Siblings, part 2 (Private; talking to myself)

[[This thread is for my two sibling-kits to find out that the other exists, and the hilarity that ensues. I welcome other cats of any ages or any clan to jump in and interact with the intelligent kits, but I reserve the right to ignore you.]]

The queens and little kitties of ThunderClan had been moved to WindClan for... "safe keeping". Specifically, the re-enforecd nursery. The hustle and bustle of cats became even more hustled as the crisis lingered and developed.

Jadekit, who has only recently found another cat, a royal kitten at that, who would acknowledge her presence, was luckily picked up by a random ThunderClan warrior and carried to the camp on the grassy moorland with the rest of the kittens.

Rustlekit, who had been abandoned in a very similar manner as Jadekit was, had lived the past 4 months in WindClan. Being a tom, he found it a bit easier to just nose right in wherever he wanted and make a friend, but with the older, more mature kits and apprentices.

These two kittens had a lot in common... What did StarClan hold for them? Nothing special for sure, but perhaps a filling of a hole, or two.

Freedomkit watched, looking at them with perked ears. Weariness scattered her gaze and she looked curiously upon them. How alike those two seemed, and how they seemed to be related. Yet Freedomkit wasn't exactly sure herself.

Rustlekit padded out of the WindClan nursery at the sound of much mewling, whining, and urgent conversation. A very, very strong scent hit his nose as soon as he got close to the nursery entrance. At first, the red tabby thought the stench was coming from the WindClan warrior who was there reinforcing the wall of the nursery.

But then his blue eyes caught sight of the mass of cats making the rucus that had brought him out of his warm nest. Ahhh, right... that must be part of the clans that Gravelstar invited to stay with us! I remember now...

Rustlekit didn't know how to distinguish scents of different clans yet, but he had overheard WindClan warriors talking after Gravelstar had told them they would be housing both RiverClan and ThunderClan. The tabby kitten was very smart for his age and able to piece some puzzles, like this one, together.

He took a few deep breaths in order to let his nose and brain get used to the strange, pungent odors before padding confidently out to the group. When he came closer to the group of ThunderClan, he quickly recognized fear scent... and a lot of it. Understandable, I suppose. ... Anyway, Gravelstar said for us to make them feel welcome, so here we go.

Rustlekit stood up straight, though he was hard to see amongst the WindClan queens that were greeting and mingling with the ThunderClan visitors. His red tail waved confidently behind him as he lifted his head and yowled in a rather large, but squeaky, voice: "Welcome! Welcome to WindClan's nursery. I am Rustlekit, and I'm very happy to be able to meet some new faces. I hope you ThunderClanners will be happy and comfortable here. If you need directions, fresh bedding, or something else, please ask me." As he paused, he forced an incredibly huge grin on his face, such that the speech and the face created what was almost the "car salesman" of the kitty world...

Remembering that he was still an outsider, and... not remembering that he was still a kit, Rustlekit added quickly, "...if all other apprentices and warriors are occupied, that is." He was an outgoing, forward, and down-right bold kit, but that went paw-in-paw with an ability to respect authority when it would benefit him.

adekit padded out from behind a flock of queen so that she could see the squeaking tom-kit as he talked. What a strange sight! A kitten welcoming strangers... and... very excited about it as well, almost as if he's trying to promote WindClan. I guess I still have a lot to learn about clan life.

The grey tabby kitten stood still for a moment to take in the sights of the camp and to assess the situation. Since she wasn't officially charged to any queen, and since she knew she wouldn't be of much help, she decided to start trying to make friends with their new "neighbors".

The grey tail gave three quick motions towards the loud kitten that had just spoken. Jadekit had indicated to Freedomkit that she was going to go speak with him, as that seemed the easiest place to start making conversation... and hopefully friends. The tabby she-kit wasn't sure whether her snow-white friend would follow or not; Freedomkit had been awful tired since the disappearance of her father. So she wouldn't blame her BFF if she stayed close to the queens.

Noticing Jadekit's gestures, Freedomkit nodded, getting to her paws. As if in support, Freedomkit followed Jadekit with dull green eyes. Ever since the disappearance of her father, things had gone wrong for her.

Kindlekit laughed at the little kits. How cute! Although, she knew she wouldn't like to be called cute by cats her own age. The black smoke tabby pranced (yes, pranced) towards them, a grin on her face. "Hello, there!" she mewed. She cocked her head to the side. The two she-cats seemed familiar......"Oh! You're Freedomkit!" Of course! Freedomkit was the leader's daughter, and apparently a good friend of Kindlekit's brother. Her warm brown eyes gleamed with excitement. "Im Barleykit's sister." she mewed, trying to make sense of her.......maybe too enthuthiastic approach.

"Oh!" Freedomkit mewed with a smile. "Yup, I'm Freedomkit. I'm friends with Barleykit." she meowed to Kindlekit. "What's your name?" Although Kindlekit seemed familiar the white she-cat wasn't all too sure.

Kindlekit smiled, then realized that it seemed pretty weird for a stranger to know her. "I'm Kindlekit. And..sorry. I just know you because...well...you're the leader's daughter. My brother and father have said a lot about you." she mewed. "I'm glad that Barleykit has a good friend like you. If only Dewkit would cooperate as well!" the little she-kit laughed. Dewkit was really standoffish now, especially since that crazy cat half-blinded her.

Not to be outdone or over-shadowed, Rustlekit twitched his tail at Kindlekit as she walked up, as if he had beckoned her over... which of course, was not true.

Rustlekit smiled and nodded at Kindlekit in greeting. "Hello Freedomkit, it's nice to meet you." The red tabby kitten drew his paw in the dirt in front of him, just as Jadekit often did when she was nervous. "It's a real shame for me to admit because you... you are very pretty." He blushed, because his attraction to one of the opposite sex had surprised even him! He recovered and continued, "But you'll have to forgive me as I've only joined WindClan within the last month. My mother dropped me off near the border before I even had a chance to know her."

The red tabby shifted his weight and drew in the dirt with the other fore paw as he flicked his ear to the grey tabby that had walked up first. "And... what have we here? Another fine maiden?" His blue eyes winked at Jadekit... Rustlekit may grow up to be more flirty than he knows!

Even though she was a bit tired from the journey, Jadekit sat straight up, with her grey ears and tail perked straight up as well, when the loud red tabby started flirting with her BFF. The usually somewhat reserved Jadekit immediately got to her paws and stalked the few paces over to stand between the red tom and the white she-cat. She was almost growling as she threatened him, "You had better not be flirting with MY friend!" Her tail swished with annoyance as she continued, "It sure seems as if you weren't raised by anybody... In ThunderClan, we have something called manners." Jadekit ended with a squeak and then glared at Kindlekit, daring her to step in and defend her clan mate.

"Oh, hi," Freedomkit meowed, then was taken aback. "Me...pretty?!" She wasn't perplexed or anything, but she felt sort of awkward. She lapped at her chest fur embarassedly, but she stayed with Jadekit, feeling very uncomfortable.

"Yeah..." she meowed awkwardly. "Thanks for the comment," she said, uncomfortable to say the least. Her cheeks burning, the white kitten looked at Jadekit, "Well, I think I'm going to go get a drink of water," she said excusedly. "Want to come?"

"Sure, Freedomkit. Let's ditch this show boater." Jadekit replied and turned to walk with her porcelain colored friend as her grey tail flicked dismissively at Rustlekit. "The nerve of some cats...," she muttered to herself.

Realizing he had made some error, though clueless as to what that error was, Rustlekit changed his demeanor and trotted after the ladies. His red tabby fur was barely moving in the strong breeze, since he had become so accustomed to the high winds here on the plains.

"Oh, girls, c'mon now. You're heading straight for the windiest place to try to get a drink. If you follow me, I can show you the nice, clean puddle outside the nursery where you can drink without falling in." He chuckled, his red tail slowly swinging in a mischievous, playful way. Rustlekit wasn't one to apologize... not often... but he did like to make amends, if possible. As the she cats looked back over their shoulder, Rustlekit flicked an ear in the opposite direction to ask if they were going to come with him.

Jadekit's grey paws stopped in mid-walk when she heard the tom-kit chuckle. It... it sounded just like the way she laughed. ... Freaky!

Having her thoughts jostled by that realization caused her to reconsider spending time with the WindClan kit. It would be a good idea to have an ally in this new place, and... perhaps his rudeness was just because he was trying to hard... Jadekit had often done silly things when she tried to hard, as well. And... well, this was a confusing, strange time for all of them.

Jadekit's grey tail swung over to Freedomkit's back as she pressed closer and asked just loud enough for only her BFF to hear, "He's offering to help now, which is really what we need... I want to give him another chance. There's... there's something about him that interest me. I mean..." she blushed a bit and continued. "...not in a romantic way, but it feels like I know him! Or like I want to know him as a friend. I promise to protect you, if you'll go with me." She smiled and aimed to turn her fluffy friend around, towards Rustlekit flicking ear.

Freedomkit paused, looking over her shoulder at the sound of Rustlekit's voice. Rolling her eyes, she looked at him. "Fine." she meowed, realizing that he was trying to make amends. Her eyes narrowed one heartbeat, then opened fully. She'd be watching him.

The orange tom led them to the Drinking Puddle outside the nursery that he had told them about. When he reached it, Rustlekit stepped to the side to let the ladies move in to get their drink. He sat down and curled his tail towards his paws politely. When the ThunderClan kittens had settled in next to the pool, he asked conversationally with almost a Southern accent, "So, I guess ya'll are staying a while, hunh? Some big meanie in ThunderClan, right?"
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Quick to forgive, forget, and forge ahead as her good-natured temperament always was, Jadekit cordially replied as if nothing had ever happened, "Umm... yea, I think so. I..." Jadekit looked down at the puddle of water, suddenly lost in the thought of how clear and beautiful the water was. It even *tasted* better than the water near ThunderClan, wow! The grey tabby drug a for-paw in the dirt as she day-dreamed, but then was brought to the present when her circling paw slipped and splashed water up on herself. "Uhhh... I mean, I'm not really sure. I don't follow politics and news that well, actually..." She tilted her head in thought, as she added more, "Having been born alone, not in ThunderClan, I guess the important-type happenings of ThunderClan don't interest me as much as it does others."

The grey kitten suddenly flinched and snapped her head to her sad friend. Poor Freedomkit might infer that Jadekit didn't care about her father's disappearance!
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The rust-colored kitten perked his ears with amusement at hearing Jadekit's omission. Of course, he chuckled at her, but then he explained, "Yea, I feel the same way! I wasn't born into a clan either, so it's just so easy to dismiss most of the things going on around you." He flicked an ear dismissively, as if to confirm his statement. Then he smiled and added cheekily, "I mean... it's not as if any of the queens or anybody else around these parts pays attention to me! So why should I bother with'em?" Rustlekit winked a sky-blue eye at the female felines playfully.

The ThunderClan cats chattered on in the background. Panic and confusion seemed to be rising instead of disappointing.
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"Woah." Jadekit said aloud in mild shock as her green eyes grew large and stared straight ahead at nothing. "That's exactly the way I feel... and think," she added robotically, taken aback by how similar the other kitten's thought process was to hers.

She shook her grey head and came back to day, minus the dream, and explained, "I'm sorry. In my short time here, I've never heard any other kit, or clan cat, admit that they think the way I do..." Jadekit turned and blinked to her pearlescent friend, "This must be what you felt like on the day I met you -- to think that someone understands you, when you thought you were alone with your thoughts and opinions." The she smiled a genuine, toothy grin at Freedomkit, chuckled, and added, "Look how far we've come!"

The large, orange tabby kit was almost as sensitive and able to read emotions as his sister Jadekit was. So, sensing Freedomkit's constant "down" demeanor, he faked a large yawn and politely addressed the white kitten, "Well, you all must be exhausted from the trip and the emotional strain of it all... Can I help you find a nest inside the W-Nursery and get settled for an early night?" His sky blue eyes blinked with comfort and concern at the female kittens as he tried to put on his most pleasant, hospitable face. "It... it can be hard to find a place when you don't have a queen there to make a big stink for you," Rustlekit added quietly, implying both the literal meaning and the deeper, emotional meaning to orphaned kittens.

The large tom-kit didn't yet know that Freedomkit was currently also "orphaned" by her father.

Rustlekit recoiled backwards slightly at the harsh retort from the newcomer. "I never said anything about your mother... I just offered to help you get to bed," the orange tabby gently said to Freedomkit. This was a strange, new, weird feeling for the young tom -- he believed with all of his heart that every cat liked him. So, a kitten his age acting as if he was disgusting was... completely foreign to him. He wasn't quite sure how to handle, so he did what he always did in unknown situations: ignore the oddity and continue on as if everything was perfect...

"And, if I do say so myself, you seem like you need some beauty sleep!" he winked playfully at Freedomkit and then fell on his side with merows of laughter.
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The grey tabby yawned a bit and smacked her lips in a sleepy manner. She nodded and added a "Yes; I'm ready to turn in, thanks" to Rustlekit's suggestion. But then Jadekit shot him a sharp gesture from her emerald eyes at his comment. She rose to her paws and tilted her head to look down on the orange kit, "That was uncalled for." To her friend, she softened and added, "Here, I'll come help you get settled, too..."

Rustlekit followed behind them and left enough distance to be respectful.
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The muscular tom-kit led the way through the dark nursery to a patch of dirt, straw, and other nest-type stuff. It was hot, humid, and just plain stuffy with all the extra bodies packed in, but Rustlekit had found a tiny, tiny space slightly away from the buzz going on around them.

The orange kitten bowed in a chivalrous manner and nodded towards the brown depression in the earth. "This is the best I can do for you tonight; I know it's not much, but... it's my own, so that should count for something." He smiled warmly at his new acquaintances. "I'll sleep outside with some of the apprentices who are also making room. This is one of the few times that the warriors on duty will let me do that! ...So I'm going to relish that." His white for-paws kneaded the ground in excited anticipation.
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The grey kitten stepped gingerly into the little dip and wrinkled her nose at the strong scent of many WindClan kits, but especially Rustlekit, flew up to assault her. But she was too weary to complain, and grateful for the hospitality. Jadekit walked in a tight circle, just once, and lay down as close to the edge as possible, so that Freedomkit could fit in beside her. But at this point... I'm not sure if Freedomkit will even want my company, after I accidentally hurt her feelings *and* acted nice to Rustlekit...

She began to wash her grey ears, with short, gentle strokes. She cleared her throat and turned her gaze to the orange tom-kit and said, "Thanks, Rustlekit. It's... it's... very nice of you to help out." Jadekit smiled a bit as she tried to come up with a compliment for him. The she-kit gave her ear another wash before continuing with a question: "So, where did you grow up? You implied you weren't born in WindClan, so.. you must have been a RiverClanner, right?"

"Heh, not exactly, no," Rustlekit chuckled slightly -- not exactly nervous, but not quick to offer up the answer, either. "I... I don't exactly remember where I was born... I know that seems strange, but I was real tiny at the time," the orange tabby said with a wink added to the punch line.

[[short for time; will add later]]
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Channeling a bit of Freedomkit's irritation with the silly, playful tom-kit, Jadekit replied, "Well, yes, we all were tiny when we were born... I was just making conversation." After a pause, the grey she-kit went on with her own story, "I wasn't born in a clan either. I think I was born in a field, to a loner. Who then dropped me off in-between clan territories and made me memorize a map to somewhere I didn't yet know was... Thunderclan."

"O--okay," Rustlekit batted a sky-blue eye at the pretty feamle. He wasn't concerned for her as he usually would have been because, as he said, "Should be plenty o' WindClan warriors and who knows who else out there snoozing away. Just watch where you step!"

The orange tom casually looked back to the intriguing she-kit in his nest. He smiled, knowing there was something different about her.
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"Cool. I was born to a loner too," Rustlekit smiled at Jadekit as their white friend stalked outside in the pitch dark. Rustlekit felt a bit weird smiling and feeling good at a statement that most kits would find no joy in, but as he said, "I guess we have common ground now."

After a moment of silent thought, he added, "Come to think of it, my mom made me trace a map of where she was sending me too... I couldn't even open my eyes yet, but she made me--"
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"...Memorize it and promise to love her and love the Warrior Code," Jadekit interrupted and finshed the statement for her sibling. "Yeah, me too," the grey tabby agreed meekly. Now she was kinda spooked at the coincidence.
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"I'm not even sure I know what the Warrior Code is yet," Rustlekit added softly as he looked down at his white paws to hide his embarrassment. "But I'm going to try my best to figure it out as I grow up," the orange tom added more brightly as he settled his front paws underneath him.
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"Wait. Hold on a minute, please," Jadekit mewed softly from the bracken and moss covered nest. "You said your mother drew you a map... and sent you off to a clan..." The grey kitten's eyes glowed with a bit of fear and a bit of excitement. "...before you could even open your eyes. And my mother," she paused to gulp down the feelings or conclusions that were beginning to bubble up, but continued, "Did the same. That's -- that's doesn't seem like a normal thing for a queen to do. Does it, Freed--"

Jadekit trailed off and blinked her grass-colored eyes in remembrance as she recalled that the white kitten had stomped off outside.

"Yeshhh. What about it?" Rustlekit added playfully and with confidence. After a moment of thought with his head tilted, his azure eyes grew larger and a smirk appeared on his face. He crouched down on his front paws, to get near to the other tabby in his nest. With more than a hint of excitement, he whispered, "You don't mean... Do you think it was the same queen that guided us? Like a special Guide Cat from Starclan like in the nursery tales?!!"

The large tom-kit was being genuine in his question, but genuinely dense as well...
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"Hmm..." Jadekit frowned at how the new idea had been thrust into her already hyper and confused brain. "I suppose it could be that," she answered quietly, not wanting to tell any other cat that she thought they were wrong. As she wagged her tail decisivly in thought, she added honestly, "I had never considered that... Me, visited by Starclan. Wow, that would be... something."

She dipped her nose onto her paws in thought, with her green eyes open but staring into nothing. She was trying to think back to those early days in order to recall anything else about the cat, the place, or other details. The grey kitten was going to think a little bit more before opening her mouth to add her own opinion of what had happened....
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The orange tabby kitten shifted his paws with unease, and a frown formed on his usually happy-go-lucky expression. "You don't sound like you believe me..." he said sadly to Jadekit. Looking up again, he added, "But, c'mon! It's too weird and similar to be total coincidence!" His blue eyes honed in on the seemingly smarter tabby, and asked for confirmation: "Right? Don't you think?..."

[[Thanks for the tip; edited to fix.]]

Jadekit let out a giant, genuine yawn as it was now past midnight and the escape from ThunderClan was rather tiring. "Rustlekit, I don't disbelive you... I just don't know what to think right now with all this new information," she said through her yawn. "Let me get some sleep and we can continue this conversation in the morning when I have... more... better brain function." The she-kit stumbled over her words as sleppiness set in hard. "Is that okay?" The green eyes pleaded with the orange tom to put the conversation on hold.
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"Oh! Oh... sure. Yea, that's fine," the large orange kit replied with a smile and then a yawn, realizing he was tired himself. "And hey, I'll stay up until your friend comes back. Make sure nothing bad happens to her," Rustlekit added with genuine concern for Freedomkit in his voice.

Jadekit nodded drowsily and buried her head in her shoulder. She closed her eyes and was quickly fast asleep.
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* * * * Timeskip to a few hours after the kittens fall asleep. They are deep into REM sleep and thus, have a "dream". I bought 2 of the "Afterlife Contact" shop items to use here, one for each kitten to see the same Starclan cat. I'm not sure how the rules work for another cat with Super Senses to see a Starclan cat visiting another. But if you want Freedomkit to be in on this, and know how to make it work, feel free. :) * * * *

As the orange tabby lost his last grip on consciousness and slumped slowly to the ground in sleep, Jadekit started wiggling her paws while sleeping in Rustlekit's nest. The grey kitten had slept restlessly since she was used to sleeping with Freedomkit's fluffy, warm, cuddly body next to her, but this was more than restlessness.

Jadekit was dreaming of an eerie night in the ThunderClan woods, dark and full of lightning flashes in the starry sky. As the grey kitten padded slowly and warily on a well-trod dirt path, she kept her ears back and head low out of fear of this strange place. She padded slowly forward, trying to make as little sound as possible for she felt something.. or some cat... was watching her. Waiting. It almost felt like... she was being hunted.

Soon, she saw a dark figure in the distance. Fear wanted her legs to stop moving, or to run away, but something else she couldn't understand propelled her forward. As she got closer to the shadowy cat figure, her ears and tail shot up with relief and delight. That orange tabby outline was familiar -- it was Rustlekit!
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Rustlekit had drifted off into a dream as well. The large, strong and proud-looking kit stood on the top of a hill in the midst of a dark and unknown forest.

He wasn't as scared as Jadekit, just confused, and trying to get his bearings. When a small shadowy figure raced up to him, the spikey fur on the back of his neck raised in alarm, but when he recognized the potential invader as the same kitten that he had met earlier today, Rustlekit immediatly made the fur lie flat again as he took a deep breath.

"Jadekit! What are you doing here?" he asked the female in puzzled, but concerned voice. "It doesn't seem safe -- here -- wherever here is," he added with an overly-protective air. "Do you know where we are? Or... or how we got here?" Rustlekit always stammered when he was nervous, but for some reason, it was lessened right now, as if he had nothing to be afraid of.

"My-- my paws feel funny... tingly, or something..." the tabby kit said as he looked down at his white paws to make sure they were there. They were, but... they appeared kinda shimmer-y, as if his body was a mirage.

Jadekit's ears pricked at Freedomkit's call, but it was Rustlekit who answered her. "Freedomkit! Over here!" he called while waving his fluffy orange tail.

Automatically assuming and taking the protective-leader role once again, the orange tabby flicked his ear and added, "I think we're supposed to go this way..."
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"But, Rustlekit. It's so dark... and spooky," Jadekit turned pitiful jade eyes up towards the confident-sounding tom-kit. "What makes you think we're supposed to go anywhere. I... I want to hide under a tree until this storm passes," she added as her fear scent grew stronger.
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"Well," Rustlekit started calmly but firmly. "I... I don't think this is a *real* storm, Jadekit. Something about it... about this place... doesn't feel normal--" Here he paused to scan the dark area with his sky blue gaze and then added, "--not natural. Doesn't that lightning look, um... err-- 'fuzzy' to you?"

A ripple of part excitement and part uncertainty ran down Rustlekit's back. "I think this might be a puzzle... or a test... or whatever you want to call it," he said, suddenly very up-beat. "I loooovvveee puzzles," the large kit meowed playfully and absent mindfully. Then he cleared his throat and continued in his take-charge voice, "And, I always think the best and fastest way to solve a puzzle is to push the limits on it. To see what breaks first, what looks different, ya know? And then use that weakness to solve the rest of the puzzle."

Rustlekit smiled and nodded with determination and as much confidence as he could muster, hoping the two females would follow his lead if he seemed sure enough of himself.

"What do you think, Freedomkit? How do you solve puzzles?" he asked in a friendly and not so commanding voice. Rustlekit knew the she-kit had a bad impression of him, but he was going to brush it off, as usual, and try his best to include what seemed to be an intelligent friend in his planning.

[[It won't be much longer; I promise. I think after your next reply, the Starclan visitor will appear. ;) ]]

Jadekit smiled when her green eyes landed on her favorite climbing tree that Freedomkit pointed out, but she squeaked when Freedomkit gasped at the mirage of being high in the sky. "I... I think you're right, Rustlekit -- this isn't real," she said in a whisper.

But her mind was distracted as strong, musky smell wafted towards them, and then seemed to cover the kits in the strong smell of milk. Trying to figure out what the smell was, since it seemed so familiar, yet so foreign, Jadekit lifted her nose as high in the air as it would go. She inhaled deeply, and instantly she felt sleepy... and happy all at once.
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"Yuck!! What's that stench?!" Rustlekit exclaimed, totally not bothered by or interested in the new sights, but the warm, strange scent of a queen.

The large orange kit turned on his hindquarters towards the scent. When his eyes adjusted to the absence of light again, those blue orbs grew huge with wonder and excitement. He couldn't have taken his gaze off of the shadowy figure if he'd wanted to, so he meowed loudly without turning around, "Hey girls?!! Do ya'll have another friend, 'cause there's another mysterious cat coming towards us, I think... And it's the source of the stink." Rustlekit's last comment was without emotion this time, because his emotions were busy trying to figure out why they were so drawn to the distant figure.
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"Another wha--?" Jadekit replied with a surprised and confused question. It took the grey kitten a while to tear her gaze from the beautiful view of her home, but when she did turn towards the rust-colored kit, her gaze immediatly locked on to the figure. The figure that wasn't so mysterious any more...

A slightly ratty-looking golden she-cat emerged from the mist and held her head high as her steady pace brought her closer to the group of kittens. The edges of her paws, her coat with patches of fur missing, her nose covered with a scar all shimmered with starlight.

Jadekit found herself unable to even blink -- not wanting to take her gaze off this scrawny looking female. The grey kitten briefly remembered that it was rude to stare, but she couldn't stop herself! The sight, no... the smell... made her purr.
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The starry cat purred as loudly as any cat ever purred as she came to a neat stop in front of the three kittens. She kept sweeping her brown eyes all over the two tabbies, trying to look them all over without disturbing them. When finished, she smiled warmly at them. Then, without warning, her legs went weak with all of the emotion in the moment.

The pride. The sadness. The joy.

She crumpled to her knees without a jolt or a sound. And without batting an eyelash, she flicked her long flowing tail to beckon them closer. "Oh my precious. How you've grown. It won't be long before you're adults and helping your clan. ...Helping protect your clan," she ended with a mumble as she turned her golden head down towards her paws, revealing a moderate dent and ugly bruise on her face above her eye.

"Come here," she commanded kindly, flicking her tail again. "Let me feel your pelts once again." The sparkles seemed to glow brighter as the she-cat became more caught up with emotions.
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"Woah, woah. Hold on a leaf," Rustlekit huffed as he stepped between the translucent stranger and his friends. "Why were you looking at us like that?!" Sky blue eyes tried to burn into the Starclan cat's pelt. He had no idea that he was talking to a cat of his dreams, let alone the relationship that existed among them. "That was pretty creepy there, lady," he spat.