Adapting to a new life. (Open)

It had been a few moons.

He knew that much. Oakkit sat outside of the nursery, amber eyes watched while other cats went about on their daily routine. The brambles that poked into his pelt still felt unfamiliar. The large branches that closed in above the camp no longer inspired nightmares of the trees swallowing the sun’s light forever… but they still felt foreign. The scent of a different strange place was almost lost now.

Somewhere, he remembered a two-legged monster, bright glimpses of colour, softness and warmth without the threat of cold. It was dim though. Faded from his memory like his fear of the trees and branches around him. The distant impression of all those things felt important, but it seemed his mind had other ideas.

He’d be an apprentice soon after all! The knowledge made his dark pelt prickle with unease. He was excited, but he’d go farther from those memories. Were they good? Were they bad? He wasn’t sure anymore. His dark tail curled around his white paws while he thought. White stripe almost invisible with how he was hunched over.

Something moved.

His thoughts were shoved away. Something bright and colourful moved close by in the breeze. It lingered on the ground, trapped on the grass. A perfect target. He crouched down low, tail twitched in excitement before he leapt, the little coloured object caught in his paws. It was strange… like a leaf, except brightly coloured. His paws had crushed it slightly, but it was still distinguishable. Curious, he picked it up and padded around the camp until he found a cat that didn’t seem busy. He placed it in front of them.

“What is this?” He mewed, amber eyes wide and curious. “It looks like a leaf, but… I don’t think it is?” He glanced over to a budding bush full of leaves. It didn’t look like any of them either.

A light breeze caressed the thick fur at her nape, and Badgermask lifted her muzzle to the wind, inhaling deeply as the scents of the forest flooded her nostrils. For the first time in so long, she didn't smell Asylum. The warrior purred, and stretched out her forelegs, resting her chin against one elbow as she let her eyes drift closed. She would patrol, later, maybe hunt... but for now, she was content to relax.

That was, until soft pawsteps interrupted her silence, and Badgermask opened her eyes to see the tom-kit before her, and blinked down at the thing he'd placed before her. "Oh," she said quietly. "A... feather?" She touched it with a paw, turning it over. "From a bird," she explained.

(I think it was a feather don't judge me if it wasn't LMAO.)