Open Camp ASYNCHRONOUS ENDINGS [ kit lesson // defeathering a bird ]

[tenebrouspaw]

"This - is - humiliating!"

Tenebrouspaw pauses just before the nursery, a thrush, a pigeon, and a robin dropped to her paws. She throws her glare towards her mentor who idles near her for a few moments, appearing stern, before turning on his heel and joining the nearest patrol. She can't believe it - he's serious! He has honestly delegated to her teaching the kits how to defeather birds rather than bringing her out into the territory. If she were any worse, the tortoiseshell molly would've chased him and sunk her fangs into his hind legs. Perhaps fortunately, she turns back to her trio of birds and begrudgingly continues forth, carrying one by her teeth and rolling the other two with her paws.

"StarClan, I can't..." she grumbles under her breath as she sets herself up, ears pinned to her head. Tenebrouspaw looks up, finally, and garners the attention of the nursery in a less than subtle way - "Hey! Get over here if you wanna learn how to take the feathers off of a bird without shredding the damn thing." Her nose wrinkles, "I'm only going to show you lot once." She'd rather be picking ticks over this.

 

[Echokit. Echokit. Echokit.'s icon]

SO WITH THIS BLADE TURNED TO SCYTHE, I RID A MIRACLE-
SLICE YOUR HEART, AND CALLUS YOUR LOVE

​

‎

Echokit

, He/Him / 4 moons /

Thunderclan - Kit

Long hair chocolate point cinnamon tortie with low white and vitiligo, has ice coloured eyes
Younger Sibling to SNOWCAP, GRACEPAW & BRIARPAW, Littermate to FRECKLEKIT & VICTORYKIT
A closed off and angry individual, not very talkative but generally snarky, jealous of those who are truly happy
Tagging

[@]

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"Hrmh?"

Echokit stirs awake, what was happening this time? He gets up a touch quicker than the last time, just in case there was something of note happening. The nursery looked relatively normal, nothing disturbed as far as Echokit could see- peaceful even. Good start, he supposed.

Wandering towards the entrance, he heard the sound of complaining and saw some older Warriors readying for a patrol, but what was drawing most of his attention was an apprentice that had been left outside of the nursery with a few birds-

Oh, and now she was yelling. So much for peaceful and undisturbed. Any minute now a bunch of the other kittens would wake up or stumble on over and start bothering this apprentice more than engaging with what she had brought over- Echokit was sure of this. In any case, he was sort of intrigued. He had been shown and instructed to pick birds before by his loathesome parents but it wasn't the worst task to be given, it had practical uses. So, even at a young 4 moons, he had some experience and skill in the concept but what he wanted was to just learn from someone less insufferable, and that, as far as he was concerned, would be easy.

"You didn't need to yell, you know."

Echokit shrugged as he approached.

"It's just plucking birds, you don't need to be so angry about it. Anyway... Thank you for making an attempt at teaching us."

Aww look, he actually has manners. Kind of.

‎

YOU PESTS WERE GIFTED FREE MINDS, BUT NO...
IT WAS NEVER ENOUGH

​

 

[Fawnpaw]

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┍

Fawnkit woke up to her favorite scent floating through the air. IS THAT PIGEON? Immediatelly on her feet, she looked around - but none of the nursery's residents were eating, let alone eating her favorite food.

That's when she heard the apprentice's voice, muffled by the nursery's walls, but still clear enough for her to recognise Tenebrouspaw. With clear determination, Fawnkit trotted out of the nursery and sat in front of Tenebrouspaw, ready for her lesson. Well, except for the fact that the sight of the pigeon was too alluring, and instead of looking at Tenebrouspaw, she stared at the fat bird, inviting her to take a bite. She controlled herself, but stars, was it a difficult task. Best to get this over with, for the lesson to pass quickly, so that she can share the tasty pigeon with her sisters.

"I'm listening!" she exclaimed, finally looking into Tenebrouspaw's beautiful mismatched eyes.

‎┙

‎

​

 

[Frecklekit]

Leave what's heavy, what's heavy behind.
If your heart won't move, find a reason why.
If your tears don't fall, it's not that you're dry
You just forgot what it's like to cry.

.

Forest-green eyes followed the apprentice who had called them over, a frown tugging at his muzzle as he obeyed reluctantly. He settled a little apart from the others, close enough to hear but distant enough to observe, his posture low and careful. His tail swished lightly from side to side, a quiet signal of his unease, as he opened his jaws to speak, then snapped them shut when Echokit muttered that the apprentice didn't need to yell, though he appreciated the attempt to teach.

Frecklekit's gaze flicked sideways toward his brother, a flicker of surprise crossing his own expression momentarily before he shook it off and instead twitched an ear toward Tenebrouspaw once more. Then Fawnkit joined them, moving with polite grace that made Frecklekit almost ache with envy. The kit's focus was unbroken, posture perfect, tail neatly tucked, every motion measured. It reminded him of the fleeting moments when their own parents had pretended to care, calculated gestures that barely scratched the surface of real affection. A small sigh escaped him, barely audible, and he tilted his head slightly, fixing the apprentice with another intense stare.

" Why are you so... Angry? " he muttered, almost to himself rather than to her, the words tasting strange on his tongue. " ... 'nyway... I'm listening too. "

Speech, thoughts/emphasis

4 MOONS

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THUNDERCLANNER

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SONG

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bio

 

[Victorypaw]

victorykit;

if you're gonna hit me, hit me harder

x
x

Victorykit climbed from the nest she begrudgingly shared with her siblings and stretched each leg in turn. Then, trying to quell her own enthusiasm, approached the apprentice. Only the slight quiver in her tail betrayed her excitement. She was surprised to see Echokit had been the first one to join, and even though he had a few cross words, he actually seemed sort of excited? Humph. He acted like their parents vanishing was the best thing that ever happened to him! Though a small voice in the back of her mind agreed, she forced it away, sank her claws into it and buried it in the dirt. Instead, she tried to focus on the topic at hand: learning as much as she could to be the best warrior she could. She was a little surprised at the lesson being taught, but she supposed she could learn to defeather her meals a bit more... elegantly. It couldn't hurt, certainly. And then she'd get to eat, and she was starving, even if she wouldn't admit it.

Echokit, Fawnkit, and Frecklekit were all settled, ready to learn. Fawnkit seemed the most excited, which was typical of the younger kit. Her energy was refreshing after growing up with Echokit and Frecklekit. She padded forward until she reached Fawnkit's side, then sat beside her.

"I'm ready!"

She declared with a grin, curling her plumy tail around her paws.

you better knock me out the first time

Victorykit

— thunderclan, 4 moons
— she/her
— chocolate tortie, white paws, green eyes

"speech"

, 'thoughts', action

 

[Faithkit]

FAITHKIT

A BOUQUET OF BRAMBLES

SHE/HERx THUNDERCLAN KITx 03 MOONS​

☆ A sickly fawn cream tortoiseshell with low white
☆ Adopted child of Serpentberry, littermates with Falsekit and Thornkit
☆ penned by Juice↛ Ouijeejuice on discord, feel free to dm for plots.​

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You're pretty certain this feels like a scene you shouldn't involve yourself in. Defeathering a bird seemed like a lot of work, you imagined so anyways. It might draw your breath shorter, could even keep you from joining the nursery for longer. Though when you think of that spiteful moggy Hazykit and the way she seems to prowl around that place as a sentry against you in particular. It did look a little appealing, if you're lucky maybe this one act could spark the dull embers of your fragile and fatigued frame, an illness could be enticed surely. With a soft sigh you roll away from the leaves that had caught your attention, the sunbeam was growing weak anyways and you knew you would have had to find a new sun warmed spot. That task seemed impossible these days, you weren't sure why the sun was deciding to hide away for so long but you found it rather rude.

"Can I learn?" your voice draws from you as unbidden as the breath that fills your lungs. Standing on the precipice of the semi circle around Tenebrouspaw the other kits have made you feel your whiskers quiver in anticipation. You look at your future peers, what should be your current ones, and the eldest cat amongst the group in hopes for permission somewhere. Dully in the back of your mind you're reminded that you don't actually need that permission, it was just expected for you to do things right?

Shuffling awkwardly to Echokit's side you glance over at Victorykit, Frecklekit and Fawnkit. The latter of the three you had considered standing next to instead but you for one loathe their littermate and are a little afraid by the sudden burst of energy. You weren't too great at sudden changes, not after two downright tragic ones anyways. Echokit in comparison is predicitable, reliable in a way. And you don't currently hate anyone in his family, so it all seemed to work out as you inspect the bird with a studious glance.

 

[tenebrouspaw]

At large, the kits seem interested, if not annoyed by her loud and terse entrance. Tenebrouspaw screws up her nose for a moment, biting her tongue to keep herself from snapping at the tots. After all, they're each just kids... each with their own tragedies, from illness, to abandonment, to... experiencing their own mother's death (twice over.) Yeesh. While she can't fully inhibit herself from speaking in a clipped demeanor, she can give the nursery residents a nicer version of herself, at least.

"It's... whatever," she mumbles to Echokit, pushing forward two of the birds (namely the robin and the pigeon.) Victorykit claims she's ready, as does Fawnkit, and though Frecklekit criticizes her, the tortoiseshell molly holds herself together. When Faithkit requests joining them, Tenebrouspaw serves her a slight glare before saying, "Well, you're a kit, right? C'mere then." No real malice, simply annoyance for being questioned. After looking over the kits for a moment, she passes the robin towards Echokit and Faithkit, and the pigeon to Victorykit and Fawnkit. Frecklekit, the odd one out, is beckoned closer to Tenebrouspaw, and she says, "You'll be my partner, unless someone else comes by."

Once each are settled, the apprentice begins. "Feathers are important in their own way. We use them to line our nests, of course, but they can be used in a pinch to patch up holes in a den, or... pretty up your fur, I guess. Whatever you want. But that means we have to be careful when we pluck them from the bird, because they can break and become an all around headache. I like to start with the... uhhhh..." Her paw brushes over her nose, hiding the wrinkles as she thinks a bit harder. That same paw brushes over the thrush between her and Frecklekit, dislodging a few feathers with the gentle motion. "I forgot what they're called. But they're the feathers the bird was gonna lose anyways, so the stems have already loosened. Sometimes a good shake will clear them from the prey, but other times you can just nudge them around and they'll come right out. Don't force it, though. If they're being stubborn, we have another way to pull them." She looks to Frecklekit, and motions, "Give it a shot."

 

[Fawnpaw]

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┍

Fawnkit felt a little confused by the explanation, but she tried to follow Tenebrouspaw's instructions nonetheless. Fawnkit poked the pigeon with her paw, trying to mimic what Tenebrouspaw called "a good shake" to loosen any feathers that might fall out. Two small white ones did, but nothing much, the two barely feathers at all.

"Am I doing this wrong?" she whispered to Victorykit, hoping the other understood the instructions better. She fought the urge to shake the bird violently, instead she shuffled her paws and sat patiently (or at least she hoped she looked patient), trying to see what the other kittens were doing. It was a bit too much for her mind and so she nudged the pigeon towards Victorykit. "You try first, i think..."

She was definitely being generous and patient and not at all confused by what she was meant to be doing. She just wanted to watch the older kitten do it first, before attempting by herself.

‎┙

‎

​

 

[Victorypaw]

victorykit;

if you're gonna hit me, hit me harder

x
x

Victorykit could only blink in response to Tenebrouspaw's explanation. Just... shake the feathers off? She watched as Fawnkit tried to oblige, gently nudging the pigeon with a paw. Of course, it didn't do much. The younger kit suggested she try, and Victorykit forced herself to smile.

"Yeah, sure,"

she mewed. Now the pressure was really on. She wanted to show off her skills, but Tenebrouspaw's suggestion didn't make any sense! She was so used to just ripping off the feathers with her teeth, but that seemed like the opposite of what the apprentice was suggesting.

After a long moment of deliberation, Victorykit copied Fawnkit's technique. She batted at it gently, but nothing much happened once again. A good shake, huh? Victorykit frowned. There was only one thing she could think of for shaking a bird bigger than she was: she fastened her teeth in one wing and tried to fling it upward. She didn't have the strength the lift it all the way off the ground, but it did sort of jolt up before flopping against the ground. A few more feathers dislodged themselves, but there was a long way to go. She huffed in frustration, tail lashing. She could feel embarrassment beginning to prickle in her pelt, and she wanted nothing more than to dig her claws into the pigeon. But no, she had to set a good example for Fawnkit. So, gritting her teeth, she peered towards the other kits to see how they were doing.

you better knock me out the first time

Victorykit

— thunderclan, 4 moons
— she/her
— chocolate tortie, white paws, green eyes

"speech"

, 'thoughts', action

 

[Frecklekit]

Leave what's heavy, what's heavy behind.
If your heart won't move, find a reason why.
If your tears don't fall, it's not that you're dry
You just forgot what it's like to cry.

.

Frecklekit turned his gaze toward his sister for a heartbeat, the tip of his tail flicking before his attention shifted to Faithkit, who had padded closer with that careful politeness of hers. She asked if she could join in, requested, really. Frecklekit saw no reason to refuse. She was a kit, too, wasn't she? And Tenebrouspaw had said this lesson was for kits. He gave her a faint nod, almost an unspoken permission, before his forest-green eyes drifted back toward the apprentice.

Then came the words that caught him off guard.

He blinked when Tenebrouspaw said he would be her partner. Her partner. Not one of the others. For a moment, his chest tightened, and he found himself staring down at the bird between them. The feathers were still smooth, gleaming faintly in the filtered light, easier to look at than her eyes. He hadn't expected to be paired with an apprentice. Did it mean something? Was it just a gesture? His mind chased possibilities he couldn't answer. A quiet breath escaped him. Don't overthink it. He forced himself to listen, ears pricked forward, eyes following Tenebrouspaw's movements as she spoke. She was explaining something about the feathers, about how to start. Frecklekit's gaze dropped back to the bird. He knew feathers, he'd seen them scattered around nests, seen kits play with them before... He had played with them once too, before his father had scolded him. He hadn't done it since.

The what? His brow furrowed slightly, confusion flickering in his expression as he glanced up at her, head tilting. Then came the clarification, that the feathers the bird would lose easily could be nudged free, gently, without force. Feathers that would come loose anyway... He snorted softly through his nose, the sound almost a sigh, and blinked down at the bird again. Nudge around... Or shake them. He lifted a paw, hesitated for a heartbeat as he thought through the motion, then finally reached forward. His touch was tentative, almost delicate, as he grasped the thrush's tail feathers and began to nudge them, slow and uncertain at first. Then, gathering a little confidence, he gave the bird a light shake, hoping quietly and a tad desperately that he'd understood what she meant.

The feathers shifted, just a few drifting loose. Frecklekit's ears flicked forward, and something subtle passed through his expression, not quite pride, not quite relief, but a soft flicker of satisfaction. For once, maybe, he hadn't done it wrong.
Speech, thoughts/emphasis

4 MOONS

𖧧

THUNDERCLANNER

𖧧

SONG

𖧧

bio

 

[Echokit. Echokit. Echokit.'s icon]

SO WITH THIS BLADE TURNED TO SCYTHE, I RID A MIRACLE-
SLICE YOUR HEART, AND CALLUS YOUR LOVE

​

‎

Echokit

, He/Him / 4 moons /

Thunderclan - Kit

Long hair chocolate point cinnamon tortie with low white and vitiligo, has ice coloured eyes
Younger Sibling to SNOWCAP, GRACEPAW & BRIARPAW, Littermate to FRECKLEKIT & VICTORYKIT
A closed off and angry individual, not very talkative but generally snarky, jealous of those who are truly happy
Tagging

[@]

‎

Echokit was actually quite surprised with the reply from this apprentice. At least she didn't snap back, Echokit was going to consider that as a net positive.

"Well, don't worry about it, yeah?"

To Echokit's surprise, his own littermates Victorykit and Frecklekit had decided to join. Maybe they thought about this in the same way as him? ... Hm. He doubted it, but if it was true then he would take that as a net positive too. Anything to undermine what his parents did.

In a string of further surprises, Echokit almost didn't notice Faithkit choosing to sit by him.

"Oh, hey."

He abruptly acknowledged her as his focus was shifted towards the robin that was given to the pair.

"A robin, alright."

A small bird, sure, but Echokit thought they tasted pretty good.

"Ever had one before?"

Echokit asked Faithkit as he moved to get to it with a paw first, checking where the feathers would be the loosest at and a few just came off as he did so. He then motioned for Faithkit to give it a shot.

‎

YOU PESTS WERE GIFTED FREE MINDS, BUT NO...
IT WAS NEVER ENOUGH

​