[ti]Private[/ti]something small

[foggy]

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It wasn't that often that Smokeshade voluntarily joined a patrol that was headed towards the Twoleg Farm. It wasn't that the place scared him, he was just wary of it. As he was of anything that involved twolegs, even the gathering place with its dead and rusted monsters was something he found eerie as a young apprentice. Still, ocassionally he liked to switch things up a bit and he found himself on a patrol headed right for the very area. The other party members were lagging behind for some reason, so Smokeshade offered to go on ahead to scount the area, just in case any kittypets were lurking around. They were mostly harmless but they had no regard for the noise they made so any chance of catching prey around the farm would be lost.

The fluffy tom stood out against the backdrop of the farm, more suited to hunting in dark, well-hidden environments but he was an adaptable cat. He'd decided to follow the path furtherest from the barn, all the way to the opposite side, when he heard something. It was so quiet that it was nearly carried away by the lightest breeze, and at first, Smokeshade doisregarded it as a bird or some other creature nearby. At least, until he heard it again. He stopped, paw halfway up, ears pricked as much as they could be. Something was here. The warrior dropped down, not knowing how to deal with an unknown threat. It was obviously small or he would've seen it, but that didn't mean it coukdn't be dangerous. A snake, for example, or something brought in by the twolegs.

Slowly, he began to creep forward towards where he thought the noise was coming from. It was difficult, considering how quiet the sound actually was, but it wasn't long before a small mound of ginger fur came into focus. With a startled mew of his own, Smokeshade quickly abandoned his slow, cautious crawl and darted the rest of the way, sniffing for any sign of danger. At this closer distance, he could now see that it had been a kitten of his own species all along. He wondered briefly, in the back of his mind, how he'd not recognized the mew as a feline's? Maybe because he was so rarely around such young kits? Whatever the reason was, it didn't matter right this moment, because he still had no idea why a kit so young had been dumped here. The twolegs obviously didn't intend to keep it and Smokeshade hadn't detected even the faintest scent of anyother cat nearby.

He hovered around the tiny tom kit, unsure of how he should proceed. He didn't know yet if the ginger tabby was injured, and didn't want to aggravate the injury by moving him. So, he wrapped his fluffy tail around the small body, hoping that exposure hadn't weakened the kitten beyond recovery and that his tail would magically keep it warm and stable. Smokeshade had already made up his mind that, should the kit survive, he would take it back to Mistclan to live. One of the queens could take care of it, Cherryheart had just given birth so maybe he could bribe her to take another kit. Whatever his misgivings with the fiery-pelted feline, Smokeshade knew that she wasn't so callous as to let an innocent kitten die. The only other option was Nightfur or Meotorfall and, he suspected, that their milk had mostly dried up.

With his tail still firmly wrapped around the yet-unnamed youngster, Smokeshade let out a yowl to signal any of his patrol that may be advancing towards them. He wanted a second opinion before he up and left, and he still needed to inform them of the situation. It would be slightly unprofessional of him to go ahead to scout and then disappear on them. As tempting as it was with certain members of the clan.

_{(sorry for the delay! Miss Tactical
and gingersnapsdacat if you wanted lily to jump in ^-^)}

[Miss Tactical]

The flame colored tom mewled as rough hands placed him tall grass. No longer did he smell his mother, no longer did he smell his siblings where was he? Eyes barely open, his vision was blurry. Where he was was uncomfortable and cold. It smelled funny. The flame colored kit let out a high pitch cry, kneading the ground with his paws, surely his mother would hear him and come running to feed him. After mewling for what seemed like hours, no mother came. He formed himself into a tight ball, he was scared. No mother, no food... He closed his eyes, stomach burning.

He cried in his sleep that night, dreaming of his mother, her furry flame colored fur that was so warm...as he woke he felt an unfamiliar feeling, an unfamiliar smell. He he gave a slight sneeze as a tail wrapped around his body, the warmth of another cat was slightly comforting. He opened his eyes, but vision still blurred but he could tell the cat was large. there was something nice about the gesture. He wiggled forward, claws kneading gently into the toms tail as a purr formed in the back of his throat. He crawled forward hoping to get something to eat but nothing!


He let out a high pitched mew of distress, clearly hungry. Clearly moving around freely, the tom had no injuries, or anything broken, besides his spirit that was, and needed to eat. The ginger tom huffed, curling up into a small ball besides the warrior cat defeated. Hopefully this tom would stay with him. After all he was lonely.

[gingersnapsdacat]

When Lilycloud was asked to join the patrol, she went without hesitation. She enjoyed hunting for her clan, and it was certainly not an issue to hunt with a certain long-furred tomcat. She padded along at a comfortable pace, not wanting to use up all the energy that she would soon need for hunting. Her shorter legs, and slower pace kept her a few tail-lengths behind Smokeshade, who was checking for the kitty pets that occasionally frequented the surrounding area. Lilycloud knew they meant no harm, and wished them no ill-will, but she could not help but wish that they could be a bit quieter while she was trying to hunt. 
Her thoughts of the disturbing kitty pets were interrupted by a deep yowl from Smokeshade. Suddenly, Lilycloud sprang into action, racing to her friend's side.
"Are you o-" Her worried yowl died in her throat as her blue eyes took in the sight that lie in front of her.
The brown-furred she cat crouched, staring at the little scrap of orange fluff. 
"It's so...tiny.." was all she managed to choke out. 
foggy Miss Tactical

[foggy]

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A high-pitched mewl rose from the bundle, causing a pang of alarm in the large warrior's chest. He'd never saw himself as a father but he felt a surge of protectiveness towards the abandoned kit. He told himself it was just the circumstance that had him feeling protective, a moon old child just left was tragic and anyone would feel the same. He suspected once he'd got them back to Mistclan and into safety, he'd be satisfied that the kit was in a better place.

Being so deep into these thoughts made him miss the rapid approach of a certain brown-furred feline, so he was slightly surprised by her sudden appearance. Her concern quickly faded once she spotted the squirming body curled up into his tail. Clearly, she was as surprised as he was with this situation. Not that he'd expected any different, it's not every day you find an orphan, alone and hungry. Smokeshade just wanted someone else's opinion on it and maybe even a witness to the circumstance that the tiny fluffball was found in. "I just found him here," He turned his focus back towards the catch of the day. "I don't think it's injured but he needs to get somewhere warm and safe soon." He knew what he had to do, but he was a little uncertain whether Bearstar would be so welcoming towards a completely random cat they found near the twoleg place, especially given everything that was going on with the rouges and the past murders.

Yet, he simply couldn't not do anything, and he hoped Bearstar would understand. Compared to the other leaders, she was an equal mix of understanding and caution. "I think we should take him back to Mistclan, offer him a home?" He was well aware that using 'we' was a bit unfair. How could he expect Lilycloud to be just be okay with being a part of this. It may seem like an easy thing to do, but if it was a trap or, if for some other reason, bringing the kitten back to Mistclan had unforeseen circumstances in the future, the consequences would fall on those who allowed it to happen in the first place. Again, he couldn't not do anything: regardless of any future happenings, the kit was innocent. "We - I could ask one of the queens to take him in."

[gingersnapsdacat]

Lilycloud was relieved to see that the kit appeared unharmed, even if he was hungry. "You're right Smokeshade. He needs to have a warm and safe home. Surely BearStar wouldn't turn away a kit. She cannot be that paranoid. It is not his fault that he is all alone."
She could not take her eyes off the ginger puffball beside her friend. Even though she had not interacted with kits before, she could not help but feel duty to protect this lonely child. Her tail curled beside her, and flicked over his, resting near the kitten. His orange pelage stood out against the neutral black and grey of Smokeshade's fur, and her soil-shaded tail. 
"Yes, we should take him home." 
She heard his hesitation, and gave him a reassuring smile. 
"I could help you, if you want. I don't really know kit-stuff...but maybe I can be...emotional support?"

OOC should I make a post talking to Bear?

[foggy]

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Emotional support. He never realised how much work a kit could need, Smokeshade had clearly just been thinking about the survival side of things: food, warmth, shelter. He'd not factored in that the squirming bundle would need parenting also, he suppose the queen that took the kit would be okay with doing it, but if Lilycloud wanted to step in and actually become a part of the kit's life, he couldn't just leave her alone to do it. He found him, after all, and made the decision to take him home, so maybe he could pop in a few times in the nursery to see how he was getting on. "I suppose we could help him out...together?" He suddenly felt a bit self-conscious, moving onto the next action without waiting for her to respond.

With Lilycloud's agreement, the warrior now felt that he could go ahead with his plan. Slowly, he bent down to pick up the mewling kitten by his scruff. He hadn't been in a situation before where he had had to do this, but he'd been around camp enough to see how Queens pick up their children, so he had a rough idea of how to do this. It was strange doing it himself, though, realising that he wouldn't be able to talk properly until they reached camp, and that he'd have to carry the tiny scrap of fur the whole way. It was a good thing that the kitten was still so young and light or Smokeshade would've had to take breaks when all he really wanted was to get back to camp as soon as possible.

With the scruff firmly in his mouth, he shot his brown-furred companion a befuddled glance, his maw currently occupied by an orange kitten. "'Ets 'o," His words were amusingly muffled by fur and he didn't want to talk too much, in case he lost his grip and sent the still-unnamed cat falling to the ground. Talking of being unnamed, it struck him that's either he or the queen that took him would have to name him. For some reason, Smokeshade suddenly felt a little defensive about someone else naming the ginger tabby, the tom currently saw it as his kitten, because he found him. Maybe he'd have to start thinking of names. Firekit? No, too simple. Orangekit? No, again, too simple. He'd get it eventually.

Hoping that Lilycloud had followed him, he was too preoccupied in his thoughts of naming and wondering how to explain this situation to the clan, that he wouldn't have noticed the chocolatey coloured warrior anyway. It wasn't long before he spotted the entrance to their home, having heard the loud rush of the waterfall a while back. The large tom slinked inside, careful to keep the tabby hanging in his jaws mostly covered from the flying droplets of water from the waterfall, blinking his eyes against the sudden change from the light of the outside to the darker inside of the Mistclan camp. He knew that his presence would attract attention, he did have, after all, a completely new and slightly malnourished kitten in his mouth, he hoped it would bring over the Mistclan leader so he wouldn't have to sought after her. He liked Bearstar but she could have a bit of a temper that he definitely didn't want to be on the other side of, so hopefully she wasn't busy with something. Interrupting her probably wouldn't be wise, he needed her support if he was going to get the clan to accept a new arrival in such unusual circumstances.

However, the fluffy black tom had a slightly higher priority, so he headed towards the queen's den, shaking of any questions posed to him by interested clanmates, not that he was able to answer anyway. As he had thought earlier, Cherryheart was inside. He internally huffed, he didn't think he'd ever have to ask a favour of her, especially because they tended not to get along too well. Smokeshade placed the kitten down at his paws as carefully as he could manage, but he was still a bit clumsy as this was still new to him, before turning to face the fiery she-cat. "I have a favour to ask," he was slightly out of breath, he hadn't been having a leisurely walk coming here. He wondered if the nursing queen already had an inkling to what the situation was, Cherryheart's mind was as sharp as her claws, in his opinion.

^{// I've asked lup if she'd be okay with Bearstar popping in the thread, if not, we can just skip that part. ^^}

[Miss Tactical]

The kit yelped as he felt himself being picked up, but immediately he curled his tail and tucked in his legs. This was how his mother used to carry him although it was much more gentle. He bounced along eyes closed it wasn't much longer until he could hear the crashing of water. He flattened his ears, clearly startled by this new noise. He whimpered slightly, where was this cat taking him? He felt water hit his pelt and snorted, not enjoying the feeling of his pelt getting wet, but the tom who was carrying him shielded him as best he could. He was grateful for that!

After a moment he was placed down on the ground. It wasn't as cold as where he had been but still chilly for the kit. However, there was a familiar scent that hit the toms nose and he immediately started mewling loudly. He had been so hungry! He didn't remember the last time he had eaten. The pain in his stomach was almost too much as he started crawling unbeknownst to him, Cherryhearts belly.


~~~


The ginger she-cat had been laying in the nursery, her eyes closed as her kits played around. They were still young but their spirits kept everyone amused. She lifted her head however as a familiar scent caught her nose. Smokeshade? Their first meeting wasn't particularly...well it didn't go well at all. She wasn't a fan of the tom she narrowed her eyes slightly at his presence, her lip curled in annoyance however there was something dangling from the toms jaws and her features softened. Was that a kit? She immediately stood up walking towards Smokeshade and gave the small kit a quick sniff.

"Smokeshade who is this?" The kit reeked of two-legs and pasture. She snorted slightly taking a step back. Smokeshade placed the kit down and his words rang in her ears. "I have a favor to ask" Cherryheart knew at the moment she was the only nursing queen, so that alone meant Smokeshade really had no choice but to ask her to look after this small kit. She didn't hesitate before picking the ginger tom up and laying down, giving the kit a slight nudge with her paw. Immediately, he began to suckle a purr forming in the kits throat.

She gave the tom a few quick licks to comfort him, the poor thing must have had a rough travel here with Smokeshade. She looked at the tom eyes burning. "Does Bearstar know you brought a kit back? I won't say no to a kit, but I'm not sure what Bearstar will think...I don't think she will say no, but I don't think she will be very impressed with you...." She mewed firmly. Of course she would take care of the kit, and love him very much, but they would need to let Bearstar know, so there were no surprises.

[gingersnapsdacat]

A gentle grin graced Lilycloud's muzzle as she watched Smokeshade lift the young kit. The kitten looked even more tiny now that Smokeshade was holding him. Then again, it was not hard to look small compared to the giant fluff ball of a Maine Coon tomcat. Sure, he may not have been as gentle as a queen, but she could tell that he was doing his very best. 
"Yes. Let's go home." Lilycloud purred, slightly bemused by Smokeshade's attempt to speak through the mouthful of kitten-fluff. She followed a few paces behind the tom and his precious cargo, never taking her blue eyes off of the pair. 
During the short journey home, she let herself think about the future of this kitten. Smokeshade had found him, so obviously they are to have a close bond. And of course there is Cherryheart, who will nurse the kitten. And then...there is me. I mean, I am close to Smokeshade, and I did offer to help, so I can be there for the kit. But what is my role in this?
When they reached the nursery, Lilycloud lingered at the entrance for a moment, not sure if she should enter with Smokeshade.
Will he want me to go in?  
She quickly decided to take a few paces in, careful not to disturb Cherryheart, or to bother the other nursing kittens. Not that she usually was very bothersome; being quiet and shy. 
"No, BearStar doesn't know yet. We only just got back," she informed the queen, dipping her head with a nod of respect. 
What will BearStar think?

[LupTacco]

Bearstar shook her head at the prey pile. Even with Newleaf presiding over the forest, prey was still slow to wake, and many mice remained hidden, rabbit pups buried beyond sight or scent. fish eggs waiting to hatch. Indeed, in just a moon more there would be a great boom of prey, and the clan would all eat well, but as it stood, MistClan was in a delicate balance of taking just enough to feed all their cats at least once a day. It didn't help that three fine young warriors were now occupied nursing their young- and how! There had been many kits born, but perhaps too many. The nursery was exceptionally crowded for at least another moon with cats nearly apprentice age with appetite to match; growing bodies needed additional food. Over ten young bodies too young to be burdened yet with the responsibility of covering their own consumption by hunting and patrolling. She sighed; there wasn't anything to be done but wait and hope that the couples in her clan could perhaps wait just a little on having any more kits of their own. I'll hunt something down myself later, she decided, taking a small but plump vole and chewed it down in just a few bites. 

She had gotten halfway back into her den to consider the names for several cats about ready to join the ranks of the warriors when her ears caught the slightly labored pawsteps of someone carrying something decently big, nearly muffled by the waterfall that had become white noise to her over her time as leader. "I just found him here..." Some low, concerned voices spoke at the far end of the cavern. Smokeshade, perhaps, based on the youthful pitch, and she certainly recognized the soft, new-mother voice of Cherryheart. Odd conversation to have about a rabbit... Bearstar wondered, turning around slowly as she considered the idea that he hadn't just gotten a lucky catch down in the fields. Her eyes narrowed, dark copper eyes scanned the scene, trying to identify the situation and see over Cherryheart's legs. Is that... another kit? Why would she be nursing out here? Her eyes widened as she spotted the ginger kitten more clearly; it had certainly not been among the little ones in her nest before. Fur pricking, the leader padded towards the couple with a quick but neutral gait, concealing her suspicion.

"Another kit, Cherryheart? I did not realize you had another." She addressed the queen with a short, respectful nod, but her gaze drifted over to Smokeshade. "Unless...? Do you have anything to say about it, Smokeshade? Lilycloud?" She avoided looking at the kitten; she knew she'd too easily fall into trusting him- trusting it, lose sight of the needs of her clan at the moment and the threat of rogues. The kit was big enough, just old enough to know how to speak once its hunger was sated and its weary paws rested, and was therefore old enough to make simple plans and certainly follow basic instruction even from evil forces. She would ask the young cat for their story in due time- after hearing what her warriors knew of it. Between the rogues and Shadespirit- wherever she may have gone- Bearstar didn't want to take any chances. She would at least allow the kitten to feed and be weaned, but whether it got to stay and join them in full would remain in the air for now. 

((//he will get to stay of course,, just writing IC))

[foggy]

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Smokeshade didn't expect anything less than Cherryheart's initial reaction, he couldn't blame her because he didn't feel any more pleased at the situation than she did. However, a kitten's life was on the line and with the ginger she-cat being the only nursing queen at present, the circumstances demanded that bridges be built, partly. With a strange hopeful glint in his eyes, he watched Cherryheart move towards the tiny heap of fur. She was suspicious, as she had a right to be. "We found him by the farm," the warrior paused, wondering exactly how he was going to explain. It was at this moment he felt the comforting presence of Lilycloud at his side again, thankfully taking some of pressure off him in explaining to Cherryheart. "I brought him straight here, I don't think he had any time to waste." Not that he was any sort of medicine cat or even knowledgeable in kitten development, but what he did know was that the kit had been alone for however long, hungry and cold. he couldn't afford to waste any time if he didn't know how much time they had left.

However, it looked like, despite any differences they might have, Cherryheart would accept the hungry bundle. He was beyond relief, even if he didn't expect her to flat-out reject him, but given their repertoire, Smokeshade had had his worse case scenario doubts. "Thank you, Cherryheart. I know we've had our... differences but I will be willing to help out however I can, so if there's anything that you need, I will make sure it is done." Perhaps a little over gracious of him, but asking her to look after a child that wasn't even hers was a pretty big ask, given that she could've easily refused and... then what would he have done? It was thanks to Cherryheart that he didn't even have to think about that.

Smokeshade hadn't been keeping an eye on his surroundings during their exchanges, not that he would've usually because the camp was a safe zone, mostly, so he hadn't noticed the earthy fur of the Mistclan leader. It wasn't until Bearstar announced her presence by addressing Cherryheart. He quickly moved to make more room. The warrior had hoped there would've been more time before he would've had to alert her, but Bearstar was currently on high-alert when it came to her clan, again, not like he could blame her, given the recent, tragic events.

It wasn't long before he was pierced in place by a pair of copper eyes. Although he considered himself to be able to stand up against any cat, regardless of age or title, Bearstar was something else all together and, besides that, he genuinely respected her. "I do, Bearstar," The black warrior needed to be careful with how he phrased this because the truth, even to his ears, sounded vaguely suspicious. "I was on the patrol heading towards the farm, I had offered to scout ahead, it wasn't long before I heard the mewls." He paused for a moment, letting his words sink in before he moved onto the main part. "I found him in the grass, alone and hungry, and judging from the lack of a mother or father's scent nearby, I'd say he'd been that way for a while. I did the only thing I could and brought him here." Or in other words, Smokeshade found a random kitten, didn't bother to do a proper check around and brought it directly to the camp. He'd decided against wording it like that, though, he needed Bearstar on his side, or at least neutral for the kitten to be allowed to stay here. "I was wondering whether we could take care of him, give him a home here. We saved his life so there'd be no reason for him to leave or betray us." He glanced down at the kit in question, suckling up all the milk he could, hopefully sating his hunger.