comfort in a cold space [c]

As the sun crept upwards from its perch just at the horizon, Littlekit stuck his nose out of the nursery. Sleep still clung to the edges of his eyes as a prolonged yawn parted his maw. He blinked several times and let his gaze drift across the camp. Given his fuzzy vision in one eye, the tom-kit often looked things over several times to make sure. The names of each clanmate ran through his head. Mumbling them softly, the white and gray kit began to pad slowly around the camp. With each passing day he grew more antsy to become an apprentice, hoping that it would come sooner and yet thinking it would never happen. Each moment was trying to find a way to busy his paws. With no queen devoted to entertaining him, Littlekit would bounce between playing with the few other kits, tentatively pestering warriors, and wandering about in observance of the camp walls being build. He was the best unofficial supervisor the clan had.

Today, his wandering caused him to stumble upon Egretswoop. The warrior seemed very engrossed in her current endeavors as she was hunched over an oversized piece of prey. Curiosity lit up his gaze as he peered at her work from the side, unintentionally sneaking up, "...what are you doing?" His whisper was incredulous, clearly enamored in discovering what she was up to. He'd seen the couple of Riverclan cats who wore furs and called each other silly names. It was a little intimidating but curiosity ultimately got the best of them. And they were clanmates, after all, potential friends. Hopefully Egretswoop wasn't like Larkspring.

Even in the midst of the latest leaf-bare snowfall, and especially in the midst of the illness that had brought her to be little more than a slumbering promise, there had been one activity that she had always kept herself committed to during her waking hours. Keeping her claws busy kept her mind quiet, and there had been little other in the way of activities that she could do while in her disabled state. Hunting, while easily a skill that would be significantly beneficial to the Clan, often left her out of breath. Admittedly, the warrior also felt hesitant in being one to provide food to her clanmates while she was ill, fearing her saliva would infect those who had somehow been able to escape the illness's effects. So she kept herself busy in something that would still provide benefit to the Clan, but could be left unattended for a sunrise or two that would remove any chance of a cat falling ill: pelt making.

Her fox pelt was draped around her, offering warmth as today, she had been unable to keep the chill to a minimum. Temptation had almost pulled at Egretswoop to wear two pelts, but the unruliness of that endeavor ultimately was what stopped her from daring. As her claws worked on a hare that had yet to become dinner, the warrior figured to separate fur from bone before it would become an easy meal for her clanmates. Detailed work around the furred prey's muzzle had her particular focus when the question floated by. Almost as instantly as the words left the kits mouth, though, did the warrior find herself leaping up from her work as if she were a hare herself. "Kyah!"

White tufts immediately fluffed into offensiveness, making her look slightly larger even with the weight of the fox pelt slicking it slightly back down. The feathered strands of her tail certainly showed her anxious shock, and panicked eyes looked around before settling onto her little clanmate. Her breaths came in rapid, wheezing strikes as her heart threatened to pound out of her chest, and overwhelmed tears immediately flecked at the corner of her vision for just a heartbeat. Her claws gripped at the snowy earth beneath her, and it took a quick glance to her in-progress pelt for Egretswoop to be able to take a breath. Her work hadn't been ruined, thank the stars.

Forcing herself down into the snow to take a breath, her claws hooked into the edges of the hare's fur as she tugged at it to show to the kit. "Making a pelt." It was a simple answer at first, but the uptick to her tone at the end at least gave the clue she was going to further elaborate. "They are crafted to keep clanmates warm during leafbare, or feel stronger when fighting. It is part of my family heritage." After allowing the kit some time to observe, Egretswoop allowed herself to continue working. She was almost done, anyways. The next step would simply be allowing it a bit of time to dry, in which the sinew that had become separated would toughen into a water-resistant texture.

As she jumped, Littlekit pulled back and flattened himself into the ear. His fur stood on end and his eyes went wide. Sometimes he forgot that it was important to announce his presence before just wandering up to a cat. It had gotten him in trouble with Larkspring and had now scared Egretswoop. The kit wasn;t sure what to do and just stayed into position until she settled back down. A breath slowly left his maw, one he hadn't realized he had been holding. He shook out his coat as he straightened up and took a few tentative steps closer to better watch her endeavors.

"A pelt..." He echoed, staring down at the hare. Despite the fact he was a tad older than six moons now, the prey was larger than he was. Littlekit looked back at his own pelt. Another pelt? The idea was certainly appealing. He thought of snuggling up to a pelt of fur like that and imagined how much more comforting it would be against leaf-bare's bitter winds. Almost having lost himself to the fanciful idea, he just barely tuned back into the warrior's words. His head tipped, "Why doesn't all of Riverclan have extra pelts?"

It was a particularly innocent question, one that Egretswoop had fielded dozens of times at this point in her life. Especially given the fact that she'd taken to mass pelt-making during the journey, there was her fair share of questions. "Not all Riverclan cats come from the place this tradition was born," She answered simply. Whenever she worked on hares, the snow-pelted warrior took particular care when crafting them into the best they could be. After all, it was the pelt of a hare that her mother had decided to adorn herself with, and the fond memory meant that she wanted to always put forth her best work for the long-eared creatures.

Finally pulling the creature's pelt all the way off, she flipped it around, allowing that precious inner layer to become exposed to the sky. Her knowing gaze already spotted patches where it was drying, and small pebbles went to each corner of the pelt to be able to hold it into perfect position. Taking the edible parts that had remained and placing them in the nearby kill pile, Egretswoop was quick to return to be able to fully tell about the origin of the pelts that she wore while the hare dried. "My mother, Harebounce, had been taken as a kit. Those kits learned to fight at an age much too young, but to protect themselves and appear more fierce, they killed and took on the furs of predators. My mother... she wears a hare. I do not truly know why, but she is very fond of it." A firm nod went in the direction of the drying hare. "Would you like one? I create many, and they assist in warmth during this cold season. You may use it as a nest-lining, or extra warmth during the days, as I do with my fox." She gestured towards the pale fox pelt that covered her, that illuminated her gaze hauntingly just like the fox that she wore.

Littlekit's hazy vision fixated on the delicate work of her paws and teeth as they separated the skin away from the delicate insides of the creature. He was used to seeing cats pick away the less flavorful parts of prey but had never witnessed anything like this before. Seeing Harebounce and Egretswoop around camp was normal and yet something he had never contemplated much before. They were the only cats he had ever seen like that, and as a kit, he lacked any experience in seeing their worn pelts in their natural state. He inched closer and clung onto the warrior's every word, drinking it in and filing it away in his memory.

The idea of being taken away as a kit was terrifying; he had no idea what he would do if something like that happened to him. But the concept of fierce cats who protected themselves with pelts of predators reminded him of the fanciful tales of their Lionclan ancestors. And such creatures had existed during the life of one of his clanmates? His eyes were wide as he mulled it over. Egretswoop's words brought him back. Shocked washed over the kits expression as he asked incredulously, "One for me? You mean it?" No one had ever given him something quite like this before.

The thought of lining his nest with fur, snuggling up into it every night... it was overwhelming. All he had longed for was the warmth and comfort that was withheld from him due to the sickness that affected his clanmates. Emotion caught in his throat and he looked at her with appreciation glowing in the depths of his gaze, "Thank you. That would be.. so nice. It gets very cold at night."

Truth be told, Egretswoop herself often unfocused her gaze as she was working. It had become such a second nature for her to craft the pelts with her claws, the precision no longer requiring her entire focus as she had done it so many times over that even the most jagged edge that she had now may as well have been a pristine cut. She kept part of her attention on Littlekit as she had regaled her story, seeing how he processed all of it as if she were whispering words of wisdom that only their ancestors had the privilege of knowing to share. It was endearing, in a way, and that was when she knew she'd made the correct choice.

One glance at the kit's face after her offer told her all that she needed to know. It was just as meaningful to him as it was to either of her apprentices. As it had been to her. A smile cracked on her pale maw for the faintest of heartbeats before she turned to the hare pelt, ensuring it was dry enough before gesturing Littlekit closer. "If you are chilly... seek me. I miss company, but many clanmates scare me." She whispered the admission as she situated the pelt atop the kit, fixing extra bits with a skillful claw as she trimmed it to hug his frame that would let it stay as he grew. "But my little bunny friend? You do not. I shall enjoy your company." She purred, pressing her nose to his own for just a moment. "I shall help keep you warm. A fox and a hare shall protect us little folk, yes?" It was words whispered again, as if it were to be a secret between just the two of them.

As the pelt was situated upon his back, Littlekit froze. He didn't want to move in fear of shaking it off of his spine. Almost instantly, the cold breeze that had chilled his pelt was warded off with the addition of the hare. Several emotions danced in the depths of his gaze. Gratitude, appreciation, comfort, peace. The white-furred warrior reminded him a lot of Cindersky whose gentle nature had helped him to feel love within the walls of the camp. Each passing day, these connections he made reminded him that despite the fact that his parents had been lost, Littlekit was not allow. He focused on Egretswoop, beaming up at her as she spoke.

When she mentioned that he did not scare her, the fuzzy feeling in his chest seeped into his toes. Littlekit was filled with an unending love for his clanmates. It was unnatural to him that other cats might not feel that but he was learning with each passing day that not every cat was the same. He was grateful for the fact to have found companionship in the warrior and grateful for the incredible gift that now lay across his back. My little bunny friend. The words echoed in the little tom's mind, wanting to cling onto them for a lifetime. As her nose touched his, he blinked but leaned into the gesture. Words stuck on the end of his tongue, not quite knowing how to unpack the emotions that bubbled up within.

He let himself settle more comfortably, belly flat against the earth, and resting underneath the hare pelt. With Egretswoop there was warmth and safety. It seemed she felt the same about him, regardless of what little he had to offer her. Such untainted kindness was something he would never forget. With a contented sigh, he meowed, "I hope some day that I can bring you the bestest gift ever, Egretswoop. You're the best fox friend I've ever had." His eyes closed to look like a waning moon as his smile grew all the bigger. In the midst of unyielding cold and sickness, there were embers of tender kinship to drive away the unpleasant feelings.