Autumn Colors [c]

It was interesting to watch the trees switch from a lively green to vibrant oranges and reds. He didn't know the trees could change color before now, and frankly it made the treeline much more interesting to look at. Before, all the shades of green tended to melt together in his fuzzy sight, appearing to be one big blob of color. However, now it was a wide range of hues, each treetop distinct from the rest. It was beautiful. He wanted to be that beautiful.

Thankfully, the trees were happy to grant his wishes, their leaves drifting into reach whenever the chill winds. he just had to find the perfect one. Not every leaf deserved a place in his fur after all. They had to be flawless. No holes where insects had eaten away at them, no tears, no imperfections. He had to crouch low to inspect each leaf properly, squinting his eyes before either discarding the leaf or delicately weaving the stem into his fur. He preferred flowers if he could get his paws on them, but as winter approached, he would have to get less picky. Perhaps yellow and oranges could be just as pretty as pinks and blues... Ok, that's an impossibility, but he couldn't let himself be plain either. It was pretty dead leaves or nothing.

She’d been spending time in the treetops, watching as before her eyes the leaves shifted colors in a dazzling landscape. Camp… it felt confining, the sounds of angry voices still echoing in her head. She’d been taking Hollowpaw on patrols, gone a-sunset-watching with Olive, helped Muddy herb hunt, and talked to the rest of her favorite cats. Life was… good. A bit… balancing on the cliff. But good.

Tenuous, that was the word. She would’ve spoken it out loud if her maw hadn’t been filled with starling, a good catch for the morning. Dawnfeather laid it down on the fresh-kill pile and pulled out a few striking tail feathers, shining brilliance. For her favorite cats. Not that she had favorites. Well, she did, but she was sure everycat would be her favorite if she knew all of them better!

Her tail twitched… she didn’t want to truly stay in camp too long. Only the peaceful breathing of Prima lulled her to sleep at night, that and the nearby forms of her slumbering friends. Anger, wrath, like a spilling river. Filled to the brim like a lake with these thoughts, her glance fell upon a kit.

Hmmm. She smiled as he played with the leaves, but something about his movements reminded her of Muddy. Maybe it was the way he peered at them, his snout closer than a normal cat would. Maybe it was the way he scrunched up his brow. At any rate, he reminded her of Muddy, and that prompted her to pad over, a few feathers in her mouth. She laid them down with a purr. “I noticed you like the pretty leaves. I do too. Do you like these feathers? They’re starling feathers, very shiny.”

Hailkit's ears twitched at the sound of paw steps, turning to notice the she-cat approaching him with something in her mouth. It smelled like prey, but as she got closer it became evident it was only a part of prey: feathers. Wait no, even better, shiny feathers! That revelation was enough for him to perk up from his pretty orange leaves, his attention now completely on the warrior before him.

"Oh wow!" he chirped, crouching down to the feathers to get a better look. They were indeed very shiny, changing color in the sun depending on where he looked. "Starlings are covered in these? they're so pretty!" If true, he might have found his new favorite bird purely based on the feathers alone. Sure, robins were pretty with their red bellies, but these feathers were like three colors in one! Clearly so much better.

“I know, right?” Dawnfeather responded, purring. It was nice to meet another cat who liked the feathers! “They’re shimmering cascades of color, brilliant everchanging hues.” He crouched down to see the feathers, when no true-sighted cat would’ve. Hmmm. “You know, I have a brother, Muddy. He’s the medicine cat, I’m sure you know him. He’s nearsighted, too…” She was sure she wasn’t wrong. She wasn’t sure he’d take it well. She felt disappointed in herself, that her long patrols had caused her, until now, to overlook the kit. But Dawnfeather’s only interest at this moment was encouraging the young tom, helping him, smiling and beaming at his antics- she did like kits.

She sat down, wrapping her tail around her paws, waiting for his response.

"He’s nearsighted, too…"

The words caused him to pause. How could she tell?! He was just looking at the- Oh... Only then did he realize how close he was and how far the she-cat was from the feathers. He could only see things a tail length away from his face, and even then smaller details would be a bit fuzzy. Sometimes he felt he would have to cram an object in his eyes to see it clearly. Hailkit sat up, taking a step away to watch all the detail fade from the feathers until they were simply little black shapes on the ground. He already knew he was nearsighted, but he didn't like that he apparently had such obvious tells.

Though, there was something a bit encouraging about what she said. "He's nearsighted?" Being a medicine cat was such an important role, yet he was still chosen despite his sight problems. Not to mention the reassurance it was to have another cat like him in the clan. "Does he get really close to look at things too?"

Ah, good. He didn’t seem annoyed, or really surprised. “Mhm! We all have different strengths, that is what makes us a Clan. Muddy has poor eyesight, but he’s amazing at sniffing things out, and really smart, too. My mother, Prima, is blind, but she’s one of the best warriors in the Clan!” She poked the feather with a paw, watching it shimmer and change colors in the sunlight. “Eyesight isn’t everything, either. I have keen eyesight, but… well, to be honest, if I even try to stand up at night or in a dark place I’ll faceplant in the dirt. It’s kinda funny, sometimes, but that isn’t the point. I’m Dawnfeather, by the way, sorry! What’s your name?”

She didn’t want him to feel discouraged. Prima was blind, but she was an amazing hunter. Muddy was short-sighted but had a stellar sense of smell. She herself had keen eyesight, but without her sight, well… she had next to no sense of spatial awareness. Everyone had strengths and played to them.

“Oh,” she added hurriedly, brain finally catching up to why he’d stepped back, frowning. “I can tell because I know Muddy- er, Muddythorn. You know, he’s my older brother.” Hopefully she hadn’t ruined it by pointing it out.

The she-cat's ramblings did make him feel a bit better. "Right!" he chirped, a bit more hyper on his paws. "I'll be even better because I will be able to do all my warrior stuff without sight! Not everyone could say they could beat a cat with their eyes closed." Now that he thought about it, his disability was actually quite the feat. Sure, he wasn't blind, he could see colors and fuzzy outlines of cats, but that was a lot to explain to a to-be enemy in the heat of battle. Mockery had to be short and concise.

"I'm Hailkit," he purred, "and, uh, thank you." He probably would have come to a similar conclusion on his own eventually, but Dawnfeather helped him figure it out faster. She deserved a thank you for that.

Then came her quick explanation on why she knew so quickly. It made sense, he had no reason to disbelieve her words. If she grew up with two sight-impaired cats, it was only natural for her to pick up the signs of it. "So it's not that obvious? I mean, I don't think I'm that nearsighted." He never had normal vision to compare it with either, but his sight only came into issue when he had to take in small details or if something was really far away.

Dawnfeather beamed. “Exactly! I couldn’t even walk a fox-length with my eyes closed.” Hailkit. Hmm. Hail hail hail, shattering shining splinting hearts. Cascading, crashing, cracking, shards of ice, of frozen flame, of motion captured in time. Hmm. She could do better. Perhaps Olive would have an idea. The young warrior flicked her tail idly, listening to the kit talk. Hmm. Hailkit. Did she know his mother? He wasn’t related to her, she knew that. Maybe Prima could take him under her wing.

“You seem to be better than Muddy,” she mused, frowning in concentration. “He does trip over things a lot if he doesn’t know the area, and I didn’t see you doing that. Besides, we live in a forest, not the wide-open moor. You won’t have to see far distances often, and small details don’t usually come into play in warrior stuff.” Then something hit her. Climbing. Her favorite pastime. Hailkit wouldn’t be able to do it, any more than Muddy could, or Prima. Climbing- well, tree-flying took excellent eyesight and the ability to process what one saw and react to it in a matter of milliseconds. He could climb, but not climb climb. That didn’t matter much, though. Prima hunted perfectly well on the ground, and so did many cats who’d grown up just after the fire. “But no, it isn’t obvious,” she reassured him, realizing she’d sat silent for a moment longer than necessary. “Other cats won’t notice, especially when you’re in the middle of beating them!” Fighting… eh. But it would encourage him, she was sure.

A purr rose in his throat, happy his sight wasn't the worst that could be. He could see obstacles that were in his way as long as they were a different color than what was around him. He had a hard time telling how far away they were sometimes, but he could see them and could walk around camp just fine.

The outside might be a bit of a challenge, but he was pretty sure he would be fine. He just had to try a little harder than anyone else, but it shouldn't affect his warrior training. Battles were really close up too, so those should be easy too! "Right! Then I'll be able to rub it in their faces after I win!" He bounced on his paws a bit, clearly excited about the prospect. Hailkit didn't need much convincing to think of himself as great, happy to cross off a disability and claim it as a feat instead.

"I just... gotta wait a whole lotta moons to even start!" He dropped dramatically into a sit, whining. "Time goes so slowly! I swear it's been like ten!" It's only been three as he's been told, but it certainly didn't feel like it!

”Time is an odd thing,” Dawnfeather agreed. “But don’t worry. You’re already about half-way there! And you could always use the extra time to practice hunting leaves! I know a warrior or two who’d be only too pleased to show off.” She purred, thinking of Newtspring and how even being demoted to an apprentice hadn’t dampened his spirits. Still as… Newtspring-y as ever. His name fit him well…

“Is there anycat in particular you’d want as your mentor?” She asked, tilting her head. “Ooooh, and what do you think your warrior name will be?” Perhaps if the kit had no cat in mind, Prima could mentor him. Well, Dawnfeather would have to ask her, but she doubted Prima would decline. And what a cat thought his warrior name would be taught you a lot about him. So did just watching him- he was rather a show-off, a complainer. He wanted attention. Dawnfeather was glad to give him said attention.

Hailkit glanced to the leaves littering the ground at their mention. Oh, that's a good idea! He always assumed the leaves not pretty enough to be used as decoration to be pretty useless, but now they had a new possible use. Hunting practice. There was no better way to get better than to practice.

As for mentors though, he wasn't quite sure. "I don't know... someone cool would be nice though." Even Hailkit knew it would be arrogant to wish to be the leader or deputy's apprentice, so he didn't say that out loud. Anyone else his definition of cool would suffice though, good at hunting and climbing and capable of passing that on to him. Maybe also sharing his appreciation of flowers would be nice. Just... hopefully they weren't sight-impaired. He didn't want to be grouped with someone simply because they both couldn't see a fox-length ahead of them.

"I have thought of warrior names though! Like Hailstrike and Hailstorm! Those sound cool," he started, quick to hop back on his paws in excitement. "Or maybe I could be named something pretty like me, like Haildazzle or Hailflower." He did a little twirl to better prove his point. "Though, Hailflower sounds a bit better for a she-cat... but I'll wear it so good it won't matter! If I had to choose though, I like Hailfall. It's a bit more humble." Nothing about Hailkit was humble, but he could pretend.

“Someone cool?” Dawnfeather asked, tilting her head. “What do you mean? Wolfstar or Bloodstrike? I was technically his apprentice, you know. Or… Oliverain? Because rain is cool? Get it? Like the temperature but also what you said?” She was pretty proud of herself for that joke. Heehee. She was punny- heehee, another funny pun.

“Hailstorm does sound cool,” she said with a giggle. She was good at this. She scrunched her nose up in bemusement as he continued, wondering what he meant by wearing his name. “Hailfall sounds nice! I wonder what Wolfstar thinks about when he names cats. Hmm. I’m named Dawn- after my Hawkuncle, and -feather after Smokema, I think. So it isn’t just how the name sounds, it’s also what it means in context, if you get what I’m saying. And sometimes names are just funny. I’ve heard there’s a ShadowClan warrior named Loudnose, and WindClan’s medicine cat is named Hentooth.” Names were fun. It was nice to meet someone else who knew that, even if it wasn’t in the same exact way.

Hailkit snickered at her pun. It was awkwardly delivered, but that in itself made it funnier. "You know, cool," he emphasized, as though just repeating the word would clear it up for her. "Wolfstar and Bloodstrike count because they're super important. Or someone really good at being a warrior and can do a lot of cool warrior things." Yes, very descriptive of him.

He hadn't considered meanings behind names before. Well, at least not for his own. It was pretty early in his life to have any people in his life worthy enough to be named after. He supposed he could also be named after skills, but he would have to see what those are first. Simply showing off and being handsome wasn't really a usable warrior skill.

Wait, there was cat named Loudnose? "What? Do they snore in their sleep and keep the whole clan up?" he laughed. Hentooth was a strange name, but at least it didn't sound like a tease a kitten would come up with. "Or maybe they sneeze all the time!" Oh wait, this was a real cat he was making fun of here. Maybe he should be more respectful... "I'm sure they are a nice cat though... even if their leader gave him a funky name." Hopefully Wolfstar would be a bit nicer to him and give him a good name. Being named Hailsquint or something didn't sound very cool to him.

“It all depends on your strengths and weaknesses. Prima didn’t need someone to teach her to climb- that’d be useless. She needed a mentor with a good sense of smell. I didn’t need someone to teach me to sneak around in the dark- I’d be terrible at that. I got someone who taught me to climb, because I’m built for that. Well, I didn’t get-“ She cut herself off. The queens didn’t like her talking about Hawkuncle to the kits.

“Well, Flintstar isn’t the best with names. We have some crazy names here, too. Beechface- if I saw a beech with a Face I’d run for my life. And Sapphire- what even is a sapphire? I need to ask her…” her voice trailed off as she mentally added it to her list of things to do. “And loud isn’t always bad. Sometimes I can hear a curlew from Highpine. It’s hauntingly beautiful. I still dream about it sometimes, the long, trilling cry… what’s your favorite color?” She suddenly asked, snapping back to attention.

Hailkit considered her words. Briefly. Sure, maybe it would be best to get a mentor who played into his strength and could help him hone them, but that didn't get rid of the fact he wanted a cool mentor. He wanted to do amazing things and dazzle everyone else, he could do that if he didn't get a mentor who could teach him how! He was so fixated on that train of thought he almost didn't notice Dawnfeather cut herself off. Ooh~ Did he smell a secret? Something he wasn't supposed to know?

He didn't press it, but it certainly kept his interest as the she-cat continued to speak. "True, but Sapphire was a loner, right? Loners always have weird names. Lots of nonsense words." He wasn't born when Sapphire had joined, but her lack of a suffix was was a pretty easy tell.

"Purple!" Hailkit blurted as soon as the question fell from Dawnfeather's mouth. "Or pink and blue, but mostly purple! It's so hard to find and it's really pretty and it goes with my fur really nice and-" He had to pause for breath. "It's the color of my favorite flowers! Well, it's mostly white, but it has purple tips to its petals. Mama called it a water violet. Do you have a favorite flower?"