new day [open]

His paws ached from travelling, but he couldn't stop yet. In an almost repetitive movement, the young cat flicked his ear over and over, slinking through the tall grass with awkward limbs. This had to be the place, right? It was just like his father had described it. Fronds of grass brushed against his flank as he moved through it, eyes alert for any hints of other cats.

You have an explanation if you get caught, he reassured himself, pausing to stare down at his paws. It was still a scary thought, though, and he sniffled a little. He missed the warmth of his mom, and the comforting scent of his dad. But Clearstone wanted him to do this now that he was of age. Anything to make his father proud.

Pushing onward, the lanky tom was careful to watch out for any stray rabbit burrows. He had to be getting close now...His stomach rumbled with hunger, but he kept going. He could eat when he got to the camp. He was undoubtably on WindClan territory now, ripe with the scent of breeze-blown cats, hares, and pheasant birds. A right at the flat rock, straight for a hundred paces, a left at the scraggly bush, and...

The cream-furred kit found himself whisker-to-whisker with a gorse wall that smelled heavily of cats. Gray-blue eyes craned up to look at it as he swallowed hard, his tail lashing. This had to be it. Hesitating only a moment, as to not give himself time to second-guess, he pushed through the opening in the wall and found himself in WindClan's camp. Cats turned to look at this newcomer and he shrunk a bit in on himself. He closed his eyes to block them out.

"H-Hello. I mean no harm. I am Sunkit, the son of the former WindClan warrior Clearstone. And I...I want to join the Clan. ...I-If you'll have me."

There was a bit of a commotion going on in the camp, and when Lilacstar came to investigate, she saw a tiny kit had come into camp, claiming to be the son of Clearstone. She knew of the respected, if a bit too serious, warrior, but she had not known he had kits! Nevertheless, the proof stood before her now, and she could not turn this child away.

"Well, welcome to WindClan, Sunkit! Your father was a wonderful warrior, and we would love to have you in the Clan. Come, you must be hungry."

Stepping forward, she wrapped her tail around the cream-colored tom, guiding him to the fresh kill pile. It seemed like a hunting patrol had just come back, as the pile was freshly stocked, and she gave a silent thanks to Dayspring for remaining on top of things.

"Take whatever you would like, Sunkit, we have plenty to go around."

A molly approached him with a smile and he forced himself to hold his ground, although he could feel his paws trembling. She didn't introduce herself, but welcomed him warmly and guided him with her tail towards the fresh-kill pile.

Sunkit swallowed the nervous bile that rose in his throat, glancing over at her. "You...You're going to accept me just like that? No q-questions or anything?" As much as he was anxious, he was hungry. Ever eager to make a good impression, Sunkit selected a vole from the pile, careful to not overstep any boundaries.

He held the vole down with one paw, staring at it. "You knew my dad...Um, what's your name? Maybe he's told me about you..."

"Why would we not accept you, Sunkit? I, personally, take pride in knowing that WindClan is able to be a haven for all who need it, especially as there will be other Clans who would just as quickly turn cats away. And there is no need for questions, not of you. You are a kit looking for a home. That is all I need to know."

Watching the tom select a vole, she settled beside him, selecting a rabbit for herself. When Sunkit asked if his father might have known her, she shook her head. "My name is Lilacstar, although I doubt your father would have known me. He had left before I became leader, in fact, I am not even sure I was a warrior. We had never truly interacted, but he was my mate's mentor. Maybe he had mentioned her? Her name is Amberfluff. Don't let her fool you. She acts distant, but she is a real big softy. I bet you would love her."

One large ear rotated to properly listen, Sunkit bent down to take a bite of his vole, his tail tucked protectively around his thin frame. The vole he had selected was just barely still warm, and the meat went done smoothly.

"I appreciate that..." he murmured, looking up at her. When she mentioned her name was Lilacstar, however, he nearly choked on his next bite. Here he was, sharing a meal with the Clan leader! The lanky youth coughed to clear his throat, blinking as she continued. "Amberfluff...Uhh, I think Dad mentioned having an apprentice, but I don't remember if he said her name...Um, I'd be happy to meet her. I, uh, I have a question..." Looking back up at her, he shuffled his paws sheepishly. "You said your mate is a molly...I-I, uh, I didn't know two mollies could be mates, I thought it was always a tom and a molly. I like that...Is...is it the same for two toms?"

Lilacstar's jaw nearly dropped when Sunkit had asked his question. It wasn't that she was upset or anything, it was quite an innocent question, she simply had not been expecting it. She never really thought that there was anything unordinary about being in a relationship with a cat the same gender as her, it seemed as normal as a tom and molly being mates. But then again, that was also how she had been raised. She had two mothers who loved each other and their kits with all their hearts, and no cat had ever questioned it, nor had they questioned her relationship with Amberfluff. But she supposed a kit as young as Sunkit who had never been around this type of relationship would be a bit confused on how it worked.

"The thing about relationships is that it is impossible to control who you love. These are probably names you have heard of, Olivestar and Zinnia? They were my mothers. They adopted me when I was just a kit. There is no reason that a molly can't love a molly, or a tom can't love a tom. For me, being able to love Amberfluff, that is the greatest gift in the world. I couldn't think of any other cat I would want to have by my side."

Sunkit's ears lowered a little as he contemplated her words, chewing thoughtfully. That made sense to him, it seemed only fair that cats could love who they wished. He wasn't against it at all, it was simply a new concept to him. The love Lilacstar expressed for her mate made him smile softly. The more he talked to Lilacstar, the more he relaxed. WindClan, so far, was very nice...He could get used to this.

"I understand. I'm glad your moms were good, and I'm glad you have a mate that you love. I...I think I would like to meet her, especially since she knows Dad."