The Sun Rises (Open)

There it was again. Ridgekit's hazel eyes widened as a small beam of light rested on the edge of the nursery. She blinked at it, her little body pushing up from beneath her siblings as she approached it with caution. Her little pink nose sniffed at the dirt delicately. The soft white, orange and grey patches on her face brightening as her head moved over it, only to watch it dissappear! She blinked in wonder, then looked around for it again. The early morning sun sank heat into her pelt as she looked over the entrance until she found it again! This time it moved. A delicate shifting of leaves overhead moved the sunbeam as Ridgekit followed it with wide-eyed curiousity.

She was well out of the nursery now. Bumbling little steps that made her pale calico body stumble, twist and turn as she tried to catch the sunbeams with a kittish mewl of delight. Her eyes moving upwards towards the den, then the shapes of the trees above. The sounds of rustling trees was so much clearer out here. It was unnerving... but curious. Loud but comforting like her mother's purr. This was outside. She was outside! For a moment she felt a stab of worry, the uncomfortable feeling made her wander backwards a bit, but with all the other dens around she didn't know which one she came from!

Dazedly, the little kit pattered around until she bumped into another cat and squealed in surprise as she spun around.

Pricklekit snorted in annoyance as his sister bumped into him. He'd been planning to sneak out of the nest in the morning, only to find that Ridgekit had had the same idea and then gotten out before him. He'd followed her out, but then she'd turned around and smacked right into him, sending him tumbling to the ground even in surprise, despite the fact that he was almost twice her size already. His already-spiky fur bristled in anger, and he growled at his sister. "What was that for?" They both knew that if they ended up tussling, he could win. His superior size advantage was no match for the much smaller she-kit.

The familiar pale ginger coat of her brother helped Ridgekit to relax as she smiled at him despite his growl.
"Sorry Pricklekit, I didn't know you were there." She mewed softly as she padded up next to him and looked out at the camp around them. The soft dirt floor, the woven bramble walls... the scent of something strange in the air. She sniffed again, it smelled like what cats brought to their mother in the den, but off somehow. Not quite stale but... strong. Older perhaps. She ambled her way towards the scent and was rewarded with the sight of some freshkill. "Why's it smell odd?" She mewed towards Pricklekit before nosing the prey. It was cold and old, from yesterday, but a small kit with no sense of time didn't realise it as she batted at the tail of a squirrel that dangled.

"Hey Pricklekit, think mom would be happy if we took this back to her?" She asked cheerfully as she turned towards her 'older' brother.

Hailkit wasn't sure what had woken her. She blinked, finding herself in her nest in the nursery. For a few seconds, the fluffy white she-kit felt content just to lie there. She was pressed against her mother's soft fur, and she could feel the she-cat's warmth seeping through her pelt. Absently, she let her yellow eyes rove about her. Her littermates seemed asleep, their furry pelts rising and lowering in a steady rhythm. Several familiar forms were missing, however. She had slept so much, it was getting boring now. A restlessness that had been itching at the back of her mind now prompted her to get up. Shivering slightly as she left the comfort of her nest, she began to walk towards the nursery's entrance. Her little paws were a little unsteady, almost as if she weren't quite used to them yet. Nevertheless, she forced them to keep on moving, until she reached the exit of the nursery.

What time of day was it? The light that flooded the clearing was warm and gentle, seeming to fill her with energy. So this was what the outside world looked like. Cats bustled to and fro, with pelts of all shades and patterns. Hailkit ought to have felt overwhelmed with all the new sights and scents, but she strangely wasn't. Instead, a sense of excitement thrilled through her blood. Surprisingly, no one seemed to have noticed her yet. That was good. It didn't take long before she spotted her missing littermates. On quiet pawsteps, she sneaked up behind Ridgekit and Pricklekit. "What are you two doing?" She mewed curiously, with a tip of her head. An interesting-looking creature lay before the other two. Two beady black eyes, if that was even what they were, stared blankly at her. It smelled different, but still good.

Streamkit raised his head with a yawn. He had to blink a couple times to get his eyes fully open and be able to tell apart from the world of the dreams and reality as the last bits of sleepiness let go of his small body. Ears now high, he caught the soft meows of his siblings and turned to look at them and, with the curiosity of any young kit, he carefully walked off the nest to walk towards the gathering group of kits. His sapphire blue eyes landing on the dead squirrel as his nose quickly worked to pick up its scent “Why are you guys up and so close to the exit…is that for mom?” He pawed at the squirrel, feeling the soft fur of the dead creature on his soft pawpads as well as how cold it was.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Blizzardshine’s ice-blue eyes opened slowly as she felt less tiny bodies pressed against her and soft meows reached her expert ears. She didn’t need to look around too much to find her kits gathering near the entrance around a dead squirrel which she could tell by scent that while wasn’t exactly bad, wasn’t as fresh as it could be.

After licking her still sleeping kits gently and pressing them together gently so they would stay warm even without her, she silently as a shadow uncurled and got off her nest, walking towards those standing next to the nursery’s entrance “Going out on an adventure of your own?” Her voice was soft and calm. Most queens would probably scold their kits for trying to sneak out, but for some like Blizzardshine who did it more times than she could remember it just felt like it was a natural thing for kits. As long as they were safe and stayed within camp, she wouldn’t freak out about it “You really took after me and your father”.

"I was thinking of taking this to mom. Think she'll like it?" Ridgekit mewed as she poked the squirrel with a curious expression. She watched as it slid down the pile to land between them, it's fluffy tail sticking up in the air comically as she prodded it again. Then looked up at Hailkit. "Isn't this exciting?" She asked, leaping away from the squirrel as one of the larger cats passed them. Their huge lithe bodies dwarfed the tiny kit who looked up at them with intrigue. Who was that she-cat with all the scars in the distance? Who was that large dark tom? Her eyes caught a glimpse of gold, then fire red in the crowd of cats.

When she saw Streamkit coming over, she clumsily bounded over to her with cheer.
"Don't you think she'll love it?" She asked, her tail twitched as she felt another large cat walk past them. None of them seemed keen to interrupt the kits needs to explore. The guards outside the entrance would make sure they didn't run, so there was little need to worry. Still, Marshstorm felt his mind eased as Blizzardshine emerged from the nursery. Her bright white pelt stuck out and Ridgekit tumbled over to her paws excitedly.
"I wanna see everything mom!" She mewed after her first comment, then blinked with wide innocent eyes at the mention of their father. "Father? What was he like? Was he big and strong?"

Bearkit had still be cozied up to his adoptive mother. Since she first pulled him into the sanctuary of her fur, it became his favorite feeling. Although he was certainly still filled with a bit of a strange feeling as he adjusted to the closeness of other cat's, it slowly became easier. Nights that he had shivered through were now filled with a deeply satisfying slow and the low and constant purrs that rumbled within his barreled chest. Unlike his grandfather and kin before them, Bearkit did not have the trademark aggressive or proud behavior of the family line. Instead, he was marked by his innocence and more reserved personality. It took the shuffling of several little bodies and then one larger one to finally stir him. The protective fur covering had left him unguarded.

As Blizzardshine padded towards the entrance, he rolled over and followed at her heels. It appeared the rest of the kits had gotten up and into something. This would be their first trip out of the nursery. He'd experienced his own first time well before, however, excitement buzzed in his chest. They were getting to see it too! Between his bulky size and the few moons he had over them, Bearkit stood over his younger denmates with a soft and sleepy grin. As talk of their father came up, the tabby found his interest peaked. Blizzardshine said he was in the family now, did that mean he shared that nature too? Was that the kind of thing he could get not being of the same blood? Maybe. These thoughts quickly faded and he found himself asking, "What was he like? Like Stoneclaw?" He pictured his own father as he padded over to Ridgekit, only focused on being a warrior and reveling in the joy of a fight. Traits vastly different from his own. Bearkit liked her a lot and without hesitation pressed his coat to Blizzardshine's kit. She could see it all for both of them.

Beekit's ears pricked and he sat up. "Father? Where is he?" He inquired. Fathers... He had seen other kits playing with their fathers. Toms who seemed to love the kits' mothers. Now it occurred to him- where was his? Maybe it was Leopardstar or Marshstorm, who were too busy to play with them.

He probably should have been a little quieter. Before he could properly examine the strange-smelling prey, it seemed like every other one of their siblings woke up. The next thing he knew, Hailkit and Streamkit were there as well... and then Blizzardshine came out. Why did they have to wake up mom? Now they'd never get away. To his slight surprise, however, she wasn't annoyed- just threw out some comment about their dad and adventures. Pricklekit's ears leaned forwards attentively at the mention of their father. Who was he? Why had mom never told them? "Yeah, who's our father?" he piped up, tiny voice demanding. "Is he an important cat or just a warrior? Can we see him?" He tried to ignore the other kit- the one who mom treated like he was one of them, but definitely wasn't. Why was he always here? And why was he snuggling up to his sister? He shoved the tom away from Ridgekit nonchalantly, firmly cementing himself in place by his sister's side and shooting a glare at the strange-looking kit. Then, as if the kit wasn't worth his time, he turned his attention back to Blizzardshine to learn about his father.

Blizzardshine smiled at her kits as they quickly ran over to her at the mention of their father. True, she hadn’t spoken much about him before, but I wasn’t because she didn’t want to…if anything it was because she wanted her kits to be a bit older and be able to understand…as well as some grief she hadn’t been able to fully let go. She decided that while her kits weren’t still old enough to be able to understand all what she could tell them, she would rather let them know who he really was and the great deeds he had accomplished, which earned him the respect of the clan and her love, instead of risking their minds get tainted by rumors. Even if they were the most open-minded clan in the forest regarding outsiders, she knew not everyone approved of them and any kit that came from a relationship with one, and to risk her kits to think their father abandoned them or have them form a villainous figure of him on their minds…it was simply something she couldn’t allow.

She gently wrapped her tail around the kits snuggling against her, Bearkit included. But before talking, she shot a quick glance to Pricklekit, letting him know she saw what he did with his adoptive brother and she didn’t approve of it “His name was Artemis Odan. I’m sad to say the reason you never met your father…is because he no longer walks among us. He gave up his life to save a friend before you were born, kits” Tears quickly rushed to her icy eyes as she revealed the fate of Artemis to her kits. She wasn’t sure if they would fully understand what she meant just yet, nor how they would take it, but she knew better than to lie to them.

“Yes, he was big and strong, but also kind, loyal and with a moral code that is rarely seen. He never hesitated to fight for what he thought was right, brave to go face to face against opponents that were stronger than him to protect what he loved and smart enough to come up with rather unique plans and strategies to solve problems many already thought as lost causes. Yes, at time he would tend to take action without previously asking anyone, but it was always with the best intentions”.

"Artemisodan? That sounds like a pretty stupid warrior name. What was Leopardstar thinking?" He scrunched up his nose, more worried about the weird name than the fact that he was dead.

Gladekit had very much been there, with her siblings the whole time. She watched as Pricklekit as he shoved Bearkit and took his place beside Ridgekit. She didn't say anything, but deep down she felt a slight prickle of resent towards Bearkit. The fluffy white kit couldn't place why, but she didn't like him and that was that.

When Blizzadshine started to speak about her father, she didn't particularly know how to feel. It saddened her that she would never seem him, but it made her angry he chose his friend over his own family and, like Beekit said what was wrong with his name. Something felt a little off, but she liked her mother and, if her mother thought he was a good cat then he must be.

Hailkit watched as Ridgekit poked at the squirrel, eventually knocking it off the pile. It was seriously such a funny-looking creature. What was it called again? The name was somewhere at the back of her mind, but she couldn't remember it at the moment. When asked whether it would please their mother, she responded without a moment's hesitation. "I think she will!" She exclaimed cheerfully. The squirrel's tail was too tempting. After a couple of seconds, her paw shot forward and she batted at it.

Before too long, it seemed as if the whole family had woken up. Upon catching sight of her mother, Hailkit flashed her a bright grin. "Exploring." She explained to Streamkit. "Wanna join us?" However, her mother's words soon caught her attention. The squirrel temporarily forgotten, she turned to face the spotted white queen. "Father? Do we have one?" She had noticed that the other kits had a father. Warriors frequently visited the nursery to see their mate and kits. However, not once had such a tom shown up for them. It was a question that she had pondered over occasionally, but it didn't really bother her. She still had Blizzardshine, and that was good enough for her. Nevertheless, as the other kits began to gather around their mother, Hailkit followed them. She had to admit, she was curious too.

Pricklekit's actions caught her eye, and she turned to watch as he pushed Bearkit aside. A slight frown crossed her maw, but she quickly forgot her displeasure as Blizzardshine began the story. She leaned into her mother's tail, relishing the softness of her fur. "What's an Artemis?" She asked, the moment her mother had finished speaking. She agreed with Beekit. What an odd name their father had had. Tears had welled up within their mother's eyes, but Hailkit didn't notice them. "Why'd he have to leave? Was he strong? You said he was. How strong was he?" The last question was asked with excitement glittering within her yellow eyes. It was intriguing to hear of a cat they had never seen before, yet had so much relevance to them.

Ridgekit smiled at Bearkit when she noticed the larger tom-kit. When he sat next to her, she brushed his coat against his until Pricklekit shoved in between them. Her tail twitched and her head tilted in curiousity at her brother's antic, but she turned to face Blizzardshine as their mother spoke. Her eyes widened at the explination. The idea of death was new for Ridgekit, who toddled up to her mother's front paws and stood on her back ones with intrigue. Hazel eyes meeting blue briefly as her mind whirled with questions.
"Where did he come from?" She asked finally, lowering herself to the ground as she looked towards the bramble walls of camp. What was beyond them?

The idea of a whole new world set her mind back into motion. The camp of ThunderClan was huge to her, the knowledge that there was stuff outside of the camp walls... she watched as some cats came and went through the entrance. One of them held a strange black feathery thing in it's jaws that it dropped abruptly then padded away. It's iridecent feather's catching her eyes for a moment before her siblings voices brought her back on track. Right, her father. She turned back to Blizzardshine.
"I thought the only code was the warrior code?" She mewed curiously. "What's a 'moral' code?"

Pricklekit ignored his mother's glare, choosing instead to pay close attention to the she-cat's words as she talked about their father... who was apparently dead. Well, no wonder we've never seen him! I wish I'd gotten to know that earlier. Artemisodan? What sort of name was that? He'd never heard of an Artemis or an Odan before. Blizzardshine had nothing but glowing praise for him, and she'd had kits with him, so he must have been a good, strong warrior. "Yeah, why'd Leopardstar give him that name? And what the heck is an Odan? Or... Sodan? Is it a bird?" His light green eyes were puzzled, even as his mind raced through the possibilities. "Was he a powerful warrior? Did he have a high position? Do I look like him?" The bushy kit stood a little taller as he tried to imagine what his father looked like. Had he been big and fluffy like him and his mother? Or tiny like some other cats he knew? Or had he looked like... Pricklekit sent another look towards the other kit. If he'd looked like that one, he wasn't sure whether he liked his father. But Blizzardshine wouldn't have had kits with someone like that, right?