A Black Kit in the Shadows

A small black kit slowly opens her eyes from beneath a tree, nestled close to two roots jutting up from the ground. The kit stretched and yawned, laying back onto her side. She barely registered the cool ground as she tried to drift back to sleep, not used to waking up for no reason. When she heard singing from the birds in the trees, her eyes opened, surprised. She jumped up, her eyes flitting about, looking for the source of the noise. She was not used to hearing birds from home, it was usually extremely quiet, definitely no birds. "Mom?" She mewed. She did not recognize her surroundings, it looked nothing like home, but then again, she had never left home. Her memory was fuzzy, and all she remembered was not feeling well, and her mother, a proud black cat, bringing her a leaf to urge her to play. She knew that she felt unwell for a few days, but couldn't remember enough to know why she was here instead of with her mother. She flicked her ears, one white, the other as black as the rest of her body. Her bright blue eyes scanned the forest, looking for any patch of black fur in the shadows of the forest.

Panic rose in her as she looked about, sure her mother was somewhere, hiding, waiting to scare her as she did before she felt unwell. Sure her mother was just finding something to eat, or hiding, she stayed put, as she had done for almost two moons at home. Her stomach rumbled intensely. "Mom should bring back food soon." She tried to ignore the panic and the feeling something was very wrong. "I hope." She instead looked about for something to do, and spotted a strange clump of long thin brown sticks connected together. She batted it about, focusing on anything but the cold air and the hunger.

((Forgive me if some terminology may be wrong, it has been a long time since I've roleplayed properly :D))

Murkystrike was on her way back to camp, a scrawny mouse dangling from her jaws. She wasn't used to hunting in the day time, but she had been practicing more with it. Today hadn't been a very lucky day, but at least the mouse was something to bring back. Suddenly, a soft voice reached her ears and she stopped suddenly, ears swiveling as she tried to pinpoint where the sound had come from. Her eyes narrowed and she set the mouse down before attempting to scent the air. It had been such a quiet voice.... A gentle breeze brought the scent of another cat to her nose, and she turned in the direction it had come from. It didn't smell like ShadowClan, but she couldn't quite put her paw on it. Finally, as she padded around a tree, her eyes landed on a small kit. Her fur was black as the night sky, with the exception of a single white ear. She was playing with a clump of sticks that seemed to be connected. Stopping with one paw raised in the air, the fur along the ShadowClan warrior's spine rose as she quickly surveyed the area for danger, whether in the form of a fox or badger, or stars forbid dog, or the kit's parents. Nothing caught her attention though, so she mewed out softly, approaching the small kit slowly and stopping a couple foxlengths away, doing her best to not scare the poor kit. "Umm... Hello there, little one. Why are you here? Are you alone?"

OOC: It looks great!

When the other cats voice began to reach her, her ears perked up, but upon recognizing it was a stranger and not her mother, she stopped batting the small sticks around, and flattened her ears. She tried to step back, away from the strange cat, but found her paw stuck to the small bundle of sticks. She shook her paw off of the sticks and backed away, bumping into the tree she woke up under. The cat was still a distance away, and didn't seem to pose a threat, but still, her mother had always told her to stay away from other cats she didn't know. "My mother should be back soon." She mewed. "I'm not sure where she is, but she shouldn't be gone much longer."

As the small kit flattened her ears and tried to back away, Murkystrike's breath caught. She had clearly frightened her, and the warrior struggled to make herself look as non-threatening as she could. Resisting the urge to run to the kit's aid, she kept her voice soft as she shook her paw free of the sticks. "Okay. It's not really safe to be out here alone, is it okay if I stay nearby while we wait for your mother? I can stay over here by this tree, if you'd like?" As she spoke, she pointed out a different nearby tree with her tail while scenting the air. She didn't smell any other fresh scents, other than the kit, but.... "Are you hungry? I caught a mouse, I can bring it to you if you'd like?" Murkystrike paused, pondering her next words. "Do you... What is your name?"

The kit is watched as the cat looked worried and seemed to be less threatening. She felt that she couldn’t mean any harm. At the mention of food, her stomach rumbled. She took a couple of small steps forward, still keeping her distance, in case the cat might be trying to trick her. She looked at the mouse, which made her stomach rumble again. “I suppose it’s alright if you stay nearby, but my mom doesn’t like strangers so I don’t think she’d be very happy if you were here.” She eyed the mouse one more time. “I am hungry.” She sat down and looked back up to the cat. “I’m Night by the way.”

((Sorry for the late reply! Had classes all day and then had a two hour drive so I never got the chance to come online. Also if formatting seems weird I’m on my phone. I picked a different name for the kit because I wasn’t sure if I should use Raven or not so :) ))

OOC: No worries! Take as long as you need, stuff happens! <3

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Murkystrike's ears perked a bit as she heard the kit's stomach rumble, and she gently nudged the mouse closer to her before backing away to give her space. "Alright, I understand. If- No, when she returns, I will leave. I just want to make sure that you're in safe paws, and to also speak to your mother if she lets me." It really wasn't safe for the kit's mother, let alone the kit, to be out here alone. She looked around again, worry twisting her gut as she wondered again why there was such a lack of scent of another cat, and why any mother would have left her kit alone in the wood and marshes. She met the kit's gaze again as she introduced herself, and Murkystrike smiled in response. "My name is Murkystrike. It's nice to meet you, Night. If you're hungry, please feel free to eat the mouse. It's fresh."

Keeping her eye on who she now knew to call Murkystrike, Night walked over to the mouse, sniffing it before taking bites. "Thank you." Night spoke between mouthfuls, enjoying the delicious taste of the mouse. After she finished, she listened to the sounds of the forest, just to see if her mom might be nearby. Night thought making conversation would help pass the time. It couldn't hurt to find out more about the cat in front of her. "Murkystrike..." She tested the name before continuing, "Why did your mom name you that?" She knew the cat before her was older than her, maybe the same age as her mother, but it was hard to tell.

Murkystrike smiled to herself as the kit started to eat the mouse, keeping an eye out for her mother as she finished eating. "You're welcome." There was still no sign of any other cat, and as the time kept passing the concern and worry grew. If her mother really was somewhere nearby, she should have been back by now. Humming lowly to herself, she turned back to Night as she heard her name. She laughed softly, gesturing to her pelt. "She named me Murkykit, because of the colors in my pelt. They reminded her of the murky water of the marsh. When I became a warrior, I earned the name Murkystrike." She paused, looking the black kit over. "Did your mother name you Night because of your pelt too? If so, I guess we have something in common!"

Night tilted her head slightly as Murkystrike talked. There was much to learn about the world other than what her mother had told her, and what she learned in her little cave. She became curious, and wanted to learn more about the things her mother never taught her. Night looked at the other cat, taking in her colors, and could see the connection, but the concept was still foreign to her. "So you were born with a different name? I was named Night because of my pelt too, but she also liked to tell me that I might be a cloudy night because you can't see the stars yet." She thought for a moment, "What is a warrior?"

The curiosity in the young kit's gaze was not lost on Murkystrike, so she settled down, bringing her head to her level. "Yes, well, kind of. I'm from ShadowClan, we hunt and patrol the territory on this side of the Thunderpath. When we're born, we're given our names. Mine was Murkykit. Then we become an apprentice when we turn six moons, and are taught how to hunt and fight by our mentor, a warrior. My name became Murkypaw at that point, to show I was an apprentice. Then, after we complete our training, we earn our warrior name. Mine was Murkystrike. Our leader chooses our names based on what we're good at, and something that defines us." She paused, gazing at the little one. "Your mother was right. It reminds me of the feathers of a raven."

After a couple heartbeats, Murkystrike placed her head on the ground. "A warrior, like me, is part of the main group of the clan. We defend and protect our territory and clan from predators like foxes and badgers. We also hunt to bring prey back to camp for our elders and the kits and queens, like you and your mother would be. We care for each other, and take care of each other." Murkystrike explained, acutely aware of the sun starting to sink towards the horizon. Her paws kneaded the ground anxiously, and she looked around again, parting her mouth to scent the area. Still nothing... "Night, when do you last remember seeing your mother?"

As Murkystrike began to talk, Night sat down and curled her small tail around her the best she could have. What Murkystrike described sounded interesting. For as long as she could remember, it had just been her and her mother, so to know there were other cats out there that cared for each other was a good thing. Her mother had warned her of all the dangers in the world, but had never described something so nice. Night looked down when Murkystrike began kneading the ground. She thought about her question carefully before answering.

"I'm not sure. I remember not feeling well. I really don't know how much time has passed." She paused, looking back to Murkystrike's eyes. "I remember being brought food a few times, and not feeling well enough to eat. Then I woke up here." Night began to think harder, but it was really difficult to remember how much time has passed since she never saw the sun during that time. "I was pretty hungry, so it might have been a day or two."

The kit listened intently as Murkystrike spoke, and seemed to be interested in what she was explaining. The she-cat dropped her gaze, looking to the ground before answering. Murkystrike's eyes narrowed slightly as she explained what she remembered, concern and worry evident in her expression. She hummed in a low tone, tail tip flicking nervously. It would be night soon, and Mistyfalcon would worry back in camp... If there was a rogue wandering the territory, it would be good to let Flintstar and the other warriors know. Besides, she couldn't leave a kit alone out here, especially overnight. It was clear she hadn't eaten in a couple days by the way she had eaten the mouse. After a few more moments of silence, Murkystrike spoke up again hesitantly. "... It's going to be dark soon. If you'd like, you can come back with me. I'll let you sleep in my nest, and we'll get you some food and our medicine cat Rookfire can look you over, and make sure you're not still sick. I can talk to my leader, Flintstar, and let him know about your mother. That way all the warriors can keep an eye out for her, myself included. We can even leave a path of sticks, that way she knows which way to head. Does that sound like fun? I can't leave you out here alone." She admitted, her tail tip flicking nervously. This wasn't an ideal situation, by any means... She was certain Flintstar wouldn't mind, but what about the kit's mother? If she did come back, which Murkystrike silently doubted, given the lack of any trace and how long it had been, she would not be thrilled to discover her missing daughter. Hopefully with the clan on the lookout though they would be able to find her and reunite the two quickly.

Night watched as the she-cat seemed conflicted about her next words. She listened as the warrior spoke, and looked out at the forest, noticing that it had gotten darker since she woke up. The cat was right, her mother would be able to find the path of sticks and follow it to her. There couldn't be any harm in going with the she-cat, but then again, she seemed trustworthy, but what about the others? Murkystrike sounded sincere, and Night felt that she couldn't mean any harm. She looked back to the she-cat, and then back out to the forest, searching for any sign of another cat. "That sounds like a good idea." Night murmured, wondering where her mother could be. It had been almost a whole day without any sign. She was never gone this long.

"When do you think she'll come back?" If anyone might know when her mother would come back for her, it would be an older cat. She seemed to want to help her, and so Night chose to trust her. Her stomach rumbled, and she thought about the offer of food. She wasn't sure what a medicine cat was, but it couldn't be bad if Murkystrike knew them.

At Night's hesitation, Murkystrike quickly reassured her. "I'll stay with you, I promise. You won't be alone, and I'll introduce you to my friends. We'll take care of you, at least until your mother returns." When she tentatively agreed, Murkystrike got up slowly and buried the remains of the mouse carefully before gathering some nearby sticks. Once she had gathered a decent pile, she turned back to the small kit. Her question made her tail sweep behind her, and she fought the frown in an attempt to reassure the little one. "I can't say for sure, Night. But... If you were my kit, I wouldn't want to leave you for more than a few heartbeats." She had never really considered having kits of her own, but having come across the lone she-kit.... She pushed the thoughts aside, she would think on that later. For now... "Why don't you get on my back? It's a little bit of a walk, and you still look pretty tired. I'll take care of the sticks, okay?" She knelt down close to the ground to allow the kit to climb onto her back if she wished.

OOC: I will make a new topic in ShadowClan's camp to get you officially brought into ShadowClan, and link it here after you post for you!

Night watched as the she-cat gathered some sticks, and then as she offered to let her ride on her back. She stepped up carefully. "Thank you." Was all she said. She hadn't realized how tired she was, but now that it was getting dark and she had eaten something, she felt her eyelids become heavy. "How far will we be going?" She asked, knowing she probably couldn't stay on if she fell asleep.

((Sounds good!))