Posts by SHADEPAW.

Shadekit wasn't too fussed about the weather either way. He had been born into the harsh conditions of winter, and that was his excuse as to why he was already used to it. He had heard from the elders that the hotter weather was better because prey was more plentiful, and he supposed that made sense, but he was hardly going to believe that until he had seen it with his own two eyes.

Still, he had to admit, he desperately hoped that the elders were telling the truth. As he passed the freshkill pile, he could see that it was rather small - a few pieces of prey, none being that substantial. He knew that hunters would come back later and add a little to the pile, but he also knew that it would never be enough. They were a whole Clan of cats, always growing larger and larger. There are so many kits at the moment... maybe this is our fault. But probably not. Bet this happens every winter, lots of kits or not.

He then spotted two of his Clanmates, proving his point about how many kits there were quite amusingly - Serpentkit and Moonkit, his denmates. He didn't really know them very well, but that wasn't going to stop him from quickening his pace and padding over to start a conversation. His small black paws were almost soundless as they moved across the ground, coming to a halt as he reached the other two kits.

Shadekit let out a snort at Moonkit's attempt at starting conversation. The weather? Maybe he had only been in this wonderful world for four moons, but he had overheard many conversations. The weather seemed like a boring topic, the sort spoken about when nobody knew what to say. Maybe Moonkit genuinely wanted to talk about the weather, maybe she didn't, but Shadekit knew that he was not wasting his time talking about something as dull as that.

"How are you? How's the weather?" the undersized black kit's tone was rather sarcastic. "Booooring. Let's liven things up a little - are you sick of the camp? Would you like to sneak out of the camp? Because I know I want to." The kit's bright green eyes shone mischeviously as he spoke. They were very visible against his completely black pelt - and Shadekit believed they were his charming point.

Maybe he shouldn't have immediately leaped in with the idea to sneak out of camp - he was becoming stale and predictable, he knew that. Sneaking out of camp was an activity he took part in at least several times a moon. And yes, he had got caught every time, but Shadekit had noticed that with every attempt, he had travelled further before getting caught. He was improving. Soon he would be able to sneak out without anyone noticing.

Still, maybe Serpentkit and Moonkit were too sweet and innocent for this - he didn't really know. He didn't know them, that was why he was talking to them. Maybe deep down he was just hoping to make some friends. He enjoyed the companionship of other cats a lot, and it upset him a little that he hadn't really formed any close relationships with his denmates yet.

Still, if these two were going to waste any more time on pleasantries, he was out of here.

"Speech."

A smirk slid onto Shadekit's face as Moonkit decided to go along with his idea. Truthfully, he was already feeling more excited than usual to sneak out of the camp, just from his denmate's agreement. He quite enjoyed the company of others and the thought of having a partner in crime to sneak out of camp with seemed to make everything a little more thrilling. The black tom was also pleasantly surprised that Moonkit had accepted his offer - when he had first approached, he had assumed she was a bland individual but if she wanted to sneak out of camp with him, surely she couldn't be so boring.

At Moonkit's question, the small tom thought for a moment. Of course, he had sneaked out plenty of times before, but he had managed to get caught each time. And yes, each time he was managing to get further, but still, he couldn't say that he had quite mastered the art of sneaking out of camp yet. If they got caught, perhaps Moonkit would be angry at him and not want to sneak out of camp with him again. Honestly, if that was to happen, it was Moonkit's loss, but Shadekit was hoping to make a friend out of the other kit, somehow, some way.

Then again, Moonkit hadn't asked if he had snuck out before without being caught. Technically, she had just asked if he had snuck out in general, and so if he said yes, he wasn't lying. With that reassuring thought in his mind, the small black kit answered, "Yup. I've been sneaking out ever since I could walk! This camp is super boring, nobody here even tries to liven it up." He gestured with his tail, harsh and dismissive, towards the boring cats of his Clan. They seemed to just blend into the background, endless chatter and droning. Who was going on the next patrol? Why weren't there enough squirrels? Were the other Clans crossing the border? Shadekit had heard the same questions time and time again. Clan life didn't seem too interesting, or at least, life in the camp sure didn't. He couldn't wait until he was an apprentice - at least then he would be able to do something besides just sit around in the camp.

Of course, he hadn't forgotten about the second kit, Serpentkit. The black pelted kit faced Serpentkit, questioning, "You brave enough to come too, Serpentkit? I promise you'll have waaaay more fun if you come with us than if you stay here. You won't regret it."

"Speech."

Shadekit's ears pricked and a small smile curved onto his face as he heard his mother's voice. He adored Featherlight - she was a great mother, and to small Shadekit, she could do no wrong. Better than that, she was handing out weekly tasks - she was handing out things for Shadekit to do.

And so, the small male immediately began to pad over, tail held up high, an eager gleam in his bright green eyes as he approached, coming to halt beside Ivorykit. He let out an amused snort as his denmate just stared at Featherlight rather than saying anything. He knew it was a harsh reaction, but he couldn't help it, he just found it funny. She clearly wanted a task from the senior warrior, and yet she hadn't said a word. Leaning closer to his denmate, he commented, "You do want a task, right?" his eyes sparkled in amusement as he spoke. He then turned to his mother. "I'll take one! And I think Ivorykit wants one, too." He flicked his black tail in the direction of his denmate. There - he wasn't being mean, he was being helpful, getting a task for Ivorykit. If she was being quiet, she ran the risk of the louder, less considerate cats jumping in front of her and getting their tasks first. So no, Shadekit absolutely wasn't making fun of his denmate, he was merely trying to help her.

"Speech."

"Are you done being stupid?"

At the sound of Ivorykit's voice, the small tom turned around, spotting the young molly laying down not too far away from him and the other kits. She clearly disapproved of his excellent idea of sneaking out of camp, but that didn't offend him too much. He knew that while some of the kits were mischevious and rebellious like him, there were the good ones, the ones who actually did what they were told. They were so dependent on the rules, on what they were taught, and for that, he pitied them. The way Shadekit saw it - kits like Ivorykit needed to learn to think for themselves sooner rather than later.

Shadekit believed in StarClan. He liked the idea of being watched over, of being protected. He respected his starry ancestors for what they were, and longed to hunt alongside them one day, if they accepted him. However, he didn't believe in blindly following the code. If StarClan were to accept him, they would have to accept him for his rebellious, rule-breaking self, or not at all.

In a way, he was glad that Ivorykit had challenged him. He wasn't too fond of individuals who were too agreeable, and he supposed that the she kit's disagreement had livened things up a little. And so he found himself smiling a little, ears pricking up curiously to listen to whatever else his denmate had to say.

At Ivorykit's warning, pointing out that Shadekit's apprenticeship could be delayed, he found himself nervous, for a moment. He really wanted to be an apprentice, and the thought of having to stay in the nursery any longer than he had to terrified him. But he soon realised that in that case, he would just carry on sneaking out of the camp and breaking rules. Sooner or later, surely the title of an apprentice would be given to him. ThunderClan needed all the warriors they could get so that they could be as strong as possible. ThunderClan needed him whether they liked it or not. Shadekit held back a laugh at the satisfying thought.

And then came Ivorykit's suggestion - meditating. Truthfully, she could have suggested worse. Shadekit respected the idea of meditation and wasn't at all against trying it, he just didn't feel like doing it right at that specific moment. Maybe if Moonkit hadn't already agreed to sneak out with him, he would have given into Ivorykit, but considering that he had Moonkit with him already provided she didn't decide she liked Ivorykit's idea more, he found himself rejecting the idea.

"It's not a bad idea," he reassured her, giving her a smile which he hoped was convincing. "But Moonkit and I want to sneak out."

His smile grew a little wider as he continued, "But we could come to a compromise, y'know? We sneak out of camp, and while we're outside, you can teach us how to meditate. You don't have to worry about your apprenticeship being delayed - ThunderClan needs warriors, I bet they would rather we were doing something productive rather than spending extra moons in the nursery," the black kit added, "Besides, doing stuff like this is going to be helpful in the future. We'll already know the layout of the territory and we'll be braver and more experienced than the other apprentices. Think how impressed our mentors would be, too." Shadekit had already daydreamed loads about his future mentor - he hoped he got along with them, and he hoped they weren't strict. I just can't wait to be an apprentice!

"Speech."

//aweee i'm having a lot of fun as well ily tooooo

It seemed that by some miracle, Shadekit had managed to get literally all of the kits who were present on his side. Secretly, he wasn't entirely sure how he had done it, as he had managed to win over even Ivorykit, who had seemed pretty stubborn about the whole 'not leaving the camp' thing.

Knew the compromise would work. I'm a genius. I'm actually a genius.

He gave Moonkit a nod. "We'll all be cautious. All of us want to be apprentices, none of us are gonna go and do anything stupid." He desperately hoped that today was his lucky day, the day he finally snuck out of camp and didn't get caught - otherwise Moonkit would be furious. That would be kinda funny to watch, but it might be best if I try to stay on good terms with her for now at least.

Even Serpentkit had decided that he was 'brave enough' though Shadekit suspected his denmate was terrified through the tell-tale signs of his ears pressing forward, his whiskers twitching, his eyes focusing on the ground and his lashing tail. This guy really wasn't subtle at all about how scared he was, at least not in Shadekit's eyes. He smiled reassuringly at the other kit, "It's really fun when you're out there - makes this dumb camp look tiny. You'll never want to come back."

Finally, he addressed Ivorykit. He was still pretty shocked that he had managed to convince her, and found himself feeling rather smug about it. He felt a pang of nervousness in his stomach as his denmate decided to ask him the best way to sneak out. I've always gotten caught! But then again, I'm getting further and further each time, so maybe...

"Anywhere we can find, really, as long as it's not too close to the entrance. We want to avoid going there because there's a lot of attention focused on the entrance. You have patrols coming and going and everyone chattering over there and all that," he answered, glancing around the camp as he did so, already searching for a way out. "If we're all leaving together, I guess we can plan our escape route together. Only fair, right? We should focus on areas around the back of the camp though - no one's really looking there. Dumb cats, they're looking anywhere but the back of the camp."

This had better go well. We had better get out of camp and do Ivorykit's meditation thing and get back here without anyone noticing otherwise Moonkit will hate me, Serpentkit and Ivorykit will act like it's the end of the world - even though it isn't, and I'll look like the biggest idiot to walk on ThunderClan land. This was my idea, so I've gotta make it work out somehow.

"Speech."

//serpent is my baby and I would die for him

Moonkit seemed to know what she was doing, and Shadekit couldn't help but feel rather jealous of her - it seemed that she was used to sneaking out of the camp, but unlike him, she was used to sneaking out without getting caught. Then again, maybe he could learn from her, without making it completely obvious that he was learning from her, of course.

"Let's go, then." The black tom murmured, acting as casual as he could as he strolled towards the exit Moonkit had pointed out. He kept his eyes focused on his goal as he did so, not allowing them to dart about the place and betray the fact that he was doing something bad. He only halted once he was a short distance from the exit, turning his head around, making sure his movements were natural rather than panicked.

None of the cats in camp were looking in the direction of the exit, and he was close enough now that he knew he could make a run for it. Despite his short legs, Shadekit was already shaping up to be a swift runner. He knew that he wasn't going to let his height get the better of him - once he was an apprentice, he would make sure that he trained persistently, honing his skills and becoming a warrior ThunderClan would be proud of.

But of course, he wasn't an apprentice yet. He still had two whole moons left, and Shadekit had no idea how on earth he was going to be able to wait that long. Facing his companions, he spoke quietly, "We gotta move these brambles and twigs - fast. If anyone sees us they're gonna wonder what on earth we're doing. Ivorykit, mind keeping look out?" He gave the she kit a smile as he spoke, hoping that she would understand that being the look out was a very important job. He didn't want to do it because it was boring and didn't make him feel special enough, nor did he want Serpentkit to do it as if they were unfortunate enough to have someone looking their direction, they would probably be able to tell that something was up from how nervous the male kit appeared to be. Moonkit seemed the most experienced, so he wanted her to help with clearing the brambles and twigs as she had pressumably always managed it before. He began to pull at the twigs and brambles, his movements swift and confident.

"Speech."

Shadekit smirked as he realised how suddenly eager Ivorykit had become. She had gone from completely rejecting the idea of sneaking out to excitedly turning it into some sort of roleplay. He most likely would have made fun of his denmate for being so childish, despite the fact that they were, well, children, but she had called him Shadestar. It seemed she had already recognised that he would be the perfect leader for ThunderClan in the future. And so, of course, he chose to play along.

"Suggestion accepted!" the black tom answered, beginning to clear the brambles and twigs, still very pleased about the name Shadestar. The smile just wouldn't leave his face. He was actually enjoying himself, and was happy to spend time with the other kits. He didn't know if they saw him as a friend or just found him flat out annoying, but he was in too good of a mood right now to care. "Serpentstrike, Moonkit, help me quickly! We must not let any cats see us go off on our secret mission! The sooner we get out, the better!"

"Speech."

Shadekit dashed after Moonkit, and, taking the young molly's advice, began to cover up the hole once the other two kits had gotten out. He moved quickly - not because he was scared, for he was safely outside of the camp, but because he was excited. He loved sneaking out of the camp, and this particular adventure was even more exciting as he had company.

He then bounded ahead of Moonkit a little, breathing in the air and the scents of ThunderClan territory. The black tom turned around, meowing, "Any ideas on where we go?" he gave Ivorykit a nod and a smile as he added, "It has to be somewhere cool and fun, but we also need to find somewhere good for meditation." He hadn't forgotten about what Ivorykit had wanted, and he wanted to show her that. See what a great leader I would be? I would always be thinking of my Clanmates! Well, some of the time, at least... He secretly was quite interested in trying meditation, so he didn't have an issue with going along with what his denmate wanted, anyway. Shadekit would get to try something new, and he would also hopefully earn at least some respect from Ivorykit. The more his Clanmates favoured him, the better.

"Speech."

Beetle .  

Shadekit had no clue where the other kits were. His siblings were off doing something else, as were pressumably the rest of his denmates. This had resulted in the young black kit being even more bored than usual.

As time passed, life just seemed to get more ordinary. He had spent a whole four moons going around in circles - chattering with his Clanmates, playing games, sneaking out of the camp. He had taken delight in such activities before, and he still did, but he just really wanted to become an apprentice soon.

A whole two more moons... His paws almost ached with desperation. He just wanted to start training as soon as possible, to hopefully get a fun mentor, to just do things.

The small tom focused on one patch of ground. He crouched down, wiggling his hindquarters, before leaping, sinking his claws into the earth and letting out an obnoxiously loud battle cry. "Die, BloodClan scum!" Shadekit yelled, clawing at the ground furiously.

He had to be losing his mind at this point, deciding to spar against the ground. He just wanted something to do, literally anything, Shadekit wasn't fussed. He really was going to go crazy if he didn't find a decent source of entertainment soon.

"Speech."