The air was cold, at least to her. The breeze nipped at her nose and left her feeling chilled. Her fur fluffed against the breath of winter, Bluekit found herself taking some of her first steps out into the clearing. She'd been a runt, at birth. Sickly. And though her eyes had opened, Bluekit had never been able to see. That didn't stop her from wanting to be a part of this new world, though. After all, she hadn't survived this long just to sit in her nest all day. And so, she wandered. Her clumsy steps guiding her out into this brisk new land, filled with far too many smells and sounds. The moment she left the den, she was overwhelmed as the sensation of life rushed through her spirit. Voices rose above the wind and water. A few bird calls filled the sky. She wondered what they looked like, though her focus was soon drawn to the smell of food.
She can hear it nearby. Teeth peeling scales. A barbed tongue lapping along torn flesh. The sounds make her shiver even more within the cold, but her little paws carry her blindly forward regardless. Bluekit isn't sure who's eating, but she's hungry, and so she finds herself leaning closer to sink her own teeth into the meal. Hot breath brushes through her fur and she freezes momentarily, wondering if whoever leaned over the fish would snap at her for daring to wander close and steal a few bites.
Despite the cold wind which blew with grim determination across RiverClan's territory, it had been a good morning. Silverspirit had had success in his fishing expeditions and had caught enough to earn himself a meal, which he settled in to enjoy shortly after returning to camp. Fishing - and hunting more generally - was where his greatest talents resided. He was a fair fighter, but he lacked the brute strength and combat experience that some of his Clanmates possessed, leaving him at 'adequate' but no better. Catching fish and other prey, though - his speed, agility, and endurance, plus a well-polished playbook of strategies, meant that he consistently had good fortune when he went hunting. That was something he was proud of, and which he felt was vitally important in this season of scarcity. The silver tabby was turning his mind toward what he wished to do after he finished his fish, his clear green eyes somewhat distant with thought, when a sudden blue-white blur appeared. The soft scent of the nursery surrounded him as a kit plunged her teeth into his fish and Silverspirit huffed in surprise. Such blatant theft! He'd never encountered it before. His first reaction of surprise was shortly followed by amusement, albeit tinged somewhat with exasperation, and he spoke.
"Hello, little one." The warrior's voice was quiet, though not unkind. Silverspirit pulled his head back a few inches and nudged the fish closer to Bluekit. "It's all right. Eat, if you're hungry." Kittens needed as much prey as they could provide; growing was hungry work, after all. "Next time, you may want to ask if you can share before you take a bite. My name's Silverspirit. What's yours?" He didn't recognize this child, which wasn't necessarily unusual - he spent precious little time near the nursery, and this kitten looked to be just about old enough to leave the den on her own for the first time. Perhaps this was her debut to the Clan, which would account for her thieving ways. Silverspirit found himself wondering if she had parents within RiverClan or if she had been found or brought to their little haven from places unknown.
Her ears twitch as the voice churns her thoughts. Bluekit pauses, a strand of fish-meat hanging from her jaws before her barbed tongue sweeps across feline lips to swallow the remnant hungrily. There's a bit of anxiety that gnaws in her belly as she wonders if she's about to be yelled at, but Silverspirit sounded patient. Understanding. Bluekit shifts her little body to stare up at him, though her glassy blue eyes see nothing but darkness. It's polite to look at others when they speak to you, she recalls her mother saying. Even if I can't see them? That question had played through her mind ever since, but Bluekit had kept it to herself. After all, politeness was important, wasn't it?
"Uhm. Buh-" She pauses briefly, taking in a breath, "Bluekit." The little one finally answers. She lifts a paw, tracing the edges of the fish's front fins curiously. "Why do-uhm. Why does fishes have weird paws?" She asks. She can't feel fur or toes or claws. Only scaly, smooth skin. "How do they walk?" Maybe they crawled, she thinks to herself.
The little kitten turned to look at him, but Silverspirit had the strangest feeling that she did not properly see him; something in the way her bright blue eyes didn't quite find his. Perhaps it was his imagination. "Nice to meet you, Bluekit. I like your name." Perhaps he was biased, but being named for the color of one's fur was always a reliable option. An apt one, too - this child is classically RiverClan with her grayish coat, though the white back half of her is an unusual marking, not one he thought he had seen before.
He watched with interest as Bluekit took one of her tiny paws and felt along the fish's fins, something he had not ever thought to do. Why does fishes have weird paws? The kitten asked. It's a question that surely could only come from the mouth of a child, or perhaps a land-dwelling kittypet - but of course there was no innate reason that she should know. Things which felt obvious to him, with his years of life, surely were not obvious to a creature only a few months old.
"That's a good question." The silver tabby said in his characteristically serious tone. "Fish don't walk; they swim. The fins help them move through the water." Silverspirit reached out one white paw and touched the fish's tail. "They move their bodies side-to-side and lash their tail to go forward." He tilted his head to one side. "Have you been to see the river before? Often you can see fish swimming in the water."
This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.
