a new home[o]

Sootstorm was chasing a rabbit, pushing himself to go faster as they drew closer to the border, when the unfamiliar scent of a kit hit him. He skidded to a stop, letting the prey run away and disappear into the tunnels as his attention now turned to the small figure in the distance. The stranger ran from one place to another, seeming to enjoy WindClan territory fully despite the snow that covered majority of the moor and the freezing temperature that would no doubt make them extremely uncomfortable. Sootstorm approached the she-kit, catching up to her and putting a friendly smile so as to not startle her. What in the name of StarClan was a kit this young doing in the middle of WindClan territory? "Hello there! What are you doing here?" He purred warmly, crouching down to look in her eyes.

The kit blinked once at him before she was gone, darting away to a den-like structure in the hill that he had failed to notice until now. Sootstorm hurried after the kit, wondering why there was an entire den in the hill in the middle of WindClan territory. Had a loner come here a few sunrises ago to build a home for her family? And how had none of his warriors noticed anything? But as he came to the den's entrance, he realised that there was no new scents, only that of the she-kit. Did she not live with any of her parents? "I'm not going to harm you," Sootstorm whispered into the den, peeking through the entrance to look at the kit.

Sootstorm was prepared to start chasing after the kit again when she ran out, but froze in his tracks and blinked at her when she suddenly killed a rabbit. He had never seen a kit so young kill a rabbit before, even if she did look around 4 or 5 moons. Where did she learn that? Had she just been living in WindClan territory for so long that she got used to it? Perhaps she had stayed here while the Clans were away on their journey. He watched in silence as she took a bite out of the rabbit, wondering if he should be offended by the kit's wording or stunned by her ability to hunt so well.

"I promise, I won't hurt you," He confirmed her first question, then looked down at the half-eaten rabbit, "And in WindClan, we abide by the Warrior Code, which tells us to feed the ones unable to hunt for themselves before us. It's our way of caring for each other." His gaze flickered up to the kit's face, unsure of what to do with her. "My name's Sootstorm. Yours is...?" He prompted gently, hoping she wouldn't run off again.

"Misty," Sootstorm echoed, glad that it wasn't some far fetched name that he could never hope of pronouncing properly. As the kit began to move away, he padded after her, trying to be as gentle as possible when speaking to her. Was she scared, or simply tired of the conversation? Well, she was still a rogue, and rogues couldn't stay in Clan territory, however harmless she was. How was she going to survive outside of Clan borders? Well, he supposed the same way that she survived here, but he still didn't like the odds.

...Well, he supposed he could always bring her into WindClan. The Warrior Code did tell him to help kits whenever possible. Sootstorm didn't know how to convince Misty to stay, though, nor how he will explain to Tigerstar that they were taking in yet another rogue. "Misty, where are your parents?" He asked softly. Maybe, he wouldn't have to go that far, and the kit's parents would come to fetch her soon.

Never knew them... Sootstorm swallowed. Well, it wasn't unexpected, given that they lived without the protection of a Clan, but it still pained him to think about what this kit would have to do now. As Misty turned to leave, the deputy hurriedly blurted out, "Wait!" He blinked, stunned by even his own voice, before regaining his composure. "Would you like to stay with us- with WindClan?" He continued, deciding that since he had started it he might as well finish it. "You'll be safe here, and you won't have to go hungry or- or become a fox's dinner- and there'll be queens who'll take care of you!"

Misty was surprised, but she didn't seem oppossed to it. If anything, she looked delighted at the idea of being... safe. Sootstorm offered her a comforting smile and confirmed, "Really. You'll be safe in WindClan, and you'll grow up to be a warrior. One of us, if you will. What do you say?"

OOC: I'll make a new topic for Sootstorm to introduce Misty to Tigerstar and the Clan in camp! We can end this topic here~

Sootstorm blinked, glad that Misty was so eager to go back to camp with him and join WindClan. He laughed softly at her antics, and sprinted to catch up with her. He wondered how he would tell Tigerstar that he had found a whole kit in WindClan territory and invited her to join WindClan without consulting him, but he figured his brother wouldn't be heartless enough to refuse a kit safety.