CLOSED Of Waking Kits and Making Plans

[Longstorm]

Hollypaw, apprentice of DewClan and former Quester, had woken the many kits that were sleeping inside of the make-shift nursery.
In that time (and not for the first time) she had wondered why oh why Blueblossom and a bunch of DarkClan kits were out in the middle of nowhere. And if the signs of life she had seen around the 'Shell were anything to go by, then it hadn't always been just Blueblossom and the DarkClan kits living here. Blueblossom obviously wasn't the their mother. What was the point of her and possible others living out here? It made little sense to her.
Hollypaw now found herself surrounded by kits. At last count there was nine of them: Redkit, Silverkit, Frostkit, Whisperkit, Milkit, Palekit, Hawkkit, Spottedkit, and Owlkit. The first four had been Garnetheart and Pigeonwing's (StarClan rest their poor souls.) The other five apparently belonged to a calico and a pale furred set of parents, if their pelts were anything to go by (even with Hawkkit's pale ginger fur he still fit in). The only anomaly was Owlkit, being white with a black streak over his face and peculiarly mismatched colored eyes.
Hollypaw had yet to ask about the kits' parentage. Perhaps she'd ask later.
The kits were all about old enough to be apprenticed. Hollypaw had lived nearly one leaf-bare and was almost old enough to be a warrior (the TawnyClan kits moreso since they were a couple moons older than the DarkClan kits), so the thought of the kits' all becoming apprentices excited her.

Milkkit and Palekit were the quietest of the bunch. The two seemed to enjoy each other's company, and she'd seen them around speaking quietly to one another. Even now they were speaking to each other.
"It's too bad about Silverkit's parents," quietly mewed Palekit to Milkkit.
His pale sister nodded. "We should give them space," she reasoned at nearly a whisper. Palekit murmured in agreement.

Hollypaw couldn't make out what the two were saying and wondered what they were talking about.
She saw Silverkit glancing over at them herself. Even with her own siblings there was a space between Silverkit and other kits. Silverkit was notorious for not getting along with the others. Yet she seemed to do fine with anyone who was more than six moons older than herself, oddly enough.
Hollypaw cleared her throat. "Alright, everyone," she meowed loud enough for the nine to hear. Milkkit and Palekit looked at her, calmly coming out of their quiet conversation.
Silverkit snapped to attention, seeming more intense than usual.
Even Redkit looked up at Hollypaw, his usual mischievous attitude dampened severely by his parents' death.
Frostkit, the most nervous out of the bunch, awkwardly looked at Hollypaw, shifting her paws nervously.

[Guest]

Spottedkit listened, interested in what the older she-cat was going to say. She was hanging out with Hawkkit, though she was also sitting near Redkit, who had proven to be an adventurous fellow who could be as stubborn as she could. And Silverkit was pretty interesting too; she and her siblings had a bunch of stories to tell. And Whisperkit could be a lot of fun, too (she usually started the big trouble stuff that was the most fun.)
And she was listening still!

[Meany]

Whisperkit, like her brother, had a somber demeanor. On a day like this she would be looking for some great new feat to perform with her brother Redkit and her DarkClan friends at her side. But today was a sad day. She missed her parents deeply and her heart was quiet and immensely sad because of it. She sighed softly.

Hawkkit, like the others, was quiet. He realized the great tragedy that had struck and he was sad for his friends. But personally, he hadn't known Garnetheart and Pigeonwing other than them being the adult cats, one that glowered and the other that smiled sadly, neither of them speaking to the DarkClan kits. So Hawkkit had no ties to the warriors other than knowing that his friends and comrades were their children and they were sad. So he listened to Hollypaw and didn't try to play.

[Longstorm]

Though she hadn't been given much instruction further than waking the kits, Hollypaw had decided that she wanted to try and keep the kits all occupied one way or another.
"Who wants to try hunting skills?" The apprentice did her best to sound enthusiastic (which wasn't hard since she was so excited about the kits all becoming apprentices.)
"Are we apprentices yet," called Silverkit in her oddly mature voice.
Frostkit looked up then ducked her head back down, eager.
Palekit and Milkkit looked on with interest.

Blueblossom approached from the left, ears pricked towards the DewClan she-cat.
"No, not yet," Hollypaw admitted. "A Clan leader makes you an apprentice. But these techniques will help you all when you are apprenticed."
The kits seemed interested so she continued.
"When you're hunting you have to remember to think like your potential prey thinks."
Silverkit was listening seriously, as were Palekit, Milkkit, and Frostkit. "A mouse will scuttle out of hiding only to scuttle right back into it in a heartbeat because it's so small and can feel vibrations from careless pawsteps. A frog can see all around it's own head and can see anything sneaking up on it..."
Hollypaw's speech went on and Blueblossom watched.
The warrior was glad of Hollypaw's intentions and thought her wise for her age, and something similar to herself.
The white she-cat turned her lovely blue eyes to the ceiling of the Ice-Shell, noting how the blizzard was letting up.

OOC: To be continued...

[Meany]

Hawkkit was very interested in hunting skills; he had never seen an actual hawk ever in his life before, but he knew that they were great hunters and fighters, and he wanted to be as like his namesake as possible.
And I want to be a great warrior, he thought fiercely. Like how Blueblossom tells her stories!
He paid close attention to Hollypaw's speech, taking in her every word - but! - "We don't eat frogs," he protested. "We're from DarkClan!"

OOC: Would Blueblossom have told them stories about battles and hunting? Or about hawks and owls? Are there even hawks and owls in the Frost Forest?

Whisperkit agreed with Hawkkit (though she was TawnyClan, not DarkClan, as her build and length of leg would have it); "TawnyClan hunts birds and monsters," she boasted, suddenly overcome with mischief and a desire to boast for her Clan.

[Longstorm]

Palekit looked at Whisperkit skeptically but said nothing and looked back at Hollypaw.
Hollypaw looked at Hawkkit. "DewClan does," she meowed simply.
Palekit, Milkkit and Frostkit looked a little sick at this revelation. Silverkit spat, "Yuck! Nasty frogs!"
Hollypaw shrugged. "It's what I grew up with."
Blueblossom's whiskers twitched in amusement.
"Frogs live in  mud," Silverkit recited what she had heard once before. She regarded Hollypaw. "Do you live in mud?"
Hollypaw shook her head, ignoring the twinge of irritation she felt at the question. "No. DewClan hunts in the marshes, but we sleep in the forest. So," she moved on since she was suddenly feeling very homesick, "I bet everyone wants to know how to catch birds, yeah?"
Silverkit sat up straight. I've caught a mouse before, she thought with pride. Then I gave it to...mommy. Silverkit sighed softly. She felt so tired and sad. Where's mom and dad? It was a great shock to the kit's system: yesterday morning her mom and dad had been in their den, tired but there all the same. And now they were just...gone? They were just gone? They died? How?
"How did they die," Silverkit meowed abruptly as Hollypaw was meowing "Stepping lightly is the key-"
Hollypaw looked at Silverkit with surprise. "What?"
How could she be so clueless? "Our parents," Silverkit spat at her. "How did they die? I want to know."
"Yes," softly mewed Frostkit. Palekit and Milkkit looked at her. Blueblossom was surprised; the little she-kit rarely spoke.
"You can't keep it from us," hissed Silverkit, her sorrow fanning into rage. "You can't keep it a secret!" She was standing now, her silver fur bristling her her eyes blazing.
Hollypaw looked at Silverkit then at Blueblossom, feeling lost. She didn't know how Garnetheart and Pigeonwing died - Blueblossom had yet to bring it up. Why hadn't she brought it up?
"I-I don't know," Hollypaw stammered. "I-"
Blueblossom stepped in quickly. "Silverkit," she meowed gently but firmly. The tall she-kit glared up at the white warrior.
"Silverkit," she meowed again, taking a moment to sit. In her mind, Blueblossom was remembering the day her and Redstar's mother Dawnfur had been killed in battle.
"Silverkit," this time she gestured for Silverkit's siblings to join them, "Pigeonwing was sick. Her illness is what killed her. She died in her sleep."
Hollypaw froze - Frostkit said her mother wouldn't wake up before Blueblossom told them Pigeonwing had died. Frostkit said her father wouldn't be coming back. How had she known? Was it a gift from StarClan? Was she destined to be a medicine cat or something like that?
Silverkit meowed, "Where's Pigeonwing?" Her voice shook slightly.
"In her nest." Silverkit nodded. "What about my father? What about Garnetheart?"
 "Pigeonwing dying, I think, crushed your father. Garnetheart loved her, no doubt on that. He..." Blueblossom didn't want to mar the image the kits had of their father. "He died in the storm last night."
Silverkit was thinking. She'd known that her mother had been very sick - just like the ginger tom had been - but she'd hoped that her strong warrior mother would recover. But she hadn't! Silverkit thought she might cry again, but she didn't want to cry again. It felt like she had no more tears left after last night.
"How," she demanded. "He knew there was a storm. Garnetheart was a warrior - he knew there was a storm!" Her voice was becoming pleading.
Blueblossom felt her heart sink. She was so tired of being here. The damned 'Shell was more tomb than camp. Cats had died in the Rebellion, and cats were still dying.
"He just left, Silverkit."
As usual, Frostkit didn't say a word. She knew these things. These things made sense to her even though they didn't. Her father needed her mother. Without her mother her father couldn't...be? It didn't make sense, but she knew it anyways. Frostkit's lower lip trembled.
Silverkit's tail trembled. "He-he left us? Why did-why would - he wouldn't! Garneheart wouldn't leave us! He didn't leave us!"
Blueblossom didn't respond. Silverkit took her silence as it was meant; confirmation.
Silverkit shook her head and screamed at Blueblossom. No words, just a scream. Silverkit turned and fled, running to her mother's den.

[Longstorm]

Blueblossom watched the kit take off. Hollypaw chased after the she-kit, but the warrior stopped her.
"Enough, Hollypaw," she meowed firmly, staring down the apprentice as she protested. "She won't listen to you." Blueblossom looked at the other TawnyClan kits, feeling more distinct from them than before. They're different from us, she thought. Raised to behave differently. Raised to think differently. Raised to be different from us.
Hollypaw glared at the warrior. "Let me go," she snapped stubbornly.
"Calm down, Hollypaw," Blueblossom said calmly, her stare never wavering in intensity.
"Someone should be with her," Hollypaw insisted.
Blueblossom flicked her tail in Silverkit's direction. Hollypaw followed the gesture grudgingly and looked. Now she could see that Frostkit had followed her sister in their mother's tomb and was speaking quietly to her sister.
Hollypaw still felt as though as she should be in there with them. "Blueblossom -"
"Enough."
The DewClan apprentice looked back at her reluctantly, her eyes full of fire. "You shouldn't be able to tell me what to do," she snarled. "You may be a warrior, but you're not from DewClan!"
The casualness with which Blueblossom smacked her was astonishing considering the force behind it. Indeed, there was much strength and weight in the large, furry paws of a DarkClanner.

OOC: Post as ya please, TBC. (that rhymed.)

[Longstorm]

Hollypaw reeled from the force of the smack upside her head, shutting her eyes as the world spun around her.
"You- you hit me!" The apprentice's voice was filled with shock. "You HIT me!"
"Indeed I did," Blueblossom replied cooly.

Palekit, Milkkit, Redkit and Owlkit gasped as one. They'd never seen the older cats fight before - never seen one strike another. What was going to happen next, they wondered.

Hollypaw slowly looked back at Blueblossom, hurt and anger in her eyes. "Why did you hit me," she cried angrily.
"You were panicking."
"Aren't we supposed to care?" Hollypaw demanded.
The white warrior sighed. "Look at them, Hollypaw. Look at them." She nodded in the TawnyClan kits' direction - Redkit had begun to make his way towards Pigeonwing's tomb. "They're not kits anymore. As soon as they return to TawnyClan territory they will be TawnyClan apprentices. With more training you will be named a DewClan warrior. Separate Clans, separate lives, and all of this will become a distant memory. You will one day meet them in battle."
"But not now," Hollypaw said fiercely. "Not now! Not yet!"
"Hollypaw. Do you really think they'll keep accepting your help?"

OOC: TBC - may be edited.

[Longstorm]

OOC: BUMP

[Meany]

OOC: BUMP?

IC: Owlkit and Hawkkit stared at the two older she-cats, eyes wide. They both felt shock and intense interest too. Though maybe one felt the latter more than the other...

OOC: Under-developed kit charries gah

[Longstorm]

Hollypaw glared the white warrior but said nothing. She knew that Blueblossom was right, but she didn't want to believe it, especially since Blueblossom had smacked .
"You are a cruel cat, Blueblossom," Hollypaw spat. She turned on heel and ran away from her, tears in Hollypaw's eyes.

The kits present watched the exchange with wide, tearful eyes.
Blueblossom looked at them and saw.
"Don't worry," she meowed kindly to them. "We'll be going home soon. You'll like it there."
The DarkClan kits looked uncertain, still uneasy after the argument, but they nodded anyway.

THE END.

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