tumbling pebbles (open)

Pebblekit was excitable as a young kit, or that's what he'd say if some cat asked him but that was rarely the case and it wasn't like any cat would believe him. His demeanor frequently changing from a raging bundle of scruffy grey fur to as still as stone, the presence of his clan-mates making him freeze in his spot. Pebblekit wasn't very fond of his clan-mates, their presence making him nervous and frightened, apart from his mother of course.

Excitedly whipping a ball of moss into the air he leaped high and swiped it to the ground with a chirp, his long tail lashing as he bit into it like he was killing his prey. Despite his dislike of his clan-mates, he was turning out to be swift and fierce, his kitten sharp claws frightening to every leaf he found and every tuft of sheep-fluff that tumbled across his path. Suddenly as swift as the river his excitement died, his vivid green eyes catching another one of his clan-mates. His dark-grey ears pressed against his head timidly as he shrunk away, his pelt burning with the fright of scrutiny to be falling upon him.

What were they thinking? Were they thinking that he- No they couldn't, he was dead! Pebblekit heard the hushed elder tales of the cat that burned down the forest, that really hurt those cats! He knew he must've looked like this evil cat but that was it! Pebblekit shrunk away until he had himself buried under the camp barrier, bright green eyes watching, praying that they'd continue walking so he could continue playing.

Pigeonstorm had never paid much attention to his clanmates. He was always the outsider, no matter how hard he tried. Despite being of Windclan blood, he was raised a rogue. His jaw was broken and his pelt riddled with the scars that Rockthorn and The Mist had given him so long ago. Because of all this, he spent most of his time out of camp and away from where all the cats stared at him, and tended to barely even notice when somecat new was there.

But today was not the case. The scarred scottish fold had just brought back a large hare, which the dwarfed cat had to resort to dragging across the ground. He dropped it with a huff at the prey pile before padding to the edge of the clearing to take a nap. He deserved it, after all. That rabbit was incredibly hard to catch with his small form and broken jaw.

And then he saw him.

He had just turned his head the slightest bit and saw the kit in the corner of his eye. His blood turned cold. That demon of a cat was here? How?! All of his greatest fears were true. Rockthorn was back, somehow. The simple thought of it made his crooked and partially snapped jaw ache all the more. He wasn’t sure how he got here, or even if this cat had relations to Rockthorn, but he didn’t care. “W-wh-“ he stuttered, staring straight at the tom with wide yellow eyes. “Get away from me, R-Rockthorn!”

Pebblekit sputtered, reeling in shock of the large scarred toms reaction. Stumbling back the kit squealed from the fright, why did he spit out the name like it belonged to him? Why did he scream at him? "N-N-No! I'm not!" Pebblekit sputtered, tears coming to his eyes as he tried to melt into his surroundings. He wished that he didn't leave the nursery! His heart clenched and his fur puffed out to make him bigger than he was, he wished that they liked him enough to not scream at him!

Chin resting heavily atop a splayed out forepaw, the only subtle display of movement that proved Brindlestar was actually awake was the occasional blink that slipped across her relaxed features. Paying half a mind to the slight movement that filled the sluggish camp, her attention only waned to Pebblekit for a brief moment- after all, why did she need to pay attention to such a mild-mannered kit? Especially when he was doing nothing more than activities deemed normal? However, the sudden eruption of conflict between Pigeonstorm and Pebblekit had her up and on her paws before she could even fully blink away the haze of drowsiness that still fogged the edges of her vision.

"Pigeonstorm." The singular word was a sharp warning, icy with the faintest note of disapproval. Resisting the urge to show fierce exasperation at such a cruel overreaction on the younger Warrior's part, she merely jerked her head in a short, dismissive gesture. Her eyes worked just as well as any of her younger counterpart's, and the likeness to the long dead ghost of a cat was not lost upon her. "If you cannot control yourself, then perhaps it'd be best for you to step away now." Sweeping her tail tightly around the teary-eyed little tom, the Leader raised an expectant brow as she awaited an explanation or defense from the younger tom. Remaining drawn at her full height, Brindlestar only stole a brief glance of Pebblekit before tilting her chin once more.

Pigeonstorm’s arched stance fell away as the newly-named leader approached, but a wild mix of fear and fury still burned bright in his yellow gaze. “Can’t you s-see?!” he hissed, whipping his head back towards the teary-eyed kit. It didn’t matter to him that he was crying. In his mind, it was only Rockthorn’s trick to try to get him to lower his guard. “It is obviously him! How c-cun one nut see it?” As he spoke those words a small part of his mind questioned that here he was, accusing a young kit of being a long-dead murderer. He pushed the thought away forcibly. “He hud promised me he was g-going to c-come fur muh one d-d-day, and h-here he is. He’s the o-one who broke muh j-jaw! He c-can’t just stay here, he needs t-to leave!”

Barleykit, who had been resting in the nursery, whipped his head up at the sounds of commotion outside the nursery. His dream of chasing rabbits down into a spiraling chasm quickly faded away like mist, and he knew he had awakened to some kind of disagreement.

The sandy kitten stood and quickly paced towards the entrance of the nursery, only to see the back of his leader, whose tail was swept around Pebblekit, seemingly protecting him from another cat - presumably a Warrior in the Clan? - that Barleykit didn't recognize.

Barleykit immediately halted just inside the entrance of the nursery, his facial expression concerned as he looked between the three cats.