Indecisive feelings of enjoyment [c]

Dovekit was tired of not being an apprentice. Well, he was also just tired in general, given that Pigeonkit was determined not to let him sleep, and Swankit and Crowkit and Ravenkit weren't much better, and Owlpaw was too busy to keep them in line. He let out an annoyed huff to himself, staring off into the distance where his siblings were busy bickering about something or other. All he wanted was for them to be safe. Even if they were stupid and reckless. But all they did was squabble noisily and run around camp and get into trouble every hour of the day. Couldn't they be content to just... talk? Normally, for once? Any conversation would get instantly derailed by Pidge, or he'd get mocked by Swan, or something else would happen that left him entirely out of the loop. And that left him to sit here by himself, whipping his thick-furred tail around in annoyance, waiting for the final months of his kithood to pass so that he could at least have real things to stress about.

His ruminating was soon interrupted. An apprentice--the very object of his hope for himself in the future--had bounded up to him, a warm smile inundating the silence that Dovekit had previously been wallowing in. He blinked seriously at the cream tabby, pale eyes glancing at him. He didn't seem much like Owlpaw at all. He was an apprentice, right? One who got to go on the territory and defend against invaders? So why did he seem so... well... peppy? Sunpaw, he said his name was. Fitting. Yet, though the cheeriness should have been irritating, like bright sun in his eyes, Dovekit found that he did not immediately want to leave. A distraction was welcome, actually. "Uh. Hi," he said hesitantly. "I'm Dovekit. I'm going to be an apprentice soon... I think. It's hard to tell." That wasn't a very good way to start a conversation, he admonished himself quietly, but it was too late. Maybe Sunpaw would have a different topic to speak on. He'd answered the question, anyway, hadn't he? Perhaps he ought to have asked one himself. Belatedly, he stammered out, "Uh... what's it like, being an apprentice?"

At least this apprentice was nice. Dovekit nodded in response, allowing a small smile of pride to touch his face when Sunpaw agreed he was getting close to his ceremony. Sooner rather than later, he hoped! It wasn't that he didn't like spending time with his siblings... but he wanted to be out there, helping the Clan, bonding with everyone, and--well. He felt like others looked down on him. Maybe if he were apprentice, he'd be taken more seriously. Maybe his siblings would take him more seriously. Maybe he could actually protect them, instead of just puffing up inadequately in the face of a threat.

He couldn't stop his ears from moving forward in interest as Sunpaw described what it was like. Swimming... having a mentor... giving back to the Clan. "I'm a bit worried my fur will be too fluffy for swimming," he admitted, shaking out his pelt to prove his point, "but I'm excited to try! The weather's getting warmer, and it sounds like getting in the cool water will be nice. And I hope I have a nice mentor! And it would be nice to feel like I'm doing something instead of just sitting around here." Dovekit belatedly realized he'd been rambling a little bit. He cleared his throat and averted his pale gray-blue eyes for a moment, staring up at the clouds in the sky. "But, uh--yeah. I think I'm pretty excited. I'm most excited to learn how to defend in a battle. I don't know if you know any of my siblings, but I've got a lot of them... and I feel pretty responsible for them sometimes. I want to be able to protect them, if I can. Especially my littlest sister Pigeonkit. She's always getting into trouble." His tail lashed once behind him, but there was fondness mixed with the annoyance.