Poppy Sprout [O]

Oleanderkit
Kit | RiverClan | He/Him

Oleanderkit stepped out of the medicine den, his fur disheveled and clinging to his ribs. Should he still be sleeping in there? Probably not, but considering the cat with the authority to tell him to stop was now... gone... he just hadn't, remaining in a quarantine that never formally ended. The alternative was sleeping in the nursery, and he would rather chew on porcupine quills than sleep there. He was too old to be in there, yet too weak to be in the apprentice den and earn his name. He was better now, no longer wracked with tremors and fever, but no one talked about that. Instead, they were focused on how he never gained weight or never slept well. He was better than when he was small, yet not good enough yet.

He sniffed, hastily licking a few tufts of fur back into place to look somewhat presentable before making his way to the fresh-kill pile. He didn't feel hungry, but he needed to eat to grow, so he would. He grabbed a perch from the pile, giving the willow branch a lingering glance before finding a place to sit and eat. Maybe today. Maybe not. He's stopped counting on it.

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Twilightkit
Kit | RiverClan | he/him

The sun was bright against the cloudless blue sky. Twilightkit was growing a resentment for the daylight. Why should the world be so bright, so full of new-leaf life, when his had grown dull and dead? It wasn’t fair. It wasn’t fair. Twilightkit’s little claws slid from their sheaths, drawing rivets in the warm sand underpaw. How were he and his littermates meant to temper their illness without Littlesplash? How were they meant to continue without their mother? How was he meant to live knowing some of his siblings would never follow them out of the medicine den? Twilightkit shook his foggy head to clear the wetness that started to rise in his eyes. He didn’t want to be found crying in camp.

With a lash of his thin tail, Twilightkit looked away from the tangle of reedwall he’d been fixating on. His eyes traveled first to the Willow Branch, wondering with a pang when Poppyshine would call those of them left for their ceremonies, before sliding towards the fresh-kill pile. The sight of his brother approaching made Twilightkit blink, eyes growing round. His paws were moving before he even put conscious thought into the action, lifting him from the shade and carrying him over. ”Oleander,” he said as he approached. He didn’t ask before sitting down opposite his brother, drawing his limbs close to his body and settling quietly into the space he made for himself. A little softer, Twilightkit added, ”I’m glad you’re eating.”

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Oleanderkit
Kit | RiverClan | He/Him

His ear flicked as he heard his brother's voice, looking up from the fish at his paws to offer a small smile. "Twilight," he greeted. He always appreciated his brother's presence. A small part of him wanted to spend as much time with his sibling as possible, regretting how little he got to spend with their other littermates before they passed, but he tried to smother that part of his brain. They were alive; he should focus on that.

He tore a small mouthful from his meal before pushing the fish closer to his brother in an offer to share. "You should eat too. We need all the strength we can get." Especially now there were no herbs to treat their illness... well, that wasn't quite true. Some herbs still remained in the medicine den after Littlesplash's passing, though Oleanderkit didn't have the expertise to know if they were still usable or not. He and his siblings have been fed herbs since they opened their eyes and it was difficult not to commit some to memory. Sorrel for strength and appetite, watermint or mallow for their stomach aches. He knew them by name, but so many leaves looked the same. He didn't know if, even in desperation, he would dare try and sort through them if he or his brother took a turn. If he fed Twilightkit the wrong thing, if he were the one to kill him, he wouldn't be able to live with himself.

He cleared his throat, shuffling where he lay. "Anyway, how have you been feeling? Have you been alright?" His green eyes flicked up and down his brother's visage in a quick check of his condition.

discord: MediocreCrisis  | timezone: EST | code (c) kieer