New Leaves, Old Trees {open}

The nursery was empty, the camp was empty, and Tawnykit's belly was empty. The tortoiseshell had been alone since birth. Well, not alone alone, but enough to be bored. The warriors tried to whisper, but Tawnykit was smart. She knew that Reedblaze had died, shortly after her father, Darkwater. What annoyed her wasn't their absence, but the fact that all of RiverClan treated her like a kit! She may be small and down on her luck, but Tawnykit hated being patronized. The pity became so fierce that oftentimes Tawnykit would began to feel bad about her dead parents and stillborn siblings. It was inevitable for a kit to feel these things, however she tried to argue that since she never knew them, there was no need to be sad over them. The warriors didn't seem to agree. But what did the warriors know?

Tawnykit often would flop from hating her kit body and circumstances, to using them to argue her cause. Tawnykit didn't have to go on patrols, and could sleep in as long as she liked. But Tawnykit also couldn't learn to battle or hunt until she was older. It was quite the predicament, but the she-cat thought that if she had some friends, things wouldn't be quite so bad. But the camp was empty, and all the warriors and apprentices had left to go explore the territory. No, Tawnykit wasn't jealous. Or at least not super jealous. Oftentimes she'd climb the scraggly willow branches that protruded from camp to gaze out upon the riverbed. The reeds were beautiful and the water rippled. Tawnykit would never climb too high, however. She knew it wouldn't be smart to do that, nor would it make her apprentice ceremony come any faster. Sometimes the sun would set and the ginger-and-black kit would watch the red rays fall over the territory. She assumed that was where her mother got her name; Reedblaze. Tawnykit hoped her name would be honorable and smart as well.

Today, however, her muse ran low. She did not climb the branches of the willows. Instead she made her way to the fresh-kill pile. Her little legs were cold in the frost, but there was no snow. The warriors told her that it snowed when she was born. A small minnow sat at the bottom of the pile, left over from last night. Tawnykit pulled it out and frowned at its lack of sliminess. Perhaps the frost made it rough. But it was no matter. Tawnykit sat down and began to eat, as independent as she had always been. It was not a choice, it was a necessity. Lonely, but not alone.

Driftingpaw was padding out of the apprentice den, his stomach letting out a loud whine as his hunger was announced. He flinched, glancing around to see if anyone had noticed before he gave his chest a few swift licks and padded towards the fresh-kill pile. He saw many plump fish available, but selected a mouse instead. Let one of the other cats take the fish and bigger prey, he would be satisfied with the mouse and it would take the edge off his hunger. The white tom turned away and was going to head back to at near the apprentice's den while he waited for his denmates to wake, but paused as he caught sight of a small scrap of fur eating by herself.

Tawnykit was nibbling on a small minnow, her tiny teeth gnawing at the tough fish that was probably could and stiff from being out all night. The older tom glanced around, seeing most cats paying her no mind or glancing at each other and whispering quietly. He felt a pang in his chest, remembering how it had been like when his parents had passed and he had been on his own. Looking back at the small kit he began padding over to her. "May I-I-I join y-y-you?" He stammered, his voice muffled by the mouse in his jaws as he towered over Tawnykit.

Poppypaw trotted across camp from where she'd been talking with her mother about how her training had been going and saw Driftingpaw speaking to a kit. Her ears pricked with interest, and she made her way over to the fresh-kill pile to grab a fish for herself. She was hungry after a very early training session.

She headed over by her friend and the kit who could almost look related to her. Tawnykit, she thought her name was, although they'd never played together or even spoken.

"Good morning! I'd love to join you as well," she purred.

Amber eyes rose to meet a larger white tom. Tawnykit sat up from her minnow and licked her lips neatly, sizing the cat up. "Well, there's no one else. You can sit here." Tawnykit directed with her tail. As the apprentice moved to settle down, the tortoiseshell eyed him curiously, tagging him as Driftingpaw. She wondered for a moment what the rest of RiverClan thought of him. Was he a viable fighter? Was he a good hunter? Before she could ask where he spent his freetime, another cat who looked much like herself padded up. "Hello." Tawnykit mewed warmly, tucking back into her minnow. As she ate, the kit began to wonder why the apprentices decided to sit near her location. She was very aware of pity and the harsh obviousness of such a thing, but these two older cats seemed like they had different motives. Maybe they wanted to be friends?

Having never made a friend nor having been one, Tawnykit puffed out her chest and decided that it was of the utmost importance that she succeeded in this endeavor. Blinking smartly, the little tortoiseshell sat up and looked pointedly at both Driftingpaw and Poppypaw. Perhaps they didn't know her name, but she knew theirs. "What's it like? Being an apprentice?" She started, amber eyes bright as she carefully began to clean the remaining fish flesh from her maw. "Have you caught many fish?" Asking questions was a sure-fire way to earn a companion, or so Tawnykit had heard. She smiled to herself at her own cunning, whiskers twitching with the whimsy of such a game.

Driftingpaw smiled as Poppypaw joined them as he settled down beside Tawnykit, glancing down as he casually flicked his tail to the side, curling his long tail around the kit. Not so close the fur touched, making it seem like it was a casual move he didn't think about to surround her by his thick fur and hopefully chase away some of the chill the leaf-bare breeze carried through the camp. He flicked his ears and gave Poppypaw a hopeful glance as he angled his ears to sit beside her. He was happy and content with her near and a soft purr filled his chest as he bashfully looked away, realizing he had been looking at her for a long time. He turned his attention to the mouse between his paws and took a bite as he looked at Tawnykit. He flicked an ear at her question and gave a small, sheepish smile. "I'm s-s-still a n-new apprentice, I-I-I've only c-c-caught one f-f-fish s-s-so far." He stammered after he swallowed his bite of mouse. His ears grew hot as he felt his stomach twist as he stuttered. He was working on it, but it seemed like his body was so used to stuttering her couldn't just spit out the words any quicker. His whiskers twitched as he quickly lowered his head and took another bite of mouse to fill his mouth and keep him from talking more.

Nightpaw yawned and padded out of the apprentices den. He padded towards the freshkill pile before he spotted and a kit with a simaliar fur color to Poppypaw. He suddenly realized that he didn't notice the kit before. "HIYA! I've never seen you before. Whats your name?" Asked Nightpaw

Poppypaw loved making friends, so the prospect of a new one, even if she was younger, was exciting. She eyed the kit's minnow, and took a bite of her own fish before pushing it to Tawnykit.

"Was that minnow enough for you? It's important to eat well so that you can be as strong as possible," she mewed, a bit of worry in her voice. She would hate to be filling her own belly if a kit was still hungry. The fish was more than big enough for them both.

Her eyes lit up as Driftingpaw spoke, and she purred and gently bumped a shoulder against him, "You've caught a fish? That's fantastic! I've just been on border patrols so far," there was a twinge of disappointment in that last sentence, but it was clear she was genuinely happy for her friend, and proud of him. She had complete faith that he would be a great warrior someday, even if he didn't always think so of himself.

"Oh, hi, Nightpaw! Want to join us? We're just getting a quick meal in." She welcomed her brother, leaving room in the conversation for Tawnykit to introduce herself. Poppypaw thought it would be rude to do it for her, as she was perfectly capable.

Tawnykit eyed Driftingpaw as he explained he had only caught one fish. She smiled softly, whiskers twitching. Now Tawnykit couldn't determine if Driftingpaw's achievement was something to scoff at or praise, as she had never even laid paws on a real, living fish before, but she was convinced that as an apprentice herself, she'd be sure to aspire to all her body could do. "That's good Driftingpaw! Don't worry, when I become an apprentice, I'll be sure to help you study all the techniques so you can be a great hunter!" The tortoiseshell smiled to herself, toying thoughtfully with the small bones that sat on the ground beneath her. A gust of wind drifted through camp, and the kit leaned in to Driftingpaw's tail, glad that she had some warmth. Her after-meal daze was interrupted by Nightpaw, another apprentice whom she had watched but not meant before. Tawnykit was sure to learn all the apprentice's names before her time, that way when she did join them in the den, she'd have friends already. It was a fool-proof plan, one that made the little kit's whiskers twitch.

"I'm Tawnykit." She answered Nightpaw, puffing out her chest further. "And you're Nightpaw. Don't worry, I already know." A fish was slid under Tawnykit's muzzle, and the tortoiseshell looked up to see Poppypaw sharing her food. A sheepish grin grew on Tawnykit's face, and she suddenly ducked her head, bashful. Tawnykit was still hungry, but her first instinct was to snap at Poppypaw for her display of pity. Tawnykit could take care of herself. She had been ever since Reedblaze died, as soon as she had been born. But the kit had already determined that Poppypaw nor Driftingpaw was here to patronize her. It went against all her instincts to accept their kind actions, but maybe she really had done it. Tawnykit had made friends. Swallowing her apprehension, the kit took a hearty bite out of the fish and pushed it back to Poppypaw.

She finished chewing before speaking, making sure to be polite. "Thank you." She dipped her head as she had seen Ivybrook and Torrentstar do many a time. It was what older cats did to show respect. And Tawnykit was very responsible and old. She stifled a giggle at her display of etiquette, whiskers twitching.

Driftingpaw felt flustered from the praise from Poppypaw but he gave her shoulder a grateful brush of his muzzle. He watched with admiration in his eyes as she offered Tawnykit some of her fish and he finished his mouse, satisfied with his meal. "I-I-I'm sure you'll e-e-excel in hunting," He mewed to his friend with a warm smile, blue eyes shining. He flicked an ear as he became self conscious and looked away, licking his paws to make the movement seem more natural. "I-I sure w-w-will appreciate the h-h-help, Tawnykit." He mewed with a warm purr, wrapping his tail closer to her as the wind piked up. "I-I-I'm sure I w-w-would've caught m-m-more if it wasn't f-f-for the r-r-raccoon," The young white tom shuddered at the memory, working his claws into the ground as a fresh wave of shame washed over him at how he was unable to assist his mentor, but the feeling didn't last long as he remembered their heartfelt conversation after.

"Wait you battled a racoon?" Asked Nightpaw in awe. He laid down. "I wanna hear about it! I bet you fought off!" Nightpaw had never fought anything before. Nor had he ever seen a raccoon! Nightpaw really wanted to hear all the details.

Poppypaw, compassionate bleeding heart that she was, purred as Tawnykit shared some of her fish. There were plenty of nutrients in it that would help the kit to grow big and strong, and also help her fur repel water like a true RiverClan warrior. It was part of what made their Clan so amazing. It was like they had super powers, between that and their webbed paws.

Her ears pricked up at the word 'raccoon'. Despite Nightpaw's excited words, Poppypaw felt a pang of anxiety about the whole situation. From Driftingpaw's tone, it wasn't a fond memory for him.

"I didn't hear about a raccoon. What happened?"

Driftingpaw jumped slightly at the reactions, blinking as he looked at an excited Nightpaw and a concerned Poppypaw. "I-I-It wasn't a-anything s-s-serious," He stammered, glancing at Tawnykit and not wanting to worry her, not realizing this could be something that would cause the kit concern. "H-Honeytongue did most o-o-of the f-fighting, I d-didn't even l-l-land a blow." He flicked an ear trying to sound dismissive, but the pang of disappointment still stung in his chest. What if Poppypaw had been there? Or Nightpaw or Applepaw? What if the raccoon had gotten into the camp and threatened Tawnykit? The feeling set a bad taste through his mouth and he curled his tail more protectively around the young she-cat as he cleared his throat. "I-I'm sure w-w-we needn't w-w-worry, Honeytongue g-g-got it g-g-good. I w-was mostly u-u-useless."

Tawnykit's amber eyes grew wide as Driftingpaw mentioned a raccoon. The rest of the apprentices began to ask rapid questions, Nightpaw was very excited, and Poppypaw more concerned. Tawnykit rose to a sitting position, still much smaller than Driftingpaw. As he explained, the kit imagined the scene unfolding in her mind, thinking of the amazing warrior Honeytongue was. "Well I'm very glad you're okay." Tawnykit crooned, brushing her cheek across Driftingpaw's shoulder. "I'm sure you'll be a better fighter soon! Everyone says Honeytongue is a great warrior. So that means she'll make you a great warrior too." It was a very matter-of-fact way of thinking, but Tawnykit supported it with every fiber of her being.

She began to examine Driftingpaw for cuts or bruises. If he was hurt, he may get greencough and be even worse at hunting. She wrinkled her nose and stifled a giggle, leaving the comfort of the white tom's tail to sniff his fur. "The raccoon didn't hurt you? Did it?" It was imperative that he saw Mistleshine as soon as possible. That's what all good warriors did. Tawnykit giggled and found her spot near Driftingpaw's tail again, settling down.

Applepaw padded over towards Driftingpaw. “Hello.” He said, nodding to the his littermates, the other apprentice and the kit. He turned to the younger apprentice. “I heard that you and Honeytongue battled a raccoon!” His emerald eyes shone. It must’ve been so cool!