New Beginnings (*Open)

Her last kit. Though neither of them had said it, Nutfur knew that neither Spotfur or her thought they would have more kits in the future. Now he was in the elder's den, and she wasn't getting any younger. If she had known he was going to be an elder so soon, she probably wouldn't even had kits now. But now that Pantherkit was a moon old and able to run around, she wasn't regretting it at all. Her son would grow up to be an amazing warrior, she was sure of it. Today was the day, she had decided, that she would take him out of the nursery. Now that he was old enough to remember things, she would take him to meet his father officially. Hopefully the tom's trouble hearing wouldn't make this moment difficult or awkward. Ruining such a monumental part of a kit's life would frankly be sad, maybe even depressing. Having a good relationship with parents was something all cats needed. Very gently nudging the tiny gray and white tom-kit awake, she smiled warmly at her son, heart melting with motherly love. She really did love him so much. If StarClan was at all fair, then they would allow him to live a long and happy life. Because if anything happened to this precious little kit, then she didn't know what she would do. But for just a few moons, she could simply just enjoy his youth. Before he had to undergo the hardships of training and leafbare, and before he came back to camp one day littered with scars. Her throat tightened just to think about it, but she let herself smile. For now, she didn't have to worry about the future. Just enjoy the present. For his sake and her own.
"Are you ready to go out into camp?" Nutfur whispered into Pantherkit's ear, her voice gentle and pleasant, as if her usual tone might break him. While she knew it wasn't true to that extent, she didn't want any hint of whatever grief she felt to show to her son. Just like herself, she wanted him to be able to enjoy his youth to the fullest. Climbing to her paws, she waved her tail in the direction of the nursery's exit, giving him a reassuring smile. While he probably didn't need any further motivation, she still wanted to make this fun and exciting for him. Because why would she pass up the chance to see his face light up with glee?

Spotfur hadn't seen his kit the whole moon. It was excruciating, and he couldn't wait. He was waiting outside the nursery. Nutfur didn't know he was there, and neither did the kit. He wondered what his name was...

OOC: oof sorry for the late reply, didn't see this yesterday

IC: Patherkit sprang to his paws. "Do I get to meet Spotfur?"
The young kit's tail twitched in excitement.
"Will he be able to tell me all about cool warrior stuff?"
Without waiting for a reply, he practically charged out of the nursery, tripping over his own paws right in front of his father. Pantherkit cursed his big paws, before looking up at the huge frame of a cat, battle-scarred and missing a leg.

"Yes, you will be able to meet your father," Nutfur purred warmly, a smile covering her face. "And I expect he will tell you anything that you would like to know." An amused light shone in her hazel eyes as she watched Pantherkit tumble out of the nursery. Following him out of the den, she purred in laughter to see her son trip right over Spotfur's paws. Kits could be so hilarious at times. "Here he is." While she was curious to see what her kit's reaction would be in that moment, it had been a while since she had talked to her mate. Affectionately, she nuzzled his shoulder and gave him a warm smile. "It's been too long, Spotfur. I think it's time that you meet our son, Pantherkit."

Spotfur smiled and purred with amusement. "Pantherkit. I like that." He licked his young son's head. "It's nice to meet you, Pantherkit."

Pantherkit got up, and looked up at his father. Being an impulsive kit, he said the first thing that came to his mind. "How did you lose your leg?"

"I'm glad you like it," Nutfur replied, a warm feeling of contentment blossoming in her chest. Spotfur was all she ever could have asked for. At Pantherkit's question, a hint of concern was evident on her expression. She of all cats knew how difficult bringing up one's troubled past could be, and didn't want her mate to have to go through such negative emotions in front of their kit. However, it was up to him if he would answer the question or not. Still, giving him a bit of reassurance would most likely be appreciated. Her voice was low and her tone hushed, as if not wanting anyone else to hear this. That wasn't the case, but she didn't exactly want to embarrass either tom. "Spotfur... I can answer that for you if you don't want to talk about it."

Spotfur was not ready for that question. It was so innocent, he couldn't help the pride blossoming in his chest. His kit was only curious about his disability, not disgusted and not concerned. Just curious. "No... I can handle it." He replied in an equally hushed voice. He answered in a normal voice, forcing a smile. "A very bad cat pulled it off, many moons ago, when the evil cat- who goes by the name of Shade- tried to kill our deputy, Scorchclaw. The bad cat has maimed and killed many cats, including Duckpuddle, who helped defeat Shade before he was exiled. That is why you stay in camp, is because of the bad cats." He realized with a pang that this could be scary to the kit, who only had a small grasp of sensibility. "But we warriors keep you safe against him."

"Cool! I bet I could fight Shade! I'm already really big and strong!"
Tail twitching with excitement, he leaped onto Spotfur's back. Pantherkit attempted to claw him, but his tiny claws only got halfway through his father's fur. "I'm gonna be a fighter, like you!"

"Maybe when you're older. But for now, never leave camp. And when you're an apprentice, never leave camp alone. I know you are big and strong, but you still need training," Nutfur advised, not sure if she should be worried or amused by Pantherkit's confidence. While she was glad that Spotfur's story hadn't scared the young kit, she also didn't want him to think he could just leave camp without worrying. Even the biggest and strongest one moon old kits were still one moon old kits. As the tiny tom jumped onto his father's back, she couldn't help but let out a laugh. Both because of his attempted battle move, and because he thought that the tom was the tougher of his parents. Oh please. She had always had the ability to beat him up if she wanted to. After all, she was the one who had beat Shade with all her legs still intact.

Spotfur fell over dramatically when his son attacked him. "Oh nooo, You have vanquished me, mighty beast!"

Pantherkit laughed and rolled off his father.
"What else does a warrior do? I wanna practice! Then I'll become the best warrior in RiverClan!"
He puffed out his chest proudly.
"I bet I can do it without even leaving camp! That will make it fun, and hard!"
Secretly, he had said that to quiet his mother's worry, but Pantherkit wasn't about to tell anyone that.

OOC: ugh it's adorable how Pantherkit is so naive and confident at the same time as a kit

"Well, a good warrior doesn't just fight. Great warriors also have to hunt, so that the clan can be fed. If you'd like, you can pounce on my tail and pretend that it's a fish," Nutfur suggested, glad that Pantherkit was excited to become a warrior for reasons other than just fighting. Still, it was amusing to see Spotfur pretend like their son was some sort of super-strong mega warrior that could defeat any opponent. This kit would grow up to be an amazing warrior, that she knew. Just hopefully he would be just as enthusiastic about chasing her tail while pretending that it was a fish as he was about pouncing on his father and pretending to knock him over. Flicking her tail quickly, she wondered if he would like the idea. While she wanted him to become a good warrior, she mainly just wanted him to have a fun time as a kit.

Spotfur pulled himself back to his feet, with a little bit of trouble, but managed.

Pantherkit watched his mother's tail closely for a minute, then pounced. He landed flat on her bushy tail, and, not wanting to let anyone see he had slipped up, sprang back to his paws, grabbing her tail in his small teeth. He tried to carry it off, forgeting it was attached to Nutfur for a moment, but fell down again when he hit the end of the line. He dropped the tail, and looked back at his mother, slightly proud, half sheepish. "I caught it!"