A bad time to be born, really (Open)

Tawnykit hissed in pain as she limped out of the nursery. the camp was still in ruins, though the warriors have been hard at work patching it up, and just as she was exiting the nursery her paw had caught onto a stray bramble tendril... well, you can guess what happened after. now, her front paw still aching and her legs starting to numb with cold, the little she-kit grumpily plopped herself down under a pine tree, or rather slipped on the frozen pine needles that coated the frost-hardened ground.

she closed her eyes for a moment, before shifting into a more comfortable position. she had no reason to exit the nursery in the first place, other than it was uncomfortable and cold, but now that she was outside she wished she could go back in.

"when is this Starclan-forsaken season going to end?" she muttered to herself.

bumping this

Snowfoot smiled empathetically at the miserable kit. How long ago had that been her? Padding over to the tortoiseshell, Snowfoot waved her tail in greeting before sitting down near the kit. “I was a Leafbare kit, too,” she mewed. “And I can assure you, it feels long now, but someday it’ll seem like it was no time at all. For now, hang in there. You’ve got a thick coat, it could be worse.” She motioned to Sunpaw across the clearing for emphasis. His fur was so short and smooth he practically shivered with every step. “My name’s Snowfoot, by the way. I’m a member of Nightstar’s council.”

“I was a Leafbare kit, too. And I can assure you, it feels long now, but someday it’ll seem like it was no time at all. For now, hang in there. You’ve got a thick coat, it could be worse.”

A black-and-white she-cat Tawnykit recognized as Snowfoot sat down next to her and began friendly conversation. While she was glad for the company and all, weren't the warriors supposed to be busy on patrols and repairing the camp? Oh, wait- this must be the nursery duty some of the warriors were talking about. well, that makes sense, and they needed to preserve their energy for later anyway.

“My name’s Snowfoot, by the way. I’m a member of Nightstar’s council.”

A council member? She had heard a few snippets here and there about a council, but no one actually told her what it was. well, at least she could ask now. "Council? What does this... council do?"

Snowfoot smiled. “Well, we help keep the clan running smoothly, help keep tabs on patrols, and sometimes Nightstar and Leopardsun ask us for advice. After all, they’re just cats like the rest of us. Even leaders don’t always have the answers to everything. Sometimes it’s necessary to turn to the senior warriors for help.”

Tawnykit nodded slowly. it made sense, she supposed, to have many more cats to turn to for advice instead of just two cats. Well, now that her question was cleared, she had new one at the tip of her tongue... she was almost shy as she asked softly, "Can you tell me about Newleaf?"

Snowfoot purred a little at the kit’s question. Newleaf, easily her favorite season. “The forest exists in a delicate balance. Every season has its time. When Leafbare’s time is done, the snow melts away, and one by one little green plants begin to grow. The trees grow new leaves to replace the ones they lost in Leaf-fall, and the sun shines warmly down on the forest. Birds sing as they build their nest and raise their young, and the prey runs better than just about any other time! I love Newleaf, and I’m sure you will, too.”

Dark green pine needles blocking out the bright light of the moon... the distant owl shrieks... Tawnykit could almost imagine Newleaf. Opening her eyes, she was once again met with the white world that she had known for so long. Oh, how she wished Newleaf was here...