David and Goliath [Closed]

Mumblekit poked his nose out of the nursery. Things seemed much quieter at night. Most cats snored in their nests now, exhausted from the journey to the gathering. His sister had been among them. Since she moved out of their den, he felt like he rarely saw her. The little black and white tom was a little disappointed that he hadn’t been able to move on with her quite yet. But, he would have missed snuggling up to Whiteheart and his father would get him named an apprentice eventually.

Pushing the thoughts aside, he nosed his way out into the clearing. The moon seemed like a giant and silent protector in the sky. Around it hung the stars of their ancestors. Mumblekit spent very little time out under the night sky. In fact, he was supposed to be sleeping right now. His mother would probably chastise him, but he had no intentions of being troublesome. He just wanted to look up at the sky. It was a very pretty sight and certainly a change of scenery from the nursery walls. Sitting off to the side of the clearing, his orange gaze fixed on silverpelt. Ever since he was born, the kit had heard all the stories of their ancestors. His long-lost kin were there. Vast amounts of cats watched them above in the sky.

He found himself wondering what they thought. Those starry cats were merely the watchers of everything below. Were they watching him now? Probably. That sent a chill down his spine. Mumblekit had never liked others focusing on him; it was a big part of why he hated leaving the den. It was only recently that desire started to come from a place of anxiety. Since Elmpaw had said there was something wrong with him, the words had bounced around in his head. Neither of his parents looked at him with concern in their eyes, only the love was evident. Since he had first come before the clan, there was something in their eyes. A seed of doubt had been planted in his little heart.

His tiny paws carried him across the empty clearing as he continued to stare into the sky. So many things ran through the inquisitive little tom's head. Thoughts of his fears and the future were most evident. But, he could not quite sort through it all on his own knowledge. Mumblekit just barely stopped himself from running into Crowstar's den. It seemed massive in comparison to his own. He had never spoken to the clan's leader. But now, his eyes peered deeply into the dark den. Inside, the fluffy black tom most likely snored soundly. He wondered if Crowstar would look at him like the rest of the clan.

Crowstar was laying down in his den trying to sleep but lately with the darkness he was more awake then ever. Maybe it was because of his time in the cave with the mist. That was probably it or maybe it was him longing for solitude away from his clan, or at least away from Poppysong. The leader let out a small sigh.. His yellow eyes looking to the little silver light that snuck it's way in his den from a small hole in the roof.

His ears perked and flicked as he heard a small movement outside of his den, he would have thought it was a mouse or something but around here they didn't get very many of those. Maybe it was someone to afraid to approach him, or wake him up. Lifting his head, the leader hefted his body upwards, standing on all fours before walking out of his den slightly to see who was outside. His yellow eyes fell onto nothing before looking down to see his deputy's small little kit outside.

His normally flat voice, turned to something warm at the sight of the little one as the silver moonlight illuminated the both of them. "What brings you to my den little one?" The kit's name was Mumblekit he knew that, but something inside him referred to most of the kits in his clan as 'little one'. Even those kits that were supposed to be his, but weren't.

His wide eyes were so focused on the pure blackness as he was lost in his own thought that when the shadows began to transform, he leaped back almost a full taillength. Mumblekit's heart thudded in his chest and the blood in his ears roared. The shape of a cat seemed to form out of the shifting darkness. In front of him stood a cat many time his size. As he tried to push back the urge to run, the kit's eyes trailed up to meet the clan leaders. He finally realized what had happened. Crowstar was here; Crowstar was awake. Due to spending so much time in the nursery, he had rarely encountered the great Skyclan leader. Rippedsky had spoken of him so many times, but never did he think he would have the chance to him. Crowstar was such a busy cat and didn't need to waste time talking to kits!

"C-crowstar," He managed to stutter out, first shocked by the appearence of another cat, and then by it being the clan leader, "I-I couldn't sleep..." Mumblekit's soft voice trailed off as he looked down at the ground. It was a normal thing for him to feel so small. Yet, in the shadow of the clan leader and in the pressing darkness of the night, he somehow managed to feel like the tiniest creature in all the forest. His eyes fixed on his paws and he forced back a tremble. A soft sigh left his lips after the reassuringly kind tone of Crowstar, but he still felt so out of place in the moment. He was still waiting for some sort of reprimand for roaming the camp so late at night. Even if he was apprentice-aged like his sister, the black and white tom still looked and mostly felt like a small kit.

"That's quite alright, I'm up for the same reason as well." The leader said to the kit before settling down so he wasn't quite as tall to the kit. He knew he was rather big after all. The kit actually gave him something to distract him from his thoughts, and it would allow him to get to know a future warrior a little better.

"You can stay up with me if you wish. The leader offered. He wasn't going to keep the kit up if he didn't want to stay up with the leader. He also knew that his mother might get a little mad for keeping the kit up, but the kit was apprentice age, he would have to deal with it sooner or later.

Relief washed over the tiny tom. He was a bit surprised at the lack of any sort of chastising speech, but he appreciated it. Taking a few soft and deep breath, Mumblekit tried to still his continuously thudding heart. At the leader's offer, he nodded stiffly. But, when Crowstar settled down, the kit loosened up a little bit. No longer feeling like the smallest thing in existence, there was a sense of calm that helped him sit down next to the huge, fluffy leader. The kit sat up straight and shifted his paws slightly. He had picked up on some of Rippedsky's more formal mannerisms. While he was far less than impressive in bravery and stature, there was at least that to hold onto. Mumblekit's tongue ran quickly over his ruffled fur in attempts to return it to its normally smoothed out gloss.

"T-thank you, Crowstar... it is tough to lay in the den awake all night." His voice was little more than a whisper and was only just loud enough to reach the giant, black cat's ears. It felt strange to be sitting next to a cat he hardly knew. And the fact it was the clan leader only made the whole situation feel much more daunting. Straightening up, his gaze returned to the sky. The beauty and peace of the wondrous silverpelt seemed to calm him. Once more he spoke up, the faintest attempts of a relaxed tone there, "Besides, it's really hard to see the stars through the den walls."

"You are right, it is rather hard to see them." The leader said. A lot of the kit's mannerisms reminded Crowstar of when Rippedsky first showed up to the clan. Back when he was an apprentice. At least the nervous nature from their first meeting. The leader could remember that day pretty clearly.. Did the kit find peace in Silverpelt like he did? "Do you like watching Silverpelt glimmer in the night?" The leader asked, wanting to know more about the kit.

"This is my first time." The much smaller tom mumbled softly. Usually, he was tucked away in the nest. This was the only time Mumblekit had dared to venture from his mother's side, and especially at night. If it weren't for the massive leader next to him, he would have felt so exposed in the barren clearing. Being out in the open felt very strange without other cats around. He sometimes enjoyed the presence of others, but only if it was a cat he knew. Most things made the kit uncomfortable. However, here in the presence of Skyclan's protective and great leader as well as under the light of their warrior ancestors, he was calmed.

Yet, his ever-flowing thoughts still roamed. Even if he was comfortable enough out in this open area, there were still many anxieties that churned through the tom's thoughts. Things that had been said moons ago when he was a younger kit still stuck with him. His ear just barely twitched as he sat there under the pressure of the silence. He wanted to badly to speak freely with Crowstar, but the words stuck in his throat. After what seemed like an eternity, Mumblekit finally forced himself to speak up. The minuscule amount of kit-like curiosity he had in him won out for once. He had always been too afraid to speak to his father or mother on the subject for fear of the fact they wouldn't want to talk about it. But, for some reason, the fluffy black cat seemed like the right one to ask, "C-crowstar? I-is there something wrong with m-me?" The question was barely more than a whisper. If the leader heard it at all, it would have sounded little more than the slight breeze.

His first time seeing Silverpelt? Well it was a good time as any to start watching the stars. The leader was about to speak up again when he heard something else leave the kit's mouth, it was hard to hear but the quiet of the night allowed him to hear those words. "There is nothing wrong with you.. Why do you ask?" The leader was curious as to why the kit was thinking such a way.

"I-I don't know..." Mumblekit admitted, "But Elmpaw asked my father before. And half the clan looks at me like there is something wrong. And I'm still a kit..." He stumbled only slightly over the words and found more coming out of his maw than ever before. Speaking to other cats was far from his favorite thing. But, he found comfort in sharing with the great leader now. The stillness and openness of the night, here in the middle of camp, was something he rarely allowed himself to be a part of. Usually, the tiny tom's world was simply confined to the nursery walls. It was also a relief that Crowstar seemed to not see anything. If the leader saw nothing wrong for him, maybe he was just being irrational.

Crowstar wanted to let out a growl. There wasn't anything wrong with this little kit, and if his clan thought so he wanted to have a stern talking to them. "I wouldn't pay attention to any of them..There isn't anything wrong with you." The leader said. "You will frow up to be a fine warrior just like your father." If anyone had an issue with Mumblekit then they could personally take it up with him.

"I-I hope so." It was reassuring to hear the leader say something to still his fears. However, there was still a nagging at the back of his mind. Self-doubt was stronger than the words of one cat, regardless of their position. Mumblekit shifted awkwardly. He felt himself getting a little tried. Although, the black and white kit knew sleep would still not come easy. The tiny tom stood up. Orange-ish eyes flickered toward the nursery. Being in the comfort of a soft den sounded nice. Mumblekit looked up at the leader and tipped his head a bit, "I'm going to go back to sleep. Goodnight, Crowstar." He waited for dismissal from the large black tom before retreating into the comfort of his den.