Grow up to fast {Open!!}

[Darkheart]

Lovekit

A thin white tail poked out of a dense bush, twitching angrily. A muffled grumbling escaped through the leaves. "You stupid mouse! Let me hunt you!!" the little kitten growled, stomping her paw in the dirt.

Lovekit was set on becoming an apprentice. Though she was only 5 moons and small for her age, she though she was more qualified to be an apprentice than anyone else. But how can she become notice in the clan? How can she show she is ready to move up in the clan?

She glared up at the mouse that has scurried away from her after she 'sneaked up' of it and climbed up onto a branch in a bush. "If I was just two inches taller, oh boy, would you be in trouble!" she hissed. The mouse looked down at her with it's beady eyes. Lovekit narrowed her eyes. Finally, she shouted "Fine! Rats like you are not worth it! I'll go catch a dog or something!"

Lovekit backed herself out of the bush. Leaves clung to her fur, making her look like a little bush herself. She fell onto her stomach and sighed. In the back of her mind, she knew she was a long ways away from catching anything. "Why, StarClan, must I be so small!? What did I do wrong?!"

[hawktalon]

Dewpaw purred to herself as she darted out of camp. She loved these walks she took. They left her feeling much more calm and free. Her paws beat a steady rhythm on the ground as she loped quickly along. Her green-blue eyes flicked mischievously back and forth. Her long, thin tail waved excitedly behind her like a banner and parted the grass as she snaked her way through the grass. The sheer joy of being away from the camp confines filled her to the brim. And a perfect day to spend outside.

Gradually as she ran, she noticed that another presence seemed to be nearby. She slowed to a stop and scented the air, focusing on the scenery around her. The trees stretched high above her head and the grass reached well past her shoulders. She was just an apprentice, after all. She had been for only a few weeks. She wasn't of much height to compare that of a cat with. This grass wasn't too high, she supposed. Cat scent hit her nostrils and along with it a slight fear. She
could hear talking in the distance and so she followed it.

The grass began to thin with the trees and was replaced eventually by moss and bushes and thick ferns. Dewpaw curled her tail in delight, spotting the cat who she had scented before. It was a small she-kit glaring at a bush. She paused, immediately knowing and regretting that she'd revealed herself to her prey so easily. "Uh..." she mumbled, embarrassed. "S-sorry."

[Darkheart]

Lovekit's body reacted faster than her mind, jumping at the first sound of the voice. She quickly twisted her body to face the voice. She stared at the cat, who seemed to be a little older than herself. She studied the apprentice in front of her, as if trying to decide whether she is was real or just her imagination.

After a moment, the kit relaxed and she frightened look in her eyes disappeared. "You're not a dog..." She observed, tilting her small head to the side. "Or a mouse." Warmth ran across her face as she realized she had been caugh... yelling at a bush. She didn't dare look the other cat in the eyes. Great! Now I'm not just the small one, but the insane one, too! They are going to put me with the elders!! She thought, both terrified and frustrated with herself.

[hawktalon]

Dewpaw blinked at the kit as she sprang up in surprise. Her fur fluffed a litter bit until she saw that it was just a fellow clanmate. Dewpaw laughed shyly at her remark. Shifting her paws, Dewpaw shook her head. "No, I'm not a dog. Or a mouse." She paused briefly, wondering about what it would be like if she was. "That wouldn't be fun to avoid cats all day long
as a mouse."She sat down on the leaves, glancing over her shoulder once before she turned back to the kit.

"My name is Dewpaw." she mewed with a slightly too official tone. Dewpaw noticed how bossy she must sound and self-consciously lowered her gaze. Why do I have to be so weird? she thought to herself. Better not scare her off with my lack of sanity. Dewpaw stood up, knowing she still had to do her apprentices duties. "Uh, I was supposed to be hunting today. For the clan. I could show you some basics if you'd like."

[Darkheart]

Lovekit thought about what Dewpaw said about being a mouse. But does a mouse find it fun to make it impossible to catch them?! She gave a quick mean glare at the bush, hoping that the mouse could see her. Lovekit thought glaring made her seem bigger. Lovekit snapped back into reality. "I'm Lovekit." She said wrinkling her nose at her name. She tilted her head when Dewpaw looked down. Do I still have a twig in my fur and she is just being polite? Lovekit thought. She shook her head, trying to get rid of the imaginary twig.

When Dewpaw offered to give Lovekit a basic hunting lesson, Lovekit's ears got red. She tried to hid it by tilting her nose upward, looking proud. "I don't need a hunting lesson!" She uttered. "In fact, I just caught a badger the other day!" Lovekit lied. The little kit was very arrogant, always trying to make herself seem more impressive than she is. But even if she was, she did have a heart and immediately felt bad for how rude she just sounded to a cat who was kind enough to offer Lovekit help. She flicked her head down, shuffling her paws. "Umm, but I could use some extra practice... you know, to keep in shape!" She in a small voice.

(She doesn't have very could people skills... or would it be cat skills? Er... Social skills!)

[hawktalon]

OOC- that's a very good question. Social skills, I guess. With cats involved...interesting.


IC-

Dewpaw looked at Lovekit, amused by her indignation. Image how a small kit like herself could have caught a badger. Dewpaw was by no means large. She was, in fact, hardly bigger than Lovekit herself. Every one of the apprentices told her she looked like a nursery scrap. It was no wonder they did. Pushing her own thoughts away, she shook out her fur and swiveled her ears around in search of the stream. It was shallow because of the intense heat lately, but some small prey still scampered about in the land nearby.


"We can hunt bigger stuff another day." Dewpaw said, turning east towards the sound of running water. "The river has mice and squirrels by it. There might be a few birds too." She turned to Lovekit. "Do you want to go there?" She asked, itching to run around and catch something.

[Darkheart]

Lovekit shivered at the thought of trying to hunt mice again. Great, just another time to make a fool of myself. But for some reason, her voice squeaked "Sure." as her answer, instead of making an excuse to get out of it. Lovekit didn't even know if it was possible to catch a bird. They could FLY!

A sick feeling pushed into Lovekit's empty stomach. She quickly swallowed, hoping to get rid of the feeling. She puffed her chest out. Look confident, feel confident. She told herself. "Lead the way!" She said, mostly because she didn't know where the stream was. She shifted her weight from paw to paw. "...please." she added with a cough.

[hawktalon]

Dewpaw nodded excitedly and jumped up, her green eyes flashing with delight. She hated feeling like she was useless or insubordinate whenever she wasn't doing something. Anything "Okay then, the stream it is!" She glanced ay Lovekit before she started
walking beside her, listening for any signs of prey along the way as they walked.


The walk was short and Dewpaw soon heard the
stream as the water bubbled around the banks. She raised her muzzle to scent the area for prey, wanting to see if anything was available. She turned to Lovekit and said in an upbeat tone, "See if you can scent anything. Listen for things, too. It helps you focus on where to smell for prey." She sniffed at the air herself to see what tidbits would cross paths with her claws.

[Darkheart]

Lovekit nodded, trying to take in everything Dewpaw was saying, hoping anything could help her with her hunting skills. She mimicked Dewpaw by raising her muzzle and taking in a deep breath, pushing herself to smell something. But the only thing she was picking up was the smell of the wet grass that surrounded her paws.

Lovekit now tried to listen. She tilted her small head to the left, flicking her brown ear. She closed her eyes and concentrated on the environment around her. She heard the water swish around in the stream. She heard the ruffle of leaves on the trees from the soft breeze. She heard her own breath. She heard so many things, it was hard to pick out a squeak of a mouse or a squirrel.

Frustration swelled up inside Lovekit. She let out a sharp breath, flicking her head around. If I can't hear it or smell it, what makes me think I can see it?! A small hiss was released in her throat. She looked at Dewpaw, silently asking for help.

[hawktalon]

Dewpaw glanced at Lovekit, seeing her concentration written on her face. She sniffed at the air and scented musty earth and some faint fish smell. There was the soft burbling of the river and then the rapid tap-tap-tap of a woodpecker high up in the canopy.


She saw a flash of grey-brown fur close to the bank and then a water vole scurried up and out of the water, unawares of it's company. When Dewpaw turned back to Lovekit there was a frustrated look on her face. Dewpaw silently angled her ears towards the vole, watching it amble about in the shorter stalks of river grass just past the bank. She leaned down and whispered softly to Lovekit, "See the water vole over there? Wait until it gets close. They don't hear too well but they see and smell very good. Stay upwind of it and stay low. Run
at it when it gets close to you." Dewpaw slithered backwards inconspicuously and allowed Lovelorn to take over the job.

[Darkheart]

Lovekit hung onto Dewpaw's every word, keeping her eyes on the vole. The kit repeated the instructions over and over in her head. I will not mess this up! She told herself. I can do this! Taking a deep breath she prepared herself.

She lifted her tail in the air so she could feel which direction the wind was going. Following against the direction, the circles the vole. Though Dewpaw said they couldn't hear well, she didn't want to take any chances. Holding her breath, she crept up on the vole, careful of where she stepped. Finally, when she felt the was close enough, she jumped...

"I got it! I got it!" She squealed. She had trapped the vole under her stomach. She kept her front paws tucked under her chest so the vole couldn't escape. She looked over she shoulder at Dewpaw to give her a large smile. But as she did that, she lifted her back end slightly, and the vole scurried out from under Lovekit.

Lovekit gasped and twisted her body around. She pushed off, trying to catch the water vole. Tripping over her own paws, she frantically ran at the vole, following it to the stream. When the vole dived into the water, without thinking, Lovekit followed. Splashing in the water, she pounced over and over, hoping to catch something.

Lovekit paused. This was useless! She hissed and smacked the water with her paw. "Gosh dang it, Starclan!" She cursed. She stepped out of the water, soaking wet. the fur on her head drooped over her eyes. She looked over at Dewpaw in defeat. A small puddle of water collected under dripping Lovekit.

[hawktalon]

Dewpaw watched every one of her carefully calculated movements, noting how she stalked the vole and kept focused on it and her surroundings at the same time. She couldn't help a feeling of pride. She figured it must be hard to teach a cat that, but Lovekit already had it covered before apprenticeship.

Dewpaw focused in on her as she jumped up out of her crouch and raced for the vole, her small body moving quickly and trapping it beneath her. "I got it!" She said as she turned to face Dewpaw. Dewpaws ears flicked forward and she opened her mouth to
speak, but before she could say anything the vole had escaped, scurrying away from Lovekit. In an instant the chase was on again and Lovekit was after the small creature as it darted towards the safety of
the water. The two of them raced into the water, intent on the run. It was too late, however, and Lovekit appeared on the banks again, this time sopping wet.

Dewpaw padded over, her eyes sympathetic. "Don't worry about it," she said
encouragingly. "Even warriors miss prey at times, and you had it at first." she stepped over a small branch and licked the water off of
Lovekit's forehead so that it wouldn't dribble into her eyes. "We should get you home. It's much easier to catch cold when your soaked in water. Dewpaw mused.

[Darkheart]

Lovekit breathed out a puff of air. "I am cursed by Starclan!" She growled. But Dewpaw's words were comforting. Lovekit felt like she should be angry... but she just couldn't. The positivity and almost motherly words of Dewpaw pushed the negative thoughts out of Lovekit's mind, putting the kit at ease.

When Dewpaw said that they should start to go home, Lovekit closed her eyes and have a small nod. "Okay." Lovekit was normally a spunky kit who didn't like to listen to anyone, but she felt like she owed Dewpaw the respect the kit did give many people. "But could we come back tomorrow. I want to try again, if you don't m-mind." Her little body started to shiver. The wet fur that clung to her body didn't protect her from the breeze.

[hawktalon]

The breeze was only mildly chilled, but to a small, soaking wet cat it was definitely colder. Dewpaw gently aided Lovekit, offering her a shoulder to lean on. She stood up slowly and shivered slightly as Lovekit's cold, dripping form pressed against her shoulder. She glanced over at Lovekit, studying her carefully. She was clearly a resilient cat. Dewpaw knew and could name more than a few cats who would give up hunting with her after an excursion such as this. And yet Lovekit asked if they could go out again another time. Dewpaw would enjoy that, she knew. "Of course, yeah. That'd be fun." She said cheerily, trying to keep an eye on their pace of walking. They had to be home soon or Lovekit would be a lot more than just shivering.

Dewpaw tried to keep her moving and occupied, talking to her and asking questions. "So, do you go outside of camp often?" She said it in a casual, nonchalant tone of voice. It was more relaxed that way and the stress of rushing back was off of her mind. "I remember I always asked to leave camp when I was a kit. I never wanted to do anything but leave. I was only one or two moons then, I think." Dewpaw recalled, mulling over the memory in her head. "Yes, I must've been a moon or so." She decided.

[Darkheart]

Lovekit gratefully used Dewpaw as a crutch. Her short legs were shaking, making her wobble when she attempted to walk on her own. She felt as if the chill was sinking from the top of her fur to deep inside her. She looked up at the sun. It shouldn't be cold. She thought as she squinted in the bright sun. She felt like laying down and curling up, but she kept pushing herself forward, staying beside Dewpaw for she knew she shouldn't stop.

Lovekit was thankful of the question. Anything to take her mind of the chill. "I try to get out as much as I can," She admitted. "Well, more like sneak out. The Queens don't like us to leave the camp often. If they could, they would pin us to the ground in the den and wrap us in moss... like we are made of glass and could shatter at any moment." She sighed. "I just want to feel free! I'm not a prisoner. So one day, I just left when the rest of the kits were playing and fell in love with the feeling of..." She didn't know how to put it into words. She paused, trying to find a way to fit what she thought. "The feeling of not being held down." She decided.

[hawktalon]

As they trekked along towards camp, Dewpaw kept her eyes open for any signs of a patrol. A warrior wasn't necessary to get them home, but at any rate it would have been nice. She fluffed up her orange coat, trying her best to help warm Lovekit. She was stumbling because of the chill and seemed to want to stop. But you can't stop now. she thought to herself, willing the two of them on.

Dewpaw let out a short mrrow of laughter as she heard Lovekit's confession to slipping out of camp past the queens whenever possible. Her own time in
the nursery had been spent with her mother, as she was the lone kit of her litter. Another question formed in her head as she reflected on her own experience in the nursery. The scent of Fireclan and many mingled cats reached her nose. They were definitely getting closer by now. "How many other kits are with you in the nursery? There weren't any while I was there. It was just a bunch of boring days with my mom and listening to the elders tell stories." Dewpaw wrinkled her nose at the memory. "They could really talk a cat's ears off for sure, those elders!"

[Darkheart]

Lovekit counted the number of kits in her head. "There are about seven." She decided. "I don't really talk to any of them though. All they want to do is cling to their mothers. They don't understand that there is more beyond the camp." The small kit explained. But that wasn't the only reason she didn't play with the other kits. Though she was the oldest kit, she was almost the smallest. Every time they kit's would play fight, she would lose. After a while, she just stopped playing, not wanting to deal with the humiliation.

Another chill swept threw her body. I didn't realize we were this far away from the camp She though. Her fur was just about dry now, but the cold didn't go away. It felt inside her instead of in the air. She kept her steps fast, hoping it would warm her up. She felt like her blood had turned to ice and was weighing her down. Her steps got slower and slower. She felt like she was dragging herself, not walking. She felt so weak. Her little body was shaking violently. "Dewpaw, I don't feel..." she stumbled to fell to the ground. She felt so tired.

[hawktalon]

Dewpaw nodded, contemplating Lovekit's answer. Seven others? She would have enjoyed having so much company, even now. The other apprentices were always out training, far too busy to help her with her own duties. And when they did, they were never happy about it. Always wishing they could be off at battle training or tree climbing or such. She sighed softly. "That's alright. They'll grow up and become less like that. You could easily outrun them or climb higher than they could." Dewpaw encouraged her. She could feel the wetness drying nearly completely out of Lovekit's fur, although she was still cold. Another shiver passed through her as the pair of them walked on.

Lovekit started to press on, walking a bit faster. A worried and dull glint was in her eyes. She started to say something, but then she crumpled to her paws, looking exhausted. "No, Lovekit, you have to keep moving. Camp isn't too far from here!" Dewpaw pleaded, watching the young kits sides as they rose and fell in time with her breathing. Dewpaw whirled around, her nose sniffing at the air and her eyes searching. Where was the camp? And how far? No matter what distance, they didn't have much time. Dewpaw glanced downwards, sniffing at the small flowering plants on the ground. She was running a list of herbs through her head, wondering frantically which ones would help her warm up or gain strength. "Great Starclan, help us!" she muttered, turning back to Lovekits and attempting to nose her onto her paws.

[Darkheart]

Lovekit tried to push herself up. She stumbled three foxtails, then collapsed again. She felt the chill melt away from her body, but Lovekit still was weak. She felt like someone lied a rock on her back. Keep going She told herself. Just keep going! But she couldn't. Her body was going numb. Her head was spinning and the light seemed to flash like a giant white lights. Then, her head hit the ground, and everything went from white, to black...

Water. She was in water. But she could breath. Lovekit looked around her. It was dark, but not black. Just a dark, dark blue. Her legs moved freely under her. She felt no ground. Floating. Her short fun was swaying around her as if the wind gave a sharp breath, but she felt no breeze. She looked around some more. There were white spots around her. Sky... She was in the night sky. The realization made her heart jump. Was she falling? But when she looked down, she just saw more sky. The world was no were in sight. At first, it was peaceful, quiet. Then, a deafening sound exploded around her, like a whisper amplified to an extreme level. It hurt. The sound pushed into Lovekit's ears. The kit tried her run away but her legs just swatted under her in air. The sound became louder and then louder. She couldn't take it. Lovekit let out a high pitched scream, hoping to drown out the harsh whisper.

Lovekit's small body jerk awake. The sun was bright and...warm. She looked around. Trees. Bushes. Flowers. Land. She rolled to her feet easily. Her head was pounding but her body felt strong again. She blinked again and looked around, making sure she wasn't tricking herself. No, it was real.

((I'm not sure were I just went with that... Sorry, it's kind of weird! I'll try and think of a meaning for it later on! ))

[hawktalon]

OOC: haha. No problem XD.

Lovekit forced herself back onto her own four paws, stumbling a short distance on her exhausted legs before she fell once more. But this time, she didn't
make an attempt to stand, and her breathing was rapidly slowing. A mix of despair and panic began to overtake Dewpaw. What to do? She realised how badly
she was reacting, considering the situation. This, of all times, was none to panic.


Dewpaw stood beside Lovekit, studying her
breathing patterns for a fleeting moment before she gently took Lovekit by the scruff and began to walk her home. This was the one chance Dewpaw had to save Lovekit before the chill of the water and the cold
breezes drew the life out of the young kit. She ran as
best she could with the kit, twitching her head every now and then to adjust the weight of the bundle in her jaws. Dewpaw was immensely relieved when scented the heady flowers of feverfew plants and spotted the bright petals. She raced over to the stalks, heavily
winded, but still plenty able to help the kit that lay unconscious before her. She laid Lovekit down in front of her and began biting off a flower and administering the pulp to the kit, stroking her throat with a paw to get her to swallow in the sleep she was in. Now, there was naught to do but to wait. And the hardest part was yet to come.