i am lost; i am found [c]

CREEK-KIT • SHADOWCLAN • ♂︎

Creek-kit never got to know his mother. He was told that she had passed on to StarClan while giving birth to him and his two siblings, who also drew no breath once they had entered the world. He knew he was being passed around from queen to queen in the nursery, anyone that could--and would--care for him until he was old enough to be weaned. It only bothered him a little bit; if he had never known her in the first place, what was he missing out on?

He was quiet and shy, preferring to watch the other kits play instead of joining in. Other queens pushed him to socialize, but he was much more content to observe and learn that way. While the louder kits romped around the nursery, a moss ball rolled over to him, bumping against his paws. Blinking, he prodded at it curiously, pushing it back and forth under his tiny forepaw. Creek-kit's gaze wandered out to the nursery opening and further beyond into camp, spotting a couple of apprentices and their mentors returning from training.

It got him thinking, was apprenticeship fun? It certainly seemed more interesting than hanging around the nursery. Batting the moss ball back towards the other kits, Creek-kit got to his feet and crept over to the nursery entrance. He was old enough to leave, he figured, plus he had no mother to reprimand him. One small pawstep after the other, and the pointed tomkit found himself out in the middle of camp. What happened next, now that he was out here? He hunched down into himself, feeling suddenly miniscule as he stared around.

CREEK-KIT • SHADOWCLAN • ♂︎

Paws approached him, and a gentle voice introduced herself as Tawnyshadow as a bundle of feathers dropped before him. The little tomkit raised his gaze from the ground to peer up at her, surprised that someone, anyone, would be talking to little ol' him. He took a moment to find his voice, the noise coming out in a kit-like squeak. "Hi, um...I'm Creek-kit."

The feathers were pretty and fluffy, and he poked at one with a little paw. Were these for him? No one had ever given him anything before, which...made something stir in his heart in a bad way. A bad feeling. Creek-kit looked back up into the warrior's face with wide blue eyes, managing a tiny smile of hopefulness. "Tawnyshadow, are these for me...? They're very pretty."

CREEK-KIT • SHADOWCLAN • ♂︎

Tawnyshadow was nice, he decided. He nodded and backed up a bit, almost tripping over his own paws. Creek-kit sprang up into a pounce and planted his pinprick claws squarely on the bundle of feathers. Little fibers of the feathers puffed up and blew away with the impact and he watched them float in the air with a little grin. Being asked to play with something felt a bit...forced, but he had to admit it was kinda fun. It did feel weird that the molly was standing there watching him, so he looked up at her expectantly. "Tawnyshadow...? Do you wanna maybe, uh, play with me? I can go get a mossball from the nursery if you want." Blinking, he waited for her response, holding his breath a moment in the hopes that she would say yes.

CREEK-KIT • SHADOWCLAN • ♂︎

Creek-kit broke into a wide grin, happy that he had finally found a friend. "Oh, oh good...! I'll be right back--" He hurried off to the nursery and grabbed one of the spare mossballs that littered the nests. He managed to grip it in his mouth well enough, trotting back to Tawnyshadow with joy in his eyes. The pointed tomkit dropped it by the molly's paws. "This one hasn't been used too much yet, it's still in a good shape. What should we play? Catch? Or Keepie-Uppie? That one is fun, have you played that one before?"

CREEK-KIT • SHADOWCLAN • ♂︎

"Oh, sure! It's easy, you just--" He batted the mossball up into the air, skipping and dancing around to make sure it didn't touch the ground. He finally hooked it with little kitten claws, holding it with his forepaws against the ground. "You gotta keep it off the ground, that's it! If it touches the ground you lose. Here, your turn...!" Creek-kit tossed it Tawnyshadow's way, preparing himself to bat it back with a little wiggle of his rump.