LET ME LIVE MY LIFE ;; abandoned kit

— The setting sun was romanticized often. So was the night sky. Willowpaw didn't care for the poetic nature of the void spanned around them, but she did find it interesting. Heck, even beautiful. Captivating. The pinkish-purpleish hue faded into a dark blue, nearly black color that glowed dimly against the sharp silhouettes of the trees. Willowpaw had been out earlier, but failed spectacularly in her hunting mission, so decided to come back out and search once more.

A strange scent gently flowed through the air, like a calm stream. She'd smelled an unfamiliar scent earlier that day, but hadn't an opportunity to view it before it ran away. These unfamiliar scents were not the same, however. This was the scent of a feline. Whatever emanated such an unfamiliar scent earlier was some sort of unfamiliar creature. This creature, however, was not so unfamiliar. Willowpaw followed the scent closely, becoming more and more cautious as the scent grew stronger. It could be the scent of an enemy's, for all she knew. Some creatures waste their existence with goals of destruction rather than creation. That was counterproductive to the nature of their world. It would be better to simply exist in a static life than to set back the clock of creation.

Her chilly eyes locked onto the cause of the scent. It was a child. Well, not a child like Willowpaw. A smaller child. Willowpaw was definitely older. She brushed the earth with her tail as she surveyed the area with her ears, attempting to assure herself that this was no trap. "How did you end up here?" Willowpaw inquired softly. Kits usually do not stumble onto other territories with diplomatic goals. A child this small likely was taken here and left, with no say in the matter.

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Once upon a time, Snow would have leapt at the chance to shelter a lost kit, to take them in and make them feel loved and protected and wanted. But now, she she stood off to the side, wondering if she was needed, the white tabby hesitated. His harsh words rang through her thoughts, echos of pain flared along her haunches, and Moonwatcher's snarling face flashed behind her closed eyelids. She wasn't fit for this, she never was. All she ever did was spread the ruin that had cursed her. She wondered why she had even come back to ThunderClan in the first place. She was no longer needed, no longer wanted here anyway.

— Willowpaw examined the child's face with wide, observant eyes. She seemed scared, and anxious, and perhaps a little bit softened by the appearance of a seemingly kind stranger. Her entire body instinctively shifted its attention as another cat approached, only to find it was Snow. Ah, Snow had gone through many hardships, Willowpaw. None of them Willowpaw claimed to know of in particular detail. Her face showed slight anger and exhaustion and grief. She gave the woman a brief smile, hoping to somewhat aid her qualms, but most troubles could not be cured by something so simple as a smile. Anyway, she turned her attention back to the child. "My name is Willowpaw. Would you like us to wait with you?" She would ask. She hadn't any idea how long her mother had been gone, but abandoned kits were not unheard of. She didn't want to plant the thought in the poor thing's mind just yet, but it was definitely a possibility. "Have you eaten recently? Me or my comrade here, Snow, could fetch you some food if you'd like us to." The alabster feline offered. Here she was, an incompetent hunter, offering away their clan's food supply. How shameful was that? Despite this, she felt little to no shame. Shame in her abilities, yes, but no shame in feeding somebody else. Leafbare was upon them- it was only fair that she make up for this by not eating that night.

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ASPHODELPAW ;;

-----> "What's going on here?" Asphodelpaw demanded as he approached the scene. He cast a glance towards Snow's tortured expression, laying a tail on her shoulders before raising a brow at Willowpaw and the kit. He shot Willow a glare when she suggested waiting, "We will do no such thing! Kid, there are storms going on that are very dangerous, it would be safe for alll of us if you return to our camp," he paused, then said, "we will send a search party to look for your mother, but in the meantime this isn't the right time to be waiting for anyone. Please, return to camp with us," his icy blue hues invited the notion that 'no' wasn't an option.

(c)trexgirl