Don't Leave Me [Open]

Cold... Wet.. Messy...

That was the only thing he could feel. He was warm.. then the cold seeped in.. Teeth in his scruff. He could feel himself being moved, despite how weak he was. He could feel the wind in his short fur. He could tell he wasn't moving at least not like he was before. He could feel his paws then some of his body come into contact with some water as he was set down. The water was cold and sticky nothing like he experienced before.

There was a single splash and then silence followed. The scent and warmth of his mother drifting away with the last noise he had heard. The young black kit let out a whimper, followed by a small cry. His body was weak, his eyes sealed shut by something he didn't know. He didn't like not being able to see, not being able to smell but he was sick... He couldn't fix it on his own. "Come back... Don't leave me alone.." He said, his small voice hoarse.

He tried to move forward to where he heard the splash but the sludge made it difficult. Each movement took more and more out of him and when he reached forward there was nothing else solid to grip onto, dropping off into more sludge. The young kit let out another cry. What was he to do? She would come back right? He wasn't just going to disappear like his other sibling right? The one who wasn't like Pea or Berry..

He wanted to cry.. "Don't leave me.." His energy was draining fast. He didn't know if he was safe here... The sludge covered his body and he couldn't put his head down, but he didn't know if he could keep it up much longer.

Mothglow scanned the territory for herbs, paws soaked through with marsh-water. The deep marshes were peaceful, lately - few warriors dared venture out here as the last of the snow melted, the marsh more dangerous than it normally was. But she had work to do, and the herbs weren't going to relocate themselves just because she thought they should, so she looked around for a sign. Catmint, ideally, because even these last vestiges of newleaf were laced with greencough.

The last thing she expected was the onset of rogue-scent. What were outsiders doing in possibly the most dangerous part of ShadowClan's territory?

"Show yourself!"

Suddenly, a voice reached her ears, small and fading.

"Don't leave me..."

Mothglow whirled around, following the sound, and saw its source: a kit, half-drowned in the marsh.

There was no question about what she had to do. Flintstar might not be pleased when she brought a rogue kit to camp, but she could care less what her leader and brother thought about something like this. A kit was in danger, and she had to help. She scooped him up as best she could, taking him in her jaws, and raced back to camp. Catmint could wait, but her newest patient couldn't.

Another scent filled his stuffed nose. It was hard to tell what it was but it smelled sweet, but it wasn't the same as his moms. He whimpered again as soon as he was being picked up. He didn't feel good but at least the sludge was gone. The mud wasn't seeping into his fur anymore.

One thing he was concerned about was the fact that he was being taken away from where his mom left him. What if she comes back? Deep down he knew she wouldn't. The scents changed as he was taken further and further from the deep Marsh. The young kit let out a broken cry that was shortly cut off by coughing. Was he going to be okay? As he was carried away, he curled in on himself trying to stay warm.

Flintstar laid perched on the Jaggedrock, one of his large paws hanging off the side as he sat and watched his Clanmates. He glanced over at the entrance of the camp as the thorns rustled, watching as Mothglow pushed her way in. Ah good, she was back from gathering herbs. He pushed himself to his paws, jumping down from the Jaggedrock. "Mothglow," he called out, straightening up with a shake of his pelt as he moved to lessen the distance between them. "I was hoping we could take a moment to..." he drifted off, nose winkling at the thick scent of mud and another cat. "...Is that a kit?" he questioned, gaze falling onto the mud-caked bundle of black fur that the medicine cat was holding.

Hm. He leaned forward to give a kit a sniff, studying it. He was curled up, shivering from the mud that clung to his pelt and carried none of the scents of the other Clans. It was a loner or a rogue kit, he supposed. He straightened up, ear twitching as he looked up at Mothglow. This was barely the time to be taking in outsiders - StarClan was watchful but... Thornstar had wasted no time in accepting Redpaw into the Clan when they had found her as a kit and the Warrior Code stated that all kits must be protected, no matter their origins. ...Hopefully StarClan truly did respect the Warrior Code. "...Alright then," he said simply. "Where exactly did you find this kit? Were there any traces of his parents around? ...Do you think he will be alright?"

Mothglow set the kit down gently once she reached camp, only a little surprised by Flintstar's approach. She shielded the tiny thing with her fur, trying her best to keep him warm. "I was in the deep marshes. If his parents were there, they're gone now - I tried calling out to them, but I didn't get any response. And I think he might be sick, so I'm not putting him back out there," she added firmly. Not that she would have considered it even if he wasn't sick, but for all intents and purposes this kit was her ward now, and the current state of his health meant her argument held merit.

StarClan's wrath hung over their heads like a storm cloud, but she found herself unbothered by it, at least for the moment. Their ancestors were a looming, distant threat for the moment, while the kit's declining health was a very real and present risk. She lifted him up again, making her way to her den - it would be warmer there, and less wet, if not by a lot; and what she really needed was to keep him dry, before anything else.

Flintstar asked if he'd be alright, and she shrugged in return. "I don't know. I'll do my best, but... He's pretty weak right now," she murmured, licking the kit's tiny head. "We can only hope for the best. As for whatever it was you wanted, I think it will have to wait a little longer."

Voices.. New voices.. He didn't know these cats, but from the way they sounded.. They weren't going to hurt him were they? He appreciated being set down on solid dry ground. The fur of the cat that carried him shielding him from getting colder granted it wasn't enough to completely warm him up. He remained quiet as possible aside from his shaky breathing, sniffling, and other sounds he couldn't exactly help.

He was picked up once again, and this time he couldn't help the small whine that escaped him. He was so tired of being moved.. He couldn't see because his eyes were shut because of something. What he didn't expect was to be set on a nest and for the strange sweet smelling cat to start licking him. It was... nice... He relaxed a little bit, finally letting his body rest. He was safe here right? He curled up in the warmth a little bit more before braving to speak. "I'm safe here.... right?" His voice was weak and quiet. His voice clearly showing he was a young kit though the fact that speaking took him a moment and they weren't correctly pronounced fully.

Flintstar nodded his head as Mothglow explained how she had found this lost kit. Tsk, it was like that one WindClan warrior who had gotten himself lost in the marsh but to do so to a kit... He certainly didn't look old enough to have wandered so far - perhaps it was safe to assume that his parents would not seek him out. He stepped out of the way as the medicine cat picked up the kit, rushing to her den to tend to him. He followed in suit, stepping only into the entrance of the den as he watched Mothglow tend to the kit.

"Of course, of course," he muttered as Mothglow pointed out that their conversation would have to wait. That was...Fine. It would have only been boring talks about StarClan and their recent actions - discussion on what to do if certain situations were to arise. Nothing he really wanted to dwell on but it felt important to let the medicine cat know what he wanted when he wasn't being weighted down by the fears that gripped at him. So that Mothglow knew what he truly wanted to do if he buckled under the weight of his fear of the Stars. His ears perked as the young kit spoke up, gently approaching to study him.

"...Yes, of course," he said softly, not being able to escape the fondness for kits that his mother had passed to him. "You are safe here in ShadowClan, I promise." There was a moment before he paused, looking up at Mothglow. "...If he does pull through and is to stay here, I do suppose he will need a proper ShadowClan name. I...Do not think I am the best one to do so," he admitted a bit sheepishly. Creativity wasn't his strong suit and was wasting enough of it on trying to come up with warrior names for the apprentices. "You were the one to find him, do you wish to give him a name, Mothglow?"

"You'll be safe here," Mothglow promised the kit, voice soft and reassuring. She spoke often to the ill, the anxious, and the particularly young - reassurance was something she'd gotten good at, being a medicine cat. "I'll make sure of it."

Flintstar's next words, however, caught her attention - right, of course the kit would need a name. She observed the bundle of kitten-fluff, recalling how Thornstar had often referred to kits (and the occasional apprentice) as rats and other such things. Well, she wasn't going to call him Ratkit (that didn't seem quite right), but - he almost looked like a bat without wings, curled as he was.

"Batkit," she said decisively, both solidifying the kit's name and her own inevitable attachment. "He looks like a bat. So he'll be Batkit, if he doesn't mind it."

Batkit? What kind of name was that? Well it was his name now it seemed.. And Shadowclan? He had so many questions... He didn't know anything about these cats but it still seemed they would take care of him. Make sure he was safe and warm.. That is all he wanted. Maybe it wouldn't be bad if he stayed here.. His mom didn't seem to want to take care of him considering she left him in the marsh.. in the cold..

"Batkit.." He murmured out, not really adding anything else to that sentence. "Can I sleep now?" He asked knowing he couldn't simple doze off. At least his mother wouldn't let him. Always telling him to stay awake until she told him he could sleep.. Maybe that is why he was sick..

Flintstar glanced down at the young kit as Mothglow gave him his name. Batkit...Yes, he suppose that fit. "Very well. I will go inform Ravenmist of our new arrival," he said with a swish of his tail. There wasn't much of a point for him to stick around - he was not the...Caring sort. Mothglow would take good care of Batkit, make sure he pulled through and recovered. And in due time, would one day become an apprentice of ShadowClan, the leader imagined. He wasn't going to turn his back on the kit and they could always use more paws. Besides...Mothglow would kill him if he did otherwise. He dipped his head, stepping from the medicine cat den to leave the two in peace.