new skies [c]

In the very early hours of the morning, Dawnfeather patrolled beside the Thunderpath.

Whispers of ShadowClan animosity had reached even her ears, and although the marsh-dwellers’ spite was aimed at the moor-runners of WindClan, an extra patrol or two couldn’t hurt. Dawnfeather had known several ShadowClanners over the seasons, from the familiarity of Cicadapaw to even Nightstar, and most of them had been courteous, preferring to stick to the shadowed marshes on the other side of the asphalt.

The tell-tale screech of a monster was heard off in the distance, and so Dawnfeather and her patrolmate took a few steps back, letting the bushes screen them from the road. Instead of screaming past, however, the car came to a halt, lights flashing brightly in the early hours of the morning. The Twoleg inside opened the door and tossed out a worn box, before driving off once more.

What?

Ignoring her patrolmate’s protests, Dawnfeather padded forwards, the distinctive kitten-scent of warm milk hanging in the air. Poking her head over the edge of the box, the golden molly’s eyes grew wide. Two small kits were curled up among a warm blanket, likely just old enough to walk, shivering from the crisp new-leaf air. One was a lilac-pointed molly, the other a white and tabby tom, obviously siblings and just as obviously far too young to fend for themselves.

Dawnfeather felt her heart melt.

“Don’t worry little ones,” she crooned, looking them up and down. Healthy and decently-fed, no signs of visible illness, but- well. “Do you have names?”

She wasn’t sure if they were old enough to remember even such a simple thing, and at any rate they’d need Clan names, but it was a good question to soothe their minds and- well. She was already acting as if she was taking them back to camp, but was that really in question? Two small kits, obviously with no mother to care for them…

”My name’s Dawnfeather.”

The little she-kit had never left the safety of home before. Or was that even home now? One moment she was beside her mother, and the next a hand was reaching to take her. Nothing out of the ordinary at first. Until she wasn't put back. She was always put back afterwards, even if she did something wrong, like accidentally not leave her brother enough space around their mother - maybe this time whatever she had done was so bad that the hand that reach for her would never return her.

The blanket beneath her was soft and warm and smelt like her mother, and her brother was beside her. Just him and no-one else. For a few minutes, that was the kit's world.

Until it wasn't. Unfamiliar voices rand out through the air, and on shaky legs, the kit lifted herself to her paws to look upwards, into the face of a stranger. Every part of her wanted to hide, to burrow under the blanket and never come out, but now the cat was talking. She tried to open her mouth to come speak, and nothing came out. But she had already decided this cat - Dawnfeather - was nice and friendly. Not that she had any gauge on how other cats acted outside of her direct family. Even her father she had never properly met.

"Dawn..feather." She tried slowly, the words familiar in her mouth and yet foreign at the same time they were joined together. Now she had said something, words were coming easier to her. "I'm V-." She stopped. Her mind searched and there was nothing there. A letter, that was it. "V..." Nothing was happening, so she quickly shut her mouth and shook her head silently. Her legs, protesting at having to be used for so long, soon folded inwards, and the kit was left surrounded by blanket and her brother's pelt.

Vole, Viper- Violet, for her delicate beauty like a blooming flower that already showed in every line of her fur. “I’ll call you Violetkit, if that’s alright, dear,” she purred, eyes scanning over the small kits. They didn’t look malnourished, which was good; shaken, mostly from the traumatic experience of being tossed roughly to the ground without their mother… how could Twolegs do this to kits? How could anyone? Dawnfeather’s mother’s heart ached in sympathy. Oh… it was a good thing Birdstar was open to bringing in lost kits, because otherwise she would 100% be breaking the rules right now.

Her bright blue gaze turned to the tom. Lucky? She’d known a rogue or two by that name. “I don’t know where your mother is, little one, but you’re safe now, I promise. Let’s get you out of the cold, dears.”

Dawnfeather’s patrolmate padded up alongside her, begrudgingly yet gently taking one of the kits by the scruff as Dawnfeather picked up the other. “Lucky isn’t a Clan name, Dawnfeather.”

“We’ll call him Alderkit,” she decided, tail-tip twitching as the warriors started back towards camp. “Because he’s strong, like a tree, taking care of his sister. What brave little dears…”

It was already decided, at the moment she laid eyes on them; Dawnfeather would protect these kits with her very life.

Violetkit. The she-kit had a 'clan' name now (whatever that was), just like Dawnfeather. At first she resisted the grip on the back of her neck out of habit, but it was so much more gentle than the human hand that was there previously that she relaxed into the hold. You would think after such abandonment that Violetkit would learn to be less trusting, but it already felt like she was home and safe and loved after a mere few seconds with these clan cats. She took one longing look at the soft blanket that smelt like her mother as another car skimmed past the box, spraying droplets of water over what was once safety. Clearly there was no going back now, but under the watch of these kind strangers and her brother by her side, Violetkit found that she didn't really care.