A simple game (open)

Berrykit trotted out of the nursery. The morning sunlight warmed her fur and she looked up into the sky. Only a few clouds floated across the blue sky, hints of orange on the horizon. The camp was quiet; the dawn patrol was long gone and most cats were asleep. This was one of her favorite times. Quiet, peaceful.

As Berrykit looked around, a breeze blew a large leaf into the camp. It caught Berrykit's eye immediately. As it drifted close to the ground, she crept towards it as if it were a piece of prey. Well, her creeping wasn't very good. She looked more like a lumbering badger than anything.

But Berrykit was oblivious of her hunting abilities, as the leaf didn't have any senses. The unsuspecting leaf gently landed on the ground in a patch of short, soft grass. She pounced, her paws thumping right next to the leaf. Berrykit swiped it back into the air while her tail lashed in the heat of the moment. The leaf tumbled through the air, out of the kit's reach and in the direction of the nursery.

Pale shadows crept across the soft dusting of freshly-blossoming greenery that cushioned the sandy earth of RiverClan's camp, the iridescent specks of light that easily framed the honey-colored specks of pollen and dust occasionally catching in the warmth of the early morning sun. Angular little face peeking out from around the densely woven shelter proffered by the Nursery, the young kit was carefully observing the slow-going happenings of the relatively empty clearing, very obviously starstruck by the few older cats who milled about in the cool shade of the dawn. Ivystar, despite the clear division between her time spent as a Leader and as a Queen, had fiercely instilled several rules for his other part-time caretakers who looked after him in her absence- until he was several sunrises older, he wasn't allowed outside of the Nursery without careful supervision. Although Jaykit, despite his youthful age, found the outside world to be extremely fascinating, he didn't want to get that same fierce scolding all over again; especially if his mother found out again. He was well aware of the fact that Ivystar wasn't here and most of the Queens weren't paying too close attention to him, but his mother had thoroughly warned against going out- he was still too young to safely leave the shelter of the den without running the risk of something happening.

However, the untimely interruption of a leaf suddenly sent sprawling into the entrance of the Nursery seemed to interrupt Jaykit's intent observations- especially whenever considering that the leaf practically whipped him across the face, the roughened edges prickling uncomfortably against his sensitive features.

"Hey!" The little tom squawked indignantly, raspy voice breaking under the strain of his shock and upset, "Watch where you knock that thing!" Jaykit's pale gaze narrowed a fraction, attempting to seek out the leaf-tossing culprit.

As the leaf flew out of her grasp, Berrykit started to follow it with wide eyes. It flew so easily, carried by the wind, effortless. In her intent watching of the leaf, Berrykit didn't see Jaykit in the entrance from the nursery. So, his protests were startling. She recognized the young kit as Ivystar's. She hadn't spoken to him, but took interest in meeting him.

When Berrykit realized he was upset from the leaf hitting him, she apologized. "Sorry, Jaykit. I didn't realize you were there. Are you okay?" She hoped he wasn't too upset. It always made her sad to see other cats hurt, especially cats younger than herself.


She tilted her head to the side. Wasn't he not allowed out of the nursery? He was still little, and the queens would get on him about how dangerous it was. But maybe it would be okay. Berrykit was almost an apprentice, after all. She could probably keep watch over him, for a little. Ivystar couldn't be seen from an initial glance around camp. Shrugging off the idea, Berrykit kept her gaze on Jaykit.

It took a few heartbeats of careful maneuvering to disentangle himself from the spindly grasp of the rapidly wilting leaf, the roughened edges of the homeless foliage catching and prickling unpleasantly against the downy tufts of Jaykit's dark coat. The frail expanse of the leaf's spine folded with a sharp crack, resonating with a surprising intensity in the early morning light. Little claws embedded within the curling veins of the stiffening piece of debris, it took another few moments of aggressive and wild shaking to free his little paw from the unyielding grasp of the leaf that was currently terrorizing him. Tilting his head in Berrykit's direction, in a direct response to the older kit's gentle inquiry, Jaykit's youthful features knit together in a blatant display of his cross state of existing. Little whiskers bristling indignantly as he struggled to regain his balance on untried and unskilled legs, center of gravity effectively thwarted by the unexpected ambush on behalf of the leaf, the young tom's kithood-soft gaze remained focused on the molly before him.

" 'm fine." Jaykit snappishly asserted after a few moments of wayward struggling, squeaky voice sharp with the intent of convincing any innocent bystanders that he hadn't nearly gotten taken down by a leaf. Curious gaze returning his counterpart's intent stare, the little tom's bright pink tongue roughly rasped over the softly freckled expanse of his slightly crooked nose. "What're you doin'?" He eventually mewed after a lingering pause, envious of the older kit's apparent freedom.

Berrykit watched Jaykit's nearly endless struggle with the leaf. The idea of helping the small tom only appeared in her mind a heartbeat before he freed himself. She laughed sheepishly at his indignant snap, having been able to help. But it seemed like he wouldn't accept any help. The she-kit sat down while meeting his curious gaze.

What was she doing? When she thought about it, she hadn't really been doing anything. That is, until the leaf entered her range. "I was chasing the leaf," Berrykit mewed. "Until it fell on you." The kit smiled. She always felt lucky when a stray leaf drifted into camp, already in the air to play with. It was imagined to be a circling hawk, to which Berrykit defeated and brought down to the earthy ground, prey for her clanmates.


She snapped out of her thoughts of chasing leaves and returned her attention to Jaykit. "What're you doing?"

The fragile muscles of the soft belly, so delicately interwoven in an intricate map of overlapping bands of untried strength, tensing in a seething mixture of agitation and imbued embarrassment. The aquiline curve of Jaykit's narrow muzzle scrunched upwards in a versatile display of his currently foul state of mind, honey dark gaze growing ever more sour under the soft laughter on behalf of Berrykit. Rigorously shaking the slim bones of his forepaw until there was a profuse ache resonating within the confines of his flesh, specks and flecks of broken leaf debris hung heavily in the stagnant air wreathing around the angry little tom. "Just 'cause I asked you, doesn't mean you get to ask me the same question!" The prickly little tom squawked, outrage furthered by the fact that Jaykit hadn't the slightest clue about what he was actually doing- still a bit too young and unsure of his place in the world to deviate from the strict guidelines outlined by his overly cautious mother. Raggedly feathered tail thumping softly against the churned up sand that crept out endlessly against the roughened earth of the island, the dark-furred tom's narrow shoulders eventually sagged softly under the relief of his reluctant compliance.

"Dunno what 'm doin," Jaykit mewed after another heartheat, head tilting slightly, "Not supposed to go out of the Nursery, still."

"Oh, whoever wants to be stuck in the Nursery anyway?"

The cheerful scoff came from a kit trotting out into the sunlight, the pink nose on her cream muzzle twitching as it welcomed the smells of the camp outside, and the fresh daylight on her tongue. It was getting rather cramped in the Nursery, and the smells of milk, borage, and cat could drive any to escape, Shellkit reasoned.

Still, as she settled near the errant kit, her ears flickered in surprise at how small he was. Having not quite grasped the understanding that she was bigger than most kits her age anyway, she could only marvel at the sight of her paw being twice the size of his.

"Maybe they're right. You're tiny!" Her tail flicked to one side, then the other, then back again. She was aware that her words were provoking, but she was awake, the air was warm but brisk, and she was in the mood for a playful scrap.

Berrykit's whiskers twitched. The little kit was strange and somewhat amusing, but she felt a bit bad for him. He was still little and unsure of what to do in this big, wide world. Berrykit didn't know quite how large it was, or that it extended past the territories, but it was massive to her nonetheless. Her dappled flanks rose and fell in a stifled laugh. Sometimes, she didn't know what she was doing. Sitting for the sake of sitting, or just existing.

Another kit caught her eye, a large flash of cream fur and a pair of gleaming blue eyes. Berrykit recognised the newcomer as Shellkit, another kit around her size. She hadn't spoken to her before, being older, but always had wanted to be friends. The other she-kit had always been so interesting! Berrykit waved a forepaw in a greeting as Shellkit sat beside Jaykit. The other kit's remark startled Berrykit.

"He's not that tiny! Jaykit's just young," she protested, glancing at Jaykit to see his reaction. From what she knew about him, Shellkit might have been about to get a smack on the face.


Ooc: I'm so sorry! I lost the post ping in the abyss of Discord notifications.

Ooc: Are you guys still interested in this?