We All Start As Seedlings [OPEN]

Gender: Male
Rank: Kit
Stats: 10 HP / 30 SP

Cedarkit pushed his way out of the nursery, smiling softly as he left tiny little paw prints in the dusty ground beneath him. The young kit stretched his legs before looking around curiously. It was just past dawn, so the camp was still pretty quiet. The dawn patrol had probably gone out already and many cats were sleeping in or just waking up still. As an early riser himself, Cedarkit was usually quick to wake up in the morning. He enjoyed watching the quiet bustle of cats preparing for early morning duties. Not just that, but he liked watching the sun rise. The way golden beams of sunlight reflected off of dew-covered leaves was just beautiful. The red and white tom found a nice place to relax and fixed his gaze on the sunrise, soaking it all in as the sky brightened and the clouds turned pink and orange.

Finally, the sun crept over the treetops, spilling warm light into the clearing and warming Cedarkit's pelt. By now, most of the clan was out and about, but hidden in his secluded little corner of the camp, none of them paid him any attention. He had no littermates to keep him company and no known parents to tell him stories or play with. His mother had died while kitting and, shortly thereafter, his father vanished without a trace. Supposedly, the loss of his mate had driven him insane with grief and he disappeared into the night, never to be seen or heard from again.

None of this bothered Cedarkit very much. He'd never gotten a chance to know his parents and because of that, he never found himself missing them. Of course, he was often envious of the other kits for their perfect little families and happy little lives. Cedarkit plopped onto the ground, abandoning his stiff position from earlier. Why was he moping around? Being moody wouldn't change anything and it definitely wouldn't fix anything. Maybe he would start to feel happier if he made some friends?

Gender: Male
Rank: Kit
Stats: 10 HP / 30 SP

Cedarkit jumped slightly as another kit appeared beside him. He'd been so lost in thought that he hadn't even taken notice of her approach. Briefly, he wondered just how she had found his little hiding spot - he hadn't noticed anyone else awake when he'd left the nursery. Regardless, she was here now, almost like an answer to his prayers. This was exactly what he needed...maybe someone was looking out for him after all?

Clearing his throat awkwardly, Cedarkit shook away his surprise and hummed quietly. "Plenty of cool stuff, yeah." The birds that soared over the camp, the clouds that would occasionally look like a tree or a mouse, the endless expanse of bright blue that made Cedarkit realize the world probably went on forever and ever. Despite his youth, Cedarkit knew that a single cat like him would never be able to explore it all. From the glimpses of the forest he saw, even their swath of territory looked so big - especially to such a small kit.

Of course, Cedarkit didn't know how to put his thoughts into words just yet and even if he did, he knew that plenty of cats would judge him for his dreams of exploration. "Well...I saw a family of birds earlier. The mama bird was teaching her babies how to fly." He gestured to a nearby tree overheard where, if you squinted, you would see a bird's nest crammed into a tangle of branches. The nest, only recently home to a small brood, was quiet now. "They all flew off and left one of the babies behind."

Was this what other kits talked about? Cedarkit tended to enjoy his own company more than the company of others so he was ashamed to say that he didn't know how to interact with kits like Shrewkit. She seemed nice enough, though.

Gender: Male
Rank: Kit
Stats: 10 HP / 30 SP

Amber eyes lit up with surprise and Cedarkit turned his head to examine Shrewkit. He was a bit shocked to hear her thoughts on the birds - particularly that she wasn't bored out of her mind, but also that she felt bad for the bird. He hadn't necessarily thought of it as sad, just the way life worked sometimes. Though, he probably had a skewed sense of things, given his situation. Maybe, in a different world, he would look up at that baby bird and feel sorry for it. "Yeah...I guess it is pretty sad."

At Shrewkit's next statement, Cedarkit tensed, worried that he had upset her somehow, but after listening to the rest of what she had to say, he relaxed somewhat. "Bird...buddies?" He tilted his head curiously, considering the she-kit's offer. He rarely, if ever strayed from his usual morning routine and he wasn't sure he wanted to start now. However, he supposed that some concessions had to be made if he was going to make friends. And Shrewkit did seem to be the sort of cat he needed in his life. Slowly, a Cedarkit cracked a smile and nodded. "Okay, that sounds good to me."

The red tom hesitated for a moment, then scooched over slightly to allow Shrewkit more room to get comfortable. "I usually come out here every morning to observe everyone...and the birds. There's a bird nest in the camp actually!" Cedarkit cleared his throat, lowering his voice into a conspiratorial whisper. "I could show you. If you're interested?"

Gender: Male
Rank: Kit
Stats: 10 HP / 30 SP

Cedarkit narrowed his eyes slightly, confused. No bird watching at all without her? He pondered this for a moment, then smiled back at the she-kit. "Hmm, okay, but I'm not gonna wake you up." The red kit shuddered slightly at the idea of waking the other kit's littermates on accident. Or worse, her mother. Cedarkit didn't know his other denmates very well, but he wasn't sure a tired queen would appreciate being woken up before the crack of dawn.

As he mentioned the bird's nest, however, Cedarkit could see the excitement forming on his new friend's face. He started to grin, proud of himself for having such interesting things to say. Even better, she had already agreed to keep it a secret - without him having to ask!"No take backs either!" Then a thought occurred to Cedarkit. He knew cats ate birds, but for some reason, he felt the need to specify that these birds weren't for eating!

He opened his jaws to make his announcement, but the she-kit had already begun speaking again. He listened carefully, not wanting to be rude, and realized that she was right! He didn't know her name either! As Shrewkit went on, Cedarkit's deflated a bit. He'd seen Blazefang around plenty of times - and given his own complicated situation, he couldn't bring himself to disagree with Shrewkit. Nor did he want to ruin the fun they were having by saying something sad. "That's a nice name! Mine's Cedarkit." He'd never met his mama anyway, so it felt wrong to complain.

Not wanting to linger on that topic any longer, Cedarkit quickly got up. "Lemme show you that nest! But we have to be reaaalll quiet, okay? So nobody else finds out!" Mostly, Cedarkit liked the idea of having a secret just between him and Shrewkit. Regardless, it was a lot more fun than hoarding secrets by himself.

Gender: Male
Rank: Kit
Stats: 10 HP / 30 SP

Cedarkit began to relax, his tumultuous thoughts eased into submission now that Shrewkit had come to distract him. This was a nice change of pace. He didn't usually talk to other cats and before today, he'd kept his distance from the rest of the kits in the nursery. My how wrong he'd been to do that! Briefly, he wondered if Shrewkit's littermates were this much fun, but he dismissed the thought, not wanting to betray his new friend with thoughts of other new friends.

The tom smiled, surprised to hear what Shrewkit thought of his name. He didn't say anything in response though, just nodded seriously. He wouldn't tell her mama a single word of what Shrewkit had said about her name! Even if he himself thought it was a good name. Though, as Shrewkit got ready to go, Cedarkit remembered their top-secret mission and turned to gesture to the aforementioned bird nest. "Okay! See over there? In that young oak tree? The nest is...I think halfway to the top." It was especially hard to spot right now, with all sorts of leaves and branches in the way, but it was definitely there!

Perhaps he should take her to the tree so they could see the nest from a closer distance? Yes! That was a good idea. Cedarkit nodded to himself, the peered out into the clearing, checking to see if the coast was clear. "I'll take you there! C'mon!" Without waiting for much of a response, Cedarkit darted out of their hiding place and ran for the nearest bush. He ducked under its low-hanging branches and looked back at Shrewkit expectantly.

Gender: Male
Rank: Kit
Stats: 10 HP / 30 SP

Cedarkit rocked to the side as Shrewkit stumbled into him, but quickly regained his balance so he didn't blow their cover. He flashed a small smile to the other kit - reassuring her that it was okay - and nodded toward the base of the tree which was only a few tail-lengths away. Was Shrewkit disappointed? Did she want to see the nest from up close?

Eager to impress his new friend, Cedarkit came up with an idea."This is the closest I've gotten. Usually, there are too many warriors around, telling me not to mess around." The young tom glanced around the camp, pleased to see it mostly empty now. "It seems quiet now...do you think we'd be able to climb up there?"

He narrowed his eyes, examining the tree from their hiding place under the bush. It looked easy enough with tons of low-hanging branches to grab onto and plenty of spots to use as foot holds. Besides, plenty of cats climbed trees every day, how hard could it be? "That branch near the bottom looks easy enough to grab on to, don't you think?"

Briefly, Cedarkit wondered if this was a good idea, but the worry quickly left his mind. No cat had ever told him not to climbs trees before, and it wasn't like they were going to leave the camp. It was right here on the edge of the camp!

Gender: Male
Rank: Kit
Stats: 10 HP / 30 SP

Cedarkit cocked his head, considering Shrewkit's words. She made a good point. After all, there was a reason Skyclan was the one known for strong climbing skills and Thunderclan was not. Thunderclanners just preferred to be on the ground...something about being heavier and less adept at leaping. Or something like that anyway.

Looking up at the massive tree, Cedarkit began to wonder if maybe, Shrewkit was right. "Yeah..." His gaze landed on the low branch once more and he felt his fur begin to rise. Well, there was no harm in trying, was there? Just as the tom opened his jaws to announce his intention, Shrewkit launched herself into the open!

Mouth agape, Cedarkit watched as Shrewkit leapt for the branch. For a moment, it looked like she was going to fall! Gasping, Cedarkit darted forward, intent on catching the she-kit if she fell. However, there was no need because only moments later, Shrewkit found her balance and safely clambered all the way onto the branch.

Grinning proudly up at his friend, Cedarkit nodded. Alright, hold on cause I doubt I'll be any more graceful!" Waggling his haunches, Cedarkit bundled his hind paws under him as he calculated the distance from the ground to the branch. It didn't look too far...

With a burst of strength, Cedarkit launched himself into the air, pushing himself to the limit. Which, of course, wasn't very much for a kit. Despite his small size, Cedarkit found himself high in the air, almost like a bird!

Oh...wait a second. Too high...too high! Cedarkit let out a sharp mreow of alarm as his paws scraped the branch and he began tumbling back to the ground. Oh stars! The kit panicked and twist in the air, hooking his claws into the branch, only barely managing to stop his descent. With a grunt, the tom hauled himself the rest of the way before collapsing on the branch, his breath coming in quick gasps.

Panting, Cedarkit lifted his head to look at Shrewkit, a wavering smile on his face. "See...?" He huffed. "Not nearly as graceful."

Gender: Male
Rank: Kit
Stats: 10 HP / 30 SP

Cedarkit looked toward Shrewkit, his breath shaky. After a moment, he glanced down at the ground, shuddering as he realized how far down it looked. Well, it wasn't all that far, considering he'd managed to get up here...but still! Getting up was one thing, getting down was another. Especially when he'd almost made a complete fool of himself just a moment ago.

The red tom peered at Shrewkit, his fur bushy. His tail alone looked like it had been struck by lightning with how frizzy it was. Gulping, the kit willed his fur to lie flat despite what felt like a near death experience.

Oh...Shrewkit was really scared. Cedarkit's heart plummeted into his belly as he realized that watching his brush with gravity must have really frightened her. He nodded slowly and inched forward to press his muzzle comfortingly atop her head. Though the branch was very sturdy, he didn't want to move too much in case he slipped.

Y-yeah. I'm done...that was pretty scary." Though he hated to admit to his fear, Cedarkit definitely would have hated it more if he made Shrewkit feel like a coward. "You did great though." Cedarkit looked at the she-kit, admiration in his gaze. "I think you were really brave."

Their adventure officially over, Cedarkit craned his neck to look over the edge of the branch. From the ground, it certainly didn't seem all that high, but up here, he was starting to feel pretty queasy. "I guess I'll ju-"

A soft chirp from above cut through the rest of Cedarkit's announcement and he paused to look up, curiosity glimmering in his eyes. What was that? It couldn't have been a bird...right? Nevertheless, the red and white tom tilted his head back to see what had made the cute noise.

A few tail-lengths above them, a tiny little bird was perched on the edge of a nest. Not just any nest, but the nest Cedarkit had wanted to show Shrewkit in the first place! Maybe this adventure wasn't such a failure after all! Ears pricked, Cedarkit looked back at Shrewkit, his previous fear replaced with wonder.

"Shrewkit! The nest - there's a little bird in it!"