reelin through the midnight streets [open]

Thick rivulets of honeyed sunlight struggled to claw its way into the densely woven reeds of the Nursery, leaving the majority of the cozy den bathed heavily in the beguiling shade of the late afternoon sun. The soft sounds of drowsy purring and faint mewling was barely evident over the soft humming of the river and the gentle chattering of several Warriors who happened to be perusing the camp at such a time. It was not entirely uncommon for Jaykit to be left in the care of resident Queens during such hours, considering that his mother often had an array of duties to attend to.

However, it was a fairly unusual afternoon as far as one simple aspect went- Jaykit had finally opened his eyes.

His initial realization had been quite the spectacle, a ground-breaking revelation of how incredible the world truly was- the shapes, the colors, the sight of those familiar only in darkness. The gift of sight had awoken a newfound curiosity deep within the little tom, a fierce desire to see that was equal parts ravenous and apprehensive.

Now that his courage had seemingly returned to him, as well as his wits, Jaykit was determined to explore; regardless of what his caretakers thought of such an endeavor.

Tottering forward on shaky and untested legs that quaked beneath the burden of his own weight, the little tom found himself lingering on the outskirts of the Nursery. Gazing outwards with wide, starstruck eyes riddled with amazement and overwhelm, Jaykit seemed frozen within the entrance to the den, unsure of what step to take next.

Streamtail padded around camp, done with all her duties. She was still recovering from her recent birth, but her kits were strong and well enough so she could go on with some of her warrior duties. Suddenly, Streamtail spotted a small kit who seemed like he had just opened his eyes. “Oh! Hello! I haven’t seen you around before...why are you outside of the nursery?” Streamtail asked, warm emerald eyes flashing kindly, her long tail wrapping around her paws as she sat down. “I’m Streamtail.” The silvery-blue she cat introduced herself. “And you are...?”

Weight perilously shifting between the untested and untried length of his short little limbs, Jaykit was quick to partially collapse onto his haunches- the exertion of his first steps evidently too much for his small little frame to handle for an extended amount of time. Youthful gaze stretching quite large at the overwhelming display of his surroundings, the little tom's starstruck, honeyed gaze easily portrayed a mirrored image of the slow-going happenings within the camp. Little head cocking to the side at Streamtail's gentle inquiry, the Queen's scent entirely familiar whereas her appearance was quite alien, the wild-furred tom's youth-soft features knit together in an impressive display of thoughtfulness.

His name? He had definitely heard it before, but it wasn't as though he was really paying attention- his consciousness had only really cemented itself fairly recently.

"Jaykit!" He eventually squawked out, squeaky voice sweetened by the obvious pride in realizing what his name actually was. Continuously oozing satisifaction and excitement, Jaykit's wide gaze remained entirely trained upon Streamtail, still soft with the lack of focus and sharpness associated with older cats. Feathered tail kinking above the delicate arch of his spine, the young kit was still a bit too unsure to adopt the fierce task of attempting to wobble towards the Queen. " 'ave you seen my mom?" Ivystar was only known to Jaykit by the familiarity of her soft and welcoming scent, as well as the comfortable warmth of her coat, but the young tom was undeniably eager to encounter his mother- the prospect of finally catching a proper glimpse of his mother sending a prickle of excitement resonating within his veins.

Addershade had simply been waiting idly around camp when he noticed Streamtail speaking with a young kit. He didn’t know the warrior particularly well yet, though she was his son’s mate and had recently given birth to his first grandkits--

Goodness, I am getting old, aren’t I? He thought in a brief aside

--and he figured he might as well join in the conversation. He still didn’t enjoy small talk, but he’d finally come to terms with its occasional necessity, and he couldn’t just let his clanmates be near strangers forever.

“Hi, Streamtail,” he called from his place just a little ways away from the two cats. “And hello, there, young one. I don’t believe I’ve met you before,”

Streamtail tilted her head, slightly confused before her eyes lit up. “Ivystar’s kit?” A voice drifted from behind her and Streamtail turned towards the voice before seeing that it was Addershade. Aka her mate’s father. “Oh! Hello, Addershade. I didn’t see you there. I was just talking to little Jaykit over here who I think is Ivystar’s kit. And, no, I haven’t really seen your mother these days...but she’s Clan leader, so she has to do very...important stuff.” Streamtail knew that managing a clan was hard, and her leader couldn’t possibly see her kits the same time.

Tufted little ears swiveling forward to a pert little stance of attention and surprise, Jaykit's futile attempt at sourcing the newest voice quickly resulted in his cheek firmly planted in the surprisingly soft sand of the island, newborn deer-like limbs much too unsteady to support such violently sudden movements. Gaze, softened up by a noticeable lack of worldly understanding, darted between Addershade and Streamtail with as much speed as attainable- evidently stunned at the realization that there were cats who existed outside of the familiarity of the Nursery. Allowing gravity to pull the entirety of his weight into the ground, shoulder pressing sharply into the gentle grasp of the sand as he promptly flopped onto his side- evidently uncaring of the fact that allowing himself to be so thoroughly coated in sand would result in a bath later this evening.

"I don't know you." He proclaimed after a heartbeat of peering at Addershade with a wrinkled up little nose, "I don't know you!" The little tom repeated, evidently smug at such a realization- but who would've thought that there were so many different cats! Silky tendrils of kit-downy fur gently ruffling in the breeze, Jaykit peered up at Streamtail for a heartbeat, unsure of the Queen's gentle inquiry. Did he even know his mother's name at this point? Certainly he must, even if he couldn't solidly confirm or deny such a thing at the moment. Eventually, the young tom simply gave a wobbly nod in response to the thought process. "When d'ya think she'll be back?" Jaykit squeaked, still eager at the prospect of catching sight of his mother and finally putting a face to the physical familiarity.

Streamtail blinked, amused at Jaykit’s response to Addershade. “I would be surprised if you did know Addershade.” Streamtail purred. When the little kit asked when Ivystar would be back, she cast a slightly puzzled look towards the warrior before turning back towards Jaykit again. “Oh...well, you know, your mom, being Clan leader and all...she is very busy. But, I’m sure she’ll visit you once in a while. You are her kit...I think.” Streamtail rushed to fix her mistake and give Jaykit some hope that Ivystar would meet him someday, but truthfully, the queen wasn’t so sure...

Admittedly, having another kit had been... Difficult on Ivystar. When Spiderquill had confirmed that she was indeed pregnant again, her first thought was back to that first litter... Seven kits, each perfect in their own way... Dead. Five before they'd even taken their first breath, the last two slowly leaving the world as a result of greencough. It had been devastating- still was, when it was dredged up from the deeper parts of her mind. For a long while, she'd been unable to see the light in the world, until Honeytongue and Stormbringer came along. There was very little that she was able to do to distract herself from it- to just get away. The two of them, though- they lit up her world. With both of them constantly on her mind, she had very little time to think about that first litter of kits at all.

But when she found out she was pregnant, her world turned upside down. Every move she made was carefully calculated and well thought out, with the intent to make sure that nothing remotely bad could happen to her poor kit. She could never be sure that she wasn't pregnant during the battle... When she'd lost her first life. If she was, what effect would that have had on her kit? He seemed to be perfectly normal, and healthy- Spiderquill attested to that. If she was carrying him at that time, StarClan must have blessed him, and given her the chance to be a mother. Shaking her head, she ducked through the entrance to camp, two rather plump squirrels in tow. After dropping them on the pile, she shifted her gaze to the nursery, intending to spend the rest of the afternoon with Jaykit... And saw both Addershade and Streamtail by his side. For whatever reason, her heart dropped- his eyes were wide open. Rushing forward, she curled herself around his small body, peering down at him with wide emerald eyes. "I-I... I'm so sorry, Jaykit, I wish I... I wish I had been here..." Looking up to Streamtail and Addershade, she offered a weak smile. "Thank you, for looking out for him." Nodding appreciatively, she lowered her body, leveling her head between her shoulders. "What are you doing all curled up in the sand, my little Jay?" She said softly, her voice softening as she spoke directly to him.

"Well, it's good to meet you, Jaykit. I'm Addershade," Addershade looked down at the little kit, his voice flecked with bemusement. "I'm sure Streamtail is right. Ivystar has a lot to think about, being leader. But I'm sure she'll visit you soon..."

As he said that, he noticed out of the corner of his eye none other than Ivystar approaching the group. He felt himself instinctively tense up. It was hard enough for him to feel comfortable navigating a conversation with a peer, and now his clan leader was here. His nerves were not helped by the speed at which the leader approached and the fact that she immediately put herself between the kit and himself and Streamtail. What was most likely just a mother wanting to be with her kit registered in his naturally pessimistic, vaguely paranoid mind as a signal that she considered the two warriors to somehow be a danger to the kit, and he wondered if he had unknowingly said or done something wrong. Had his posture somehow looked threatening? He suddenly became very aware of himself and shifted uncomfortably, trying to correct whatever mistake he had made. His mind now anxiously set on one inescapable track, the dark-pelted tom didn't even register his leader's nod of appreciation. Had he already offended her? He faltered for a moment, not sure what to say or do. If he had offended the she-cat, he certainly didn't want to make the situation any worse. He settled on the most baisic, neutral thing he could think of, keeping his tone entirely, almost unnaturally, level: "Hello, Ivystar,"

The silky embrace of Ivystar's careful movements were ever so gentle, if not innately and wholly familiar; almost as though she still held him to be precious and fragile beyond normal limits, capable of crumbling under the force of a light breeze. The displaced sorrow that evidently rippled through Ivystar went entirely unnoticed by the young Jaykit, the soft dusting of sand rippling out across his dark coat like a horizon of entirely new constellations, who was much too busy studying the unfamiliar features of his mother. Maybe they could go to the river soon, now that his eyes were fully open, so he could see if his own alien features mimicked the high and graceful lines of Ivystar's face, the absent, somewhat jumbled thought sending a soft prickle of delight racing down the hard line of his spine. Maybe he would look like her! Maybe everycat could see the direct resemblance to his mother, as though looking at a darker shadow of the young Leader. Sprawling out further in the unkempt tangle of mismatched fur, Jaykit was blissfully unaware of the sudden tension wreathing around his newest friend Addershade or the slightly discomforted stance of Streamtail.

"There's lotta cats!" Jaykit's matter-of-fact squawk was halting and stumbling under the weight of his untried speaking abilities, used only to short and defined monosyllable answers, "Did ya know that? I met two of them!" Slight weight rolling low into the center of his being, the wild-furred little tom was quick to sprawl out onto his back, sending slender limbs sprawling out into the polite conversation between the different cats surrounding the small family. "How many cats d'ya think there are? Do they know you? Can ya remember their names? I don't remember names 'specially well." A steady rivulet of mindless chatter escaped the little kit's mouth, a direct line to his limited consciousness evidently spewing nonsensically from his eagerly running mouth, dark gaze occasionally flitting to the different adult cats who happened to frequent the area.

Ivystar smiled gently as Jaykit rambled, relieved that he seemed to be handling... Well, everything, quite well. "I'm glad you met them, Jaykit. They are very noble warriors, I'm sure you could learn a thing or two from each of them." The grey she-cat moved slightly so that Jaykit's little paws wouldn't end up hitting her shoulder, watching as he stretched and lazed around. "Well, my little Jay, I'm not sure how many cats there are. I... I try and focus on our Clanmates here in RiverClan. Yes, they know me. I remember the names of each of my Clanmates, and some beyond our borders as well." She mewed gently, answering each question as it came. "That's okay, you'll learn them all someday." She simply sat and watched as Jaykit looked about, taking in all the new sights. "One day soon, one of the warriors will be your mentor. They'll teach you how to hunt, and you'll become a warrior someday." She said, wrapping her tail around the little tom's body.