This is the Beginning [Open]

The pain of Cherrymist's death still ached in the black and white tom's heart. He had never loved another cat like he loved the mate who had bore almost all of his kits. For the longest time, Rippedsky had thought he would not take up another cat as his mate. However, the Skyclan warrior Whiteheart had been a faithful companion in the moons that followed Cherrymist's death. They were similar in certain ways, but the other she-cat certainly held her own unique personality. As much as he longed to feel the same way with her that he had about his late mate, there was no chance. But, he still appreciated and showed her as much care as his first mate. Very quickly, their relationship had turned into a swollen belly and she had moved into the nursery along with the other queens. The deputy's kits were all grown and it had been so long since his own offspring had danced as kits around his paws as Bubblemist and Dandeliondapple once had.

Time had seemed to rush on and before he knew it, Echokit and Mumblekit had been born. It did not take long to realize how different the pair was, but as with his other kits, the tom loved them just as fiercely. A purr rumbled in his throat as he padded towards the nursery to poke his head in and see them again. His duties were finished for now and the brief window of time allowed him enough to visit. His purr only magnified and underlined his words as he called the kits out, "Echokit, Mumblekit. It's time to see the rest of your home." Rippedsky had a quick conversation with Whiteheart before beckoning the tiny pair out into the center of camp. He could not wait for the whole clan to meet them all.

Mumblekit was clearly a far less impressive sight than his sister. She was strong and energetic in comparison to his tiny frame and meek nature. As his father called them, the kit merely pressed into the warmth of his mothers fur. Exploring sounded like a lot of energy, and the potential for having to talk to a lot of cats. The kit had yet to discover feelings of self-doubt, he did not consider higher thoughts quite yet, but he did realize how significantly smaller he was. To Rippedsky, it seemed he was a runt. But, their father had not expressed any disdain towards his offspring, and so Mumblekit did not see any flaws. His sleek pelt and clean black and white markings matched that of the deputy's, but with a bit more organization than the wild nature of his father's markings.

As his mother nudged him forwards with her nose, the little tom got to his paws and peeked out of the entrance with a mild curiosity. His large, orange-brown eyes blinked against the light of day. There was so much to see and so many cats. He shrunk back a bit, unsure of stepping outside the comfort of their nest. But Whiteheart nudged him forwards once more. He was hesitant in padding to the place just behind Rippedsky. Even so, Mumblekit felt so small and out of place, and for the most part he was. Against his better nature, the black and white kit stood his ground and waited for Rippedsky to say something. Whatever happened, he planned on sticking close to the familiar pelt of his kin.

Eagerness surged through Echokit as her father poked her head through the entryway of the nursery. he was certainly a daddy's girl. The spotted black and white she-cat was upon the deputy within heartbeats of him calling out, and swirling through his paws. The young kit hated being cooped up in the nursery with her mom. Her mom was nice and all, but her father was much more exciting. He was the clan's deputy after all, and he would be the leader after Crowstar. Today, her father said she could meet the clan. "Father?" she questioned, plopping down in front of his paws to lick a spot on her tail. Her coat was sleek and her frame was sturdy. She got the best of both parent's; Rippedsky's lithe but sturdy WindClan frame, and Whiteheart's SkyClan legs. Her green eyes were deeper than emeralds. The tiny kit bounced back up, almost knocking over her brother. "Are we going to see the clan now?" She reared up, placing her tiny paws on his shoulders and stretching.

Stretched out beneath the shade of the ferns that made up the apprentice's den was Elmpaw, who was clearly enjoying the limited heat of the early Leaf-Fall day. Carefully sprawled out onto his belly so that his rather unusual and alluring glossy red-brown fur was protected from being sullied by the dirt and leaves around him, the young tom continued to lounge at the edges of camp while observing the slow-going movement all around him with little interest. As tempting as the thought of getting up and actually doing something was, Elmpaw was more satisified with simply laying around and eating all day.

Resting his head on his crossed forelegs, Elmpaw's large ears swiveled forwards as he spotted Rippedsky emerging from the nursery of all places, with two kits following suit. Lifting his head, the handsome young tom found himself watching his mentor with curiosity. Is this the reason why Rippedsky had so little time when it came to training? Finding himself unable to care that his training had been fairly neglected so fair, the tom heaved himself to his paws and trotted towards Rippedsky, Mumblekit, and Echokit. Halting in front of the Deputy and the small kits, the young tom leaned forwards to give the odd-looking Mumblekit a curious sniff.

"Kits? Aren't you a little old to still be firing out kits?" Elmpaw finally questioned playfully, lightly knocking his shoulder against Rippedsky's as he spoke, before his sharp amber gaze fell back to Mumblekit and Echokit once more.

"Yes, Echokit, we're going to see it all." He reached down to gently lick the fur on the top of her head, right between her ears. Before he could say anything else, a voice caused his blue eyes to dart up and land on his apprentice. Elmpaw and him had yet to train much yet, but he was quickly growing to feel a close companionship with Stoneteller's son. The deputy tried to pull a mildly offended look before a grin broke out over his features. His tail flicked the younger tom's pelt as he meowed, "I'm sure your parents would appreciate your commentary on my age, given they were already warriors when I was born." Rippedsky slowly padded a little further into the clearing in the hopes to get his youngest kits to follow after. Echokit seemed to have more than enough energy to want to stick her nose into everything around camp.

On the other paw, Mumblekit shrunk back behind his father as the apprentice sniffed him. Rippedsky was certainly huge compared to him, but that was his father, this was a strange cat. As the larger black and white tom moved a few pawsteps, the kit stayed in his shadow. He had no idea how Echokit was so content with all of this. It was strange. Most of him wanted to rush back to the den and cuddle up with Whiteheart. However, he did not want to disappoint his father. The conflict in the tiny tom's heart only grew as he watched the other cats go about their daily lives and conversations.

Echo kit lowered herself from her father then trotted over to Mumblekit. "Come on, Mumblekit. Why are you such a scardy cat?" The stronger, bigger kit continued to circle him, trying to get her brother to play. Her kitten fur stuck up in random places, and her stick tail stuck straight up in the air.

Elmpaw feigned an expression of hurt at Rippedsky's words, although there was still the teasing glint present in his amber eyes as he took in the Deputy's words. However after a few heartbeats of wearing the faux expression of offense, the ruddy tom couldn't help but allow a coy little smirk to twist his muzzle as he quickly followed suit after his slow-going mentor. His attention in the newly-introduced Mumblekit and Echopaw was quickly fleeting at the new opportunity to poke at the Deputy. "They were warriors before you were born and yet they still look better than you. I mean just look at you- you have more grey fur than black now!" He finally exclaimed loudly, his eyes going wide in an innocent manner, while he adorned himself in another expression of mock horror.

At Echokit's words, Elmpaw's attention was slowly redirected towards the two black and white kits that were following the pair around. So the little weird looking one was named Mumblekit! After a few moments of observation, he decided that the name definitely fit the young tom. He looked short and stunted by comparison to his littermate- was he like Tinylegs or something? Leaning forwards once more, the apprentice used his nose to carefully poke Mumblekit, aiming to get some sort of reaction from the oddly quiet little tom. "What's wrong with this one?" Elmpaw bluntly mewed, a hint of confusion evident in his rather rude question, "Is he a mute or something?"

"Maybe if you would stop giving me grey hairs this wouldn't be a problem..." The deputy growled back playfully. He had been in such a dark place lately, but with Whiteheart at his side and the promise of new kits, things were looking up. Even if Elmpaw was a pain in his tail, he did appreciate the apprentice's joking spirit; it was the most energetic thing about him. As Echokit spoke, her father sent her a disapproving gaze. There was no doubt that Mumblekit was far smaller than her, but there was nothing wrong with him. Rippedsky knew his son was perfectly capable of speech and would speak up when it matter. But, he did hope that the little tom would eventually grow comfortable with life outside of the nursery, rather than just at his mother's side. The deputy's eyes narrowed as his apprentice spoke, directly addressing his own fears. He would never admit it, but he had once had similar thoughts. However, this was his kit and no other fact mattered.

"There is nothing wrong with him. He's a perfectly healthy kit. This is just a lot to see out here, that's all." Rippedsky tried to keep any frustration out of his voice. The black and white cat was sure he would be proud of his tiny son someday. If he chose to stay quiet, that was his own decision. And his small stature would not define his abilities. He supposed only time would tell. Mumblekit ducked under his stomach and came up between his father's front paws. A soft purr rumbled in the deputy's throat. Even if he was not perfect, he loved his son.

"I'm okay." Mumblekit promised softly as he looked up at Elmpaw. His head cocked lightly in confusion. Do I look sick or something? The black and white kit was a bit perplexed with the question. He remembered getting a little cold once, but Oceanlight had fixed him up quick. He certainly didn't feel like there was something wrong with him at all. The term 'mute' went completely over the kit's head. It meant nothing to him and so he did not dwell on it. Instead, he just looked over the apprentice. Elmpaw was certainly an impressive cat. And he was younger than Rippedsky, too! Mumblekit pictured the apprentice as tall as a tree and he shrunk back a little bit. There were so many huge cats in Skyclan. He wondered if they all grew to be so big. Will I be that big someday? He had meant to respond to his sister, but the other questions seemed to play over and over in his mind.

Echokit ignored the fact that Mumblekit didn't respond to her. She began to weave through Elmpaw's legs; she was much smaller than the tall tom cat. The black and white kit paused under his tummy, watching the brown apprentice's tail flick back and forth. Slowly, she crouched and slid out from under his stomach, circling around and then pouncing on his tail. With a triumphant yowl, she bit down on the prized catch and began to ruffle it with her back paws.

"Good!" Elmpaw simply shrugged off Rippedsky's reprimands as he interest peaked in the now-speaking Mumblekit, his sharp amber eyes twinkling with a playful light. Totally unaware of the little internal conflict that had apparently been sparked in Mumblekit, the apprentice all but dropped any of his previous fears and confusion about the young kit's state and abilities. "Cause you're already taller than Tinylegs." He light-heartedly declared, giving Mumblekit a soft nudge with his cold nose. That wasn't even really an exaggeration, either.

However, before Elmpaw had time to say another potentially upsetting thing, he could feel another small body winding its way beneath his legs and beneath his belly. Awkwardly craning his neck so that he could see the small creature that was now taking refuge beneath his belly, the ruddy colored tom was greeted with the sight of an unusual mottled back and white she-kit, whom he had seen prancing around moments earlier. "So you must be Echokit." Elmpaw announced, his little brows quirking as he rhetorically questioned the young she-kit.

Rippedsky smiled softly as his apprentice reassured the kit. He was glad to hear the little black and white tom speaking to another clan cat. His shyness and lack of any measure of bravery had worried both him and Whiteheart from the start. But, the deputy's fears began to relax and the confidence in his youngest kit began to grow. Even if he had a less than impressive start, there was no doubt that Mumblekit would be something great. Hopefully.

Mumblekit nearly leaped out of his fur as a huge, wet, cold nose froze him from his nose to his rump. Not only was the shock of Elmpaw touching him a surprise, but a chill ran down his spine. With a blink of surprise, he stared up at the apprentice. The internal conflict was forgotten and gave way to a curiosity. This cat seemed to like him. Was he good like Rippedsky? The deputy seemed to trust him, so that meant Mumblekit should too. His little tail ear twitched anxiously, but he managed to speak up once more with pure curiosity lining his words, "Who is Tinylegs?" Mumblekit's wide eyes darted to watch his sister play so easily with the older tom. Why is she doing that?

Having returned from a hunting patrol, Tinylegs dropped his kill on the fresh-kill pile. He'd been successful in catching a squirrel, but his kill had been merely luck. Because of his small stature, the little warrior wasn't able to climb the trees like his fellow clanmates, so he was stuck on the ground. Ground hunting wasn't bad per say, but part of him wished that he was able to be more like a SkyClan cat, rather than a ThunderClan cat. Even hunting on the ground had its drawbacks, like him not being able to run very fast to catch fleeing prey. 'At least this squirrel was too busy eating to notice me,' he thought to himself, his spirits a bit low today.

Letting out a sigh, he padded towards the warrior's den but was stopped when a group of playful kits wrestling Rippedsky blocked his path. One of them just so happened to ask who he was and while he was a bit tired from hunting, he decided to be social, or at least try to be.

"That would be me," the little white and grey tom mewed with a smile, standing a foxlength away from the kits and Rippedsky. "The cat with tiny legs," he added, padding up to them, his long tail flicking back and forth. Some of the kits were already taller than him and seeing that he hadn't had kits for a little while, he'd forgotten how fast they grow at such a young age.

Echokit dropped Elmpaw's tail, and then nodded. "Yes, I am Echokit!" the pretty she-cat meowed happily. As Tinylegs approached, Echokit got excited and ran up to the white warrior. "You're so short!" she giggled playfully, and started to climb on top of his back. "Rippedsky gives me back rides but he's tall and scary!" The young kit was getting much too big for back rides, but alas, kittenhood is the best time in a cat's life and hard to let go.

OOC: This is like my first post in like a month. Good job, self. Anyways, here's a Swanpetal and I hope it's not awkward.

IC: Swanpetal walked into the camp, a sparrow between her jaws. The white she-cat found it hard to keep up with taking care of her kits, let along hunting too. But leafbare was only a moon away at best, and Skyclan needed all the hunters they could get. Still, as she dropped her prey and stumbled towards the nursery for a rest her yellow eyes had a glazed look to them. She saw Silentsong come up and nuzzle her, but she was only able to reply with a hello to her mate. But on her way there she saw something.

Her father Rippedsky, with two kits.

She knew what happened. Her mother and Rippedsky's love Cherrymist died, and then Rippedsky became mates to another cat, Whiteheart. She knew that she had given birth- when you live in the Nursery it's hard not to notice. But she still can't stand it. Her father betrayed her mother's legacy. To the queen he was a disgrace to her and her litter siblings.

"Rippedsky," she said firmly. She had never approached Rippedsky about this, but she couldn't wait anymore. "We... need to talk. About our family. About Cherrymist and... Whiteheart." she spat the last word with disgust. 


~


Morningkit awoke as a shadow passed over her. The small kit looked up and saw her grandfather, Rippedsky. She smiled and was about to say something, then saw he was simply leading two other kits out, affection in his blue eyes. She was a little confused. Everyone loved her, right? She scrambled to the edge of the bushy den and watched curiously Rippedsky, the kits, and some other cat.


Soon enough her mother came in, looking as tired as ever. The cream and white kit smiled and prepared to pounce on her as soon as she came into the Nursery. But before she got there she stopped and started talking to the black and white tom. Morningkit stood up, somewhat confused again. Getting tired of waiting she walked over to her mother. "Mommy," she asked, "Why aren't you coming into the Nursery so I can pounce on you, just like always?" she didn't get an answer, so she looked at the kits with the deputy. They were younger than her and wide-eyed, but still were the same size as petite Morningkit. They looked somewhat like her, with the same basic body shape and such. "Mommy, who are they? I don't know them, do I?"

The deputy nodded to the stumpy-legged warrior as they padded up to join them. Tinylegs might have been able to offer some hope to the runt kit that stood underneath him. One forepaw shot out to lightly cuff Echopaw on the head. It was certainly playful, but there was a bit of a chastising nature to it. He couldn't allow his kits to walk away without manners and making rude remarks to their clanmates. It was fortunate the older warrior had many kits of his own and was fairly good-natured. One ear twitched at the sound of his eldest daughter's voice. There was no shock that Swanpetal was a round, she had taken up residency in the nursery like her sister, Bubblemist. But, there was not warm welcome or friendliness to the tone. He didn't expect one. A majority of his kits were less than pleased with him taking up a new mate. But Rippedsky had done so with Cherrymist's blessing, and would never forget the she-cat that had been both a dear friend and mate.

"Yes, Swanpetal." The black and white tom meowed in a neutral tone. He turned to let his youngest kits keep playing and allow them to be distracted by Elmpaw and Tinylegs. However, Mumblekit silently moved along with him, apparently not desiring to leave his father for even a moment. Rippedsky suppressed a sigh, but he knew his son would not interrupt or cause any problems during whatever conversation he was about to have with the white she-cat. A soft smile edged its way onto the corner of his maw as he saw Morningkit. She was still as small and precious as he remembered Swanpetal when she was young. He never ceased to be amazed by the miracle of his family in Skyclan. As he padded a short distance away from the others, Mumblekit in tow, he meowed lowly, "What is it?"