This Is Home (OPEN after the kits post)

(occ: short)

Sunhigh shone crisp and chilly, soft snow piled atop a layer of fallen leaves crunching with every pawstep as Leopardstar pushed his way through the gorse tunnel at the head of a patrol, a water vole and wood mouse held in his jaws, both somewhat skinny though that was to be expected at this time of year.  Dispersing the patrol with a flick of his tail, the ThunderClan leader trotted across the clearing with a bounce in his step towards the nursery, where he could already spot the kits he was eager to greet.  His mouth too full to talk, he waved his tail in their direction with an obscured smile.

Shadekit was exploring every inch of her new home, her eyes bright with curiosity and wonder. She looked towards Leopardstar as he entered the camp, eagerly bounding over with the biggest smile she's had in a while. "You're back! This place is great, thank you so much for bringing us here!" She rubbed up against his legs purring affectionately for the tom who had brought her and her littermates in and given them a brand-new home after they had been abandoned by their mother in the middle of leaf-fall.

"More food?!" A small, thick-furred tom bounced forward, his brilliant green eyes wide with wonder. How much food did Thunderclan have? It seemed infinite. "Copperkit, come and see!" He turned to his brother, nudging him to his feet and then skipping towards the two rodents. The kit immediately began to eat with gusto but stopped short only a few bites later. "Thanks! D'you want some?" This spotted tom was part of his family now, and that meant that Lynxkit had to take care of him. Although the brown kit's bones stuck out of his ragged, scruffy pelt and his stomach still growled with hunger, he knew that the others came first. "I'm not that hungry, honest."

Batkit was taking the time to investigate every little corner of this place they were supposed to call their home from now on. It seemed safe enough, as far as she could tell, and she had poked her tiny nose into just about every corner by now. She was curious, yes, and even a little bit excited at the prospect: but still apprehensive. Leopardstar had said he would return, but he hadn't yet, so she couldn't know for sure that he would. So when he entered the nursery, Batkit had to blink twice and make sure she was seeing what she thought she was. "You came back," she observed. He had also brought food, she noticed, but that was far less important to her than just being there.

As one of her brothers - Lynxkit? She was still adjusting to their having names - stated that he wasn't hungry, she squinted slightly at him. "You should eat anyway," she told him. "You don't know when you'll get the chance again, do you?" The concept of having enough food was still somewhat foreign. Then, she turned her face to look up at Leopardstar with curiosity. "What's that?" she asked, nodding to the food he was carrying. Food, evidently, but what it was called, she didn't know.

Copperkit's small dark ginger ears flicked up at the sudden rambunctiousness of their newfound den and its inhabitants, his golden eyes looking over the heads of his littermates to spot their new caretaker, Leopardstar, waving to them with his tail.

Though the kit had occasionally fumbled with his siblings' names, he could never forget Leopardstar. How could he forget? The tom was a saviour to him and his littermates. 

A smile grew on the orange tom's face and grew even larger as his brother nudged him to his feet. He followed Lynxkit to the food that was brought to them, licking his lips in anticipation. He paused for a moment, seeing him draw back and tell the others he wasn't hungry. "I agree with B..at? yeah, Batkit. Not just you, everyone should be eating." He stated, looking around at his siblings. Finally, his gaze rested on Leopardstar with a warm, admiring smile. Copperkit was still adjusting to his new father and was still working towards gaining his full trust, but he had loved him ever since he had brought him back to camp.  "Thank you. For coming back and for bringing us food."

Shadekit looked with concern at her littermate, trying to remember his new name. It clicked as she nudged a piece of food towards him. "Come on Lynxkit, we all have to eat something. There's enough for all of us! It's fine." She looked at him hopefully, a faint glint of worry shining in her bright green eyes.

Laying in the far corner against the wall of the nursery, Specklekit's tiny body was curled up, with her head resting on her paws in front of her. Unlike her eager siblings, she didn't rush out to meet Leopardstar at first glance. The warm, soothing scent of tender prey was almost enough to draw her from her resting place, but ignoring the temptation, she merely flicked her tail in response to her siblings. She'd already nosed her way into all of the dens, and chatted with the elders about the Clan and their stories, but now she held little to no interest in what her Clanmates had to offer. Not only was it chilly outside due to the Leaf Bare weather, but her ragged pelt offered very little protection from the elements. The cold snow bit at her sensitive paw pads, and the cold breeze felt awful on her skin. That alone wasn't keeping her from following in her older siblings footsteps, either.

The little she-kit's mind had began to wander, and not at all to good places. What if their mother truly was coming back, and when she did, she came back to an empty clearing, devoid of kits? What if this whole 'ThunderClan' wasn't real, just a silly game devised by Leopardstar and his friends? What if...? Interrupted by the gnarling sounds her stomach was producing, Specklekit grunted as she lifted her body from the ground. "Is there really gonna be enough fo…" Her sentence trailed off as she shut her eyes, a familiar feeling in her sinuses. Then, she let out a small sneeze. She was careful to sneeze on the ground, not wanting her siblings or Leopardstar to catch the cold. She'd been trying her best to keep it a secret, but with such a runny nose and constant sneezing, she was sure they'd find out eventually. "Is there really gonna be enough for all of us to eat?" She continued, pretending it hadn't happened.

As soon as Leopardstar had dismissed the patrol, Hailpaw bounded over to the fresh-kill pile to drop off her catch. The prey running in the forest had noticeably thinned out. Leaf bare had finally set in, and its effects were in no way inconspicuous. However, with the arrival of the long-awaited snow, the fluffy apprentice was not going to complain. At last, her thick white pelt was an advantage rather than a hindrance. During the hunt, she had caught a small thrush. Sure, it would barely be enough to feed a single cat, but bringing down a bird was no small feat. The stocky she-cat had the tendency to be rather careless when she hunted; thus, this was a great achievement for her. It was too soon to focus on all the negativity that leaf bare exuded. Once her thrush had been victoriously settled on the top of the pile, she turned and swept her bright yellow gaze across to the clearing.

Much to Hailpaw's disappointment, none of her littermates were anywhere to be seen at that moment. Having just gotten back on a patrol, she would be able to take a short break before she went out again. She had been looking forward to sharing tongues with one of them—Ridgepaw, Gladepaw, or Beartooth. It seemed that all three of them were currently occupied in the territory. As the thought of visiting Pricklepaw in the medicine den flitted across her mind, she caught sight of Leopardstar at the entrance to the nursery. Oho? He was surrounded by kits. If she remembered right, they were the rogue kits that had been found just a few days ago. Well, this was certainly an interesting sight. Putting Pricklepaw aside for the time being, Hailpaw quickly trotted over. "Why hello there!" She chirped, with a mischievous grin. The apprentice drew to a halt by Specklekit, deliberately allowing her long white fur to partially envelope the much smaller she-cat. It was her casual way of showing consideration, even if the kit might not appreciate the gesture. "What do we have here? If you're sick, go and see Pricklepaw. He might be really scary, but he's not a bad cat. He'll know what to do. You'll be all better before long!" Her sparkling gaze falling upon the prey Leopardstar had laid down on the ground, she continued right on. "That looks tasty! You guys should eat up without showing so much consideration. Leopardstar'll be just fine, you know?" For a second, she fumbled around for the name of the kits, only to remember that she did not yet know them. Oh, oops. The fact that she did not know their names and they did not know hers did not stop her from running her mouth. "He's our strong leader, after all."

A friendly, radiant grin adorned Hailpaw's features as she faced the younger cats. When she wasn't out and about picking a fight with some hapless RiverClan apprentice, she swept by like an uninvited tornado, bringing all her optimism and energy with her.