curing boredom [open]

Fogkit had learned quickly that being a kit meant many rules and limitations. Mainly, he wasn't permitted to explore the territory. He longed to climb the trees that he saw every single day. His mother had told him when he had asked to leave that he wasn't allowed to until he was an apprentice. He found that dumb; he could easily protect himself! But rules were rules, and he was forced to follow them. So, for now, he spent his time in camp. Besides eating and sleeping, there wasn't much to do, but he had found ways to entertain himself. Sometimes, a leaf would drift down, or he would find a moss ball. Some of the older cats were eager to speak with him, and they had intriguing stories...occasionally. The wind was calm; no visitors fell from above into the young kit's paws. He looked up at the sky, observing the shapes of the clouds. That occupied him for a few more minutes until boredom struck again. Rising from his spot on the ground, he looked for someone to speak with. So long as he didn't have to talk much, he enjoyed listening to others. A few warriors were leaving for a patrol, and he didn't want to bother them. Some of the older cats took their duties very seriously. There weren't many other kits his age in the nursery to play with, and he didn't enjoy it very much anyways. He preferred to spend his time alone, but today had him seriously bored. And the apprentices were all doing exactly what he wished he was, training outside of camp. He huffed slightly, disappointed in his lack of results. Perhaps somebody would approach him, or he would find a new source of entertainment. He couldn't wait until he was an apprentice and got the freedom he longed for. He sat down again, licking the fur that covered his legs. He didn't like the feeling of burrs stuck in his pelt, or anything, for that matter. He removed them, unlodging them and placing them in a pile beside him. When he was done, he sat still for a few minutes, lost in thought. He watched two elders chatting with each other, reminiscing over their younger moons. Fogkit wished he could speak with others that easily, but often he felt disconnected from them.

Fogkit hadn't sensed the other kit approaching him until she was directly beside him. He jumped slightly, startled by the sudden noise. Upon turning his head, he realized it was just another kit. She was quiet as she spoke, but he vaguely recognized her. She was a few moons older than him if he recalled correctly. From what he'd observed, she was pretty shy. He would rather speak with someone quieter than a loud, rambunctious cat. He nodded at her request. His mother always told him he needed to make more friends; maybe this was an opportunity to give it a try. "I'm bored too. I wish I could do something- anything else would be better than this." he huffed in reply, his frustration apparent. Taking a breath to center himself, he continued. He didn't want to seem rude; he was simply tired of having nothing new to experience. "My name's Fogkit." He wasn't sure what to say after, so he waited for the she-cat to continue the conversation. She'd initiated it, so she probably had some plan on what to talk about. Or they could sit there in awkward silence. Honestly, he preferred it to empty small talk. He readjusted his position, laying down to stretch out his back. His head was still tilted towards the other kit. Maybe she would have an exciting story or an interesting fact he didn't know. Anything was better than the rampant boredom he was experiencing.

Fogkit was glad the she-cat seemed to relate to him. Whenever he expressed his woes to an older cat, they told him to 'enjoy his youth.' It was hard to enjoy doing nothing, he thought. She seemed to have a pretty optimistic outlook on things. He nodded enthusiastically "Mine tells me the same thing." he replied quietly, letting her continue to lead the conversation. The tom was content with responding every once in a while. He was sick of doing absolutely nothing. He nodded at her, acknowledging her statement. Humming in agreement, he fiddled with his paws, absorbing the silence. Just as he was about to pipe up, Celandinekit spoke again. He disagreed with her there, though. He didn't care much about the other clans. "Eh," he shrugged noncomitally. "I just wanna see more nature. Explore the territory." he explained wistfully. He'd spent nights imagining running through the forest, climbing trees, and watching prey. He wasn't as sure about the hunting part, but he'd love to observe. He found everything so interesting; he wanted to learn everything he could. He hoped he would get a mentor who would teach him that. Or at the very least, one who gave him the freedom to discover things on his own.

Fogkit nodded enthusiastically. He didn't like to talk much, but he could ramble for hours about nature. He'd picked up a few interesting tidbits from warriors, although they seemed keener to discuss battles. More than anything, he wanted to experience it for himself. Studying how a live raccoon or squirrel behaved or examining a patch of flowers was his goal for his apprenticeship. Right now, though, he had to make do with what he had available. Mainly prey and the few plants that grew inside the camp. He wanted to learn more about medicine cat herbs too. He was drawn from his thinking at Celandinekit's voice. He'd forgotten he was conversing with the molly. Although being social wasn't his favorite, he could appreciate her company. She seemed to enjoy things he found worthwhile, unlike some of his clanmates. "Yeah, I'd definitely like to go by myself some." he paused for a moment before remembering to reply to her request. "Exploring with you would be enjoyable too, though. I like your company." And that wasn't a lie to make her feel better; he truly enjoyed being around her. More so than others he had encountered. She didn't seem to find him odd or offputting, which was refreshing.