they see who's right, they see who's not [open]

Snailkit was not that smart. Her mother had been telling her that for moons. She'd thought she was being sneaky this past moon, lingering around Fourtrees after those strange and terrifying creatures had stormed the place and stolen many cats away. One clan - though not her own - had decided to linger here, and not knowing where she might go otherwise, the young she-cat lingered in the shadows. It was only fitting as a ShadowClan cat!

Though the longer she found freshkill placed so conveniently away from SkyClan's actual pile and the longer she discovered more clumps of downy feathers ripe for nest-making, the more something itched in her brain. It then finally came to her as she woke up one evening in her makeshift den she'd dug in a snowdrift. It happened just after a dream. “There’s someone taking care of me?” In her dream her father was by her side again, back from wherever those creatures had taken him. He was so warm.

Even nests of feathers and plant down felt cold when there wasn’t someone by her side. Snailkit shook out her fur as she left her den, brow furrowed. Emotions she didn’t know could be combined played with the expression on her face. Was this what feeling bittersweet was? She wanted to know who it was that made sure she was fed and warm, but the knowledge that someone was at all just made her miss her dad all the more. ‘Don’t cry! Don’t be a kitten!’ She chided herself just as her eyes began to sting.

Ever since Skyclan had returned to Fourtrees he had noticed something different. There was a tiny thing moving around, he could see it out of the corner of his eye if he was really paying attention, and knowing that it was there made it even easier to spot, and scent. It was a kit, and not one of his clan either. It was trying to keep itself hidden around them, which was a great idea considering who inhabited his clan. Still, it was a kit, and one that seemed to be far from its parents and clan. Left alone it might have perished, or been found by one of his clanmates. The latter of the two seemed like the worse fate. In an attempt to prevent this, Stoatclaw had been leaving minor supplies aside for the kit to 'steal'. A couple meals here, a few bedding items there, it just seemed right.

Stoatclaw was doing more than enough for this mystery kit, and he was sure that with how terrible it was at sneaking around others had joined in. It wasn't hard not to notice, but it seemed that so far the kit had avoided detection from some of the more ornery cats of his clan. Yes, he was doing more than enough, and he definitely did not want to get even more involved with the thing. A meal now, fresh bedding later, it was enough to sustain the kit until its clan came back for it.

Stoatclaw padded away from the fresh-kill pile, a squirrel dangling limply in his jaws as he made for the usual drop-off spot. He would replace the prey later in the day, this was just a loan of sorts. Eyes snapped to a patch of color in the snow, and for the first time he got a good look at the kit. It was so... Small. He should just leave, it was fine out here as long as he continued giving it meals. Stars, it was easy to tell himself that when he had never let himself look at the thing, but faced with it now it seemed impossible to turn away. It really didn't help that the kit looked sad either. Sighing around the prey, Stoatclaw took a few steps toward the kit before placing the squirrel on the snow a few tail-lengths away. Hesitantly, the warrior spoke up. "Are you... Okay?" Had he not left enough supplies for it? Why was it just sitting out in the open now?

Flopped over on his side, Astershine watched his friend with curious eyes from an open area nearby. Observing his clanmates was something he did often - it was one of his favorite pastimes. Most of what he would see was standard, nothing important enough to take note of. However, a small, foreign kit couldn't even escape the Skyclanner's eyes - and neither could Stoatclaw's involvement. Currently, the pale tom's unyielding eyes were fixed on the tabby as he bent down to the kit's level, speaking to them for seemingly the first time. As close as Astershine was, he wasn't within earshot. He didn't have the slightest idea what Stoatclaw was saying, and in all honesty, he wanted to know.

No longer sprawled out on the floor of the clearing, Astershine skipped over to Stoatclaw, leaning in close to his ear. "What'd you say to them? The kit." His words were hushed, but he wasn't a very good whisperer. The kit surely heard his question. Raising his voice, he turned toward the kit and spoke to them directly. "You're not from here, I've seen you. What are you doing here, and where is your family?"  His tone was flat and even, with no hint toward his emotions. Truly, he was curious about why this kit was here. If his nose didn't deceive him, the kit was Shadowclan. It wouldn't be impossible for a Shadowclan kit to have gotten left in Fourtrees when the Twolegs came, but that didn't explain why they were still here. Surely they weren't the only ones to have noticed a foreign kit lurking around camp.

The young she-cat's head jumped up at the sound of pawsteps crunching through snow. Though from a quick glance she didn't think the unknown tom was angry at her, her ears - quickly turning red from the cold - still pinned down against her head. Snailkit couldn't quite meet the SkyClan cat in the eye. "I'm okay." Lie. She could finally put a face to the scent that dusted some of the things she "found" now. She was so dumb. "I guess I'm not a very good hider. Thank you for taking care of me." She could hardly breathe past the ball of emotion forming in her chest. She was still trying to be quiet; many cats did not look kindly on kittens who would only whine and cry. That were only another useless hungry mouth to feed in the middle of an already harsh season. It was only by the kindness of strangers that she was still alive.

A Clanmate of her newly discovered caretaker suddenly appeared, with an attitude that felt all business. This new cat, she couldn't read them at all! The tabby-blotched kitten took a step back, wary of those eyes that seemed like they could stare straight into her soul. "Ah- I'm waiting for my dad!" She blurted out, a bit of panic lacing her words. Was he going to make her leave? The was a long pause before she continued. "Those big things that came and started taking everyone, they got him. I'm waiting for him to come back. They stole some SkyClan cats too, I saw them do it! Your family that got taken, they came back, right?" Snailkit's voice came out with the pitiful warble characteristic of a child about to cry. She didn't care where the rest of ShadowClan went anymore, she just wanted her dad to come home.

"Not much, yet." The tom whispered back, unbothered by the sudden appearance of Astershine. He was one of the good ones, someone that could be trusted to be in the presence of another clan's kit. Still, it seemed that he wasn't well versed in how to talk to kits. Bumping into his friend's shoulder, Stoatclaw shot the other tom a look. Another whisper, "Quit spooking her, Aster!" Stars, it was like he couldn't read the situation at all.

"Ah the twolegs, yeah. They did get some our clanmates when they invaded this place, but they haven't..." Stoatclaw paused, the kit's tone and words finally sinking in. She didn't care if Skyclan's warriors had returned, she just wanted to know if her father would have been able to escape. "Y-yes, they all came back. I'm sure your father is already back in-" sniff sniff "Shadowclan?" Little white lies wouldn't hurt right? Stoatclaw knew that his clanmates would find their way back to Skyclan, even if a few of those cats deserved to stay lost, but if they could do it then this kit's father could too...

Astershine furred his brow and dropped his jaw in confusion. "Spooking her? I'm just asking questions. We need to know!" Despite his defense, he still took a step backwards. Perhaps Stoatclaw should be the one to tend the kit, he clearly understood them far better than Astershine ever could.

The tom watched from over Stoatclaw's shoulder as the kit struggled to hold herself together. It seemed she were missing her father too. Their situations were vastly different, but he could relate to her apprehension and fear. The difference was that his own father was never coming home. The kit had at least that possibility.

Leaning toward Stoatclaw again, he whispered, this time quiet enough. "Should we take her back to her parents? I don't think it would be good to keep her here, it wouldn't be good to have Shadowclan as an enemy. Do we tell Birdstar?" Stars, they didn't even know the kit's name. He didn't want to ask the kit himself, though, he worried that he'd upset her again. He leaned toward Stoatclaw once more. "Ask her what her name is."