New Frost [O]

Frostkit exited the nursery, finally being allowed to, and immediately took a look around. He padded everywhere in camp, peeking into every den, smelling scents, and just generally checking everything out. Once he was finished, he sat near the nursery once more and began to groom himself. His fur wouldn't stay neat on its own. His icy gaze, once his fur was neat again, swept across the clearing with intent. He was looking for something to occupy himself with, something that wouldn't bore him. A lot of things bored him. Training, perhaps then, would be his savior. Soon enough, he found a suitable leaf in camp. With the untrained posture of a kit who had only ever watched apprentices, he pounced.

Frostkit expected a leaf under his furry white paws, but alas, it had been blown away by the wind as he pounced. He glared at the ground for a moment before sitting again, thinking. He could prevent that next time, he knew he could. It was only a matter of understanding.

Basilkit purred as the brisk summer breeze ruffled the fluffy fur on her ears, the tortoiseshell she-cat laying contently under the shade of a nearby patch of ferns.  She has played a bit with her siblings earlier that day, so despite the early hour, she was in need of some relaxation.  The sound of paws thumping against the ground however caught her attention and the older kitten lazily opened one eye to see a younger denmate watching a leaf float out of his grasp.  Smiling, she called out to him with a kind but playful tone; "They always seem to escape at the last moment, huh?  Don't worry, you'll get the next one!"  The she-kit's eyes fluttered away to watch as another leaf drifted across the camp, and her paws itched to chase it down alongside the little white tom-kit.  When she tried to lift herself, however, the world began to spin around in her head and she had to stay put.  I pushed myself too hard, again.  I guess hunting practice is a difficult thing for me also...

Burningkit was maybe one of the few kits that had not just been outside the nursery, but outside camp as well. His father, Salamandertail, had insisted that he start learning early. Burningkit had been the biggest of his litter, with both his brother and his sister being born sickly and small. His parents hadn't had high hopes for them, so they got little attention. He hadn't been very far from camp, but further than most kits. Why? Because Burningkit's parents had an agenda, one that they weren't entirely sure that Flintstar or Murkystrike would approve of.

Many nights, Burningkit followed his father out while his mother, Cypressfang, mothered the other two. It was the same speech night in and night out, and Burningkit was expected to repeat it and answer questions correctly.

"We are pure Shadowclan cats, Burningkit. We are better than any half breed or outsider. We are the most entitled to this land out of all of the Shadowclan cats of mixed origin. Do you understand?" Salamandertail asked... for what felt like the millionth time since Burningkit had been able to walk and understand words.

"Yes, father." He always answered, padding along after the adult tom on small, stubby kit legs.

"Recite the warrior code. Quickly now! You should know it by heart." Salamandertail commanded him. Burningkit took in a deep breath, but did as he was told. He recited it word for word, perfectly, without hesitation or faltering. Once he had finished, Salamandertail whirled on him suddenly, excitement flashing in his orange eyes. "Yes! Precisely... and this is the most important part: An honorable warrior does not need to kill other cats to win his battles, unless they are outside the warrior code or it is necessary for self-defense."

Here we go again... Burningkit thought to himself, knowing what was coming next.

"Any half breed cat is a product of code breaking, therefore, they are outside the warrior code. It's perfectly acceptable in the eyes of Starclan to kill them. Your mother and I expect you to. If anyone dares interfere with your work, they are also going against the will of Starclan. Kill them too." Salamandertail always got excited when he talked about that. There was more of a pep in his step that forced Burningkit to scamper ungracefully after him. The vicious Shadowclan warrior continued to talk, but it was all speeches that Burningkit had heard over and over and over. He could practically talk in time with his father and not mess up. He went on to say, as if Burningkit had never heard this before, that they had named him Burningkit after the ire in Skyclan. No doubt Starclan had sent the fire to kill the unclean in Skyclan... and how beautiful the flames looked devouring all of the wretched and worthless lives there. Dawnhawk had managed to escape... the Dark Forest minion! Alas, perhaps it only meant that Burningkit was meant to be born and go after him... kill him even.

A sudden silence was new... and unexpected. Burningkit's attention was grabbed. They had wandered back to the Camp. There was a lone kit outside the nursery trying to murder a leaf.

"Frostkit is of good blood. Go play with him. You need to make allies with other pure bloods." Salamandertail instructed, before strolling confidently back into the camp. Burningkit stared at Frostkit... unimpressed. However... he knew his father would only scold him if he didn't go play... so play he shall.

He approached the white long-haired cat, his sulfur yellow eyes scanning him curiously.

"Frostkit..." Burningkit greeted casually and with a slight turn upwards of his chin. "What were you doing? Trying to hunt a leaf?" Burningkit's eyes went to the untouched piece of vegetation. How hard could that be? Still, he wasn't about to be rude. He would be respectful and polite, as Frostkit was a pureblood Shadowclan cat and was worthy of it.

Allegedly...

And then Basilkit showed up. Salamandertail and Cypressfang had spoken well of her bloodline as well. Murkystrike and Mistyfalcon... another pure Shadowclanner. He stared as she seemed... out of breath? Unbalanced?

"Are you... feeling okay Basilkit?" Was he supposed to ask?

The short, white kit's gaze flicked over to... Basilkit she was called? He approached her quietly, especially after watching her attempt to lift herself, then failing. With a few licks to his wayward chest fur, he spoke. "I'm sure. Once I figure out a better trajectory, no leaves will escape my grasp. It will give me a suitable headstart to apprenticeship, this should allow me to pursue fleeing prey better than the average apprentice." His tone was almost bored, as if he had already said it multiple times in his head. It was only moments later that another kit approached. Burningkit, he'd seen him around the nursery, but had never quite spoken to him.

"Of course I was. To become an efficient warrior, I should begin my training as early as possible. A headstart opens up a wide amount of opportunities to assist the clan." Ice blue eyes met Burningkit's sulfur yellow gaze, piercing as always. Flicking his ears in almost annoyance, he spoke once more. "I'm simply understanding trajectory, unpredictability makes things interesting... a challenge. I'm sure we all like challenge here?" His tone was neutral, even if he possibly assumed too much. Though he noticed Burningkit's question to Basilkit, he didn't bother. Whatever her affliction, he was sure that Rookfire had it taken care of. It was his job after all.

Pantherpaw lay in the shadows, black pelt making her form disappear into the shadows. She watched from half-closed eyes as the white kit missed a leaf. It blew towards her and landed right in front of her paws. Pantherpaw considered it for a moment. Did the kit want the leaf back? She rather doubted it- there were plenty of leaves around. Her ears pricked as she heard him talk. She liked this kit. The way he talked. He was smart. Maybe if she zoomed through her apprenticeship, she’d be his mentor? She rather doubted it- if she was honest she was scant moons older than he. Rising to her paws, she collected the leaf and deposited it in front of the kit. “Here is your leaf, if you wish to practice your trajectory upon the same organic material.” Stars, his way of talking was contagious.

In the nursery, Loudkit woke up from his nap. He gave a quiet yelp while a big beetle crawled near his legs. He instantly flung his paws at it. The beetle kept evading him, scurrying off out of the den. The annoyed kit chased after it, his feets fumbling around. The bug was very hard to catch because it kept changing it's direction. After a few seconds of chase, Loudkit tripped, sending him into a tumble. He crashed into a nearby kit, whose fur was brown and his tail and face black. He was quite a pleasant thing to look at, at least to Loudkit. Once the pretty kit turned around to look at him, Loudkit just stared at him. What do I do? Oh right. "Hello, um, my name. My name is Loudkit." He gave an awkward smile.

Basilkit's furry head tilted a bit to the side as she listened to the younger tom speak, her smile barely containing a giggle until she couldn't hold it anymore.  "Hehe, I like the way you talk, you sound smart and important like Flintstar and my mama.  You're right though, I'm sure you will be a super cool apprentice!"  Basilkit purred, but the approach of another kit caught her attention.  It was Burningkit, a tom around her age; though she hadn't really talked to him before she recognized his name.  His question however though was very familiar, uncomfortably so.  The she-kit's smile dimming a bit, she managed to pull herself up into a sitting position, trying to push away the weird feeling of blood rushing in her head as she spoke.  "Yeah, I'm fine."  She thought of just leaving her words as is, but she realized if he was asking he probably didn't know.  "Rookfire says that my heart doesn't work right, so it makes playing and running and stuff harder for me."  Thankfully another cat speaking up - a jet-black apprentice with green eyes - gave her an excuse to look away.  Suddenly, something small bumped Burningkit from the back, and Basilkit peeked around to find her younger brother Loudkit on the ground.  Laughing, Basilkit finally managed to get to her paws to nudge him up, licking some sand from his forehead.  "You gotta watch where you're going Loudy, or else someday you might dash headfirst into a bramble bush!  Lucky you that it was only Burningkit."

Frostkit answered and Burningkit only stared. These kits were younger than him, with him almost apprentice aged. He had already practiced what Frostkit was doing, so he felt no need to join in the game. Maybe his parents wouldn't like his lack of participation and bonding with other good blooded kits, but he couldn't see this as useful. He would be nice, of course, but he wasn't participating in games that didn't interest him.

"Makes sense. Good luck to you." He commented simply, not sure what else to do. The leaf he had been after was suddenly returned to him... and Burningkit barely stopped himself from hissing at the apprentice.

Dirty blood. Starclan killed your mother because she didn't belong here, and neither do you! Filthy half breed vermin! He moved away, to the opposite side of where the apprentice stood, and only stared at her. He looked like he just stepped in something nasty. A sudden thump on the back of his leg snapped him out of his anger, and he turned his head to see another kit. Loudkit... it took him a moment to remember that he was Basilkit's brother. Good blood.

"Should I ask why you're named Loudkit?" He had a feeling he was going to regret asking. As for Basilkit's heart... well that was unfortunate. Shadowclan needed all o the good pure blood that it could get. Maybe he'd become a warrior quickly and have her as an apprentice. He'd keep her safe, and she could take as many breaks as she needed.

"I should be apprenticed fairly soon. I have already taken a lot of lessons from my father... a bit of a perfectionist he is." Unless Pantherpaw tried to speak to him, he had no intention of even acknowledging her existence.

Frostkit turned as he watched his leaf being brought over by yet another cat. Maybe the nursery was better, far less nuisances. Still, he was a member of Shadowclan, and if he ever wanted to amount to anything, interacting with other cats was a must. Before she could arrive, he side-eyed Burningkit, who had spoken to him. "Luck, Burningkit, does not exist."

Only once he had spoken did his gaze go to the cat who had returned his leaf. He was unsure as to why, there were plenty of leaves around, but he wouldn't turn down what was once his. His ears perked up slightly when she spoke like him, was she like him? Or was she just imitating him? It was hard to tell. Either way, it didn't matter, his leaf was returned, and if this cat was trying to mock him, she'd learn not to eventually. "I appreciate you bringing the leaf back, despite the growing amount of leaves in camp. It was... kind of you." For a moment, he had struggled to quite find the right word. 'Nice' was too dumb sounding, too emotional. 'Pleasant' just sounded weird. 'Kind' was the only way to go he supposed. Blegh.

Finishing his conversation, he once more turned to the others. Basilkit and Burningkit were engaged in conversation about whatever her condition was, a heart issue it seemed to be, from what he heard. Looking at Burningkit, he discovered a complete look of disgust. Odd... Following Burningkit's gaze, he found it was laid on the... apprentice that had approached him. At least she looked large enough to be one. "Burningkit, do you have some issue with... this one?" Merely stating the obvious, his gaze was steadily on Burningkit. At least until another kit tumbled right into him.

"Loudkit? You are aptly named, may all future kits be as fortunate." If Frostkit had a sense of humor, he'd laugh. Apparently Basilkit's brother, it appeared the poor thing was a bit clumsy. Ah well, many kits were. Even he was clumsy on occasion, short legs were bad news for him. Taking another moment to clean himself of the dirt already accumulating on his pure white fur, Frostkit laid his gaze upon the quickly growing group. It was becoming more evident that practicing on his leaf would not be in his near future.

"I thought as much, you are larger than me... though many kits my own age are larger than me. Perhaps I will have the luck of being apprenticed to someone akin to your father Burningkit, perfectionism sounds like the best way for me to become an accomplished warrior and assist the clan." Frostkit's only goal was to assist his clan. There was no other reason to be a warrior, or apprentice, other than to help his clan. Becoming the best is the best way to help his clan. It was only logical.

(OOC: forgot to color the dialogue last time but I got it now)

Loudkit turned his head toward his sister when she said his name. His spirit lifted hearing the kindness in her voice. Once he was standing, he noticed two other kits. A plain white one and a plain black one. He was about to ask their names when the tom he ran into asked him a similar question. Why was he named Loudkit? The small kit didn't exactly know, but he wouldn't let that stop him from answering.
"Well perhaps it was because I mewed a lot when I was born, or maybe even because I mewed louder, or what if it was because I cried, oh I sure hope that is not the case that would be embarrassing, or how about I was named after another cat? A brother, sister, mother, father, uncle, aunt, grandfather, grandmother, mentors, apprentices, deceased ones, really the list goes on but could it be I was named Loudkit for some other mysterious reason, or none at all! I heard that my father named me, but I don't know if that has anything to do with it. I don't really know why I was named Loudkit but I favor the idea it is because I have a strong or "loud" personality. That admittedly, most likely is not the case since our personalities would not be present at birth. What do you think? Additionally, what is your name?"

He sat down by Basilkit and looked over at the white kit, who commented on his name. "What does aptly mean? Either way, I'll take it as a compliment! And what is your name? You look old enough to be apprentices, wait, are you? Ooh do you have a mentor? Who are they? Do you like them? Is it fun to train, or is it tiring? Do you go outside camp? Do you even go on patrols?" He flicked his tail excitedly, ignorant to what they were already discussing. "Oh I hope I become an apprentice, it will be so exciting! I wonder if it's scary out there." The talkative kit absentmindedly pawed at a leaf that sat in front of him, poking holes in it with his claws, eventually ripping it into pieces. "I think I will be a pretty good apprentice, if I get the right mentor that is."

Pantherpaw nodded to Frostkit. At his words to Burningkit, she turned slightly to gaze at the kit. His parents  had always seemed prickly, especially to her, and it seemed they passed it on to their son. ”Who made dirt in your fresh-kill, ‘kit?” If he wanted to look at her that way, she could do the same, and she returned his look of disgust. It was easy enough- stars knew she got enough practice with Cheetahpaw. After a moment, she turned back to Frostkit. He seemed interesting. Basilkit was, too, of course, but Pantherpaw never knew quite what to say to her. She felt awkward, like she would mess up and say something wrong about the poor kit, and…Of course she would- that was who she was. She bit back a laugh at Loudkit’s… lecture.”I would say aptly named is an understatement.” She ignored Frostkit’s comment to Burningkit. If the kit wanted to be a piece of frog-dung, he could go ahead and do it. If he apologized, well… from looking at his parents, he wouldn’t apologize. Both were prickly cats with mean dispositions. “It is as well that all kits aren’t named aptly. What if a blind kit was named Blindkit? That would be discouraging and possibly negatively effect their entire life. Words have power.” Maybe her conversation was a bit heavy for such young cats- even though they weren’t much younger than her.

"Or maybe you were named Loudkit because you don't quit talking!"

Condorkit snickered as he came up behind his brother, playfully swatting his ear. He enjoyed teasing his littermate, finding it to be a lot of fun being around him. Hence why the smoke tom had followed him now.

"Oh! I'm Condorkit, by the way!" He turned towards the group, a big smile plastered on his face. New cats! That was awesome! Maybe some of them would be his friend! He knew Basilkit would be his friend, at the very least, as he walked over and butted his head against her shoulder.

"Don't worry, Basilkit! I don't think you have a bad heart at all! You are too nice for that! And tons of fun to be around too!"

Basilkit listened patiently as Loudkit rattled out a long-winded answer to Burningkit's theoretical question, rolling her eyes with a smile on her face until he had finally run out of words.  "Nope, I think Dad just picked a completely random name with no meaning at all!"  Flicking her tail across his ears to match her joking tone, Basilkit took note of the weird disgusted expression Burningkit had on his face, and following his gaze, she saw that it landed on that black apprentice from earlier.  Tilting her head, she wondered what could be going on, but didn't voice her own question.  Instead, she welcomed the she-cat to their conversation with an inviting trill; whatever was going on between them was none of her business.  Basilkit nodded in agreement to Pantherpaw's statement and wondered for a moment what would've happened if her parents had decided to name her after her condition.  "I totally agree, I mean, I couldn't imagine having to be named something dumb like Deadkit, or Weakkit, or Heart-doesn't-work-kit.  Every kit should be named something special and kind!"  Despite the weird tension between her and Burningkit, Basilkit couldn't help but like the older she-cat; the way she spoke sounded wise, and Basilkit decided to seat herself next to her, throwing the apprentice a bright smile.  At the arrival of Condorkit, her other little brother, Basilkit leaned forward and nuzzled her forehead against his after he butted her shoulder, his remarks toward Loudkit merely making her laugh; she knew he meant no harm, and that the two would never try to hurt each other's feelings.  His next words though took her by surprise, and Basilkit felt her face begin to flush - from appreciation or embarrassment she didn't know, maybe a mix of both.  "Oh, Condor you're too sweet, you have a good heart too!"  Laughing, she gave him a quick lick on the forehead; he was still too young to fully understand what she was going through, but for now, she wanted to keep it that way.  One less cat to worry about her.