a few moons too early[C]

All around her, exhaustion and dread hung heavy in the air. the half-finished dens and twigs littered the clearing in no particular order. the bleak morning light shone through the gaps in the branches up above, lighting up Tawnykit's silver fur. as a kit, she wasn't required to do anything to help the clan, so unlike her clanmates who were all snoozing away in their nests, she was wide awake.

the tortoiseshell hissed in frustration as she paced up and down. everything seemed so bleak, so slow, and it was increasingly frustrating that she couldn't do a thing to help. well, perhaps she could...

amber eyes narrowed at the camp entrance. she could sneak out of camp and do something while every other cat was sleeping. she couldn't hunt yet, sure, but she could help collect cobwebs or moss. they could be found easily, right? then the apprentices could focus on more important tasks, like hunting...

as the plan formed in her mind, Tawnykit got to her paws and tried to cross the clearing as casually and quietly as possible. just as she was about to leave the camp, a sudden voice behind her made her freeze in place.

He hadn't been back in camp for long, but even Sablestrike could tell the effect it was having on the others in camp. Having to worry about camp repairs as well as keeping the fresh-kill pile stocked for the cats hard at work was indeed a tiring experience, these few days back had taught him as much. That's why it seemed so important to continue the repairs while his clanmates slept, even the smallest bit of extra work would help out, and with Sablestrike being gone for most of the restoration it only seemed fair that he put in a tad more effort than what was expected of him.

Though he hadn't quite finished repairing his chosen section of camp, he was ready to crawl into his nest and sleep this wretched light away. The young tom abandoned his post, setting a course for the warrior's den when a small bundle of fur caught his eye. Perhaps it was the light playing tricks on him? No, he was far too lucid for that, and the light that streamed down wasn't even strong enough to make him squint, so that meant this wasn't a trick, there truly was a kit making for the camp entrance. Stars, good thing I wasn't sleeping like the rest.

With a deep sigh, the warrior began walking toward the wandering kit. "Where do you think you're going? A kit like you should know that it's dangerous to leave camp, did your mother not teach you these things?" He mewed in an exasperated tone. Golden eyes settled on the kit as the distance between them became little more than a tail-length. This one was new, he was sure.. If not then he just hadn't ever noticed her until this point.

"Where do you think you're going? A kit like you should know that it's dangerous to leave camp, did your mother not teach you these things?"

Tawnykit bit back on her tongue as the words threatened to slip out of her mouth: of course not, she died during birth didn't you know? but of course, it was no excuse for breaking the rules. taking in a deep breath, she raised her eyes to look straight into the warrior's golden ones and through gritted teeth, she mewed, "I'm sorry, I just wanted to help out a bit around here. It's not like I have anything else to do, really. It won't be long, just enough for me to get some fresh moss. Then the apprentices won't have to do that later."

he couldn't argue with that, could he?

Sablestrike's gaze grew harsh as the kit spoke. It was bad enough that this kit was trying to leave the safety of camp in favor of the known dangers that inhabited their territory, but now she was trying to argue her way out of camp? It took all his his restraint to not growl as he responded to the kit. "You're a kit, you should be off playing, or sleeping, or whatever it is you do. Leaving camp on your own only creates more problems for us." It was true, this kit could have been whisked away by any number of predator while no one was looking. That would result in a search party, and delay repairs to the camp further... Still, Sablestrike could understand how this kit felt. The flood had put his clan in a similar situation, and the feeling of helplessness that he had felt as a kit had been haunting.

Giving the camp a proper lookover revealed no other cat in sight. Stars, he was really about to do this. In a much softer tone, the warrior offered a compromise to the kit. "You want to be useful? I can't let you leave camp alone, stars I shouldn't let you leave camp at all, but if you're this serious about helping out... Then perhaps I can accompany you. Does that sound fair?" As much as he wanted to shove the kit back into the nursery, Sablestrike wanted to encourage this kind of loyalty to the clan. Besides, he was a capable enough warrior that he could defend a singular kit from any harm.

as she continued talking, Tawnykit could sense the warrior's growing disapproval. but she kept her chin up and finished her argument as confidently as she could. after a few heartbeats, the tom's expression softened.

"You want to be useful? I can't let you leave camp alone, stars I shouldn't let you leave camp at all, but if you're this serious about helping out... Then perhaps I can accompany you. Does that sound fair?" He mewed in a much gentler tone. Tawnykit could hardly believe her ears. So she could help her clan after all?

"Of course, I'll do anything you tell me to!" she promised quickly, impatience making her claws dig hard into the frozen ground below.

"Anything? Promise me that you won't tell anyone about this. Not your littermates, not your parents, no one. You would be in an awful lot of trouble if anyone found out what we're doing." To be more accurate, Sablestrike would be the one in trouble. He had already earned the ire of his clanmates over a stupid misunderstanding, but this time it was all his idea, there would be no coming back from this if Leopardsun found out, or Nightstar. The more I think about this the worse it sounds. No more thinking then, without waiting for the kit's response Sablestrike began to lead the way out of camp. This kit was ambitious, but how long would that last when she was faced with mud puddles threatened to swallow apprentices? "I suppose I should ask your name?" He said as they exited the thorn tunnel. Stars it was bright out here.

"Anything? Promise me that you won't tell anyone about this. Not your littermates, not your parents, no one. You would be in an awful lot of trouble if anyone found out what we're doing."

"I promise," Tawnykit mewed quickly, before the warrior had even finished speaking. not that she had parents or littermates in the first place. finally, she could help her clan in some way. As the tom turned and began heading out of camp, she quickly scrambled to keep up. his legs were much longer, and she had to half-run to stay within a tail-length's distance. for a moment, she wondered if she was really ready for whatever laid beyond the camp walls. she quickly shook off that doubt; after all, she had a full-grown warrior with her, and she also had her nose to track her way back to camp should she get lost.

"I suppose I should ask your name?"

"my name's Tawnykit."

"Tawnykit, if you were so eager to leave camp on your own, then I assume you know the dangers associated with leaving camp. Predators, mud that swallows even the most senior warriors, the muck monsters that roam our territory during the day, and so on. You are indeed a brave kit to want to face all of that on your own, but most importantly you must have an idea of where moss might grow. Why don't you lead me? I'll help you carry back as much as you want." Muck monsters, such a foolish story, but the word had gotten around to the other clans while they had been holed up in Fourtrees. Would it be a bad thing to use the legend for his own purposes? Pushing the kit forward slightly with a paw, Sablestrike flashed her a smile. "Go on then, and watch your step."

"Tawnykit, if you were so eager to leave camp on your own, then I assume you know the dangers associated with leaving camp. Predators, mud that swallows even the most senior warriors, the muck monsters that roam our territory during the day, and so on. You are indeed a brave kit to want to face all of that on your own, but most importantly you must have an idea of where moss might grow. Why don't you lead me? I'll help you carry back as much as you want."

Yes, she knew all about predators and the mud, which supposedly was only in the deep marshes, but the much monster? she had never heard of something like that. perhaps she had missed it from one of the elders' stories? no, impossible, she would remember something like that. just for extra precaution, though, she took a step closer to the warrior. however, the tom seemed to have something else in mind.

"Go on then, and watch your step."

He flashed a smile at Tawnykit and pushed her forward with a paw. Hold on, she was leading? But she hardly knew the territory! No, this must be a test. the tortoishell forced her fur to stop bristling and quickly tried to recall whether she had overheard any of the apprentices mentioning where to find moss. Didn't one of them mention a huge, old elm tree which root's were covered in moss? And if there was one elm tree, there should be loads of others around, right? So all she had to do was find a cluster of elm trees. simple.

Tawnykit took a deep breath and tried to recognize the scents around her. most were familiar, like the scent of pine and frozen needles and the faintest hint of mice, but some were new, like that musky, furry scent in the wind. "I think it should be... that way," she mewed, waving her tail vaguely into the direction that seemed to contain more moisture. glancing quickly towards the warrior, the little kit began trotting away.

OOC: we are now heading in the direction of the Deep Marshes

No, that little bit about the muck monsters hadn't done a thing to dissuade this kit from her little journey. That journey also seemed to be leading them toward the deeper parts of the marsh, and even though he had been willing to let her leave camp there was no way he would let this kit wander into the most dangerous section of their territory. "Y'know there's a difference between being brave and being foolish." The warrior said. Leaning down, Sablestrike bit down gently on Tawnykit's scruff before lifting her off the ground. "There's no reason to go that way." He mewed around the tiny bundle. "You're likely to drown before you get anywhere near the moss if you go that way." Turning from Tawnykit's previous direction, the tom set off for the Windclan border.

_

Black paws padded into the center of a ring of stones, and with one last look around to make sure there was no immediate danger, Sablestrike set the kit down. "Stay around these stones so I can keep an eye on you. I doubt you'll find much moss here, but you can find good materials for nest making. This is more important than moss gathering since it's so far from camp, I trust you won't have a problem with this?"

Tawnykit yelped as she was picked up by her scruff, her paws lashing out to free herself, but to no avail. Pinning her ears to her head, she let herself be carried away from what she now knew was the marshes, and further away from camp. At last, Sablestrike placed her down in a ring of rocks.

The ground below her felt rough and hard without the usual soft blanket of pine needles on it. She dug her claws into the ground as a sudden breeze rustled her fur, carrying along the scent of heather and rabbits. She must be near the Windclan border, the Clan that, for some absurd reason, seemed to enjoy having no cover whatsoever of trees and only rabbits for meals. How could a cat not enjoy the soft belly of a frog, or the tender meat of mice? Shaking her head as if to clear her thoughts, Tawnypaw looked around her for anything that might help build a den: flexible, like ivy or fern, but strong, and easy to carry by herself.

Suddenly, her eyes landed on a densely ivy-covered log a few fox-lengths away. The ivy tendrils, though blackened by frost, still seemed durable, and each vine was long enough to wrap around her body many times. Tawnykit bounded towards the log, halting beside it as she took a proper look at the ivies: The thickest and longest vines came from the top of the log. She was going to have to climb.

Narrowing her eyes, the silver tabby bundled her hindlegs below and heaved herself upwards, her front paws outstretched to grip onto the bark. Her claws dug into the soft wood of the side of the log, and quickly she scrabbled with her hindlegs to get a proper grip on the wood. However, the bark was already softened by the thick layers of frost, and fell away easily in her claws.

With a yelp, Tawnykit fell off the log, her tail waving frantically as she dropped onto the ground below.