The Little Things

[Fireflake]

Buckleap the Loner

---

Buckleap padded forward with a slightly more relaxed posture than usual. The sky was blue but not too sunny above him, and there was grass underpaw. Sure, there was a fly buzzing around his ear, and his belly wasn't full, and there was a clan border right ahead. He could list the things that annoyed him until his breath ran out and then keep listing from StarClan, or from wherever he'd go. But why bother? Today wasn't such a bad day.

The loner sighed as he drew closer to the border. Today wasn't such a bad day yet. He began to wonder if he should just turn back. Buck could just as happily walk up and down one patch of the meadow all day long. He didn't need to know about MistClan. He didn't need to. But he did want to. He shrugged and gazed across the border. The tom could appreciate the sight even if he couldn't cross into it.

This was a search for information. Hopefully, it was a chance to get some answers about what MistClan was like. It could also be a chance to get some new scars on his pelt, but his luck had been fair so far. The loner hadn't yet bumped into any patrols. He'd come across young warriors instead in both MothClan and IvyClan that had told him enough to let him grasp the basics of their clans. Maybe he'd come across a young cat here, too.

Buckleap's long ears pricked. He could have sworn he heard something. It wasn't just grass rustling, either. The breeze that floated past him was far too soft to make that sound. Was it prey? Now, that would just be nature clawing out at him. The scents didn't seem to be prey scents. Opening his mouth, the tabby's ears pricked in interest. It seemed to be cat scent, but there was something... strange. His yellow-green eyes hopped from one spot to another as he peered into the meadow.

---

mewmehh chickenbatnana

[mewmehh]

Poof! A small puff of grass fluffed up as a tiny body hopped through the high-reacjung meadow, a creamy red pair of ears barely sticking up past the stretch of grass. The little red form dashed forward in excitement as Petalkit tore off a little ways away from the light tortoise shell, hee heartbeat thrumming between each frazzled pawstep. It was invigorating to be out of the confines of camp, she thought gleefully to herself.

Initially, the pale red tabby had been planning to make a break of her own accord, but upon her attempt to 'gather information' about the best time to act, shs hadnt mjssed the fact that she was the only one. One of her denmates, the striped she-kit, Featherkit, seemed to have the same idea and, in fact, had a touch more knowledge about sneaking out of camp. Instead, Petalkit decided to accompany her friend's own mission out with the promise of getting a tour of the meadows of Mistclan.

As she bounced from clover patch to clover patch, trampling the tiny pink flower balls, Petalkit giggled and cooed in delight. The only patrol out was one her father was leading, and Sabletail had set course to hunt on the opposite side of the territory. So the kittens had nothing in the world to worry about. Except for maybe a fox or weasel, Lilycloud had already told Petalkit's daddy that she would be the best warrior ever. If anything happened, she wasn't concerned.

And yet, the she-kit's thoughts were swiftly flipped on their side as an unfamiliar scent of cat rushed over her and the dark cream tabby managed to find herself practically nose to nose with a dark tabby stranger in the grass near the edge of the border.

[Fireflake]

Buckleap the Loner

---

Buckleap narrowed his eyes as he saw disturbed patches of grass. There were flashes of fur, but they always seemed to disappear before he could tell what-- or who-- they came from. Well, moons of hunting rabbits in the moor hadn't been for nothing. His gaze easily followed this small shape as it moved unhesitantly toward him. Before he had a chance to consider moving, Buckleap was staring down his nose at the kit. Surprise widened his eyes and pricked his ears.

When he had hoped to run into a young cat, this wasn't quite what he meant. The thought crossed his mind briefly that he should worry about being challenged. She didn't look like too much of a force to be reckoned with, but that didn't mean he was going to rule it out. Still... she didn't look like she could have been an apprentice for more than a day. In fact, looking at her as close as he could, she didn't look like she was an apprentice at all. MistClan don't let their kits wander free around the territory, do they? No. He looked up and around the meadow for an adult cat. Another flash of fur, he thought. Maybe it was just his eyes playing tricks on him this time.

Buckleap's eyes flicked back to the kit in front of him. "Hello, there," he greeted, uncertain of what to do. Even a kit should be able to tell he wasn't from MistClan. The scent of the Twolegplace that he had been staying around was still too strong for anyone to mistake him for a clan cat. It stuck out even as he was surrounded by MistClan scent. Buckleap glanced at the border. If he hadn't been standing there, would she have run straight across?

---

chickenbatnana mewmehh

[chickenbatnana]

Featherkit lifted up her legs high, walking through the high-grass. She was walking a little bit behind Petalkit, her newfound friend. Sure, she never hated her, but they just didn't connect much. It was when the kit tried clumsily to gather information for the escape plan that Featherkit just had to step in. She'd been out quite a lot now, her mother loved her, but Cherryheart was often busy with watching over Nectarkit. This put her in a great position. Being quite small, she could often slip out without much trouble. Of course, she always tried to pick up on patrols when pondering where to explore next. Right now, only one patrol was out. Maybe a few warriors hunting alone, too, but that was all. So today was a great day to sneak Petalkit out!

The she-kit perked up her ears. There was something here. She quickly followed Petalkit's steps, only to find her staring at an older tabby tom. He scented weird, but unlike the IvyClan scent she had smelled on one apprentice before. Certainly not MistClan, but even Featherkit wasn't familiar with MothClan. MothClan was a bit scary for her, but the idea of rebelling against leadership intrigued her. For now, though, she knew that this tom was not from her Clan, and as such, she had the right to call him out on that. Sure, she may have been breaking the rules, but what better way to get away with it than to just not mention it at all?

''You shouldn't be here! Identify yourself!''

[mewmehh]

"Ehh?!" Petalkit had been staring rather blankly at the tabby, as if the she-cat had either fallen into a shock or missed the stranger entirely. It was only when she heard Featherkit's loud voice behind her that the diluted red tabby snapped out of her stupor and stared up at Buckleap with wide grass-hued eyes. "Woahhh....who're you!?" The ruddy cream kit was practically shaking, but not in fear, it seemed. From the gleeful look in her bright eyes and the beaming smile she wore on her face, it appeared that Petalkit was shaking with excitement.

Her fluffy plume of a tail wagged and waved to her adventurous companion, attempting to usher over Featherkit despite the wariness that could have been heard in the older kit's tone. Petalkit was too focus on this strange tabby to take much notice as she continued to prod Buck with more questions. "Where'd you come from? Why'd you come here? Mistclan's the best- have you come to see us? Why do you smell so weird?" Her shrill voice went on and on and on.

[Fireflake]

Buckleap the Loner

---

Buckleap's ears twitched. The small clan cat had stopped in front of him and was still standing there unresponsively. So the paw-steps he could hear were definitely from a different one. Not a much bigger one, from the sound of it. He figured he'd see her soon, at least out of the corner of his eye, so he kept looking at the one in front of him.

She seemed to just be standing there. Not moving. It was as if his gaze had frozen her in place. It would make sense if she was a kit out of camp, he thought, but that didn't seem to be it. A doubtful look fell over Buckleap's face. The young cat-- kit?-- was just staring at him. Staring through him, almost. He wondered briefly if she might be blind.

The other flash of fur had appeared beside the first now. The loner's eyes flicked over to her at her challenge. As he opened his mouth to respond, the immobile tabby whirred to life like a monster would. A lot like a monster would. Bright eyes and vibrating and all. Not blind, then. Oh, who am I? he echoed in his mind. If only someone had asked that already.

The tom opened his mouth to answer again and was, again, cut off by the creamy red kit's words. The tom's eyes narrowed a bit and he slowly opened his mouth once more. There was a small space of time in which she appeared to have finished, and he jumped on the opportunity to speak. "Well, that's a lot of questions," he replied first to Petalkit.

"As for who I am, my name is Buckleap. Or sometimes Buck. I smell weird because I'm a loner," the tom replied all at once. He looked pointedly at Featherkit and ran his paw along the ground just before the MistClan scent markers as he continued, "I came here, to the MistClan border, because I'm interested in your clan."

Buckleap looked at the two young cats to see if his answers had satisfied them. He then remembered that he didn't really care if they had. "My turn. What are your names and where are your mentors?" he inquired. His focus returned to Petalkit, who seemed to him to have a lighter jaw than Featherkit.

---

chickenbatnana mewmehh

[mewmehh]

Petalkit's excitement roared to life even further as the tabby tom spoke directly and even to the creamy red cat, as if she weren't in fact a small kit, but a fully adult cat. Her golden green eyes burned a pair of holes into Buckleap as she studied, still sort of bouncing in her steps as she listened to what he had to stay. For once, it seemed the young she-cat wasn't going to immediately cut someone's words off. She was far too interested in what he had to say.

Once it was Petalkit's turn, however, her patience was gone and her mouth seemed to move a mile a minute. "That's weird- you're a loner, but you have a warrior's name. How funny! I'm Petalkit and this is Featherkit! We don't have mentors yet, but we will soon! Or, at least, I will! I'm gonna be made a 'paw' any day now!! My daddy said so! After all, he's the deputy, so I basically get to do anything I want! And I wanna be a 'paw'!!" The boastful arrogance of the she-cat seemed to waft off of her like a thick smell as she spoke so highly and mightily of herself as she flicked around her thick, bushy tail. The idea that it might not have been very wise to drop so much info about her clan on this stranger seemed lost to her.

[Fireflake]

Buckleap the Loner

---

Buckleap flicked an ear at the small she-cat's prattling, but almost immediately pricked it again at the names. So they were kits. And it looked like they were alone. Not only that, but one of them was the deputy's daughter. A grimace flickered across the tom's maw. The damage one of those rogues could have done with that information...

But Buckleap wasn't a rogue. He was a loner and a former clan cat, as the confident kit seemed to have so artfully missed. Still, their clanmates wouldn't know that. His fur prickled slightly as he swept his gaze over the field once more. Surely someone was watching these two? Someone..?

It seemed to just be him. The tom stifled a sigh. "Really?" he meowed, deciding to indulge Petalkit for now. "Wouldn't your daddy want you to stay in camp?"
He looked at Featherkit. "And you?"
In his previous clan, there was no chance kits would be able to leave camp and romp about the territory without some serious consequences. He couldn't imagine it was any different here. The loner waited for some response from the two kits.

---

chickenbatnana mewmehh

[mewmehh]

Petalkit screwed up her face at Buckleap's words, the tom sounding as if he were going to start lecturing her like the rest of her clanmates. With a huff, the little cream she-cat stuck her chest out and held her head high. "Daddy's really busy, so he doesn't get to play with me often. He says so long as I stay out of trouble, I can play all I want! So I came out here- there's no trouble to get into if I'm outside camp!!" Her eyes glittered and a wide smile sliced across her face as she mentally praised herself for her ingenious logic. Oh, what a wonderful warrior she would make in time, she believed!!

Petalkit then gently prodded the tabby with a creamy white paw and continued in a more level tone,"Why're you interested in Mistclan? I mean, we are the best clan around. But what's a loner want to do with a clan? Daddy told me about loners- they're called that 'cuz they're all alone; they don't wanna live with their clanmates and go away to be lonesome. So why are you?" Her face was still full of wonder, but there was no trace of her prior pompousness, and instead her soft features with adorn with genuine interest and a hint of sympathy. "Are you tired of being alone?"

[chickenbatnana]

Featherkit cursed StarClan under her breath. Petalkit was so stupid! She was just going about this all un-tactically, could she not think? What were they gonna do now... No way this loner was gonna be the one destroying her sneak-out-of-camp empire! She glanced at Petalkit boasting about her dad and the Clan. That was the one difference between them, she could actually admire the deputy. Featherkit couldn't do that. She was an independent soul, there was no way she could be happy obeying others' commands.

''You're not gonna rat on us, are you?'' She asked, trying to seem threatening despite the hint of nervousness in her voice. She had to remind herself that the Clan probably already knew that she sneaked out a lot, they just didn't know how. ''I mean- We were just out to take a look, that's all. We're nearly apprentices anyways, we know how to handle ourselves.'' Her voice was a bit spiteful, especially since this loner seemed so keen on knowing things about them and their Clan. It was threatening to the young she-cat.