Flarekits arrival (OPEN!!)

Flarekit slowly crept out of SkyClans nursery, looking around and seeing all of their fellow clanmates. They were very nervous to meet everyone for the first time, but they were also excited to finally get out of the nursery and explore the camp. They trotted around, sniffing different areas, trying to get used to them.

Spottedpaw was lounging around camp, tired after a long day of training with Juniperlight. She rolled on to her back, staring up at the sky, and a flicker of movement caught her attention from the direction of the nursery. Curious, she tilted her head, eyeing the new kit with a mischievous glint, and then rolled to her paws. From behind Flarekit, she crouched, fluffy tail dragging the ground, and crept ever so slowly towards them, until finally, she was in reach enough to dash forward and pounce, not quite on to the kit, but very close, in an attempt to scare them.

Snickering, Spottedpaw pulled back, lifting a paw and swiping her tongue against it nonchalantly. "That's what happens when kits sneak out of the nursery!" she informed them. "Except I could have been an owl, or a snake, or even a kit-murderer, like Dawnhawk! Also, hi by the way, I'm Spottedpaw!"

The warming weather was doing absolutely nothing to help Newtpaw's attitude. Hot, tired, and cranky, he stomped out of the apprentice's den, tail already lashing. By the stars, he needed something to do.

... Luckily, one of the newest kits had just come outside, and they were getting harassed by his sister.

Bad mood forgotten, the mottled tabby let out a cry of joy and bounded over, skidding to a halt right in front of the pair. "Are you harassing the kits?" He purred, bumping Spottedpaw's shoulder. "Hey, what's your name? This your first time outside?"

Maplepaw was doing what she always does- looking for her siblings exasperatedly. Finding the apprentice den significantly less populated than usual, the thick furred molly begrudgingly stood from her afternoon nap, stretching and padding outside to meet her siblings- who were surrounding some poor little kit… She wanted to join in. While bothering warriors was fun, nothing compared to bullying those younger than her.

”What are you guys doing? Look at the poor thing! They’re shaking!” Maplepaw walked up behind Newtpaw and Spottedpaw, swatting them both on the head. “Be nice to SkyClan’s youth!” What a joke. it’s not like Maplepaw cared for SkyClan’sanything.

Flarekit was sniffing one last spot before settling down. They had barely gotten a chance to turn around when they saw a figure larger than them being hurled towards them. Flarekit let out a small yelp in fear. "GAH!" Flarekit, with squinted eyes, looked at what had been hurled. To their surprise it was a clanmate, and she was.. snickering?

As she finished explaining to them that sneaking out of the nursery is dangerous, she introduced herself as Spottedpaw.

Flarekit was about to reply, but yet another cat walked up questioning them. "I'm Flarekit.. and yes its my first time outside." They replied nervously, afraid to say the wrong thing. Flarekit was so startled by Spottedpaw, that they were shaking.
Flarekit notices movement out of the corner of their eye. It was another cat approaching the 3 of them, and they didn't look very happy. They gulped as the cat scolded the other two cats in front of them.

It didn't take long for her siblings to show up, and Spottedpaw grinned at Newtpaw, bumping him back. "Harassing? No. Teaching, more like," she nodded as if to confirm to herself that she was right, and then turned to Maplepaw just in time to get swatted right on the head. With a growl that was more mocking than ferocious, Spottedpaw turned and leaped on top of her sister, claws sheathed as her hind legs kicked and batted at Maplepaw's belly.

Maplepaw squawked indignantly, falling over onto her back and exposing her soft belly to her ruthless sister; ruthless enough to begin batting at her belly- she knew Maplepaw was sensitive there! Rolling from side to side in attempt to unseat Spottedpaw, Maplepaw turned to the kit watching their display. ”Teaching them what? To be afraid of the outside? That’s no way to teach a future warrior!

Turning to her brother this time, Maplepaw groaned “C’mon Newtpaw! Back me up here! Your favorite sister is under attack!” Giggling, Maplepaw said her last words carefully and clearly, clearly looking to get a rise out of Spottedpaw.

Ah, this is just how she liked it. Fooling around with her siblings in order to distract herself from the turmoil she felt inside, the plans she’s concocted in order to escape SkyClan. She still hasn’t told her siblings… how are they going to react when she tells them she’s leaving them to fend for themselves? She’s their protector. Their friend. Oh, Stars, how is she going to leave them?

Newtpaw was just opening his mouth to push Flarekit further, maybe encourage them to come outside to see Spottedpaw was just telling stories, but a swift blow to the head knocked the words out of him. "Hey, come on!" He whined as he turned to face Maplepaw, his smile warming. Before he could do anything, Spottedpaw was on it, bowling Maplepaw into the earth.

Scooting closer to the kit, he sat down, wrapping his fluffy tail around them. "Can't hear ya, Maple! I'm busy being a good teacher." Newtpaw was snickering as he crouched down to be eye level with Flarekit. "Aren't apprentices just ridiculous? Telling all these stories and attacking each other!" He couldn't contain his laughter, making his speech sound far less serious than he'd hoped. Puffing himself up with pride, he continued, "I'm a good, upstanding cat though! Really, I'm a model warrior," he boasted as he gently placed a paw on Flarekit's head, roughing up the fur there.

Flarekit jumped slightly as Maplepaw tackled Spottedpaw. They looked over to see Newtpaw at their eye level.
"Yea I guess. It just seems like they're being playful? I mean the brown and white apprentice seems to be laughing." Flarekit slightly chuckled as Newtpaw stood up tall and proud "I bet you are.." Flarekit said  quietly while rolling their eyes a bit. They could already tell what kind of a cat Newtpaw would be: cocky and narcissistic.

After the two apprentices quit rolling around and kicking each other, Flarekit decided to start getting to know the cats. "So.. what are your guys' names? And Newtpaw, you said you were a warrior? What's that like?" Flarekit said while looking up at Newtpaw, attempting to ruffle the fur on his head back, only to not be able to reach quite that high yet.

'Poor kit being hounded by three apprentices at once. Must be a tad overwhelming for them...' Rainypaw thought to herself with a little shake of her head as she continued to watch the spectacle that was occurring right outside the nursery from her little spot in the shadows. After a few seconds of considering going over there, she did decide to join. The apprentice rose up onto her paws and took a moment to stretch out her long limbs, eyes never leaving the group as she was adamant on catching all their shenanigans.

The lanky she-cat padded over to the others, a ghost of a smile on her maw as she observed their interactions. Once she was close enough, she waved her tail to try and garner their attention. As soon as she had them, she raised a brow as she lifted a paw and waved it around their little gathering. "Have you three been overwhelming this poor kit on their first day out? It'd be advisable to not fill their head with unnecessary fears, unless you want to take responsibility for their kithood trauma." she admonished with a firm shake of her head, no real heat behind her words. Her deep gaze held amusement as she looked at each of them, finally settling on the kit. "Hello there. My name's Rainypaw. What's yours? I do hope you aren't too overloaded with all this chaos."

After Newtpaw replied, Flarekit saw a swinging beside them. "Who's that?" Flarekit asked. Soon everyone's attention was on the she-cat approaching them. "Thank you for defending me, but they really aren't a bother- well, not that much of a bother" Flarekit said, looking at Newtpaw straight in the eyes as they shimmied out from under his tail and approached the gray cat. "My name is Flarekit! And it's okay! I'm just a little shy at first." Flarekit had never been outside of the nursery before, so it was a bit overwhelming, but everyone seems to be nice.

Flarekit sat down beside Rainypaw. "Is there anything I need to know? Anyone I need to stay away from? I don't want to jump to conclusions but Spottedpaw mentioned a.. kit-murderer?" That one specific word startled Flarekit a bit. Who would want to murder kits? On the other hand, Newtpaw did say she was just telling stories.