|
Post by Kaeldra on May 25, 2021 1:12:49 GMT
Shellspots || Queen || 37 moons Once they had started looking, it actually hadn’t taken Shellspots and Miku long to find a suitable island for a home at all. After just a short while of rejecting place after place for various reasons -- too small, too difficult to get to, too easy to attack -- they stumbled upon a perfect little island that seemed to have been created for that very purpose. It was just the right size, and Shellspots swore she could see remnants of long-disused dens scattered around the clearing. They had settled on it immediately, agreeing to return there the next day to begin working on making it a suitable home.
Of course, that night a horrible blizzard descended upon the forest, effectively trapping them in their dens. They had stayed in the warmth of their little hollow for more than a moon now, Shellspots only venturing out to find prey for herself and her kits. She hoped Miku had found somewhere safe to stay, as she hadn’t seen a whisker from the other she-cat since before the storm.
And now at long last the winds had settled. There was still plenty of snow on the ground, of course, but at least it wasn’t falling from the sky or slicing through her fur anymore. Her kits were growing more restless by the day, trapped in their nest for so long, so Shellspots decided it was time to let them stretch their legs a bit.
“Heronkit, Minnowkit,” she called them gently from where she sat at the mouth of the den. It was slightly brighter out today, the sun trying to shine weakly down on the brilliant white forest. “Come here, please. We’re going to do something very important today, and I need you to listen to me carefully.” She had told them the basics about Miku and their search for a suitable camp, but she hadn’t given all the details just yet. She couldn’t wait to see the excitement on their faces. “Today we’re going to visit RiverClan’s new camp!”
ulla
Sigh Riley So excited for this one! <3
|
|
|
Post by Sigh on May 25, 2021 22:17:58 GMT
minnowkit Minnowkit extricated herself from a playful tussle with her brother and stumbled backwards, eyes darting towards Shellspots. Her silhouette was stark against the weak daylight coming in through the mouth of the den. With the weather having been so cold for what seemed like forever, Minnowkit had been inflicting her pent-up energy on Heronkit and thus jumped at the chance for something else to, well, jump at. She ran clumsily on her twiglike legs to join Shellspots at the threshold. Something important! thought Minnowkit, anticipation flooding her body, I wonder what it could be? Are we going to start training? Can we hunt? Or fight? Have we recruited more clanmates? Or... Around and around her imagination swirled, a veritable deluge of possibilities crowding her mind in the sparse moments between Shellspots' initial call and the ultimate reveal. "Where is it? Is Miku there? Are we going to stay there?" Questions fell out of Minnowkit's mouth almost faster than she could think of them, the edges of her speech becoming jumbled as her words tripped over themselves in their haste to get out. She shook her head as if the movement could recalibrate her brain-to-mouth filter, but if anything it just added to the air of excitement around and within her; she was practically vibrating. Lacking the patience to actually hear the answers to any of these questions, Minnowkit strained forward towards the den's entrance. "Let's go!" she meowed excitedly, and dashed out into the cool midday air. Immediately her paws sank into a patch of snow. The snow barely reached her ankles, but it was enough to send an icy chill slicing through her entire body, and Minnowkit shrank in on herself instinctively with a hiss. No wonder Shellspots kept us in the den this whole time, she thought, begrudgingly acknowledging that her "imprisonment" had not been for naught. But I'm not going to let a little snow stop me! With a determined huff, she straightened and braced herself to take another step forward. 331 | Riley Kaeldra I don't know if we had an order planned out so I'll just tag both of you for now?
|
|
Riley
Head of Advertising
347 Posts
|
Post by Riley on May 26, 2021 1:29:58 GMT
He loved his sister, he really did. If anything ever happened to her he'd be devastated, and if she was ever hurt he'd fight tooth and claw to either protect her or avenge her. That being said, if Minnowkit didn't get the heck off of him and stop pouncing like he was a piece of prey they would be having words.
Unwittingly or not, their mother came to his rescue by calling them out of the den. Minnowkit almost immediately separated from their tussle (that SHE'D STARTED) and stumbled toward Shellspots, a million questions shooting from her maw. Heronkit rolled his eyes skyward, asking StarClan (if they really existed like Shellspots said they did) for patience before following behind. On a good day her energy was exhausting, but after being cooped up for days on end from the blizzard? He was surprised she'd even stopped to ask her questions.
Of course that didn't last long as she'd almost immediately brushed passed their mother to step out into a world transformed. Heronkit waited beside Shellspots and his whiskers twitched when Minnowkit's hiss of displeasure sounded. "Wow, Minnow. It's almost like if you'd taken a moment to look where you were going, you could have braced yourself!" he sassed with incredibly false sounding surprise. Like he couldn't at ALL have predicted it. "Who would have guessed?"
With that in mind, Heronkit stepped out beside his sister. Like her, the cold on his pawpads made him shiver, but he had the presence of mind to not hiss at it. He looked back at Shellspots and blinked at her. "It's not too far, is it? If Minnow ends up tripping over her paws and gets buried in the snow, I think we'd lose her forever."
Kaeldra Sigh Take note that it is a conscious choice on my part for Heronkit to call her sister Minnow rather than Minnowkit. Not forgetfulness.
|
|
|
Post by Kaeldra on May 26, 2021 3:49:35 GMT
Shellspots || Queen || 37 moons Shellspots sighed at her kits' antics; being cooped up together for so long really hadn’t helped their energy levels or their tempers. Poor Heronkit, always the more relaxed of the two, had gotten into a habit of snapping at his sister when she was being particularly bothersome. It would be good for them to get some fresh air... and perhaps some distance from each other.
The silver queen had barely opened her mouth to respond to Minnowkit’s barrage of questions when the kit had barrelled past her, right into a drift of snow. A bit eager, hm? The hiss of displeasure that came heartbeats later was to be expected, though it didn’t stop Shellspots from laughing softly. This was their first time experiencing leaf-bare, so of course her daughter would be surprised.
Heronkit did have a point, so she let his jab at his sister slide.
“I don’t think Minnowkit would let us lose her. We’d hear her even if we couldn’t see her!” Shellspots grinned. Her daughter would definitely make it known if she was buried in a snowdrift, and StarClan forbid they left her there. “Don’t worry, it’s not very far. We should make it there with plenty of daylight to spare.” As long as we don’t get too distracted along the way... she added silently.
Following her kits from the den, she turned to face Minnowkit, who was making a great effort to look as if she couldn’t feel the cold. It wasn’t quite working, but Shellspots admired her dedication.
“And to answer your questions: it’s over that way, across a fallen tree branch,” she paused to gesture with her tail in the vague direction of the camp, then continued. “I don’t think Miku will be there, but perhaps we’ll run into her along the way. She might still be staying in her den to keep warm.” Shellspots began padding toward the spot in the distance she had indicated, glancing back to make sure her kits were following rather than getting into another scuffle. “And we probably won’t spend the night there tonight, no. There will be a lot of snow and mess to clean up, so we’ll need to work hard for the next little while to get the camp in shape. Did I miss anything?” Her eyes sparkled as she teased Minnowkit.
She saw they were still shivering slightly in the cold, their soft kitten fur offering little in the way of insulation. Perhaps they’d need something to warm them up first.
“But first...” she said thoughtfully, looking ahead at their path. “Who can make it to that beech tree first? Three, two, one... Go!”
ulla
Sigh Riley
|
|
|
Post by Sigh on May 26, 2021 23:27:45 GMT
minnowkit Minnowkit's ears lowered against her head as she registered what Heronkit had said. "At least I do stuff," she retorted, "No wonder I always win our fights." Minnowkit's standards for victory were, of course, rather arbitrary, though she would never admit it; the just-ended tussle between them was a win for her in her mind, but she would be hard-pressed to articulate exactly why. "And my name is Minnowkit," she reminded him, emphasizing the second half of her name. Someday it won't be; someday I'll have a warrior name. "Why don't you ever call me by my full name?" Her voice at this point was increasing in pitch, peaking at what she might have recognized as a whine if it had come from anyone but herself. This was an old argument, but with her discomfort from the snow and her irritation at Heronkit after so long spent in confinement with him, it was hard to resist trading the familiar snipes. Luckily, Shellspots was always there to smooth things over. Minnowkit's pelt still prickled the slightest bit at Shellspots' well-intentioned teasing, but it was hard to stay mad at either of her family members when she was so excited about the prospect of seeing their future camp for the first time. At Shellspots' responses to her questions, Minnowkit strained her eyes towards the direction the queen had indicated, trying to see if the fallen tree branch was in sight. Predictably, it was not, and Minnowkit relaxed with an impatient huff. She was torn between wanting to leave as soon as possible and being upset at Heronkit's nonchalance; how is he not bothered by the snow? I know that he's never dealt with it before either. The choice was made for her, however, when Shellspots proposed a contest. Never one to shirk an opportunity to win against Heronkit, Minnowkit set her sights on the bare beech tree in the distance and bolted in its direction, trying to ignore the numbness in her paws as they pounded against the snow and frozen dirt of the forest floor. The trees around her blurred as she sped forward, thin legs fighting not only to maintain speed but also coordination. A shiver wracked her as she ran, the cold air brushing past her as she increased speed. I have a head start, and Heronkit seemed half asleep when we were fighting anyway, so I'm sure I can make it before him... Minnowkit barely had the presence of mind to spare for the thought. The beech tree loomed taller and taller as she approached, and she realized it was time to start slowing down. As she finally came nearly within touching distance of the tree, Minnowkit slammed to a stop and spun around to see where Heronkit and Shellspots had made it to, legs quivering from both the chill and the exertion.
|
|
|
|
Post by Kaeldra on Jul 1, 2021 21:47:34 GMT
Shellspots || Queen || 37 moons Shellspots laughed as her kits darted off in the direction of the tree she had indicated, Heronkit yowling after his sister at her head start. A good warrior is always aware of what’s happening around them, she repeated the familiar phrase in her mind. It was something her mother had drilled into her, and now she said it often to her own kits. Even so, Heronkit tended to get lost in his thoughts or distracted by some twig or, in this case, his own breath.
The queen bounded after her kits at a more relaxed pace, still keeping up with them but not in any hurry to beat them there. She watched as Minnowkit put her all into sprinting for the tree, skidding around at the last moment to gauge how far ahead of her brother she was. Heronkit seemed to be anticipating this, and leapt easily over her to whack his paw on the trunk in triumph.
“Well done, both of you! That was so close, I think we’ll call it a tie,” Shellspots congratulated her kits. Yes, Minnowkit had technically gotten there first, but Heronkit had actually touched the tree. Their contrasting personalities did complement each other quite well, she thought. She could imagine they’d be a team to be reckoned with once they were older. If they could work together long enough, that was.
As she padded the last few pawsteps to meet them at the tree, Shellspots turned her gaze once again in the direction of the island.
“Now that you’re all warmed up, why don’t we see if we can’t find some prey while we walk the rest of the way?” The queen tasted the air, hoping for a trace of something. She hadn’t officially begun their training just yet, but if there was an opportunity to teach them a little bit about hunting who was she to waste it? “I think I can smell a vole,” she told them, her voice hushed. “Can either of you tell me where it is? Make sure not to scare it off!” Conveniently enough, she thought she could hear it rustling beneath the snow in the rough direction of where they needed to go.
ulla
Sigh Riley Apologies for the wait on this one! Let the adventures continueee~
|
|
|
Post by Sigh on Jul 9, 2021 22:18:00 GMT
minnowkit Minnowkit's body froze as she turned to find Heronkit much closer than anticipated; she had expected him to stay off in his own little world for at least a few more seconds, but apparently luck was not on her side today. This thought was punctuated by Heronkit striking the tree, the sound ringing dully in the otherwise quiet wood. Minnowkit's ears flattened against her head in displeasure. "And you call me a cheater," she grumbled. Shellspots' congratulations made her feel better, but only marginally. There was little that could wipe the sour taste of Heronkit's smugness from her mouth other than time—and perhaps a vengeful victory of her own sometime in the near future. Luckily, such an opportunity was quick to present itself. "A vole?" Minnowkit asked aloud, realizing after she had spoken that perhaps noise was not going to work in her favor at this moment. She closed her mouth guiltily before swinging her head back and forth. But I'll never see the vole before I smell it, she thought, and took a deep breath in. The first thing she noticed was not so much a smell as it was how cold the air was. Well, that was no surprise. She pushed past the uncomfortable sensation to try and pick some distinct scents out of the mix. As always there was the underlying scent of the trees and dirt and snow with stale snatches of something that was too faint to pick out, but...something fresh too... Minnowkit turned to follow the trail she'd caught, sniffing all the while. It seemed to be strongest in a certain direction, away from where they'd originally started their day. "That way? she meowed, much more quietly this time, with a flick of her tail to indicate the direction she had in mind. Her gaze flicked back and forth between Shellspots and Heronkit, hoping for approval from one and either agreement or befuddlement from the other. 316 | Riley Kaeldra sorry for the wait, please enjoy these words!
|
|