Meet Me In The Garden [c]

Rainkit

Rainkit pokes his head outside the nursery for all of a few seconds before he backs away from the entrance and back into the relative safety of the den. It had taken a little while, but he was finally over the myriad of sicknesses that being out in the rain that long had resulted in. His head was finally feeling clear, which means he should start to get to know his new… ‘clanmates.’

But he’s still trying to understand all the changes that have come his way, still trying to process that he’d never see his mother or his siblings again, and frankly he was just… scared. He heaved a sigh and stumbled back a few paces. It’s really his first full day in the nursery, he’d been moved to the medicine den to avoid spreading sickness to the other kits. All the queens are really nice, but he misses his mom. He'd taken quite a shine to Birdchaser, grateful for her rescue and finding comfort in the now-familiar and comforting figure, but otherwise hadn't really spoken to many other cats besides the queen who nursed him and the 'medicine cats'. (A term he was new too, but understood to mean the cats that made you feel better.)

He turned around, intending to curl back up in a nest for the time being, when he ran right into another tiny, warm body. “Ow!” Rainkit stumbles back onto his hindlegs, splayed out rather inelegantly on the mossy floor. He blinked rapidly as he looked at the other kit he ran into. “Sorry…” He said softly. “I didn’t see you.”

Crookedkit

Crookedkit was not paying attention as he went running around in the nursery to burn off his energy. He crashed right into another kit who was peeking out of the nursery. He smashed into the kit and fell back as well, his own paws splaying out. He scrambled to get back up to his paws. “Thorry!!”

He stopped and looked more fully at the cat that he ran into. “Oh!! Rainkit! Henlo!” Crookedkit grinned at him. He hadn’t actually spoken to him, but he knew about the kit that Birdchaser brought back to camp…at least, by name. “Thorry for running into you…It wath an accident.”

He only grew more excited though and he hopped back and forth on his paws. “I’m glad you’re not thick anymore!!” His lisp makes it hard to pronounce any S words, but he doesn’t seem to notice. “Are you liking the nursery? It’th thmall, I know.”

Rainkit

Rainkit blinked at the other kit in front of him… who knew his name. His ears twitched. He was starting to dislike how much other cats knew of him, and how much he didn’t know them. Perhaps that should’ve been more motivation to leave the comfortable quiet of the nursery and meet more cats officially, but it wasn’t. It just made him want to hide away more.

It took Rainkit a moment to process what Crookedkit was trying to get across. He glanced at Crookedkit’s tooth curiously briefly, having never seen a cat with a tooth like that. He tilted his head to the side, then softly said, “It’s okay. You didn’t mean to. And I wasn’t watching where I was going.”

He got to his feet, shaking the dust out of his fur with an embarrassed flick of his tail. He sat down more properly, returning to his usual stiff posture. He puffed his chest out a little. He has no hope of being anywhere near the size of most of the cats he meets, but this kit is his age. He wants to look at least a little less scrawny and a little more impressive. He wanted to seem like he actually belonged here, and wasn't just an outsider.

“I’m glad I’m not sick anymore either.”Rainkit admitted. “It’s not very fun. The nursery is nice though… warm.” Rainkit always felt cold after the storm. The nursery helped a little bit, but not much. “What’s your name?” He did not want to be the only one who’s name is known. It made him feel off-kilter.

Crookedkit

Oh, where were his manners! Crookedkit immediately shifted to standing a little straighter, just as his mother taught him to be polite—but he lost that almost immediately, relaxing again. “I’m Crookedkit,” he meowed proudly. “I’m named after my tooth!” He opened his mouth wide, as though his tooth was not already visible and obvious with his mouth closed.

He closed his mouth again and asked, “Did you wanna go outside? You were looking outside before! I can go with you if you’re thcared!”

Crookedkit didn’t know too much about Rainkit. What he did know was that Rainkit wasn’t technically SkyClan—he’d heard his mother talking about it—and that he was sick when he did get to camp. That meant that he hadn’t had a lot of time outside at all. He probably didn’t know anything about the camp or the other cats in it! So it was settled in Crookedkit’s mind: he would help show Rainkit around so he could feel comfortable in his new home.

“Let’th go and explore,” he meowed confidently without actually waiting to hear Rainkit’s reply about if he wanted to go outside. Crookedkit scampered to the nursery entrance and looked back over towards him. “Come on!”

Rainkit

Rainkit blinked as he watched Crookedkit show off his big, crooked tooth. It was... honestly rather cute the way he was so excited about it. Without really thinking about it, Rainkit relaxed a little from his stiff posture. He felt less nervous around this kit than any of the warriors he's met so far, so he didn't have to try so hard to act natural. Crookedkit was friendly, and he made Rainkit feel a little more at home. Maybe it was just speaking to someone his own age again, or maybe it was something about Crookedkit himself that caused that effect.

And then Crookedkit was asking about going outside. Just as Rainkit's fur began to puff up and he opened his mouth to say that he was not in the least bit scared, thank you very much, Crookedkit ran past him in a puff of fur and moss. He blinked dazedly, watching him go.  

Well... Rainkit hesitated. If he was being perfectly honest with himself, he was a little nervous. Nervous that the differences between him and the cats he now lived with would be too obvious, that he would be rejected, that he would never truly recreate the feeling of home that he was so desperately craving. Everyone had been friendly to him so far. He liked to think that Birdchaser wouldn't have brought him here if they wouldn't have accepted him. But how long could that really last? He'd already had his world turned upside down in ways he could never have seen coming. How long can this feeling of safety go on?

So maybe... maybe facing all that with someone at his side wouldn't be so bad after all.

Rainkit took a breath, then said, "Okay." He got to his feet, speeding up to catch up to Crookedkit. He met Crookedkit's bright green eyes and dipped his head. "Lead the way." He said ever so softly.

Crookedkit

Crookedkit made a tiny excited noise and then turned and scampered out of the nursery. His movements were clumsy and hard to maneuver with his paws that were too big for his body, but he managed to stay upright for the most part. He didn’t go more than a few paces at a time, always turning over his shoulder to make sure that Rainkit was right behind him, and only continuing on when Rainkit was close enough.

The first place that he arrived at was the Tallbranch. He sat back on his hind leg and spread out his front paws wide like he was putting the tree itself on display. “Thith ith the Tallbranch!” Crookedkit announced, as though he were the one to put it there—or like he knew it existed for longer than just the past week. “Briarthtar and Birdchather will call meetingth here for the whoooole clan.”

He gasped and turned back towards Rainkit, letting his front paws land on the ground again. “Birdchather ith taking care of you, right? Tho you already know about her! She’th the deputy and Briarthtar ith the leader of ThkyClan.” His mouth smacks and bites at his tongue after using so many S’s.

Rainkit

Rainkit was slower-going than Crookedkit was. He was much better than when he first arrived, sure, but he still remembered the feeling of the dizzy spells that hit him when he moved around too much in the medicine den, and he wasn't keen on recreating them. Besides, it was hard for him to match Crookedkit's seemingly boundless energy. Crookedkit stopping to make sure he was keeping up made him feel a little warm on the inside, however. Crookedkit was really nice.

He sat down next to Crookedkit, tucking his paws neatly against him and curling his stubby tail over his side. He tilted his head back to take in the Tallbranch, trying to imagine Birdchaser standing up there. He supposed that he'd see it sooner or later, since he lived here now.

Crookedkit's gasp drew Rainkit from his thoughts, and he turned his gaze to Crookedkit's with a blink. "She found me and she's been visiting me in the medicine den, so... Yes, I think so?"He said softly. Birdchaser was certainly the cat Rainkit felt the most comfortable around right now, but he didn't want to assume anything. "Though Plumpaw and Fogfeather were the ones taking care of me directly for a bit, since I was sick." He shrugged. "It must be a lot, leading a whole clan of so many cats. Or maybe it's exciting and fun... I dunno."He looked back up at the Tallbranch. "Have you met Ms. Briarstar?"

Crookedkit

Oh yeah, Plumpaw and Fogfeather too! Crookedkit had almost forgotten to talk about them—but now that Rainkit brought them up, it was obvious that he would already know them. That would save Crookedkit the trouble of explaining who they were or what they did! Rainkit was smart, he obviously figured out what their jobs were based on how they took care of him.

His words confused Crookedkit, though. Crookedkit tilted his head and meowed, “M…Mth…Mith….What doeth that mean, in front of Birdchather’th name?”  His tail swished eagerly as he took a couple bounding steps over towards Rainkit. “I dunno that word!” He was always learning things from Mama, but now Crookedkit could learn something from his fellow kit too!

Rainkit

Rainkit blinked at Crookedkit's words. "Oh, um, it's just something my mom used a lot. She said Mr. for boy cats. She would sometimes use it to scold me, but I think that was meant in kind of a different way." Rainkit tilted his head as he tried to think of a good way to explain it. His heart did a tight squeeze as he brought up his mom. As far as he knew, she was still out there, somewhere, although he had no idea where to look or where she would be. He would likely never see her again, a thought that made a crushing feeling crash down over him. It was one he had every time he thought about his family, and with an effort he shoved the feelings aside. He didn't want to focus on that.

"Mr. and Ms. are kind of just... polite ways to refer to somebody, I guess? It's how adults show they respect each other I think. Maybe it's different here?" Rainkit looked at Crookedkit and offered a weak shrug. Then he puffed out his chest a little, and added, "It's a grown-up thing to say. I used it cause I'm pretty grown up, see?" He did not acknowledge the fact that he is significantly shorter than Crookedkit. 

Crookedkit

Crookedkit listened eagerly to Rainkit’s explanation, taking it all in. Wow! Rainkit knew way more than Crookedkit did about some things! Part of him wanted to ask if he knew what happened to his mom, but he instinctively knew that that was probably not a good thing to ask. If Crookedkit didn’t know where his mom was, he would be devastated if someone asked. So instead he mused, “Mithter and Mithuth…Hard to thay. But I like it!” He grinned brightly. “I don’t care if it’th different here. I’m gonna use it too. It’ll be thpecial jutht for uth!”

He grinned brightly. Rainkit really was grown up, and Crookedkit wanted to be grown up too! If they both used it then they would be the most grown kits in SkyClan…never mind that they were the only ones in SkyClan at the moment.

Crookedkit turned back to continue their little tour. “You already know the medicine den, of course. We have the betht medicine cath ever! They made you feel better in no time. I’m glad you’re in the nursery now, though. It ith fun having another cat there.”

Rainkit

Rainkit smiled as Crookedkit pronounced the honorifics, struggling with the hard r's and s's in the titles. He was about to open his mouth to let Crookedkit know that he didn't have to say the words if they were hard for him, when Crooked finished his proclamation. "It’ll be thpecial jutht for uth!" Rainkit's chest warmed. Special just for them. Did that make them friends? Rainkit hadn't made a friend his age before, except for his siblings. But they are- were- his siblings, so they didn't exactly count. But he and Crookedkit were friends. Rainkit had worried that he wouldn't be able to make friends with the other clan cats, but according to what he knew about friendship, (which was, admittedly, very little) only friends had special things that they shared between each other. Excitement bubbled in Rainkit's veins, and though he certainly tried, he couldn't help the smile that appeared on his face, melting away the severe and serious look he'd held before.

He was distracted by Crookedkit getting to his feet and resuming the tour. Shaking himself out of his reverie, he hopped to his paws and padded after Crookedkit. Although, the smile didn't quite leave his face.

He followed Crookedkit's gaze towards the medicine den, and he nodded. "They helped me a lot," Rainkit agreed, shuddering a little as he thought of the sickness that had bored down on him during his stay in the medicine den. It had felt awful, and not something the young kit ever wanted to experience again. "I really appreciated it... but I'm glad I'm in the nursery now too. It was kinda lonely in there. Except when Ms. Birdchaser or Mr. Crimsonflame visited. Mr. Fogfeather and Ms. Plumpaw were busy a lot." He felt a little thrill go through him at using the honorifics now. It was their special thing! He glanced at Crookedkit. "Have you had to go to the medicine den before?"

Crookedkit

Rainkit seemed happier than he had a few minutes ago, and Crookedkit was elated about that fact. He hoped that it was because Crookedkit was giving him a tour. SkyClan must have felt more like home when he knew where everything was, and so as long as Crookedkit kept it up, Rainkit would only get happier!

Crookedkit shook his head. “I haven’t gotten thick yet. But Mr. Fogfeather and Mth. Plumpaw come vithit thometimeth to make sure that I’m not thick. I alwayth tell mama that I’m not, but she doethn’t alwayth believe me.” He shook his head again, solemnly. “She thayth I’m gonna grow into a throng apprentice though!” He grinned and stepped up closer to Rainkit. “And I bet you will too!! We can be apprentices together!”

Rainkit

Rainkit nodded along to Crookedkit's rambles, and then once again Crookedkit was catching him by surprise. He felt warm all over again and offered a shy smile. "You think so?" He asked softly. "I'd like that. Being apprentices together, I mean." His smile grew. "We can learn everything together!" He let out a purr, the sound barely audible but distinctly there.

Hopping to his feet, Rainkit said with a surprising amount of enthusiasm, "C'mon, show me the rest of camp. I gotta learn everything so I can catch up to you and be an apprentice with you." He shot Crookedkit a grin, moving forward a few steps before looking back at Crookedkit with bright, expectant eyes.

Crookedkit

A purr! A purr!! Crookedkit grinned wide, feeling more than accomplished. There wasn’t much time spent around him, but Rainkit was a quiet cat who kept to himself or stuck to Birdchaser’s side. To earn a purr of delight from him felt like as proud of an accomplishment as becoming a warrior. Crookedkit silently vowed to himself that he would try to make Rainkit purr as much as possible, all the time.

When Rainkit urged the tour, Crookedkit’s tail rose straight up in the air and he bounced on his paw pads. “Yeth!! You’ll catch up to me in no time, I know it—ethpecially with me as your teacher.” He flashed another big, eager grin and continued the tour. He scrambled over towards one of the dens, with its entrance hidden away by some leaves and vines. In a more hushed tone, he whispered, “That ith the leader’th den. Only Briarthtar and her motht truthted warriorth are allowed to go in there. Kits will get in trouble if they go in, but it theemed tho exciting!” He bounced on his paws again. “What do you think goeth on in there?”

Rainkit

Rainkit smiled, appreciating Crookedkit's reassurances. His eyes tracked Crookedkit's bouncing, watching him go up and down before falling into step once more beside Crookedkit. He felt much warmer and happier than he had before this impromptu tour. The world outside didn't seem so scary with a friend at his side.

Rainkit tilted his head to the side as he looked at the leader's den, back to his friend, back again. "Um..." He said, examining the barrier of leaves and vines. With a single paw he reached out and cautiously poked one of the leaves, though he was careful that he didn't move it aside. He didn't want to break the rules about no kits being allowed in there, even accidentally. "...A lot of sleeping, probably?" He said finally. It was a den after all. From what he'd gathered, dens were for sleeping, and sometimes Medicine Cat things.