A Storm Meets the Sunshine [C]

Poppyshine

Poppyshine still spent a lot of time in the RiverClan nursery when she was able to. Being a warrior came with many more responsibilities than when she was an apprentice, and certainly more than when she was a kit herself, but visiting the nursery was still a pastime that she enjoyed more than anything. She was taken more seriously by the queens as well, be it because of her age or because she had spent so many moons trying to help that they have finally relented and accepted her assistance. Regardless, Poppyshine always loved seeing the kits, playing with them, and talking about clan life to give their poor mothers a break from relentlessly looking after them all.

Today was another day of visiting the nursery, and this time, she spotted a kit that she hadn’t spoken to yet. She’d given his mother the time to raise him until he could walk and speak on his own, and it seemed like he was finally old enough to have some new company. She approached and gave the young kit a smile. “Why hello there, Stormkit. We haven’t met properly. I’m Poppyshine.” She laid down before the kit so he wouldn’t have to crane his neck to look up at her. “How are you doing today?”

Poppyshine

Poppyshine smiled; so young and yet already so polite. He seemed shy and she hoped that that was something that he would outgrow when he grew comfortable with his clan. She meowed, “I’m doing great today, thank you. I wanted to help out in the nursery. Because we haven’t spoken, would you like to play together today?” She didn’t want to push him too much, given how timid he seemed, but she hoped that he would be up for playing. She wanted to get to know the little kit that would soon join the apprentice ranks when he was old enough.

Poppyshine

Poppyshine hummed like she was still in thought. There were many games she could be happy to play, but she wanted to ensure that it would be a game that Stormkit would enjoy. As she watched him, she couldn’t help but be reminded of Perchfall, in the way that he tried to keep his expression calm. It warmed her heart to see, and brought another smile from her.

“Well how about Mouse Trap?” Poppyshined offered. “It’s best played with a real mouse, but we can use a moss ball instead.” She pulled one from where it was discarded off to the side of the nursery and gestured with her tail for Stormkit to follow her out into the camp for more space. “It works like this: we hit the ball back and forth to one another, trying to not let it roll to a stop or get past us. There’s not really a winner to it; it’s just a lot of fun.” If they had a mouse, it would be scaring it back and forth until it ran off or they killed it for prey, but this would be a much simpler version for a kit to follow. “Does that sound fun, Stormkit?”

Poppyshine

With Stormkit’s hesitance, Poppyshine knew that she had to encourage him so he wouldn’t retreat in on himself. She caught the ball and nodded. “Good job,” she says and then pushed it back in his direction. She took a couple more steps back, giving them extra distance to encourage him to hit the ball harder and with more confidence.

Poppyshine

Poppyshine smiled brightly when he tossed the ball back to her. He looked more engaged and brighter, which warmed her heart to see. Part of her wondered if Perch had had a chance to play like this when she was a kit. The thought didn’t stick around before she tossed the ball back and fell into the nice rhythm of playing with him. She would continue until he ran out of energy, but until then, she was happy to toss the ball back and forth like she too was a kit again.