Post by LιθΠΗΣαRτεD on Jul 31, 2017 3:32:08 GMT
"All cats attending the Gathering, we are leaving!" a yowl rang through the camp. That was Kitestar, noble leader of ThistleClan. Shadowkit had met her a week before, and had been awed by the power she radiated, even when ThistleClan supposedly "belonged to everyone." No, it was clear that Kitestar was in charge, and her yellow eyes glowed with a kind of aura that Shadowkit could only admire.
And Thunderhound was her mate. The ultimate power couple.
Shadowkit watched as cats streamed out from every corner of the camp to congregate at the entrance. Kitestar, who had been standing at the mouth, disappeared from view as warriors swarmed away, and suddenly everything was empty. A quietness settled over the camp, and Shadowkit felt lonely.
"They'll come back," Darkshimmer murmured quietly from behind him, as he watched the entrance, ears drooping. Where was the Quarry? What were the other Clans like? Their leaders? Oh, why couldn't he become a warrior now?
"Aw, there's no one to play with," he grumped, turning away. He was currently the only kit in the nursery, and sought friendship from Fangspider and the elders. Even the elders had left to attend the great Gathering, and now he was alone.
Dejected, he padded out into the clearing, cold from the lack of bodies. The breeze whispered in his ears, tickling his fur, but he wanted to talk to someone. Huffing, he paced in circles, but he was still so bored. There was no one to tell him stories, or tease him, or excite him with talk of warrior life.
Deciding to look around, Shadowkit found himself padding towards the apprentices' den. That he hadn't even seen before. Poking his head in, he glanced around, and frowned when he spotted a rear end sticking out, tail lashing, the rest of the cat's body on the other side, through a hole in the back of the den. "Hello?"
The body froze, and the cat pulled out, looking shocked and guilty. "Um..."
Shadowkit tilted his head. "What are you doing? Why aren't you at the Gathering?"
"I'm trying to get there," the cat sighed, "and as you can see I'm late. If you promise to say that you didn't see me, I'll owe you big time."
"Why are you late? Did you forget something?"
The apprentice frowned, clearly annoyed by the batter of questions. Shadowkit decided to step down and waited instead for an answer. After a while of looking away, the cat finally met his eyes. "I'm technically not allowed to leave the camp," he muttered, not louder than a whisper; Shadowkit had to strain his ears to hear properly. "I'm under punishment right now."
Shadowkit didn't understand the weight of it. "What for?"
A pause. "For... for stealing prey from DawnClan territory," the apprentice grumbled. "I watched some warrior catch a bird and bury it, then leave. They were saving it to retrieve later, but I instead snuck over and took it back. My mentor found out and took me to Kitestar, who said I wasn't allowed out of camp for a quarter-moon."
"That's sad," Shadowkit remarked. "I'm sorry. But you can play with me! I'll keep you company."
The apprentice smiled a small smile, and Shadowkit felt himself grin back. He'd made someone happy, and he eagerly bounded to the cat.
"Okay." The apprentice took a deep breath. "You're Shadowkit, right?"
He nodded.
"I'm Lightpaw. I just became a 'paw about a quarter-moon-and-a-half after you were born. So, first things first-- help me cover up this hole I made to escape." He padded outside and Shadowkit followed, pulling up long stalks of grass lying around the edge of the camp. They made quick work of patching up the hole and stood there for a moment, admiring their work.
"Does this hole lead to the outside?"
"Yep," Lightpaw replied, his eyes still trained on the patch, "it does."
The gears in Shadowkit's mind was turning. A chance to sneak out of camp...? No! He couldn't. That would mean trouble, and he promised himself and Darkshimmer and Fangspider and Shadowboar and all those other cats that he would stay out of trouble. He didn't want to be punished like Lightpaw.
Lightpaw's probation quickly turned him into Shadowkit's best friend. He often woke the young black kit at an early time-- "proper apprentices get up at dawn to train"-- and took him out to show him what he knew so far. Fighting moves, hunting crouches, high jumps-- Lightpaw seemed happy to tutor Shadowkit, and Shadowkit was more than happy to learn. Lightpaw was nice enough, and always told him secrets and filled him in on the latest gossip.
"How come you don't ever talk to the other apprentices?" Shadowkit questioned, noticing that Lightpaw never hung out with his peers. Right now, they were sitting in front of the nursery, and the other 'paws were grouped together, eating. Lightpaw's ears flattened before he responded.
"They don't like me," he said quietly.
"Why not?" Lightpaw was so nice! Maybe the other apprentices were just mean.
"Not everyone likes everyone else," was all Lightpaw said, and Shadowkit had the tact to drop it.
And Thunderhound was her mate. The ultimate power couple.
Shadowkit watched as cats streamed out from every corner of the camp to congregate at the entrance. Kitestar, who had been standing at the mouth, disappeared from view as warriors swarmed away, and suddenly everything was empty. A quietness settled over the camp, and Shadowkit felt lonely.
"They'll come back," Darkshimmer murmured quietly from behind him, as he watched the entrance, ears drooping. Where was the Quarry? What were the other Clans like? Their leaders? Oh, why couldn't he become a warrior now?
"Aw, there's no one to play with," he grumped, turning away. He was currently the only kit in the nursery, and sought friendship from Fangspider and the elders. Even the elders had left to attend the great Gathering, and now he was alone.
Dejected, he padded out into the clearing, cold from the lack of bodies. The breeze whispered in his ears, tickling his fur, but he wanted to talk to someone. Huffing, he paced in circles, but he was still so bored. There was no one to tell him stories, or tease him, or excite him with talk of warrior life.
Deciding to look around, Shadowkit found himself padding towards the apprentices' den. That he hadn't even seen before. Poking his head in, he glanced around, and frowned when he spotted a rear end sticking out, tail lashing, the rest of the cat's body on the other side, through a hole in the back of the den. "Hello?"
The body froze, and the cat pulled out, looking shocked and guilty. "Um..."
Shadowkit tilted his head. "What are you doing? Why aren't you at the Gathering?"
"I'm trying to get there," the cat sighed, "and as you can see I'm late. If you promise to say that you didn't see me, I'll owe you big time."
"Why are you late? Did you forget something?"
The apprentice frowned, clearly annoyed by the batter of questions. Shadowkit decided to step down and waited instead for an answer. After a while of looking away, the cat finally met his eyes. "I'm technically not allowed to leave the camp," he muttered, not louder than a whisper; Shadowkit had to strain his ears to hear properly. "I'm under punishment right now."
Shadowkit didn't understand the weight of it. "What for?"
A pause. "For... for stealing prey from DawnClan territory," the apprentice grumbled. "I watched some warrior catch a bird and bury it, then leave. They were saving it to retrieve later, but I instead snuck over and took it back. My mentor found out and took me to Kitestar, who said I wasn't allowed out of camp for a quarter-moon."
"That's sad," Shadowkit remarked. "I'm sorry. But you can play with me! I'll keep you company."
The apprentice smiled a small smile, and Shadowkit felt himself grin back. He'd made someone happy, and he eagerly bounded to the cat.
"Okay." The apprentice took a deep breath. "You're Shadowkit, right?"
He nodded.
"I'm Lightpaw. I just became a 'paw about a quarter-moon-and-a-half after you were born. So, first things first-- help me cover up this hole I made to escape." He padded outside and Shadowkit followed, pulling up long stalks of grass lying around the edge of the camp. They made quick work of patching up the hole and stood there for a moment, admiring their work.
"Does this hole lead to the outside?"
"Yep," Lightpaw replied, his eyes still trained on the patch, "it does."
The gears in Shadowkit's mind was turning. A chance to sneak out of camp...? No! He couldn't. That would mean trouble, and he promised himself and Darkshimmer and Fangspider and Shadowboar and all those other cats that he would stay out of trouble. He didn't want to be punished like Lightpaw.
Lightpaw's probation quickly turned him into Shadowkit's best friend. He often woke the young black kit at an early time-- "proper apprentices get up at dawn to train"-- and took him out to show him what he knew so far. Fighting moves, hunting crouches, high jumps-- Lightpaw seemed happy to tutor Shadowkit, and Shadowkit was more than happy to learn. Lightpaw was nice enough, and always told him secrets and filled him in on the latest gossip.
"How come you don't ever talk to the other apprentices?" Shadowkit questioned, noticing that Lightpaw never hung out with his peers. Right now, they were sitting in front of the nursery, and the other 'paws were grouped together, eating. Lightpaw's ears flattened before he responded.
"They don't like me," he said quietly.
"Why not?" Lightpaw was so nice! Maybe the other apprentices were just mean.
"Not everyone likes everyone else," was all Lightpaw said, and Shadowkit had the tact to drop it.