innocent wandering [open]

ooc; i am not sure if riverclan is established to be anywhere specific, or what boundaries look like in terms of clans being separate or near each other, etc. so feel free to correct me any i will edit!

Littlekit was a watcher. His mismatched eyes often peered deep into whatever creature or thing he was staring into ever so intently. The way he viewed the world was different from other cats, obscured by a clouded eye. It was something that he had grown up with over the past couple moons and was used to. To him, this was the way things looked, and he drank them in eagerly. Currently, his target was a stray pebble. To some cats, it might have seemed like an ordinary pebble but as the tom-kit twisted his head, he began to make out little intricacies to the worn stone. Most of it was smooth but miniscule creases had been drawn into the surface over time. A time far beyond his own and even that of his kin before him.

He'd wandered off a ways from the queens who normally watched over him, from their protective gaze that had grown all the more stringent during the clan's travels. It wasn't intentional to leave him behind, the tiny ball of grey and white fuzz simply sought out entertainment, and his interest in all things great and small lead him to this pebble. Littlekit had settled down onto his stomach, stretching out his forepaws behind him. Taking the pebble in his pads, he twisted it to get a better look before eventually pressing his nose to it. In an instant, a chill bolted through his pelt and caused his fur to stand on end. Living most of his life in leafbare, the kit was used to the cold but he had little concept for how surfaces could absorb and take on the chill in such an intense way. He giggled and wriggled his nose.

By the time he managed to pull himself away from the fascinated subject, Littlekit became aware of a shadow standing over him, "Oh. I didn't see you there! I was so busy. I am sorry!" He smiled a warm smile up at the cat who had approached, fixing them in his intense stare as he refocused himself to the presence of another cat.

ooc: wb ripped! it's great to see you again!

Kitespring still felt under the weather. She was a little better than just a few sunrises ago - being well-fed for the first time in moons helped a lot - but she also didn't feel... strong enough still. It was awful, but she knew she needed to rest to fully recover, even if that meant she couldn't actually help out around camp.

She had been doing just that when a young kit - Littlekit, if she remembered his name correctly - wandered close to the center of camp, eyeing the same pebble that the russet she-cat had her focus on before snatching it with his paw. Hey, I was watching that, she chuckled, a smile growing on her face. It was cute seeing a young kit exploring camp with such curiosity, even if the pandemic taking over the clans was still rampant.

Letting out a long, mucousy cough, the russet she-cat stood up. I should go back to the medicine den and get another herb tried on me. Before she noticed, however, the young kit noticed her, before immediately apologizing to her, which caused her to stammer. "No, no, it's fine, you don't have to a-" Another whooping cough left Kitespring's maw, with her barely turning her head away from the young kit. Stars, I can't be doing this. "Sorry," she said. "Guess I'm still sick." He was the kit whose parents both passed away from this illness, right? She couldn't talk with him, risk giving him the same illness that killed his parents.

But Kitespring still stayed, waiting to see if he wanted to continue this conversation himself. Stars, I'm an idiot.

ooc; good to see you too mamen! thanks for jumping in. so excited to rp with you again :D

The sound of coughing was not off-putting to the young kit, given he'd spent most of his life surrounded by it. Most of his first few moons were drowned out by the noise. Down the line, it would become what he most remembered of his parents. But none of that stuck in his mind right now. Instead, Littlekit's eyes shown with a genuine warmth and concern to the new cat that approached. He was still learning everyone's names. Traveling near the other clans had made his whole world so much bigger with so many more cats and had left him with little time for memorization.

Stretching out his limbs as far as they could go, Littlekit stood up and closed the distance between himself and Kitespring. He didn't know to fear the sickness or what come with it. A little paw reached out to pat her cheek gingerly, "There, there. It'll be okay." The same words he had heard the queen repeat to comfort kits, to comfort each other, he extended to her now. The kit's eyes lit up, "I know what will make you feel better!" He whipped around to recover the pebble prize, catching it between his claws and pushing it towards the warrior.

"Look! Isn't it neat?" Genuine enthusiasm laced the words, echoing carelessly in a stark contrast to the pain-filled circumstances surrounding clans and kin. But in that moment, noting mattered more than the appreciation of a simple stone, and relishing in the company of another cat to share it with. Littlekit beamed with pride, certain that such a tiny thing could make a huge impact.

ooc: no problem! i'm excited to rp with you too!

The young kit's tiny paw patting Kitespring's cheek made her smile. He seemed worried about her, and he seemed unafraid of her illness. Say that he should go back to the nursery. He needs to-

Her thoughts were interrupted by Littlekit showing the pebble he found. It was a beautiful, shiny pebble, smooth like the rocks on the bottom of the river. It reminded Kitespring of home. "It really is," she replied, smiling at the young kit. "It reminds me of the river, back in our old home." This wasn't... permanent, right? The clans would return home some day, when they were all better and the forest had recovered enough to support them again. But there would be so many kits born here who would never know what it was like to live in the forest, only having spent time living here.

An idea popped into Kitespring's head.

"Hey, Littlekit - is that your name?" She thought she heard Littlekit's name being called by queens before, but she didn't exactly interact with him before today. "Do you want to hear about what our old home was like?"

The little gray and white tom beamed up at his new friend, satisfied with the fact that he'd been able to provide her with with such a fantastic surprise. His ears pricked up at mention of the river. Clanmates would often reminisce about the beauty of Riverclan's true home. All that he had left were fuzzy memories of the scents and the soft babble of rushing water. It had been a part of his life for such a short time and he wasn't sure he would ever get to see it. Littlekit didn't mind, though, he was happy enough wherever his clanmates were.

"Mhm, that's me!" He affirmed quickly with a vigorous nod. The warrior knew his name! They truly were friends. A thought popped into his head but it was quickly dashed away by her next words. Their old home? Cats told of the great many events that had occurred there, rich beauty, and so much more. Littlekit immediately sunk to his belly and looked up at the she-cat with expectant eyes, "I'd love to hear all about it, er, uh, what's your name?"

Stars, she forgot to tell Littlekit her name.

It made sense in hindsight; just because she knew everyone's names didn't mean that everyone knew hers, especially a kit who just got out of the nursery. "My name's Kitespring," the warrior said, before coughing again.

"I think the first thing I should talk about was the River." The RiverClan she-cat wistfully stared into the sky, trying to visualize it as best as she could. "In the river, white waves formed a current that flowed like a rabbit's stride. And even before you could see the river, you heard the water rushing."

"Upstream, you see the Gorge. The biggest thing about the Gorge is the waterfall. Here, you can hear the water really roar, something you really don't get anywhere else unless the River is really flooded." She wondered if that meant the Gorge was perennially flooded, though she would have to ask that later. "Because of this, the Gorge has a reputation of sweeping even the strongest of swimmers away, so don't go try swimming there when we get back."

"I really can't describe RiverClan territory without mentioning Sunningrocks. It's just across the river from RiverClan territory, but it's worth the swim. It's the perfect place for sunbathing; the rocks are smooth enough to lie comfortably on, they're in an open area where the sun hits often, and the view is beautiful. One time, I got to see the sun set with Poppyshine there, and it was incredible."

Now, she had to ask how much was because of the view and how much was because of Poppyshine.

"There was also the Beech Copse, the best place for RiverClan to hunt land prey in our old home. The trees and underbrush helped a lot when hunting for mice, voles, and squirrels. The Broken Pools was the place where my Adi used to teach me and my siblings how to swim - it's easier to swim without a current pushing you, after all. The Pools were also somewhat close to a Twolegplace near camp - maybe the Twolegs created them? I'm not 100% sure." Perhaps she could explore it later.

"And last but not least, there was RiverClan camp. With a moat of water surrounding it, most cats weren't keen on entering RiverClan camp, so it was a safe place that we could call home. There was a large willow tree which the leader and deputy used to jump up to call for meetings. The dens were built with moss and reeds, and the nests were warm and fuzzy to sleep in." Kitespring couldn't do the camp justice just by explaining it. "I'll show you after we get back. I promise." Stars, she really hoped they'd get back. We have to.

He nodded quickly, affirming her name. Kitespring. Littlekit would definitely remember that. As she started to speak, the kit followed her gaze up to the sky. However, he quickly realized there wasn't anything there. His head tipped slightly in confusion before realizing he should probably close his eyes. It would be easier to picture Riverclan territory with his eyes closed. This was supposed to be their true home he was learning about after all, it would be good to know about! Where he had come from, where his parents were from... part of that was still in him surely.

Littlekit hummed softly, contentedly. A dreamy smile worked its way onto his maw. It sounded beautiful, safe, and enchanting. Fanciful thoughts of racing along the river and swimming back to bank filled his mind. He could picture it, clear as day. Their home. When she stopped speaking, he tipped his head back to look up at her, "Do you think we're going back? Can we go soon?" The idea made him want to leap to his paws. As much as it might seem to be ungrateful for their camp now, most of the clan seemed to long for where they had come from. Elders grumbled and  warriors reminisced all the time. Every now and then the apprentices would boast about who could remember the most.

He contemplated it all for a moment, becoming a tad more crestfallen at the idea of an impossible mission. It was very far away. And the gorge sounded scary too, "Do cats fall into the gorge? I wouldn't want that..."