Ugh, Kits... [OPEN]

ooc: please let the kits post first then everyone can kinda gather 'round

Froststone was not happy. He wasn't happy about this entire ordeal. The guilt he felt caused him to close himself off to these kits. Rightly so, they were Lichenmask's children. Still, the warrior code deemed in necessary to bring the kits in, whether they were the children of a genocidal maniac or not. He quickly looked behind him to do a headcount. Three kits. Three children of Lichenmask in one clan. He glared before turning his head back to the camp. Quickly scanning the clearing, he found the dark gray pelt of his leader with ease. Ushering the kits forward he padded over to him.

"Scorchstar. I went back to Fourtrees to ensure no cat had been left behind, I found kits." In a lower tone, he added, "They're Lichenmask's and Brushgaze's kits." The white deputy was unsure of whether or not to add that Marshstorm had taken two, but he was sure it would come up soon. For now, his cold gaze was kept on the kits, ensuring they did not stray too far from him.

Having followed the ShadowClan deputy, whoever he was, to his camp, Slatekit scrunched his nose up at the overbearing scents of the new surroundings. As if just entering their territory enough, now he was being taken to the place where they resided as well. Standing next to Froststone with his head and tail raised high, the abnormally large, fluffy black and grey tom glanced around as cats began to gather. They all had a right to be staring at him and his littermates, and quite frankly, he loved the attention. It was more than his own father had ever given him, so he soaked up every moment.

Perking his ears as the white tom spoke, Slatekit looked around. Scorchstar? So they were going to get to meet the leader... it wasn't much of a surprise, seeing as though they didn't belong to this clan, or any clan for that matter. They were kits of Lichenmask, the cat would had somehow managed to cause trouble and then fail. His father was a mousebrain, if he had anything to say about it, and the young cat was personally glad he'd been killed, well, to some extent. Unfortunately, he wouldn't get to rub his future successions in that frog-brain's face. Of course, the small kit didn't know what the future entailed just yet, but all he knew was that he would be better than his father and mother ever were, to the point where his plan wouldn't end up just being a tale that elder's told, but feared.

Continuing to look around, Slatekit stayed quiet with a smug look on his muzzle as he awaited the leader's arrival.

Burntkit, the ever tough-facaded kit, managed to go the entire distance without letting any of them know his paws ached. The further they got from the clearing and his mother's dead body, the more he longed to close his eyes and return to the nest. Back there he would train with their father and the other true clan cats. He and his siblings, all of them, would wrestle in a vain attempt to prove their worth as Lichenmask's offspring. And their Brushgaze would bring them all in close to her every night while her warmth melted away any unpleasantries from the day. Before, his only desire and goal had been to please the almighty exile leader. Now, he was merely a kit longing for his parents and family. The thought troubled him and threatened to break the neutral barrier that was his expression but somehow he managed to push that all away. The present mattered more. The protection of his two remaining siblings mattered more. He had already lost two and any others would be unacceptable.

As they entered the marshlands, Burntkit felt a strange sense of calming from the mud that lapped at his mostly white paws. Unlike the debris that caught in his coat, this feeling was welcome. It seemed to soothe the kit's malcontent in a certain way. Although the idea confused him as his paws quickly became a solid, murky brown, there were no complaints to be had. He charged on in the direction of camp with some minor guidance from Froststone. When they entered the confines of the camp, the kit refused to settle down and stayed on his paws as they waited to be addressed by the clan leader. The very one who had sent his mother away all those moons ago. It was hard not to consider Lichenmask's usual ideals of how foolish the clan leaders were, blinded by their soft-hearted ignorance. Now he would be able to see firstpaw what this cat was like. In his waiting, the tip of the kit's tail twitched and his eyes were sharp.

He made sure to stay close to Redkit and Slatekit, keeping both of their pelts in the edges of his sights. The idea of letting either of them slip away left him uneasy. So many churning emotions threatened to fall him to his stomach. But he could not allow himself to show weakness. As the remainder of the true follower's of Lichenmask, it was his duty to stand in his father's place at least for now. Until he returned. As soon as the leader appeared in their sights, the long-furred calico padded up to face him, "I'm Burntkit. My father was Lichenmask and my mother, Brushgaze. We need shelter and then we need to get our siblings back. Who are you?"

Redkit let herself hang limply from Froststones jaws, her eyes clouded with grief as her legs and tail tucked themselves as much as they could. Deep-rooted grief and shock had embedded themselves in the young kits heart, rendering the overwhelmed she-kit immobile of her own violation. Ragged hatred bubbled up at the back of her throat but didn't foam over. Everything she had ever known was gone, the only solace she could find in Burntkit. Fear of Slatekit made her unable to find the comfort of the past and hold on for as long as she could, because every time he spoke, he moved, he stirred her from whatever blissful daydream she had entered and render her a victim to reality once more. Redkit was only glad to be carried because she surely would have just laid on the ground back at Four-trees and let the crows peck at her until she was nothing.

Scorchstar scented his deputy before he heard his voice, and he padded over to the smaller white tom to greet him. Once he spotted the three unfamiliar kits accompanying him, along with hearing Froststone's brief report on his findings, his eyes widened in surprise. These kits belonged to Brushgaze and Lichenmask? But those two had been from different Clans themselves! And they wanted to eradicate the impurities of the Clans? He had to force his pelt to stay laying flat along his back at the infuriating irony of it all. He didn't want the kits to think they weren't welcome. After all, they couldn't help who their parents were.

Looking down at Burntkit as he so boldly introduced himself and his purpose, Scorchstar couldn't help a smile. At least this little one wasn't scared. Besides that, he had such a sweet spot for kits. "Welcome to ShadowClan, little one. I am Scorchstar, the Clan leader. You and your littermates are more than welcome to stay in your mother's Clan, where we shall raise you as our own." He lifted up his tail to draw the kits' attention to it, then gestured it to the nursery on the other side of camp. "Over there is the nursery, where queens care for kits. I'm more than confident that our queens will take you in. You three go on and introduce yourselves while I speak a little more with Froststone."

Offering the three kits another kind smile to once again assure them that they were welcome in the Clan, the large black tabby then turned and made his way over to the leader's den, knowing his deputy was following right behind him. After slipping in the den and making sure no curious ears were trying to eavesdrop on their conversation, Scorchstar turned his attention back to Froststone. "So these are the kits of Lichenmask and Brushgaze... I am a firm believer that kits must be raised in their mother's Clan, so you made the right choice bringing them here, Froststone. However, what the little Burntkit said struck me as odd; do the three of them have other littermates? What became of them?"

Morningpaw had been listening from her den as she sorted her herbs, ears twitching curiously. The she-cat go up and made a mental note to resume her activities after she went to go see these kits. The medicine cat exited her den and walked over to the gathering group. "Hmmm..." Her eyes were warm as she looked them over from a few lengths away. These were Lichenmask's and Brushgaze's kits huh? She looked over to the elder's den, and then to the warrior's den. She then tilted her head slightly. Did Crowfur and Cedarstorm know about this? These were their grand-kits after all. She licked her chest as she continued to gaze on. They'd hear about this sooner or later. Maybe even then because of all the voices and commotion.