are very inquisitive young one, that is a great trait to have in this world."  Thinking for a moment for the best way to answer, he decided to begin with the basics.  "Myself, and my companions, are part of the Tribe of Endless Skies.  A Tribe is a bit like your clan....but we have different titles and names.  For example, we do not call ourselves 'warriors', but we are either a prey-hunter or a cave-guard.  The fastest kits are chosen to be prey-hunters, while the strongest are to be cave-guards.  Stoneteller, our healer, chooses what the kits will be when they're born.  Along with that, Stoneteller acts like both your leader and...medicine cat?  Am I right with those names?"  Try as he might, there was a lot of new things here for Night to remember, and some had quickly slipped his mind.

"As for where we come from, we used to live on a mountain very far away.  Our camp was in a cave behind a waterfall, and we hunted the creatures of the sky.  Up there under the open sky, we could take down hawks and falcons, and even eagles sometimes."  Smiling, a wave of nostalgia for his old home swept over him, but the tom managed to continue.  "But, life there was hard.  Prey was very tough to find up there during the time of frozen water, and cats began to starve.  Our ancestors told us to leave our home, and find SkyClan. Then we would be saved."  Finishing with a deep breath, he grinned down at the kit and tilted his head, asking; "Any more questions little one?"

Rosekit bounced on her paws as the tom started explaining. She purred up at him as he complimented her, "Thanks! Most cats say I need to calm down, that its not good to be curious all the time." Like her brother, Willowkit. He keeps telling her to cool it, sometimes she just wants to snap at him. She was snapped out of her thoughts as he pipped up again. Her eyes grew wide, "Wow, Tribe of Endless Skies? That sounds awesome! I want to be a part of it! What would I be? A...prey-hunter or..cave-guard." Those names sound so strange to her it was hard to pronounce. She nodded at his question, "Oh yeah the medicine cat and leader..This Stoneteller is both? How can that be? This cat must be a very busy cat." She thought to her father which was the deputy, he was so busy all the time with the Clan it was crazy. Most days he ran around like a bird with his head cut off.

"A mountain?" She gasped. "That sounds so strange. I am used to trees and grass." She shivered at the idea. "Won`t the ground be rough? From what I remember of the stories I heard they say the mountain ground is rocks. A camp behind a waterfall? That must have been pretty." Her imagination tried picturing alot of rocks with water falling down it and a big hole behind it for alot of cats and shook her head. "That is weird. You can hunt down hawks and falcons? You have to show me how? Also what is that?" Her voice grew quiet, she has never saw those things before only have heard about them. "Well of course prey was tough! Who wants to live where there is no grass! Or trees! I`m sorry for those cats that were lost. But they are up with Starclan, where they shine down on us. Keeping us safe and watch us from harm! Also what is your name? Mine`s is Rosekit!"

Night smiled; this kit reminded him of himself when he was young.  Curious, full of energy, constantly asking questions and wanting to know more about everything and anything.  Gradually he had matured out of that bubbly state, but he always kept that curious love for knowledge.  Connecting his gaze with the young she-cat's he meowed; "Being curious is always good, it can help you see many things that others don't; but you also need to have control.  That though, you will learn with time."  Not wanting to dampen the kit's spirit, he launched right into answering her replies.

Night couldn't help but feel a small twinge of pride when the clan kit praised the Tribe; but would the group really stay that way it was now that they were with SkyClan?  Would they be able to preserve their traditions, or would the clan's ways overtake their own?  Shaking his head to drive away those dark thoughts, he smiled and continued.  "Hmm....lets see....I would say you would most likely be a prey-hunter, like me.  You certainly have the energy for it!"  Chuckling a bit, Night nodded in agreement to her next question.  "Yes, Stoneteller was always very busy.  Most of the time he never left his cave.  He needed to make sure to have all the healing herbs he needed, along with waiting to receive messages from our Ancestors."  

"Yes, the ground was very rough up there, and hard to navigate.  You need to have tough paw-pads, and good balance to move around."  Extending a paw for her to see an example, his paw-pad hard and gray, with many scratches and scars.  "There were a few kinds of plants there, but most of them were prickly brambles and pale mountain moss."
Night could tell that the she-kit was trying to imagine the waterfall, so he tried to help her out.  "Yes, it was beautiful.  From the inside of the cave you could watch the tumbling water fall into the pool below, rainbows and light reflecting at every angle."  With a blissful purr, the black tom relished in the memory for a moment before moving on.

At her request to learn how to hunt the large birds of prey, Night hesitated.  "I don't think we will be able to find those in the forest....you need to be in the open.  If we get a chance though, I'll make sure to remember and show ya!"  With a wink, Night smiled playfully before his face darkened a bit when she mentioned the cats lost to the famine.  Green eyes dimming, the lonely tom sighed.  "Yes, it is a shame young one.  We lost many good cats then...including my mother and my brother...."  Trailing off, for a moment Night was silent, mourning their loss all over again, before pushing it away.  At her talk of StarClan, it sounded a lot like their ancestors.  Those dark days when he had felt lost without his family, the promise that they were up in the stars watching over him was the only thing that had kept him going, so he nodded heartily.  "Yes, I believe they are."

"Oh!  I never properly introduced myself!  I am Night of Stormy Gales, Night for short."  Bowing his head slightly, he realized just how different Tribe names were from clan ones.  "It's nice to meet you Rosekit.  It's strange that clan cats have such short names, but I guess our titles would be just as odd."  With a kind smile, she tilted his head curiously as he waited for Rosekit to respond.

(occ: good GOD that is long :O)

Rosekit looked on at the tom, "I did not know that. Why do I need to learn control? I want to be curious. And bubbly!" She thinks that is how she will be for the rest of her life. What if she does not learn control? Would the others look down on her for that? No way! They can`t. Certainly there was warriors who are as bubbly as she is! "What if I never learn control?" She mumbled back.

"I will be a prey-hunter! We can go on patrols then! Well I guess we can go on patrols anyways. But since you are this great warrior, uh I mean, prey-hunter, certainly you must know a bunch of moves to track down prey and such! Can you show me?" She sat down next to the tom.

"I don`t think I have hard paws then. I might have good enough balance? I know that in Skyclan we have to learn to hop from one tree to the next so I guess I would have to have good balance by then." Looking with amazement at the tom`s paw that was hard and with scratches she brought up her small tiny paw that was still bright pink and compared the two. "Woah, that is insane. I have never seen paws like that before."

"That does sound beautiful!" She tried picturing it herself and marveled at the sight. "You must miss it do you? I would miss the beautiful trees around camp if I left." Her voice dropped with the sentence. What would that be like? To leave your home and never be able to return? That must be hard. She can never imagine leaving Skyclan behind. She moved closer to the tom to bury her head in his fur. "I am sorry you had to leave your pretty home behind."

Purring she nodded, "That sounds amazing! Please show me if we ever see one! You better promise me!" She chuckled at his wink then grew silent as his face darkened. "Well I`m sorry for losing your brother and mother. I can`t even imagine what it would be like without my mother and siblings. Even bossy Willowkit. He can be a pain but I still love him." She buried her head in his fur again and signed deeply.

Her head crocked slightly at his name. "That is a long, weird name. Night of Stormy Gales?" She tried to pronounce it but again with before it just sounded weird. "I am happy that you have a nickname, Night! That would be a mouthful to say all the time. Its nice to meet you too! We don`t really have nicknames or anything like that...Unless we are super close to that cat." Remembering when she overheard two warriors talking and they used nicknames.

Night smiled, and nodded reassuringly to the young she-kit. "You'll learn how to control your energy as you get older, don't worry. That doesn't mean to have to stop being bubbly though, you just need to know the right and wrong times to speak out. That too, you'll learn in due time." A good transition to her next question, the jet black tom flicked his tail and purred; "As a prey-hunter thought, you need to have lots of energy, and strength.
Chasing the large birds, rabbits, and other animals across the mountain takes a lot of stamina,
and you seem like you have plenty." It was true, not only was Rosekit energetic, but she had the lithe, strong body of a speed-based hunter. Her build reminded him of those WindClan cats that Pale Light of Dusk and Ash of the Burning Forest had gone with....he wondered if there was a connection?

Night laughed a bit, and nodded; "I'd be happy to teach you sometime, just not now. We might wake up my Tribemates if we do, and they need all the rest they can get." Glancing over at the resting bodies of his companions, she felt grateful that they had found such an accommodating host. Even if they couldn't stay in the end, at least they would have gained enough energy to survive another journey. Looking back to Rosekit, he purred slight at her amazed reaction to seeing his paw. To him, rough ground and scars were a way of life; to this kit it seemed like a foreign concept. Hearing about SkyClan's tree jumping skill though, surprised him. Ears perked with interest, the tom meowed; "Really? That's cool! Hey,
if I teach you prey-hunting, will you teach me to fly between trees?" He could tell that Tribe cats and Clan cats could learn much from each other, and Night was always eager to learn as much as he could.

"Yes, I do miss it a lot...." Night trailed off as he thought about his old home, and lost himself for a moment in the memories. Suddenly, the tom felt a pressure press against his side, and he turned to find Rosekit's face buried in his black fur. For a moment he was quite surprised, but soon smiled and accepted her affectionate comfort, stroking his tail tip along her back in response.

"I promise little one, no hawk could stand a chance against you." Laughing a bit, he once again accepted the ginger and white kit's nuzzle, and sighed deeply. "Yes, loosing a family member is a terrible thing...I pray you never have to go through that pain." Closing his vivid green eyes, Night shuddered a bit at the memory, but soon pushed it away and smile playfully. "Even if it's an annoying brother. Thunder of Coming Storm always liked to pick on me, but as we got older I learned to love and appreciate him. Someday, I'm sure you'll feel the same for this Willowkit."

Night laughed, he was also glad that Tribe cats had nicknames. "Yes, they can be pretty hard to say, but they also have great beauty. Tribe cats take great pride in their names,
as I'm sure Clan cats do as well." An idea forming in his head, Night thought for a moment before meowing. "Hmm...if you were a Tribe cat I bet your name would be.....Rose Petal that Falls at Dawn. Or something like that." Chuckling a bit, a suddenly kit-like curiosity gleamed in his eyes as he purred; "Why don't you come up with a Clan name for me, like I just did for your Tribe name." Paws fidgeting excitedly, he waited to see what she would come up with.

"I hope I do. But what if I won`t? Would I be cast out because I have so much energy and can`t control it!" Her tail lashed out with her worriedness. "I don`t want to leave my Clan!" She was really worried and scared, what if she does not learn to control her energy or learn when not to speak up. Will she have to live on the outskirts of the clan territory eating crow-food and such? She shook her head, she will not let that happen! I will have to force myself to calm down most of the time, like Willowkit. How does Willowkit keep his calmness all the time? She will have to ask him later.

"We eat birds and rabbits too!" She puffed up her fur at the tom`s comment. "I will be the best warrior the clans have ever seen! You watch out!" Suddenly getting up and stomped her paws on the ground as she walked. Letting out a loud yowl she meowed, "Just watch one day I will be leader of Skyclan!" She likes this tom already, most cats don`t like how much energy she has cause alot of time she bolts everywhere.

Her tail dropped as he declined her offer, "Why not? We can go outside of camp so you won`t wake them up. Maybe we will catch something!" Her eyes widened at the thought. "That would be so fun!" Her tail went straight up again at the idea of going outside of camp. Maybe they will see something exciting! She followed Night`s gaze to the piles of fur curled up, they almost look like kits when they sleep in the nursery. Purring at the thought she voiced her funny idea, "They look like kits sleeping together!" She wanted so bad to curl up with them and fall asleep in all that fur but she had to hold herself. Purring as a reaction to his purr she smiled at him. Bringing up a paw to poke his gray one, it seemed so weird to her. She could not wrap her small brain around it. "Yeah! Or at least I think so? I have heard that`s how mentors teach their apprentices when they hunt. I`m not sure. But yeah once I become a apprentice I will show you! My ceremony should be soon now..." She was eager to learn as much as she possibly could, and she would learn completely foreign things thanks to Night! Bouncing around again at the idea, "Maybe you might be my mentor? That would be so cool!"

Shocked slightly by his gesture as he stroked his tail along her back. She did not move though and purred happily. "Well you have a new home here. With me! We can be a happy family, you, me, my mother, my father, Bubblekit, Willowkit, Cloudkit, and Yarrowkit." She brought up her paws trying to name her family. "Oh right and Swanpaw! But we will welcome you to our family! So don`t you worry a thing."

Puffing up her fur again she meowed strongly, "No hawk can stand a chance against the mighty Rosestar!" Laughing along with Night she listened again as he spoke. "I hope not either. I won`t know what to do without them. How did you get through it?" She huffed, "I highly doubt it but whatever you say. Your brother`s name was Thunder of Coming Storm? That is a weird name too." She fell silent thinking of the strange names and what they mean.

"They do sound very pretty! They sound prettier then clan names. But we do take pride in our names! We only change our suffix when we become a apprentice then to a warrior. When cats become a leader they are changed to the suffix star!" She explained to the tom. Somebody had to explain it to him sooner or later, she figured. Her eyes brighten at her tribe name, "Its so pretty! I love it! Rose Petal That Falls at Dawn..That is my new name now. Not Rosekit." She fidgeted with her paws coming up with a name for him. "Umm...what about Nightgale? Or..Nightstorm? That`s a good one."

Night smiled reassuringly down at his young friend, and meowed; "Don't worry Rosekit, you wouldn't get kicked out, I promise you that.  As you grow and learn new things, control will begin to come naturally."  With a twitch of his ears, and a tilted smile he hoped that his words had quelled the she-kit's worries.  When the kit let out a fierce yowl, the tom's spine bristled and he quickly shushed her, flicking his tail over to his sleeping Tribemates.  Eyes growing stern for a moment, he meowed in a low tone; "We have to be quiet, fierce warrior.  I'm sure someday you will be a worthy successor to Crowstar, but I think it might hurt your chances if you wake his guests."  With a friendly wink and a chuckle, the jet-black tom swept on.

At her disappointment, Night clicked his tongue sympathetically.  "If I knew I could I would Rosekit, but kits in the Tribe were never allowed out of the camp until they became to-be's; if that is the rule in the Clans as well, there is good reason to keep it."  Plus, I wouldn't want to put myself and the Tribe in hot water with the authorities here...  After chuckling about her comment on her sleeping clanmates, and her amazement at his paw, he purred.  "I would love to be your teacher, but how could you learn to fly between trees from me, when I don't know how?"  Not wanting to crush the kit's spirit, he smiled gently as he finished; "I'm sure that, when you're 'prenticed, we could go hunting together.
 Then we could teach each other."

While amused by Rosekit's invitation for him to join her family, he couldn't help but feel a bittersweet longing; Oh, to have a family again....Leaf, Bird, Snowflake, Adder, Thunder, I miss you now more than ever....  Not allowing himself to dwell on the past, he cocked his head curiously as the patched kit listed off her family, surprised.  "Wow, that's a lot of family you got there.  What are your parent's names?"  Wanting to learn as many names as he could, he tried eagerly to commit them to memory.

At her next question, Night felt his heart sink.  The truth about how he had gotten over the loss of everything he cared about?  Hiding his pain from the Tribe for their own good, sobbing late into the night alone, and wondering if it would be better to join them then keep on going.  All of that thought, he would never tell a soul.  Instead, he flicked his tail up towards the dawning and sky meowed; "I knew...that they were all always watching over me.  I'll see them again someday, it's only a matter of time."  

"Oh, don't worry.  Someday, your brother will be more friend than foe.  And yes, it can be a strange name.  He loved it though, it matched how he fought; like a rumbling of thunder he smashed into anything that threatened the Tribe.  He was a cave-guard, so he was trained to fight off intruding predators."

Night nodded, glad that Rosekit was helping him understand the Clan's name customs further.  With a laugh at her claiming her 'new' name, he tilted his head curiously when she came up with Clan names for him.  Nightgale, Nightstorm...they sound so strange....could I really ever adopt one as my true name?  I have always been Night of Stormy Gales, could I ever be anything else?  Not speaking his discomfort aloud, Night nodded in agreement and purred; "Those both sound like good names."