The Moon Will Sing (c)

Cricketkit padded over to her brother on silent paws, fluffy tail brushing the ground as she slunk over. She dropped her mossball at his feet before swiftly sitting down and blocking it from view with her body. The tabby and white kit looked over her shoulder, scanning the area for any of her other siblings, but the coast was clear. She met her brother’s gaze, his eyes a mirror of her own. “Yewkit, do you want to play mossball with me?” She leaned forward slightly, dropping her already soft voice to a whisper. “This mossball is the best one, but I know you won’t steal it, so we can play together.”

Cricketkit matched her brother’s grin. It felt good to be valuable, to have caught his attention. The she-kit didn’t really care that much about the game itself, she lacked the competitive drive to want to win. The only prize she sought was Yewkit’s affection. Her brother’s loyalty, his support, his protection, all those things were paramount. She needed to be important to Paledove, and she needed to be important to Yewkit. Of course Mother came first, she always would. As much as loved her siblings, loved them with every fierce ounce of her, she would do anything to please Paledove. For now though, Yewkit was her target.

Cricketkit dropped into a crouch, and teasingly batted the mossball between her front paws, her mismatched eyes narrowed playfully before she flung the mossball away. “Go!” She squeaked just slightly above her normal volume. It was as close to yelling as she got. With a push of her tabby-splotched haunches she jumped after the mossball. Two-toned ears pressed tight to her skull and body slunk low to the ground, she took long, quick strides, not wasting any energy in bouncing around. The kit covered ground efficiently in a loose half-stalk, but looked more like she was running from something than chasing it.

Cricketkit rolled out from under her brother’s paws, surging towards the mossball with a push of her hunches. Yewkit wasn’t very good at this game, but he looked so eager to win. The she-kit didn’t want to spoil his fun by winning so easily. “Yewkit you’re so fast!” She praised with a backyard glance at her brother, who was closing in on the mossball right behind her. With a calculating look, she sprung at the mossball, purposely failing to slam her paw down on it entirely. What was not planned however, was for the moss ball to go sailing away from the force of her half-missed pounce. The she-kit watched in bewildered awe as the tangled scrap of moss sailed over Yewkit’s head and was lifted up by the breeze. It finally landed in the branches of a scrawny tree.

Cricketkit’s ears slicked back slightly. “I uh- didn’t mean for it to do that.” She said softly, her fluffy tail lowering in shame. She had messed up, her brother would remember this forever. She couldn't let this be held over her, she had to fix it, and prove her capability to Yewkit. If she was useful, if she was fun, then he would be committed to her, even when they got older. She couldn't lose his good graces. The white and tabby she-kit padded over to her brother, and rubbed her head under his chin. “I really didn’t mean it, Yewkit. It wasn’t on purpose I promise.” She whispered her mis-matched eyes shining with unshed tears. If she looked sad enough maybe he wouldn’t be mad. And she was genuinely sad.

She couldn’t stand for her brother to hate her. If he hated her, then he’d tell their littermates about how awful she was, or worse, he’d tell Paledove! And then Mother wouldn’t be proud, and maybe Mother might love her less because she had made all her siblings unhappy. She couldn’t let that happen. “Here, I’ll go get it.” The she-kit hooked her sharp claws into the tree’s slender trunk, pulling herself upwards with her shoulders. Her own body weight wasn’t very much, and her claws could get a good grip in the bark. It was easier than she thought to dart up into the lowest branches. They were twiggy and bounced slightly under her weight. Cricketkit kept her body low, fluffy tail twitching slightly to adjust her balance. It didn’t matter that the ground was far away, she needed to grab the moss ball and please Yewkit. Her brother would think she was a hero, and maybe he’d forget she was the one who had messed up the game in the first place.

Now that she was up in the branches though, the whole of SkyClan’s camp sprawled out before her. She shimmed towards the end of the branch on her belly, legs wrapped around the branch to keep her steady as it rocked in the wind. Her pupils widened as she lifted her head to watch the warriors going about their duties. She could see them, but they couldn't see her! She was safe up here, with no one to accidentally offend, and no places for scary things to leap from. “Yewkit,” She called softly, peering down at him from her vantage point. “It’s actually really cool up here.”

Cricketkit was totally at ease up in the tree, her whiskers twitching at the new scents on the breeze. She didn’t really want to come down, but Yewkit was being so brave, offering to come get her when he was clearly terrified. It sent a wave of warmth through her chest. Her brother really did care about her. All was as it should be, and she could still make Yewkit feel important. She hooked her sharp claws into the branch, making sure she was balanced before flattening her ears slightly.

“Uh yeah, I didn't think it’d be this high actually.” Her ears trembled slightly. “Please come help.” She scooted backwards a little bit on the branch so Yewkit wouldn’t have to go as far. Secretly the she-kit was melting at having all her brother’s attention focused on her. Of course she needed saving. She got to feel important, it was a rush that her brother was getting over his own fears to rescue her. And Yewkit got to feel important too. A beneficial situation all around.